Neutopia I & II

When a Japanese studio watches the success of The Legend of Zelda and says to itself „we can do this too", a pale copy usually comes out of it. Neutopia is the exception — and its sequel improves on it even further. Here Hudson created a pair of action adventures that, while they don't deny their inspiration, do it with such care that they deserve their own place in the sun.

Neutopia from 1989 takes over the proven skeleton: a top-down view, an open world divided into regions, hidden dungeons full of puzzles, enemies and treasures. The hero Jazeta fights his way across the landscape, collecting new equipment and gradually opening up the way to further areas. It's a Zelda clone, but a very well-done one — the map design is legible, the combat satisfying, and the puzzles exactly tricky enough to make you think, but not frustrate you.

The sequel Neutopia II from 1991 takes everything that worked and adds more content, more elaborate dungeons and an overall more polished presentation. The game draws on the colorful palette of the PC Engine and on how fluidly the console can render a top-down world. If you finished the first one and wanted to continue, the second is exactly that more of the same, only better.

Culturally the Neutopias are interesting precisely because they came about at a time when consoles were building their identity and every manufacturer needed a strong action adventure in its library. Here Hudson delivered a dignified alternative for PC Engine owners who didn't have access to Nintendo's exclusives, and today they rank among the titles that collectors and retro fans mention as hidden gems of the platform.

It's not a revolution of the genre, and it doesn't try to be one. Neutopia I & II are solid, honest craftsmanship — adventures that honor their model while offering dozens of hours of exploration. If you like classic top-down adventures and want more than the original Zelda offered, a double portion awaits you here.

Why play: If you've finished the Zeldas and want more of the same in an honest execution, the Neutopia pair offers dungeons, puzzles and exploration without empty filler.