I'm constantly on Itch.io searching for exciting new creations that channel the spirit of my favourite retro games. It's a melting pot of ideas that exude nostalgia, bustling with people like me who can't leave the past behind.
Less than an hour ago at the time of writing, a devloper called Benji has uploaded a demo of a game called Azaran: Islands of the Jinn which feels like a cross between The Legend Of Zelda and Aladdin, with the graphical stylings of Final Fantasy VII a pinch of Prince of Persia thrown in for good measure. And let's be honest - if you were to make a cocktail for the perfect game, that's exactly what I'd want to put in it.
The Demo only allows players to go through the first training area to begin with, but from what I've experinced so far i.e the targeting function, jumping on water fountains, pulling out arrows, and the use of items, it's something that all Ocarina of Time fans will enjoy right off the bat. Especially considering the three hearts in the top left-hand corner of the screen - Benji has to be a Zelda fan, right?
The small blurb says, 'In a world of flying carpets, magical lamps, sorcerers, monsters, and demons - join our intrepid hero Zayd and his plucky sidekick Hudson as they explore the mysterious Islands of the Jinn.'
The music really reminds me of the Water Temple meets Jabu-Jabu's Belly too; it's all otherwordly and mysterious. Zayd gets help from a character called Hudson who aims to help you through the game. The graphics are super clean, and it's filled with the kind of puzzles that you might find in any Zelda game too - place block here to open door, get to the door before the timer runs out, balance the weight here to get the collectible. You know the drill by now.
You'll gather more weapons as you progress through the training area too, and like the classic Zelda games, you don't need to jump when you reach the edge of a cliff - just run off the edge and watch Zayd leap.
I'm very much looking forward to seeing how the game pans out from here and keen to experience more! The game has both keyboard and controller support and runs solely on Windows. Head to Itch.io or Steam to download the demo and experience it for yourself!
