There is no doubt that The Legend of Zelda is one of the best-known sagas that exist in the world of video games and that it has served as inspiration for a multitude of titles that have developed throughout all this time. However, there was also an occasion when the opposite happened and one of its deliveries was inspired by another game, as happened in the Game Boy era.
In 1992, an adventure that responded to the name of Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru, which could be translated as “For the frog the bell tolls.” The reason this title is so iconic is because it is considered the spiritual predecessor of The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening and on which Nintendo based its corresponding development.
Originally created by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo itself, the game featured a fantasy adventure starring two princes who have always maintained a rivalry since their childhood, although always from a friendly point of view. One of them, on whom the story focuses, is the Prince of Sablé, while the other is the Prince of the kingdom of Custard, called Richard.
If you are one of those who have played Link’s Awakening You will be familiar with the name of the last of these princes, which is not surprising, given that makes a special cameo during a part of Link's journey on the island of Koholint. Whether in the original title or in the remake that was created for Nintendo Switch, in both Prince Richard reaches an agreement with Link to give him a special key after he enters Kanalet Castle and collects a series of Golden Leaves.
Likewise, the house where Richard is is full of frogs everywhere and a melody is heard in the background that is actually una remezcla del tema principal de Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru. In fact, the reason why there are so many frogs is precisely because they have a very important role in the adventure in which we take the role of the Prince of Sablé, who originally sets out on a journey competing against Richard to see who can rescue Princess Tiramisu first after being kidnapped by the evil King Delalin.
While trying to carry out his mission to gain the favor of the princess, the protagonist comes across a frog who asks him to help him look for other of his kind that have been lost throughout the kingdom of Mille-Feuille, hence that are so relevant and appear in Link’s Awakening. At the same time, as the story progresses, new abilities are unlocked, such as the possibility of transform into a frog or snake to access other areas of the adventure.
Apart from the details mentioned previously, to discover the real reason why Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru is considered the predecessor of this Zelda You just need to take a look at its gameplay, like in the video you have accompanying these lines. Thus it can be seen that the artistic section is practically a carbon copywith that top-down point of view and the fact of having to move through a world that is divided into boxes, but it also looks similar because the font used for the dialogues is exactly the same.
Furthermore, when entering dungeons the perspective changes to a 2D point of view with touches of platforms, as also happens in Link's adventure when he accesses certain underground caverns. Of course, the only thing in which both titles are completely different is in their combats, since in this the confrontations are resolved automatically and it is decided who wins based on the level, statistics and the pieces that the Prince of Sablé has equipped.
The truth is that it is appreciated that this was the only thing that I did not borrow The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, because it is a somewhat strange combat system and certainly not very interactive as you have to cross your arms while you observe the result. Basically, the player is a mere spectator who obtains money, hearts or other objects each time he wins, unless he is defeated, in which case he is returned to the last city he visited.
Nonetheless, Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru It looks like a very entertaining game that can easily delight any fan of Zelda. What is a shame is that Its release was limited to Japan only. and it was never released in other Western countries, which is why it is also difficult to see it one day in the Nintendo Switch Online digital library. In any case, the big N has not completely forgotten the game, since at least the Prince of Sablé is a trophy and one of the helpers that appeared in Super Smash Bros. 3DS / Wii U and in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
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