The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is still a week away from release, but it has already figured out a copycat in the form of a mobile game. It’s not uncommon for games to inspire other developers, but it’s uncommon for those inspired games to be released long before their source of inspiration.
Breath of the Wild is undoubtedly one of the most influential games of recent years, and many developers cite it as a huge inspiration for their own games. With its long overdue sequel Tears of the Kingdom set to keep the open-world trend going in just another week, it’s only natural that more inspired games are to come. But there is a difference between taking inspiration and copying it directly.
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In a clip circulating on r/tearsofthekingdom, a new mobile game titled Kung Fu Saga is shown, complete with cheesy narration. It stars a green-robed character riding backwards into the sky on a falling rock before gliding onto a series of floating islands with a medieval aesthetic that almost perfectly mimics a scene from Eiji Aonuma’s recent gameplay demonstration. Upon landing, he uses his Weapon Synthesis ability to fuse a stick to a rock to form a hammer, which he then combines with a campfire to create a smoldering weapon of destruction against some enemies that has at least some of the ability for melding differs from Tears of the Kingdom.
Many in the comments jokingly commented on how it might have a shot against the actual game upon release, even stating that they might not need the game now since it’s already available on their phone. Others noted the stable framerate in the trailer, which is contrary to what some are saying about Tears of the Kingdom so far. Another group of users noticed the game’s previous title, Avatar Saga, and its array of stolen assets from other parts of the mobile world. However, some chose not to play along, noting that mobile developers are often known for misleading consumers with trailers that are more in-depth and cinematic than the gameplay itself.
False advertising is not uncommon in the gaming industry and certainly not a new criticism in the mobile gaming market where it is a much more common practice and sadly continues to this day with no sign of stopping. Right up there with microtransactions, it’s probably the main reason why such a market hasn’t found a platform as solid as console and PC gaming. But with mobile games still generating a lot of revenue despite these issues, it’s unclear when such a change will materialize.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will be released on May 12, 2023 for Nintendo Switch.
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