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Skrillex Spawns ‘Zelda’-Based Video Game ‘Skrillex Quest’

skrillex quest video game

Remember that time Skrillex cameoed as a cartoon DJ in Disney’s animated movie Wreck-It Ralph, that sort of Toy StorymeetsTron tale of redemption set in the world of video games? (You should, it’s still in theaters.) Well, now in a bid of life imitating art, the EDM wunderkind has a video game to call his own based on the same early 8-bit RPGs referenced in the film.

The thing’s called Skrillex Quest, and it’s a browser-based game modeled after Nintendo’s 1986 dungeon raider The Legend of Zelda. A golden original NES-style cartridge appears on the official site, and the gameplay itself is built around that very object.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday (November 28), creator Jason Oda explained the concept: “Remember blowing the dust out of your NES cartridges when they glitched? This game is all about that from the perspective of the people within the game.”

Those people are the Link-like hero, P1; the King and his daughter, the Dead Princess; and the NPCs locked deep in the underground to guide you on your way. They occupy a 2D universe that’s been “corrupted” by a “speck of dust” — here, the erratic color blocks that plagued the landscapes of well-worn NES cartridges back in the day not only set the mis en scene, they serve as the enemy combatants. P1 is tasked with saving the world by way of glitch-smashing. (Canned air duster sold separately.)

Simple keypad controls allow users to maneuver: arrow keys move P1 around the screen, spacebar swipes his sword. Sonny Moore’s own “Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites” and “Summit” soundtrack the adventure.

“Skrillex’s music sometimes sounds like a broken video game,” Oda told Mashable. “It fit perfectly with my glitch idea, and I took inspiration from the few lyrics it does contain for content.”

Oda is Internet famous for designing desktop-friendly games for bands and brands. He’s previously worked with Atreyu, Chemical Brothers, Fallout Boy, and Breaking Benjamin, but most recently won the viral lottery with his 70-second nostalgia trip in Flash, Perfect Strangers: Nothing’s Gonna Stop Me Now.

Skrillex Quest, however, is a markedly longer undertaking. After 10 minutes, two uncovered chests, and three minutes of confusion over whether the game had stalled or we were in the midst of an epic bass loop (don’t use Firefox!), we abandoned our hero, never to save the princess. Wub wub.

Start your own Skrillex Quest here. But it’s dangerous to go alone! Take this.