As Nintendo are seemingly refusing to acknowledge that people still enjoy the classic The Legend of Zelda titles, indie developers are stepping up to fill that void. Recently we’ve seen the likes of Underdungeon, Reverie: Sweet As Edition and Book Quest taking up various forms of the mantle. But now it’s Pixel Trash’s turn, with Saga of the Moon Priestess.
The game makes no bones about its inspiration. After a brief introduction, within minutes you’re hacking away at bushes and long grass to find hearts and gems. You’re playing on a maze like world map, from a top-down perspective, with scrolling screen segments. Everything from enemies recoiling when hit, to smashing pots and fortune tellers will feel familiar. And that’s exactly the point.
Upon discovering your first dungeon you’ll find a simple layout with even simpler puzzles. A key is needed, and nearby is a room with several enemies. Defeat them all to earn the key. You’ll get a unique item, of which only one can be equipped at a time. Another door is closed; reveal the switch under a boulder to open it. If this isn’t ringing any bells, you’ve never played The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.
As brazen as the cloning is, Pixel Trash have also seen fit to rectify some of the minor annoyances with the 16-bit classic. Enemies will no longer respawn when revisiting a room. Dying will only result in a retread of ground, but all previously solved puzzles remain solved. Different enemies will do varying amounts of damage, opposed to everything taking a full chunk of health. These are relatively minor changes to the design template, but welcome nonetheless.
So with Saga of the Moon Priestess, what you see is what you get. It’s a straight-up retro Zelda clone. For better and worse. It doesn’t do anything to rock the boat, but at the same time it will always pale in direct comparison. It’s a brief tour through gameplay we already know and love. It’s not as interesting as Underdungeon and not as irritating as Book Quest, but it has its place. A simple enjoyable Zelda-like for the weekend. And there’s no shame in that.
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