Whether its concerns over accessibility or some sort of irrational anxiety about Nintendo ramming my door down to arrest me with their army of Pikmin, I haven’t really paid much attention to fan-made games up until now. I was skimming through video game news last week and stumbled upon a trailer I just couldn’t ignore: The Legend of Zelda: The Glass of Fate. That’s it. I’m all in on fan-made games.
The Legend of Zelda: The Glass of Fate is created by a solo dev, Justice 2 Free, over seven years and acts as a sequel to Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask. The game has been made with GODOT 4 and intended for PC, Mac, IOS, & Android. It is a 100% free fangame concept not affiliated with Nintendo or Nintendo Partners. It’s also not a romhack or N64 compatible. It appears that plans are to release in chapters, and the first is set to drop February 2027.
I’ve always been a little worried about playing fan-made games, perhaps it’s the stigma that big companies like Nintendo place on them. I also wrestle with that little voice in my head that questions the ethics of games that use franchises that are protected under copyright. Lastly, given my lack of technical expertise, I always worry about stumbling upon a fan-made game that perhaps isn’t secure. Some of you may laugh at this, but bear in mind that there are millions of gamers out there that don’t know much about the world of fan-made games and how they can be both a blessing and a curse.
I can honestly see both sides of the coin, and I firmly believe there are no correct answers here. Like in most conversations surrounding ethics, the answer to whether or not fan-made games are ethical is that…it depends. In the case of Justice 2 Free, I admired the long journey they have taken to build a fan-made game from scratch. They didn’t just leverage a rom-hack, and they are telling an original story. The Legend of Zelda: The Glass of Fate may very well be the first fan-made game I will play.
This title was one of many featured at F3, the Free Fangame Fair, where I saw a ton of Mario and Legend of Zelda related announcements. I approached this showcase with an open mind and curiosity, and I wonder if such outlets will grow over the coming years thanks to dissatisfied gamers around the world thanks to big business like Sony and Microsoft.
What are your thoughts on fan-made games, and what do you think of this neat yet unofficial sequel to the N64 Zelda titles? Please share your thoughts with us on our Boss Rush Facebook Group or our Boss Rush Discord.
Nintendo Pow Block – A Nintendo Podcast by Boss Rush
Nintendo Pow Block is a weekly Nintendo podcast hosted by Edward Varnell, Corey Dirrig, and their friends from around the internet. Each week, they dive into the latest Nintendo news and rumors for Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, new and upcoming releases, updates to Nintendo Switch Online and the Nintendo Music app, and discuss what they’ve been playing in the Playing with Power segment.
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