Xbox Game Pass Freebie is a Perfect Legend of Zelda Alternative

Xbox Game Pass subscribers can play a Legend of Zelda-inspired adventure at no additional cost.

As a Nintendo fan I do love seeing games that would feel right at home on a Nintendo Switch/Nintendo Switch 2 on other platforms.

A good example is The Plucky Squire, a PlayStation Plus launch title that oozed Nintendo flair and charm but found the bulk of its interactions on a Sony console.

Tunic is another excellent example and if you haven’t played it, it’s available as part of your Xbox Game Pass subscription.

It’s a game I’ve got a lot of time and respect for, especially after speaking to the game’s creator Andrew Shouldice for the 2025 Gaming BAFTAs.

So as you can probably tell the game is heavily inspired by the old-school Legend of Zelda games, and that feeling of exploration and adventure in a world that’s entirely new to you, something that made the very first Zelda game a success.

What sets Tunic apart from other games though is its use of language, as instead of text boxes giving instructions and context to the player they must instead figure it out for themselves.

Finji

All in-game text is written in a made-up language so you need to pay more attention to the illustrations and do a bit of experimenting to figure out the in-game mechanics and solve its many puzzles.

The rest of the game is a bit more straight-forward as you fight your way through dungeons, collect helpful items and more.

Like the first Zelda game and those that followed there are also plenty of secrets to uncover, many of which will add new pages to your in-game instruction manual.

All of this is gorgeously accented with a vibrant and charming art style, and I couldn’t recommend it enough.

It won’t take up too much of your time either, as a basic run with little to no exploration will take around 12 hours according to HowLongToBeat, which is pretty reasonable.

If you’re still sceptical on whether this game is right for you though, you can try it for free via Xbox Game Pass.

The game is available for all subscribers because it’s part of the Essential tier, which is the lowest and cheapest tier the service offers.

I can’t see any reason why you wouldn’t like it though, especially if you’re a fan of the Legend of Zelda series or RPGs in general.