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The best Zelda clone on the Sega Genesis

Crusader of Centy is an action-adventure game for the Genesis in which you play as a kid who happens to be the “crusader” or “chosen one.” Released in 1994, the game was published by Sega in Japan and Europe, but for some reason was published by Atlus for the West. The developer, Nextech, was a small studio that was eventually bought by Sega, and they made such games as Time Crisis 3 and 4, Dino Crisis, Children of Mana (DS), and Crimson Shroud (3DS). It’s no surprise, then, that Crusader is a very good game. 

Calling it a “Zelda clone” isn’t quite fair because the game sets itself apart from Zelda with plenty of unique features. A big part of the game is finding animals that will join you, and these animals will give you certain abilities. The game also has a world map instead of a big interconnected world, and “dungeons” are usually just certain locations instead of being a place inside another place. However, the game does share quite a bit with Zelda: the protagonist swings his sword in an arc, you can cut down gross to find restoratives, there are block-pushing puzzles, and new abilities are often required to defeat bosses. 

The game’s intro explains the story, but it’s needlessly wordy. Basically, humans and monsters used to get along, but then something happened, and now they’re at odds. On his 14th birthday, the protagonist receives a sword and he sets off for adventure. Early on in the game you can talk to humans, but then you get the ability to speak with plants and animals, which also causes you to lose the ability to speak to humans (just try and it’s gibberish). As you travel, you’ll discover that most villages are made up of animals instead of humans. Also, some animals don’t like you because they despise humans. 

The combat is good, and along the way you’ll learn to throw your sword, which is very useful for both combat and solving puzzles. Getting certain animal companions is often required to open a path forward. For example, you cannot get through Hot Daisy (volcano) until you get Chilly the penguin who can cause your sword to become icy when you throw it. The game is pretty good about telling you what to do next, but there were a few times I wasn’t sure, so I had to consult a walkthrough. However, that’s par for the course for these classic games. 

The different areas are really nice. I especially loved the beach area, where the protagonist would leave footprints behind him. The beach also had a great Sonic cameo. Many areas are the basic video game worlds: grass area, volcano area, ice area, etc. But some were unique, such as the Tower of Babel (they stole that from Final Fantasy II!). I was also surprised when the game decided to get weird. One part has you transforming into a slime (not a blue slime, a green one), and you had to go find a witch to transform you back into a human. Unfortunately, the puzzle that the witch had you do made no sense at all (thank you, walkthrough). 

I found the desert area to be the most frustrating because it was a bit too maze-like, the enemies could pop out of the sand right beneath you, and there were a few too many block-pushing puzzles. But really, most of the game is quite enjoyable, and the different areas are all very unique in appearance and enemies. What’s odd is that the text boxes would sometimes skip text very quickly, not giving you enough time to read (so you would have to push the button and read it again). Also, the bosses: they’re all fairly conventional, and were not difficult to beat, but sadly, they weren’t memorable. 

I have to mention the soundtrack: it’s superb. The village music is very enjoyable, and many of the themes stand out with strong melodies and interesting rhythms. Genesis music is usually hit or miss, so I’m glad to report that Crusader’s OST is absolutely a hit! I’ll be sure to share a few of my favorite songs below. 

Final Verdict--4 Stars: Recommended 

Crusader of Centy is probably the best Zelda clone on Genesis. I would say it’s better than Beyond Oasis (which is often called a Zelda clone) because that game had some Streets of Rage combat in it, whereas Crusader has that classic Zelda combat and block-pushing puzzles. You might need a walkthrough at times, but I think you will find it very enjoyable. It’s not a difficult game either, and that’s a big plus! You can play it right now on the Switch if you have the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pass. Getting this on the Switch is awesome because it’s very hard to find (the game was overlooked back in the day). This is one of those “long lost gems” and it deserves your time and attention.