The Legend Of Zelda: Clockwork Realm Is A Great RPG Nobody Remembers

As The Legend of Zelda celebrates 40 years of saving Hyrule, it's natural that many of us are eagerly looking at playing some of the franchise entries that we may have missed, or even just experiencing the nostalgia of games from our childhoods. With over 46 games, including the spin-offs, there's plenty of Zelda to be found, many of which you may have never even heard of.

This September is going to be a pretty big month for Zelda fans, with several things like a vinyl soundtrack and other merchandise coming out around that time, plus there have been several rumors of a Zelda-focused Nintendo Direct that has not been confirmed. However, even right now, there's a fun and free way to take Link on an adventure that you probably haven't heard of, and it isn't even a video game.

Zelda: Clockwork Realm Is A Print And Play Board Game

Delve The Dungeons With Your Friends

The Legend of Zelda: Clockwork Realm was made several years ago as a print and play tabletop game where one to four people can play together to defeat Ganondorf in his tower. The game uses an artwork style similar to A Link to the Past for the SNES, making it a wonderfully nostalgic feeling for those of us who grew up playing that game.

Designed by Chris J Davis, Clockwork Realm was shared online as a free adventure back in 2018, with a Second Edition made a couple of years later to refine some of the rules and balance everything. The game offers players a cooperative tabletop experience, progressing through three temples and then culminating in battling Ganondorf in his tower.

Every game will be a little different, as there are several tiles that will be randomly picked from to make up the temples. Although this does also mean that there could be areas that you can't get to, which is where the clockwork portion of the title comes into play. Using gears to rotate things on the board, players can create new ways to reach even those blocked-off areas.

How This Game Works And How To Get it For Free

Print It At Home For Yourself

All you need is a free account with BoardGameGeek in order to download everything needed to play, and then a lot of patience to get everything printed out and put together the way you want to enjoy it. Some people have even taken things a step further by using 3D printing to make character models or better representations of things, or having the pieces printed off at a professional print shop. However, even just using your regular printer will work just fine.

If you've never played a print and play game before, just make sure you know that you won't be ready to go immediately. Be prepared that there are a lot of items to print. The main rulebook, dungeon tiles, reference sheets, special rooms, item cards, skill cards, enemy cards, and the list goes on. Then, cutting things out and putting everything together will also take a lot of work.

You could make it easy on yourself and use poker chips as some of the tokens, or Zelda Amiibo figures as characters, but even just the basic room tiles and necessary cards will be a lot to print.

What Makes Zelda: Clockwork Realm So Cool

Cooperative Gaming, Good Mechanics, And Fun Design

That may sound like a lot of effort to play this game, but for a new way to experience Zelda, and a creative gaming experience to share with friends and family, it can absolutely be worth it. Clockwork Realm can be played solo, although joining forces with at least one other person can make it a lot more enjoyable.

Not only is the artwork so nostalgic and familiar, but many players have said that the mechanics for Clockwork Realm are well-balanced. While it may not be as exciting as a new video game trailer or movie, this could just be a wonderful way to kick off your own 40th anniversary celebration for The Legend of Zelda.