8 replies to this topic

[Cyberventurer]

I found myself getting back into Zelda Classic a bit when trying out Randomizer Omega since I remembered enjoying the original so much, and I fell in love with the huge variety of new toys to play with, which got me going back to Legend of Pokemon Warrior for its monster-catching mechanic. Later, I stumbled across Through the Inverse Glass and similarly adored its meta-spin on the typical Zelda formula and its full set of unique items to use. But I find myself curious how many other quests out there exist with similarly novel takes on Zelda that let the player go beyond the traditional set of equipment you see from the base game.

 

If anybody has some quests along those lines that they enjoy, I'd be curious to hear what you might recommend and what makes them appealing. I hunger for wacky weapons.

[Moosh]

I assume if you've played Through the Inverse Glass you've also played Mitsukara's previous quest, Link and Zelda: Panoply of Calatia. That quest's named after its huge inventory of cool scripted items and some elements of Inverse Glass borrow from it.

 

Many of my quests have scripted items but Stellar Seas probably holds the record currently. Nearly every item and character ability in that quest is scripted. It's not a Zelda game by appearances but it still has some elements in spirit. It also has a randomizer mode with some extra scripted items not featured in the main game.

[Mani Kanina]

My 6th Quest has a bunch of scripted items. Most are tied to specific playable characters though. (You can from the title screen access the EXTRA game modes, including other characters by putting in the password: Down, Down, Down, Down, Down, Down, Up, Up, Up, Up, Up, Up.) It's pretty Zelda 1 like otherwise though.

A lot of quests that comes out these days have scripted items though, is there anything specific you're looking for?

[Cyberventurer]

A lot of quests that comes out these days have scripted items though, is there anything specific you're looking for?

I can't think of anything too specific really, outside of (potentially) minimizing how much I could rely on the default toolkit with a variety of creator-made ones.

 

I'll check out the quests you two have mentioned when I get the chance, thanks! I actually hadn't played Panoply of Calatia before; I just happened to be browsing the quest database coming off of the two randomizers I mentioned, saw the preview screenshot of Inverse Glass's slanted game window, and went "what on earth? I need to check this out," and then proceeded to play through the entire game as a tiny Aquamentus.

Edited by Cyberventurer, 10 April 2025 - 04:52 PM.

[Shane]

Since we're plugging quests, I'm going to put forth Rite of the Storm, Go Gollab (currently featured in Quest Club) and One Screen Gollab. While the Gollab quests have more of a traditional inventory, the characters you can select are paired with abilities from the get-go. There are also occasional custom items baked into the inventory.

 

Crucible Crest and Peril of Rectangle Country are currently not out, but it basically has rescripted every item and have meaty demos. Worth giving a try.

[Ether]

In The Lost Kingdom of the Banana Blood God's custom items are excellent.

 

The Spectral Web trilogy* isn't really standard Zelda, but it's almost entirely custom items.

 

*Hitodama (Steam version), Yuurei, Reikon. There's also a rando called Yuurand, which has 897435987345987345987356 playable characters with custom signatures.

[Cyberventurer]

Coming back to say thanks for the recommendations so far. I've gone through Panoply of Calatia and wow, that quest was a lot meatier than it seemed on the surface. Through the Inverse Glass makes a lot more sense now, because previously I didn't pick up on the mechanical tie-ins and assumed they were all part of a big meta in-joke saying "you are playing Not-Zelda 1". Which it still could be, but felt like a ton of effort for a hypothetical gag. I cracked up at the bonus boss, too.

 

Afterward, I tried out Mani Kanina's 6th quest for something a little more classic again, and abused the hell out of its shurikens. Though I didn't realize how much I came to depend on a ladder until I lacked one for so long, until...

Me: Oh thank goodness, I can finally cross gaps. Wait, it's an active item? Maybe it's like Panoply where I'll-
Link: YEET

The sigh of despair I felt at that. I saw it has a Master Mode so I plan on going back to it with another character and cranking up the difficulty once I finish Stellar Seas.

 

But speaking of which: While it's outside the scope of the thread I made, Stellar Seas really caught me off-guard with its presentation and worldbuilding, which is something I wouldn't have ever expected of a ZC custom quest. I think I'm almost done with the game, but I've been reading the location and bestiary entries as I go, feeling like there was something kinda connecting it all in a way I couldn't recognize? Until I went back to revisit an island and got jumpscared by a procession of marching ghost warriors, thought "this seems WAY too specifically done just for a haunting event", tried googling Hawaiian legends later, and I'll be damned:

 

https://en.wikipedia...i/Nightmarchers

 

This got me curious if there were more connections, looked up the significance of stars and meteors in Hawaiian culture, and now I think I see where the main plot is drawing its inspiration. Would there happen to be any posts that detail what went into this game's writing? Because I'm honestly impressed.

[Ether]

But speaking of which: While it's outside the scope of the thread I made, Stellar Seas really caught me off-guard with its presentation and worldbuilding, which is something I wouldn't have ever expected of a ZC custom quest. I think I'm almost done with the game, but I've been reading the location and bestiary entries as I go, feeling like there was something kinda connecting it all in a way I couldn't recognize? Until I went back to revisit an island and got jumpscared by a procession of marching ghost warriors, thought "this seems WAY too specifically done just for a haunting event", tried googling Hawaiian legends later, and I'll be damned:

 

https://en.wikipedia...i/Nightmarchers

 

This got me curious if there were more connections, looked up the significance of stars and meteors in Hawaiian culture, and now I think I see where the main plot is drawing its inspiration. Would there happen to be any posts that detail what went into this game's writing? Because I'm honestly impressed.

 

Actually, yes! Russ is a dork about this sort of thing.

[Cyberventurer]

Finished up the recommendations except for Yuurand and the two demos, which I don't mind waiting for until they're completed. Admittedly I almost passed on the Spectral Web trilogy because I didn't think I'd vibe with the dungeon aesthetics in the screenshots, but I'm glad I stuck with it because after the first half hour, the design finally "clicked" and navigating the labyrinths became a lot easier to read.

 

(It probably helps that I played Legacy of the Wizard as a kid so the whole "hidden block passages" gimmick was easier to grasp, once I started seeing the game more in that light)

 

I was also pleasantly surprised by how the third one built on concepts set up in the first two games to tell a more involved story without having to awkwardly info-bomb the player with its worldbuilding. Also now I finally understand why one kid in Stellar Seas was talking about finding a "floating flame" he neglected to follow; I had previously assumed it was hinting at a lantern upgrade I never got, haha. I wouldn't have known it was a reference otherwise.

 

I really enjoyed the humor in both Banana Blood God and the two Gollab quests, and also glad I played Rite of the Storm before the latter because it let me appreciate the cameo in the second one. I think the Chupedo might have been one of my favorite weapons to play with.

 

I may have binged the quests a bit too hard and need a small break, but all in all I'm really happy with the recommendations. Thanks again!

Edited by Cyberventurer, 27 April 2025 - 09:50 PM.