Airoheart

An upfront tribute to The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Airoheart tells the story of a young hero chosen to save his village and restore peace. To achieve this, you'll need to upgrade his skills over the course of many encounters, and explore dungeons in a giant open world. A 16-bit hit!

If you liked The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, you'll love Airoheart.

In this open-world top-down RPG , you'll be exploring dungeons, solving puzzles, and completing side quests, all in a 16-bit world made up of some fantastic pixel art graphics.

We liked : the plot of Airoheart, that stands out through its originality that turns away from the cliched "save the princess and the world" trope.

The adventure begins in the land of Engard, where our beloved hero Airoheart sets out on a journey to stop his brother's diabolical plan to unleash an ancient evil that has been sealed in the shadows for generations, and to trigger a war using the power of the Draoidh Stone. The game plunges you into the heart of a conflict between two rival clans, where tragedy, betrayal, and redemption all play a part. It's great!

Our favourite part? The vast game world portrayed on a map, packed with detail right down to the smallest pixel. It's a fantastic expression of the retro aesthetic, and you'll feel like you're playing a sequel to The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past! What's even more amazing is that the team at Pixel Heart Studio created the world entirely by hand.

Be warned, though: the world map can sometimes get frustrating with its lack of clarity, letting players wander without any idea of where to go... But you can use this as an opportunity to complete side quests and talk to new characters who will move the plot forwards.

A tip to help you on your way? The first dungeon contains a special set of shoelaces that let you perform a dodge roll. Not only can you use this to avoid enemy attacks, but you can also clear small gaps in the ground that you would otherwise fall into.

Once you've completed the second dungeon, you'll get a Draoidh stone that gives you the ability to pick up small rocks, meaning that you can now clear a path to previously inaccessible areas.

All of these different items, abilities, and spells mean the game keeps getting more interesting. Bear in mind, though, that you can only ever equip one item at once, which adds a layer of strategy to the gameplay.

This is the perfect game for anyone who likes to pore over every pixel of a huge world map, chatting to everyone you meet and hunting down hidden secrets.