Zelda Spin-Off Cadence Of Hyrule Releasing In June

Nintendo has narrowed down the release window for Cadence of Hyrule, the upcoming Zelda-themed Crypt of the NecroDancer game for Switch. During its recent Indie World 2019 broadcast, the company announced the title will launch sometime in June.

On top of confirming its release window, Nintendo showcased roughly a minute of new footage of Cadence of Hyrule, which you can watch below. The segment begins around the 6:57 mark and shows Link and Zelda–both of whom are playable in the upcoming game–navigating a handful of environments inspired by A Link to the Past and battling classic enemies like Bokoblins and Darknuts.

Nintendo had previously announced Cadence of Hyrule would be launching sometime this spring, although the company hadn’t specified when. There was speculation the game would surprise release this week, after eagle-eyed fans discovered a line that reads, “Release date: May 30, 2019” in the source code of Nintendo’s website. However, that has since been changed to say June 20, although whether that is the game’s actual release date or merely placeholder text remains to be seen.

Cadence of Hyrule was first announced back in March, during the Nindies Spring Showcase 2019 presentation. The game is being developed by Brace Yourself–the studio behind the original Crypt of the NecroDancer–and blends CotND’s signature rhythm-based combat with music, characters, and environments from the Legend of Zelda series. Nintendo says the game boasts 25 remixed Zelda songs, as well as a randomly generated overworld and dungeons.

Cadence of Hyrule isn’t the only 2D Zelda game coming to Switch this year. Nintendo is also releasing a remake of the series’ classic Game Boy installment, Link’s Awakening, for the hybrid console sometime in 2019. We will likely hear more about that game during Nintendo’s E3 2019 Direct presentation, which takes place on Tuesday, June 11, at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET / 5 PM BST.