I'm not made of stone, of course I loved The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – yet at the same time, I do dearly miss the dungeon-heavy adventures of old. Which is why, playing Azaran: Islands of the Jinn during Steam Next Fest, I was overjoyed to find out it's a 3D adventure that pays direct homage to that classic Nintendo 64 Zelda structure.
Indeed, squint while you look at Azaran: Islands of the Jinn, developed by Benji, and you'd be forgiven for thinking you were looking at The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Azaran definitely has its own unique twists and designs, but its heart piece is one that beats for those classics. You can play a chunk of the game's opening dungeon for yourself as well (check out our Steam Next Fest guide for more on this season's demo hunting).
Great fairy's mask
Wrecked in an archipelago and on the hunt for a magical astrolabe, the demo for Azaran: Islands of the Jinn throws you into the tutorial dungeon with nary an item to your name. Which mean this opening slice plays out like a lot of early Zelda dungeons, having you track down simple items to unravel your route through the dungeon. Eventually, though, I pick up both a sword and shield, a bow, and some bombs – Azaran throws a lot at you quickly, meaning I wonder how it will be paced past this point.
Plenty scratches that Zelda itch, from the puzzle design to the little roll you can do as you run around, and even the way the camera acts when you walk from room to room. In combat, the lock-on even feels an awful lot like Z-targeting in the Nintendo 64 Zelda games. Even the sound design has a crunchy, compressed edge. I love it. Yet, at the same time, the Arabian-nights style theming gives Azaran it s own personality, and a friendly approach to how arrows, bombs, and the like are doled out keeps things moving. I do wish there was a map, though, which seems curiously absent in the demo.
While this opening dungeon ends right before what seems to be its final boss, teasing the full experience, there is a mini-boss encounter. It's a fun encounter with a bit of a gimmick to it beyond the shield-blocking and sword-slashing that you use to deal with other enemies. Spinning around, it's a bomb-flinging jar. Having to pick up the exploding projectiles and throw them back in feels like peak 90s boss design to me, which is exactly what Azaran is going for.
There's still a lot I don't know about Azaran, but this short but sweet opening dungeon is off to a promising start. Just having the controller in my hands and running around the space felt like a homecoming to the Nintendo 64 style classic games of old – and exactly what I've been craving modern Zelda returns to for a long time. That's why I ended up spending over $400 on a Nintendo Switch 2, after all – just to play The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker again. I can't wait to see more from Azaran – which promises lots more dungeons and items, and a "tropical-themed" overworld.
Azaran: Islands of the Jinn launches on PC at a date to be announced.
