The Great Zelda Clones list

[Soldier Blue]

Darksiders I and II
Starfox Adventures (a watered down Zelda game but still very fun)

[BoneSnapDeez]

The criteria for this is so limited that I have to move for LoZ, and all the games mentioned here, to be called what they really are: Dragon Slayer clones.

Yeeeeaaaahhhhhh some of these answers seemed based on the broadest of criteria. Not every overhead action-adventure game or ARPG follows the Zelda formula.

In any event, I'm not crazy about calling games "clones" unless they literally rip off sprites, graphics, control schemes, etc. from the games they ape (ie: Ocean City Defender is a clone of Atlantis).

[o.pwuaioc]

The criteria for this is so limited that I have to move for LoZ, and all the games mentioned here, to be called what they really are: Dragon Slayer clones.

If we're going back to Dragon Slayer, shouldn't we really go back to Wizard of Wor, then? And Wizard of Wor was really just jumping on that Pac-Man-esque maze bandwagon.

[pierrot]

In this thread? Sure. Although, Dragon Slayer is legitimately not a maze game. It's also continuously scrolling, and the maps wrap around at the boundaries.

More people should know the joy of being a vagabond dragon slayer, and setting up a holy barrier around a giant field of ores to keep out those pesky item snatching ghosts.

[J T]

One of the first games I thought of (but I couldn't remember the title, so I'm only just posting it now) is a little known gem of an indie title for PC called Qasir al-Wasat. It is set in 12th century Syria and has some lovely graphics that attempt to represent the style of that setting. The game is quite a bit more stealth focused than The Legend of Zelda, making it a little closer in gameplay to Metal Gear on the NES, but you will see the Zelda influences immediately.

Here are links to where you can find the game:
http://www.desura.com/games/qasir-al-wasat/

[o.pwuaioc]

In this thread? Sure. Although, Dragon Slayer is legitimately not a maze game. It's also continuously scrolling, and the maps wrap around at the boundaries.

I was thinking it was the first in the line that includes Dungeons and Dragons for the INTV, although I suppose Adventure 2600 perhaps should be cited first.