This Week in Mobile Games - The Legend of the Zelda-likes
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Hello again, and welcome once more to another edition of the column! Just as one major venue for big announcements (Gamescom) has faded into recent memory, the ever-reliable Nintendo Direct popped up to remind everybody that this year is the 40th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda, one of Nintendo's - and gaming's - most iconic series. Jean-Karlo did a great deep dive on the series' origins back in April, and in keeping with the occasion, I thought to turn the column to the topic of the Zelda series' anniversary as well.
Unfortunately, celebrating Zelda's 40th wasn't quite so simple for this column, as it's all about mobile games, and there has yet to be an official The Legend of Zelda mobile game. Indeed, The Legend of Zelda's mobile presence has been largely confined to regular news and promotional updates via the Nintendo Today app, music selections on the Nintendo Music app, and the recently launched Zelda Notes app, which adds extra functionality to the Switch 2 editions of Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom, and, as revealed in the recent Nintendo Direct broadcast, the Ocarina of Time remake. In other words, as far as The Legend of Zelda is concerned, smartphones and tablets have been accessories to the main games on consoles, at best.
There might have been a chance for a mobile Zelda to manifest back in 2017, when a Wall Street Journal report said that sources in Nintendo confirmed the company's plans to develop The Legend of Zelda for smartphones. The timing makes a lot of sense: 2017 would've seen The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild fresh off blowing everyone's minds with an open-world vision for the series that was very different from the titles that came before. The same year would've also had some of Nintendo's better-remembered mobile games, including Fire Emblem Heroes and Super Mario Run, in recent memory. But that story broke nearly a decade ago, and since then we've heard not a peep from the project, if it even still exists.
Why the seeming change of heart? One can only guess without direct access to Nintendo's decision-makers of the time, but perhaps some insight lies in the way the Big N has historically treated mobile games: as gateways to its IP rather than truly equal wings of the brand. Perhaps they couldn't find a vision of The Legend of Zelda that truly fit in the format of a smartphone game that would still direct its most interested players to try out the likes of Breath of the Wild or A Link Between Worlds on the Switch.
If I were to speculate, I could see that tendency changing in the future, as even Nintendo hardware and its games get more expensive. We can already see Nintendo's attempts to create more easily accessible on-ramps to its core brands in the form of film adaptations (with The Legend of Zelda live-action adaptation coming soon) and amusement park attractions, which can be seen or visited for less than the cost of a new Switch 2 and a potentially costly game. A theoretical future Nintendo might see more value in meeting potential fans where they are, and pretty much all those fans have their own phones and tablets these days.
Whatever happens in the future, in the year 2026, there is still no notable The Legend of Zelda mobile game to celebrate alongside the rest of the series.
Without a Zelda Mobile Game (So Far), "Copycats" Fill the Gaps
So how does one use this mobile-centered column to celebrate a series that is by and large exclusive to Nintendo consoles (and a few lucky licensing partners from the '90s like Philips' CD-i)? Luckily, The Legend of Zelda is incredibly popular and widely hailed as one of gaming's most influential series. Its mix of dungeon-crawling, combat, and light RPG mechanics centered around gradually opening up an explorable world coalesced into the image many still hold of the classic fantasy action-adventure game. That influence has spread far and wide, with countless developers stepping up with their own games built at least partially in the image of Zelda games, particularly headline titles like A Link to the Past, The Ocarina of Time, and Wind Waker.
There have been so many so-called "Zelda-likes" over the years that it'd be a waste of time to try to list them all, but in the year of the series' 40th birthday, it's worth noting a few notable examples that have made waves among mobile players over the years.
Speaking of "making waves," one of the best-known Zelda-likes on mobile first appeared back in 2013. Oceanhorn: Monster of the Uncharted Seas first landed as an iPhone-exclusive title from Finnish developer Cornfox & Bros, and cast players as a fledgling adventurer seeking the truth about what happened to his father. Players instantly clocked its aspirations and dubbed it a "Zelda clone," but the designation was one rooted in affection. The game was on a platform Nintendo didn't care to touch at the time (iOS), and even Zelda fans were right in the midst of a lull in major series releases. Skyward Sword had launched in 2011 on the Wii, complete with somewhat divisive motion control integration, but the only new Zelda game at the time was A Link Between Worlds, a 3DS title that was a deliberate throwback to A Link to the Past. It would be four more years before Breath of the Wild upended most everyone's conception of what Zelda could be.
As such, Oceanhorn and its hybrid of Wind Waker's maritime exploration and use of isometric 3D adventuring garnered attention, with Cornfox & Bros. later porting the game to PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and even the Switch, where Switch owners hailed it as a fun revival of "traditional" Zelda gameplay after the more radical design departures of Breath of the Wild. That goodwill carried over into the 2019 sequel, Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm, which added companions and a more fully 3D gameplay style.
Through it all, the series maintained mobile-first roots. Oceanhorn 2 launched as an Apple Arcade-exclusive title before heading to other platforms. The latest game in the series, Oceanhorn 3: Legend of the Shadow Sea, landed in March 2026, and is still exclusive to Apple devices. It even features some Apple-specific integrations, like a first-person VR-style gameplay mode for the Apple Vision Pro headset. Taken as a whole, the series feels like an alternate, equally valid pathway for the Zelda games, as if Nintendo had continued along the path set by Wind Waker and Skyward Sword rather than explore Breath of the Wild's vision.
That said, despite the acclaim, Oceanhorn's rep is that of an "Apple" series, thanks to those early exclusivity lock-ins. Wouldn't you know it, mobile gaming was home to its own platform war of sorts in those days, and Android players looking for a Zelda-esque fix might've felt left in the cold a bit. Their warmth came from South Korea's Com2Us (also known as Gamevil) and its Zenonia series. If anything, the Zenonia games predate Oceanhorn by about 3 years, with the first landing on iOS and Android in 2009 and 2010. Featuring snazzy 2D battles and anime- and manhwa-inspired visuals, with a particular focus on bombastic special attacks, Zenonia weren't quite dead ringers for The Legend of Zelda's style, but they were classic action-RPGs that players looked to while deprived of Nintendo's attention. Zenonia was popular enough that the games landed on a diverse range of mobile and portable platforms, including the PSP, PC, Windows Mobile, the Nintendo DSi (via DSiWare), and even the short-lived Zeebo, a cheap mobile-based game console sold almost entirely in Brazil and Mexico.
While Oceanhorn represents a class of Zelda-likes that seemingly matches the "triple-A" production values of a flagship Nintendo franchise game, many, if not most, Zelda-likes, especially the independently developed ones, often draw from the well filled by A Link to The Past and other "true 2D" Zelda games. Analgesic Productions' Anodyne appeared the same year as the first Oceanhorn, and looks like it stepped right out of Zelda's Game Boy Advance and Super Famicom eras, boasting 2D screen-separated dungeon crawls, real-time adventure combat, and a moody, ethereal atmosphere, strange NPCs, and a meta, otherworldly story. Its indirect sequel, Anodyne 2, isn't on mobile, but draws a bit from the N64 and PlayStation 1 era by placing world exploration on a chunky, low-fi 3D game world while keeping the dungeons in the first game's pixel art style.
And there are many more Zelda-likes besides, all tapping a range of inspirations extending beyond the horizons. Evoland sends up the history of action-adventure games and JRPGs through a clever, constant shifting of battle mechanics and presentation styles, evoking everything from Zelda to Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, with a sequel, Evoland 2, that crosses genres into shoot-'em-ups, fighting games, Mega Man-style platformers, and, naturally, a bit of 3D Zelda, too. Swordigo channels N64-style 3D graphics but uses the side-scrolling platformer-inspired style of Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link as inspiration. Even Genshin Impact was first seen as a rip-off of Breath of the Wild, thanks to its initial, windblown environs, gliding exploration, and climb-anything physics.
In the end, perhaps the strongest testament to Zelda's influence is that its elements continue to pop up almost everywhere someone wants to make an action-adventure, far beyond the borders of Nintendo's platform ownership and intellectual property.
Sleepless Wild Draws Even More Deeply From Breath of the Wild's Well
If you've played Genshin Impact for any real amount of time, you'd know that the initial impressions folks had of it before its launch that it was "Chinese gacha Breath of the Wild" were a bit off-base. Sure, you could climb things, there was gliding, and you could set fire to grass to get a height boost, but even before the first big updates, the game was evolving into something quite different, and altogether too familiar. To put it less kindly, despite these superficial similarities and an ongoing dedication to showing off really cool environments to explore, Genshin Impact was much more a standard gacha RPG than something looking to bite Breath of the Wild's style.
While Genshin Impact beat its Zelda-clone allegations, I am not so sure Zealory Games' Sleepless Wild (未眠野) will, judging by this initial gameplay showcase. Its gimmicks so closely mirror those of Breath of the Wild that I keep looking for the Sheikah Slate on the protagonist's person. Players can erect pillars to form footholds, freeze water to form ice blocks to float on, stop physics objects in time (then hit them to build up momentum during the pause and set up a launch), and a bit where characters are throwing explosives from a levitating mine cart. There are even shrine-like physics puzzles, though these seem designed for solving in co-op.
At the risk of sounding unkind, the game looks like the developers ran Breath of the Wild through an "anime-style character action" filter and added what looks like multiplayer co-op (or perhaps an NPC party system). That being said, I am intrigued, because I'm curious to see how the game will shake out. Sleepless Wilds is open for pre-registration in China for PC, Android, and iOS, and recruitment for closed testing is ongoing. Zealory Games hasn't mentioned a release date or plans for a global launch.
Ares: The Iron Vanguard Launches, Bringing Slick-Suited Sci-fi Action to Screens
I mentioned Com2Us in the Zelda-like section above, but the company once known as Gamevil hasn't rested on its Zenonia laurels in the years since. In fact, it's just launched a new mobile-and-PC MMORPG called Ares: The Iron Vanguard, following a soft launch in Southeast Asia.
The game is a slick, sci-fi-tinged, action-focused RPG with a selection of almost doll-smooth character designs and flashy attack animations. Set in the year 3400, players become "Guardians" protecting the solar system from robotic and alien threats. To fight, they can don "Suits" (read: classes) that determine their playstyle and powers. The most unique-looking class is the Engineer, which whacks foes with huge floating gauntlets. Players can also board mecha, ride hoverbikes, and mount what looks like a large robotic dragon to engage in vehicular combat. Players can even fly in a way that evokes the Javelin mecha suits from the now-defunct BioWare-developed loot shooter Anthem. The game is supported by a gacha system that sells costumes, mounts, and new suits on the banner, but it remains to be seen how or if players can get what they need or want with less shelling out.
Early gameplay footage from soft launch players and fresh playthroughs shows off some slick graphics and English voice acting that sounds like it came out of YouTube's auto-dub feature. It reminds me a bit of Nexon's loot shooter The First Descendant on PC and consoles, particularly in its emphasis on a Stellar Blade-esque conception of character design (read: supermodels dressed in skin-tight bodysuits). While it's impressive what plays on phones these days, I'm not quite feeling it, personally. While I am a sucker for sci-fi and sci-fantasy work, what little's on display in the early game seems to lack the spark that drove my interest in the likes of the Phantasy Star online games and even the likes of Destiny. Plus, I don't even have the time to catch up with games I'd like to play, much less new ones.
Genshin Impact Version 7.1 Deepens Snezhnaya's Crisis on September 23rd
Speaking of games I haven't been able to catch up with, there's another update to Genshin Impact incoming. The game's version 7.1 update, titled A Rekviem for the Underworld, is set to go live on September 23 and will continue the Traveler's adventures in Snezhnaya. Players will meet the snowy northern land's Tsarita in person for the first time and get a few answers about her plot to collect "Gnosis" artifacts from the other nations' Archons, a crusade her Fatui have pursued since the game launched years ago.
There'll also be a break from the crisis to celebrate the Moonchase Festival in Liyue, the in-game equivalent to China's real-life Mid-Autumn Festival. That said, Genshin Impact hasn't had a Moonchase Festival event in nearly five years, so it'll be the first time for many newer players.
Version 7.1 also looks to be particularly significant because it coincides with the game's 6th Anniversary celebration, with more rewards than usual for participants. Players who manage to catch up with the Archon Quest will be given a 5-Star character selector that includes a number of limited-rarity (i.e., event-exclusive) characters to pick from. These candidates include Clorinde, Nilou, Tartaglia, Chiori, Varesa, and Baizhu. This is in addition to a standard-rarity 5-star selector, Primogems, Fate tickets, and other rewards.
Of course, there'll still be plenty to dump all those Primogems on, particularly two new characters: Vesna and Vodyanitsa. Vesna's an Anemo sword-wielder and the youngest Commander in the country's history. Vodyanitsa leans into the vaguely Russia-inspired aesthetic of Snezhnaya, and is the Primadonna of the capital's Korolevskiya Troupe as well as a Hydro Catalyst-bearer. Both new characters are notable for being able to throw out the new Stellar elemental reactions.
Uta Macross Makes The Jump Offline and to Consoles After Successful Crowdfunding
Publisher August has announced that its crowdfunding campaign for Uta Macross has succeeded, and the game will be released in Japan on PC, iOS, and Android as an offline single-purchase title in Spring 2027. A global release hasn't been confirmed as of yet. Uta Macross is the offline conversion of Uta Macross: Smartphone Deculture, a mobile rhythm game featuring singers and songs from across the Macross franchise. The game was shut down back in 2022.
If you're the type to keep up with new game reviews and news, you might have noticed that Uta Macross is part of a growing trend. A notable number of once free-to-play games, particularly gacha-supported titles, have been converting into offline, single-player games, sometimes years after their mobile, live editions shut down for good. Octopath Traveler 0 (adapted from Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent), the upcoming Final Fantasy Resonance (adapted from Final Fantasy Brave Exvius), the just-launched Another Eden Begins (adapted from Another Eden: The Cat Beyond Time and Space), and Touhou Danmaku Kagura have all released in the last few years, converted from defunct (or declining) live free-to-play games.
It's an interesting trend, because it's pretty clear that even in strongholds like Japan, the gacha and free-to-play scene is beginning to cool a bit. Free-to-play games are attractive because they can be easy to take up, but their economics are volatile, and even putting aside ethical concerns around the use of free-to-play monetization, the scene is so crowded that all but the most popular titles fail to break through. An offline conversion allows developers to stay employed and represents a chance for a defunct F2P to gain a second life. For players, offline conversions also help keep a free-to-play game from suddenly becoming lost media the second the people in charge no longer see the game as profitable.
Of course, compared to the number of games that shut down or die quietly, offline conversions are only happening to an exceptional few. That said, it's nice to see more developers take this path rather than simply consign old games to the aether.
GAME FREAK Announces Mobile Magical Girl Game Ame Nochi Hare Onna
Though it's best known for the Pokémon games, GAME FREAK is its own development studio and has of late been taking on more projects beyond the monolithic shadow of the pocket monsters. Right on the heels of the release of Beast of Reincarnation, the company has announced Ame Nochi Hare Onna (roughly translating to Girls That Bring Sun After Rain or Rainy Day Sunshine Girls), a new magical girl-themed mobile title co-developed with Chronogate (which is run by ex-GAME FREAK staffer Katsunori Suginaka). Pokémon series director Shigeru Omori is the game's director and producer, putting the project's leadership among GAME FREAK's top ranks.
According to the description, Ame Nochi Hare Onna works in partnership with WeatherNews, a private weather forecaster. The game will somehow incorporate real-time weather reporting into its gameplay, which is designed to be played every day and change in response to the weather (they even call "laundry" one of the game's themes). The game will feature characters (the titular Hare Onna "Sunshine Girls") hailing from different regions of Japan and the world (a girl from England named Ema Arian is among the character designs previewed).
So far, Ame Nochi Hare Onna looks like a cute project that reminds me of Hideo Kojima's Boktai, which famously relied on a sunlight sensor built into the cartridge to help power the hero's weapon. It's anyone's guess as to whether this unique and rather localized concept will make it overseas, though, but it'd be interesting to see the game cope with other weather patterns and climates from different parts of the world.
Even More Persona Crossovers Hit Arknights and Persona 5 X
Atlus and Sega have been leaning hard into their celebration of the Persona series' 30th anniversary, mainly by giving every other mobile and live service game around the chance to cough up some Persona-themed crossover content. Last time we checked in on the three-game bonanza that brought together Persona 5, Persona 3 Reloaded, and Persona 4 Golden in Goddess of Victory: NIKKE, but now two more have reared their heads.
The latest is the much-anticipated Persona-on-Persona crossover, in the form of Persona 5: The Phantom X hooking up with the beloved Persona 3 Portable. The PSP edition of Persona 3 (later ported to PC as the only available version of the game until Persona 3 Reload launched) is notably different from both the PS2 originals and the later current-generation remake. Thanks to the technical limitations of the PSP, it featured simpler graphics and navigation, but most notably included a female protagonist with different romance options and an altogether different vibe. Fans practically rioted when it was announced that Persona 3 Reload wouldn't include the female protagonist as an option, and to date it's one of the sticking points that leads folks to (in some ways rightly) declare that there still isn't a definitive edition of Persona 3 out in the world.
Now she's hanging out with P5X's version of the Phantom Thieves, presumably as a playable character. More details about the crossover will drop on September 21 via a promotional stream, with the event itself set for September 24.
Meanwhile, the Chinese edition of Arknights (the original one, not Endfield) just saw the launch of its Persona 3 Reload crossover, with Makoto Yuki (the male protagonist), Koromaru, Aigis, and Yukari Takeba joining the playable roster. Global users can expect the crossover to hit early in 2027. Interestingly enough, reporting from the event and the cosmetic skin selection suggests that the Persona 3 crossover characters are, as part of the story, integrated into one of the in-game factions, the angelic-themed country of Laterano.
BanG Dream! Our Notes Launches September 24th, Continues MyGO!!!!! and Ave Mujica's Stories
The next big release in Bushiroad's BanG Dream! line is launching next week. Called BanG Dream! Our Notes, the free-to-play game focuses on five bands, three of which have existing BanG Dream! anime series. The three existing bands are MyGO!!!!!, Ave Mujica, and Mugendai Mewtype, while the newer ones are Millsage and Ikka Dumb Rock!.
Bushiroad and developer bilibili Games are leaning hard on the anime connection, framing Our Notes' fully voiced story mode as continuations of BanG Dream! series MyGO!!!!!, Ave Mujica, and Yume∞Mita. At launch, the available story arcs will cover MyGO!!!!! and Ave Mujica, with new, dedicated chapters for each band unlocking or being added later.
Gameplay-wise, Our Notes is a rhythm game, with a song list from all five bands and quite a lot of lavish Live2D depictions of the members. I haven't seen BanG Dream! anime series myself, but everyone I know that did follow MyGO!!!!! and Ave Mujica seemed obsessed with the intensity of the unhinged teen girl drama on display within. With luck, the game might spark that fever in the contingent, as well.
And that should be it for me this week. I'll be skipping my usual roundup of news tidbits because this column is far too long as it is!
Due to some outside circumstances, I'm submitting this column before the rush of Tokyo Game Show announcements, and by the time you read this, TGS will have already happened. As such, I thought it prudent to get all the news currently in my queue out of the way, the better to process that flood the next time the column rolls around.
Keep yourselves safe, and I'll see you again soon!
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