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Action-Adventure GamesPATCH 2026.10.19

Best Games Like Ocarina of Time With Modern Controls and Open-World Exploration

By VGSources Team 12 min read

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Start with Immortals Fenyx Rising if you want the closest blend of free-roaming exploration, ability-based progression and puzzle landmarks in a colorful world. Choose Okami HD for the most recognizable classic 3D Zelda-style structure of towns, dungeons, combat and newly earned powers. Pick TUNIC when the appeal is uncovering secrets and deciphering a world. Elden Ring suits players who want mystery and demanding combat, while Horizon Forbidden West is the better fit for large-scale traversal in a science-fiction setting.

No modern game reproduces every part of Ocarina of Time. These recommendations separate the things people usually mean by “like Ocarina”: readable third-person movement, a world that rewards curiosity, meaningful tools or abilities, puzzle-led spaces, memorable bosses and a journey that gradually reveals its rules. Camera perspective, combat intensity, tone and progression differ substantially, so the right choice depends on which part matters most to you.

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What “like Ocarina of Time” should mean in 2026

Ocarina of Time is often treated as one preference, but its appeal is a combination of several systems. A useful comparison asks whether a game offers:

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  • Exploration with purpose: movement through a connected or spacious world leads to landmarks, characters, secrets or new routes rather than only collectible cleanup.
  • Ability-driven progression: tools, powers or knowledge change where you can go and how you solve problems.
  • Dungeon-like concentration: puzzle rooms, combat arenas and a boss or major test provide structure inside the wider journey.
  • Readable adventure controls: movement, camera handling and targeting make interacting with objects and enemies understandable on a modern controller.
  • A sense of discovery: the game withholds information and lets observation, experimentation or exploration reveal it.

There is no common authoritative measurement for world area, dungeon count or control latency across these games. The comparisons below are therefore qualitative. A large map is not automatically a better Ocarina successor, and a game with a familiar sword-and-shield outline can still feel wrong if its combat or pacing dominates the experience.

#1 Best Overall
Tunic - Switch
  • Explore a hostile and intricately-connected world of shady forests, sprawling ruins, and labyrinthine catacombs.
  • Fight mighty bosses deep beneath the earth, high above the clouds, and in places stranger still.
  • Collect the missing manual pages, bursting with hints and original full-color illustrations.
  • Discover hidden treasures to help you on your way.
  • Unearth secret relics, secret techniques, secret puzzles, and… listen, there’s a lot of secrets!

At-a-glance comparison

Game Best for What matches Ocarina’s appeal Main difference Camera and control feel World and progression Platforms evidenced
Immortals Fenyx Rising Open-world roaming and puzzle landmarks Free roaming, ability-driven exploration and puzzle solving More systems-driven and humorous Modern third-person action presentation; exact latency or remapping options are not stated Seven themed regions, with exploration and puzzles tied to abilities Nintendo Switch; official listing
Okami HD Classic 3D quest structure Dungeons, combat, exploration, powers and an NPC-led journey Brush-based art and distinct combat Third-person adventure framing; detailed control specifications are not stated More directed than a fully open world, with progress built around new powers and quest areas Xbox, PlayStation and Switch; GamesRadar description
TUNIC Secrets and puzzle discovery Hidden information, items, bosses and a world designed as a puzzle Top-down isometric view and a more compact scope Isometric action-adventure controls rather than Ocarina’s third-person camera Progression depends heavily on observation, experimentation and deciphering clues PC, Xbox, PlayStation and Switch; GamesRadar description
Elden Ring Mystery and difficult combat A large connected world and discovery without a rigid route Much harsher combat and less conventional Zelda pacing Third-person action controls built around precision, stamina and threat management Broadly exploratory, but combat difficulty shapes nearly every route and encounter Verify the current platform edition before purchase
Horizon Forbidden West Traversal and science-fiction exploration Large-scale discovery and environmental movement Machine combat and a science-fiction setting Modern third-person controls emphasize movement, ranged combat and traversal Expansive regions and movement options, with progression centered on equipment and abilities Verify the current platform edition before purchase

1. Immortals Fenyx Rising: the clearest open-world Zelda-style match

Why it fits

If your first question is “Which game gives me a colorful world to roam while solving Zelda-like puzzles?”, this is the strongest answer. Nintendo’s official product listing describes a stylized open world spread across seven unique regions, each inspired by the gods. It explicitly emphasizes free roaming and puzzle solving, which puts the game’s central loop close to the modern open-world interpretation of Zelda: travel toward a visible landmark, find a challenge, earn or use an ability, and open more possibilities.

The important similarity is not simply that the map is large. Exploration is connected to abilities and environmental problems, so movement through the world has a reason. A distant structure can function as a navigation target, a puzzle site or a test of whether you understand a newly acquired power. That relationship between traversal and problem solving is closer to Ocarina’s item-gated curiosity than a map filled only with disconnected activities.

Where it differs

Immortals Fenyx Rising is more systems-driven and humorous than Ocarina of Time. Its tone, dialogue and challenge design are built for a broader open-world rhythm, whereas Ocarina spends more time establishing a directed adventure arc and distinctive dungeon identities. Expect more freedom to choose where to roam and which puzzle landmark to tackle, but less of the exact “town, field, dungeon, boss” cadence that defines the older game.

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The available evidence does not establish a common figure for map size, dungeon count or input latency, so it is better to judge the game by its structure than by claims about scale. Seven regions is the named figure in Nintendo’s listing; it does not imply seven Ocarina-style dungeons.

Who should choose it

  • Choose it if an open map is more important than a linear dungeon sequence.
  • Choose it if environmental puzzles and ability-based access are central to your enjoyment.
  • Choose it if a bright, playful tone is welcome.
  • Look elsewhere if you want solemn storytelling, compact dungeon design or a close recreation of Ocarina’s camera and pacing.

2. Okami HD: the closest classic 3D adventure pattern

Why it fits

Okami HD is the best choice when what you miss is the shape of an older 3D adventure rather than the size of a modern map. GamesRadar describes it as effectively expanding the wolf sequence from Twilight Princess into a full game, and highlights its dungeons, combat, exploration and powers earned during the journey. Those are the same broad categories that make Ocarina feel like a complete quest instead of a collection of activities.

The game’s journey is organized around places, characters and powers. Progress changes what the protagonist can do, and that change feeds back into exploration and problem solving. The result is a more directed adventure than the fully open-world options in this list. You are still encouraged to investigate and revisit spaces, but the experience is shaped around authored sequences and major quest areas.

Rank #2
Tunic | Standard - Nintendo Switch [Digital Code]
  • A Nintendo Switch Online membership may be required for online play. Please check the game detail page on Nintendo.com for membership requirements.
  • TUNIC ISOMETRICORP Games Ltd. 2021 . All rights reserved. Finji and regal weasel and crown logo are trademarks of Finji, LLC.

Where it differs

The defining difference is its brush-based visual identity and combat. The art direction is painterly and mythic rather than the grounded fantasy look associated with Ocarina, and the central brush mechanic gives interaction a distinct vocabulary. That makes Okami HD feel like a parallel interpretation of the Zelda formula, not a substitute that copies its surface details.

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Its world should be approached as a chain of connected adventure regions rather than a seamless open-world sandbox. If your priority is finding an unexpected route across a giant map, Immortals Fenyx Rising is the better fit. If your priority is dungeons, powers, NPCs and a journey with a clear dramatic arc, Okami HD is the more reliable match.

Who should choose it

  • Choose it for a traditional 3D action-adventure rhythm with dungeons and powers.
  • Choose it if story characters and authored quest progression matter as much as free roaming.
  • Choose it if distinctive art and a brush-centered mechanic sound appealing.
  • Do not choose it solely because you want an enormous open map; that is not the central promise described for the game.

3. TUNIC: the best game for secrets and deciphering a world

Why it fits

GamesRadar calls TUNIC a top-down isometric action-adventure game inspired by the original Legend of Zelda. Its strongest connection to Ocarina is the feeling that the world contains information you have not yet learned. Items, hidden routes, bosses and environmental clues become pieces of a larger puzzle, and progress often depends on noticing relationships rather than following a fully explained checklist.

This is the recommendation for players who remember drawing maps, testing suspicious walls or wondering what an unfamiliar symbol meant. The game treats knowledge as a reward. Finding a manual page or understanding a visual clue can be as important as obtaining a conventional upgrade, because the discovery changes how you interpret places you have already visited.

Where it differs

The camera is the decisive difference. TUNIC is isometric, not a third-person adventure with Ocarina’s behind-the-character view. That changes how you read distance, combat spacing and environmental geometry. The scope is also more compact, so it does not attempt the same broad open-world scale as the other recommendations.

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Its combat and bosses can still provide pressure, but the defining challenge is interpretation: what does this clue mean, which route is optional, and how do separate discoveries fit together? If you need modern third-person controls specifically, this is not the closest mechanical match. If you want the mental act of uncovering a game’s language, it is arguably the strongest.

Rank #3
Animal Well - Nintendo Switch
  • Explore - Illuminate the dark. A world of puzzle boxes with a profound atmosphere. Light candles for safety and gradually fill out your map. Nonlinear -- explore and collect items in whatever order you choose.
  • Solve puzzles - Observation is rewarded. Enemies, environment, and items interact in surprising and systemic ways. All items have multiple uses. Learn how innocuous details can become meaningful.
  • Survive - Tread carefully. Assess for yourself what is safe and dangerous. Focus on tension and suspense rather than action. You are disempowered, but can make clever use of your environment and items.
  • Languages – In-game text languages English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, and Spanish.

Who should choose it

  • Choose it if secrets, manual-page clues and environmental puzzles are the main attraction.
  • Choose it if a compact world with dense discoveries sounds better than a huge map.
  • Choose it if you can accept an isometric camera.
  • Look elsewhere if you need Ocarina’s exact third-person perspective or a broad open-world horizon.

4. Elden Ring: choose it for mystery only if hard combat is welcome

What carries over

Elden Ring belongs in this comparison as a broader option, not as a one-to-one Ocarina replacement. Its large connected world and emphasis on discovery can recreate the feeling of leaving a safe area and finding something you were not prepared for. Landmarks, optional routes and concealed information encourage wandering without requiring a single prescribed order.

That freedom is useful for players who value mystery above traditional Zelda pacing. You can approach the world as a series of questions: what is beyond that ridge, what does this ruin contain, and which path leads to a meaningful encounter? The sense of discovery is genuine, but it is inseparable from the game’s combat demands.

Why it is a poor fit for some Zelda fans

The combat is much harsher, and the game expects more tolerance for failure, threat assessment and learning enemy patterns. Its pacing is less conventional than Ocarina’s progression through clearly framed dungeons and story beats. A player seeking relaxed puzzle solving or a gentle power curve may find that combat interrupts exploration rather than supporting it.

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Because platform availability and editions can vary, verify the current version for your system before buying. The comparison is about design priorities, not a guarantee that every edition is available on every platform.

Who should choose it

  • Choose it when a mysterious connected world matters more than puzzle density.
  • Choose it if difficult combat is a feature, not an obstacle.
  • Skip it if you want a forgiving, dungeon-led adventure or a close tonal match.

5. Horizon Forbidden West: traversal-first exploration in science fiction

What carries over

Horizon Forbidden West is the right broader comparison when your favorite Ocarina moments involve reaching a new region, reading the landscape and using movement options to access places that initially seemed out of reach. It offers large-scale discovery and environmental traversal, but its identity is science fiction rather than fantasy.

The game’s exploration is built around movement through expansive regions and encounters with machines. That makes travel itself a major attraction: the question is not only what an area contains, but how your current equipment and abilities let you move through it. This can satisfy players who want a modern third-person adventure with a strong sense of place and continuous visual discovery.

Rank #4
Sale
Yoshi's Crafted World - Nintendo Switch
  • Explore each stage and then find even more secrets by making your way through the stage backwards on the flip side
  • Overcome varied enemies and obstacles, like Zombie Guys, Skelesaurus, Ukiki, and Monty Mole as you seek out hidden collectables; ESRB Content: Mild Cartoon Violence; Genre: Action, Platformer
  • Pass a Joy Con controller to a friend for 2 player cooperative exploration
  • Clad Yoshi in collectable, protective, handicraft costumes as he makes his way through each stage

Why it is not a direct Zelda substitute

Machine combat and science-fiction world building dominate the experience. The rhythm is therefore different from Ocarina’s sword-focused battles, dungeon puzzles and mythic quest structure. Environmental movement is a closer match than dungeon design, and the game should be selected for traversal and scale rather than for a familiar fantasy formula.

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As with Elden Ring, check the current platform edition before purchase. The available evidence does not establish a single universal platform list that should be treated as current for every region and edition.

Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Support on Ko-Fi

Which game should you pick?

If open-world freedom is non-negotiable

Start with Immortals Fenyx Rising. Its official description directly combines a stylized open world, seven themed regions, free roaming and puzzle solving. It is the clearest match for a player who wants Zelda-like exploration in a larger, more openly structured world.

If you want dungeons and a directed journey

Choose Okami HD. Its combination of dungeons, combat, exploration, NPC-driven progression and powers earned during the journey most closely resembles the older 3D adventure pattern.

If secrets matter more than camera perspective

Choose TUNIC. Its isometric view is a real departure, but its world-as-puzzle design best captures the satisfaction of learning how a game works through observation.

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If you want danger and uncertainty

Choose Elden Ring only when difficult combat is welcome. It delivers mystery and a connected world, but not Ocarina’s forgiving pacing or conventional dungeon progression.

Best Value
Sale
Puyo Puyo Tetris - Nintendo Switch
  • Ferocious Competition - At the heart of Puyo Puyo Tetris is the fighting spirit of players competing against each other to be most clever, cunning, and quick-witted one to set up devastating attacks on opponents. It's the classic easy-to-learn puzzles mashed up into a multiplayer battle like no other!
  • Adventure Mode - The game also has a single player mode with ten unique acts, eatch with ten stages. They feature different characters from the Puyo Puyo or Tetris universes and have unique challenges to learn and master game mechanics that players must overcome!
  • Arcade Modes - Online play has Puzzle League, which tracks players' ratings, players can save replays to upload and share, and more.
  • There's also an in-game shop players can use their points to unlock different Puyo and Tetrimino skins, background music, stages, and more.

If traversal is the priority

Choose Horizon Forbidden West when large-scale movement and science-fiction discovery outweigh the desire for fantasy dungeons and puzzle items.

Modern controls: what to evaluate before you buy

“Modern controls” can mean several different things, and the games above satisfy different parts of that phrase. Before choosing, decide which of these matters:

  • Camera comfort: Do you need a behind-the-character camera, or is an isometric view acceptable?
  • Targeting and combat readability: Is combat built around deliberate positioning and precision, or do you prefer lighter action while exploring?
  • Traversal input: Does movement feel like a core ability system, or is it mainly a way to travel between encounters?
  • Information feedback: Does the game explain objectives clearly, or do you want to infer solutions from symbols, objects and environmental details?
  • Challenge tolerance: Are repeated combat failures acceptable, or should exploration remain the main source of difficulty?

The available material does not provide a shared technical test for control latency, button remapping, frame rate or camera responsiveness. Treat “modern controls” here as a design-level description: contemporary third-person or isometric interaction, clearer movement expectations and systems designed for current controllers, rather than a promise of a specific settings menu.

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Platform and edition checks

Availability is not uniform, and platform evidence differs by game. Use this checklist before purchasing:

  1. Confirm the exact game edition, not just the franchise name.
  2. Check your regional storefront for the console or PC version you own.
  3. For Immortals Fenyx Rising, the cited official listing establishes a Nintendo Switch edition.
  4. For Okami HD, the cited GamesRadar description lists Xbox, PlayStation and Switch versions.
  5. For TUNIC, the cited GamesRadar description lists PC, Xbox, PlayStation and Switch versions.
  6. For Elden Ring and Horizon Forbidden West, verify the current platform edition and any regional differences before purchase.

Physical availability can change independently of digital storefront listings. If you want a cartridge or disc, search for the exact platform edition and confirm that the listing matches your region, language and generation of hardware.

A practical order for trying them

If you are unsure which design trade-off you prefer, use this sequence:

  1. Try Immortals Fenyx Rising first if your baseline requirement is open-world roaming with puzzles.
  2. Move to Okami HD if you discover that directed quests, dungeons and powers matter more than map size.
  3. Try TUNIC if the most memorable moments are secrets, symbols and solving the game’s own manual.
  4. Test Elden Ring only after deciding that difficult combat will not undermine your enjoyment of exploration.
  5. Choose Horizon Forbidden West when traversal and a science-fiction setting are acceptable substitutes for fantasy puzzle dungeons.

This order moves from the most direct open-world Zelda-style match to increasingly different interpretations of exploration. It also prevents a common mismatch: choosing a game for its map size when what you actually miss is dungeon structure, or choosing a game for its fantasy setting when what you actually want is hidden information and discovery.

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Final recommendation

Immortals Fenyx Rising is the best starting point for modern, open-world Zelda-style exploration. Its seven themed regions, free roaming and puzzle focus address the request most directly. Okami HD is the better answer for a classic 3D adventure with dungeons and earned powers. TUNIC is the specialist pick for secrets and deciphering a world. Elden Ring and Horizon Forbidden West are worthwhile only when you specifically want their harder combat or science-fiction traversal, respectively.

Quick Recap

Bestseller No. 1
Tunic - Switch
Tunic - Switch
Discover hidden treasures to help you on your way.
Bestseller No. 3
SaleBestseller No. 4
Yoshi's Crafted World - Nintendo Switch
Yoshi's Crafted World - Nintendo Switch
Pass a Joy Con controller to a friend for 2 player cooperative exploration
$52.90
SaleBestseller No. 5

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

Action-Adventure GamesElden RingHorizon Forbidden WestImmortals Fenyx RisingModern controlsOcarina of TimeŌkami HDOpen-World GamesTunicZelda-like games

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