Fans of the old-school Legend of Zelda games have a new top-down action adventure journey to experience in Elementallis, which not only revives the nostalgia of retro Zelda but shakes things up with a magical dose of elemental powers a la Avatar: The Last Airbender. Elementallis launched for PC via Steam, PlayStation 4 and 5, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox Series X|S on April 28, and players have already begun drawing positive comparisons between the newly released adventure title and classic hits like A Link to the Past.
Despite the dominance of top-down perspectives and simple pixel graphics in 80s and 90s gaming, the modern industry has shifted heavily towards hyperrealistic visuals brought to life in 3D worlds. Ironically, there has been a noticeable shift in audience appreciation for releases that buck these trends of modernism and instead focus on offering fresh experiences with familiar gameplay and retro visuals. Elementallis is one of the latest titles to focus on this old-school vibe, and early reviews seem to indicate that it has done well in igniting nostalgia while standing out from its predecessors.
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Elementallis Adds Avatar: The Last Airbender Powers to a Zelda-Style World
Developed by AnKae Games and published by Top Hat Studios, Elementallis sees players embarking on a guilt-driven journey to restore the rogue Elements and put to rest the dangers enveloping a dying world. By harnessing and mastering the Elemental powers, players will be able to fight enemies, solve puzzles, and explore vast lands filled with temples, which offer dungeon gameplay similar to The Legend of Zelda series. Real-time combat will test players’ ability to exploit enemies’ weaknesses and decide between using their standard sword and shield or resorting to the might of Fire, Water, Electricity, Rock, Ice, Wind, and Earth powers to overcome any challenges they may face. As these Elements are restored and their abilities unlocked, players will gain access to new locations, tougher puzzles, and secret areas.
Progressing through Elementallis will require traveling across eight unique biomes and conquering their eight respective temples, each of which is filled with dangerous foes and boss battles. The Elements will play a key part in navigating through these temples and their surrounding lands, with special abilities like walking on water, burning shrubbery and lighting beacons, breaking stone barriers, growing climbable vines, and summoning ice to slide blockades out of the way. Outside the temples, players will be able to find and interact with various inhabitants of the biomes who will offer additional quests, sell helpful items, and upgrade the player’s gear. Along the way, fans will experience a journey of self-discovery that aims to heal a broken world and a broken heart plagued by guilt through a story that sets Elementallis apart from other Zelda-like games on PC and consoles.
With its mix of retro Zelda gameplay and Avatar: The Last Airbender elemental powers, Elementallis is earning strong reviews early on, boasting a 100% Positive score on Steam and a 5-star rating on the PlayStation Store, at the time of writing. There has been a growing catalog of games like Zelda for Nintendo Switch, and the inclusion of launches for PC and other consoles could play into Elementallis‘ favor, as it allows the game to reach a broader audience. Elementallis is available now on PC, PlayStation, Switch, and Xbox.
