38 Years Later, A Zelda-Inspired NES Classic Is Being Remade For Modern Platforms

Published Sep 7, 2026, 7:00 PM EDT Tom Wilson is a Gaming Features Writer at Screen Rant. Over the past five years, Tom has worked as the Editor-in-Chief at The Game Crater, as a Staff Writer for GamingIntel, a List Writer at TheGamer, and, of course, as a Senior Writer at ScreenRant. Tom has experience writing reviews, guides, news, and features, and has been responsible for teams of writers, training them and editing their work. Tom graduated with a Masters in Multimedia Journalism, and has since gone on to build up his portfolio of games journalism work. Sign in to your ScreenRant account During the NES era, there were numerous attempts at capturing the feel and success of Nintendo's masterpiece, The Legend of Zelda. Its completely captivating core gameplay loop, stunning visuals, and excellent music proved to enrapture the minds of gamers globally and, consequently, became a hugely profitable IP for Nintendo. It is hardly surprising that so many people wanted to mimic said success, either through innovation or total replication, although few ever did. Among all the games like The Legend of Zelda on the NES, there was one title that rather successfully married the greatest elements of Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka's legendary creation with its own ambitions. It delivered a groundbreaking experience that miraculously still holds up 38 years later, even despite its relative lack of financial success when it initially launched. Now, all of these years later, this Zelda clone is finally getting the official remake treatment it deserved, and it's all thanks to its fans. With rumors of new upcoming Legend of Zelda games managing to generate an immense amount of popularity online, it is no surprise that fans are desperate for anything even remotely related to the IP to be released. Fortunately, this aforementioned Legend of Zelda clone from the NES era may just scratch that itch, especially as it was designed almost entirely to match Nintendo's lofty ambitions at the time and inspired directly by The Legend of Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. When The Battle of Olympus was released back in 1988, it proved to be a commercial flop. Its developer, Infinity, didn't raise enough money from it to go on to develop further original titles, and was thus destined to support other studios and produce licensed titles. However, that didn't stop The Battle of Olympus from becoming not just one of the best NES games, at least for Zelda fans, but also a hugely popular cult classic that has continued to enjoy a storied legacy ever since. After 38 years, the original couple who developed it (and the co-founders of Infinity), Reiko and Yukio Horimoto, are returning to their beloved project for an official remake. Inspired by all the love and support the game has received over the past four decades, the duo have decided to release a full-blown remake on Steam as an Early Access title. They are "recreating the code, redrawing the pixel art, and refining the game for modern PC players while preserving the spirit, atmosphere, and challenge of the original," according to its official Steam store page. In 2015, Yukio Horimoto spoke to VG247 about the production of The Battle of Olympus, praising his wife's work on the pixel art (which was considered revolutionary at the time, especially when put in the context of the severe limitations of the system) and citing it as a major reason for the game's continued success. He also waxed lyrical about the game's inspirations, namely the aforementioned Legend of Zelda II, which he said he wanted to attempt to replicate, to deliver Nintendo-level quality with a much smaller team (it was made by just three people). Speaking to VG247, Horimoto said: "Quite simply, Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda interested me. It inspired me to make a scrolling platform game. [I looked to Zelda II's] jumping system and walking system, and I imitated them. I wanted to make the same kind of game, and so many parts of the game, like the player's attacking motion, ducking motion, and jumping motion: They were all influenced by The Legend of Zelda [...] Nintendo’s quality... they made the best games around those times, and I wanted to make a game of similar quality, too. I didn’t know if I would be able to catch up with them, but I put my whole effort into the game. So did my wife. Her challenge was to make the most beautiful game graphics possible, and there's been a lot of praise for her work. All on such a small cartridge—only 16 colors! A very limited environment." The Battle of Olympus is set to release on Steam Early Access in January 2027, and is intended to stay in EA for between 12 and 18 months. According to the developers, players will be able to experience the entire game at the start of the Early Access period, with difficulty modes, speedrunner-focused modes, and visual improvements being added throughout the process. So, for those who want to play something heavily inspired by The Legend of Zelda that, at times, even surpasses it, or re-experience the magic of The Battle of Olympus, this remake is the game for you. Movie(s) The Legend of Zelda (Live-Action) TV Show(s) The Legend of Zelda Video Game(s) The Legend of Zelda, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Four Swords, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures, The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess , The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017), The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Hyrule Warriors, Hyrule Warriors Legends (3DS), Cadence of Hyrule, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity First Game The Legend of Zelda Created by Shigeru Miyamoto, Takashi Tezuka First TV Show The Legend of Zelda