Cadence of Hyrule release date leaked for Thursday then changed to June 20

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Update: Crypt of the NecroDancer’s wild crossover with The Legend of Zelda is almost here and, let’s be honest, it means that Nintendo has basically won E3 2019 (opens in new tab) already. Cadence of Hyrule has a release date set for June 13, 2019 – that it this Thursday, people! 

Cadence of Hyrule, in case you don’t already know, is an indie rhythm roguelike. Yup, that’s a real genre that definitely exists. There’s nothing quite like it either; all I can say is that you’ll want a pair of headphones handy, and you should be prepared to completely lose yourself to conquering challenging dungeons in time to a sick beat – original tracks from composer Danny Baranowsky remixed with classic Zelda tunes. 

We also have a confirmed pricing, with Cadence of Hyrule set to cost $24.99 in North America and £19.99 in the UK. If Crypt of the NecroDancer is anything to go by, that is but a small price to pay. 

Original story (28/05): Cadence of Hyrule will get a surprise release date later this week, if source code lines on the browser version of the Nintendo eShop (opens in new tab) are accurate. The upcoming Switch game (opens in new tab) (whose full title is Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer Feat. The Legend of Zelda) was set for a Spring 2019 release when Nintendo first unveiled it back in March (opens in new tab), and now it looks like the wait will be over on Thursday, May 30.

Cadence of Hyrule is a follow-up to Crypt of the NecroDancer – a rhythm-based action roguelike that first debuted in 2015 – which takes place in the Kingdom of Hyrule. You can play as Link, Zelda, or Cadence (the hero of the original NecroDancer) as you groove through familiar Hylian locales with remixed Zelda music, fighting familiar foes like Lynels and Moblins. On top of all that, it has a beautiful sprite aesthetic that evokes The Minish Cap while re-creating environments from A Link to the Past and perhaps beyond.

This isn’t the first time a developer outside Nintendo has taken the reins on Zelda. The good old Oracle games were developed by Capcom, and Hyrule Warriors (opens in new tab) was an Omega Force joint to name a few examples (let’s not talk about the CD-i games). It is the first time any major Nintendo franchise has been entrusted to an independent studio, and that’s pretty exciting.

We also have the Link’s Awakening remake (opens in new tab) to look forward to later this year, making 2019 the best year for Zelda fans since… well, when The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (opens in new tab) came out in 2017. To be fair, 2018 gave us the chance to have Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (opens in new tab) battles featuring three different versions of Link, so that has to count for something.

Find something to play while you wait on our list of the best Switch games (opens in new tab), or check out the latest edition of our weekly Release Radar video to see what’s big in games and entertainment.