Apple approves blatant Zelda: Breath of the Wild clone for iOS

By

The Nintendo Switch's flexible Joy-Con controllers work just fine with a Mac (but not an iPhone).
Nintendo’s newest console was by far the hottest product.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

We’re still eagerly anticipating Nintendo’s first The Legend of Zelda game for mobile. iOS users in China may have briefly believed the wait was over this week when Breath of the Wild landed in the App Store — except it wasn’t actually Breath of the Wild.

It turns out Apple approved a shameless Zelda clone that, unsurprisingly, doesn’t deliver everything its description promises.

You’ll find a whole bunch of adventure games inspired by Zelda in the App Store, and lots of them are a great deal of fun. Oceanhorn is a particular favorite of mine. But while it’s okay to take inspiration from other hugely successful games, it’s not okay to clone them for a quick cash grab.

That’s exactly what the developers of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Adventure Journey did in China. And somehow, Apple approved it.

Really, Apple?

Breath of the Wild Adventure Journey promises true Zelda gameplay. In fact, it claims to be a “high quality recreation of the PC version,” despite the fact that no Zelda game is officially available on PC.

Its App Store description even contains screenshots from the real Breath of the Wild on Nintendo Switch, with virtual controls laid on top to make it look like it’s running on an iPhone. It’s a Zelda fan’s dream, even if it’s not approved by Nintendo.

The problem is, this is worse than a Zelda knockoff. It uses the same name and screenshots from a real Zelda game, but after downloading it, players quickly realize it’s nothing like Breath of the Wild at all. It actually has very little in common with any game in the Zelda franchise.

Don’t bother looking for it

It’s a wonder how this game ever made it through Apple’s strict approval process. Even if it did deliver everything it promises, it’s a blatant ripoff of one of the most successful games of the past few years. But it can’t even manage that.

Did anyone at Apple actually play this game before giving it a pass?

Unsurprisingly, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Adventure Journey can no longer be found in the App Store — not in China or anywhere else. Apple clearly realized its mistake soon after the game was released and pulled it.

It might come back with a new name and screenshots that more accurately reflect its true gameplay (if the developer hasn’t been banned), but the fact that it had to steal the Zelda name for attention suggests the game itself probably isn’t worth your time.

Via: Nintendo Life

Newsletters

Daily round-ups or a weekly refresher, straight from Cult of Mac to your inbox.

  • The Weekender

    The week's best Apple news, reviews and how-tos from Cult of Mac, every Saturday morning. Our readers say: "Thank you guys for always posting cool stuff" -- Vaughn Nevins. "Very informative" -- Kenly Xavier.