Imagine, if you will, a parallel universe (or if you're a Lewisian philosopher, a possible world) that isn't too dissimilar from our own. In it, the Legend of Zelda series dropped the open exploration of the original title in favor of the side-scrolling action of its oft-maligned sequel. That, and fangames don't suck there. Legend of Princess comes from that universe/ontologicial mindfuck.
This is indeed a fangame, but in a pretty loose sense -- think 16-bit Adventure of Link with tight controls and the omission of tedious RPG elements. Like Konjak's own Noitu Love series, this title is dripping with sexy pixel art. On top of that, the music is pulsing and really drives the action. The gameplay itself is combat-driven and bears resemblance to playing as Zero in the Mega Man X sequels. Speaking of the Blue Bomber, the boss fights are as epic as any bout with Sigma or Chill Penguin. While the game isn't exactly teeming with innovation, it does try something cool with its move vocabulary. At the outset you choose between three subweapons and three jump-enablers, which includes fan favorites like Bombchus and the ever-present flying chicken. It's hard to design enemies and level layouts that accommodate nine different playstyles, so in this regard it's a valient attempt. You're best to stick to the Boomerang and Roc's Feather for your first playthrough, though.
Nicely polished, pretty, and geektastic. What're you waiting for? Go and slash some Octoroks already.
The best part of this game
The best part of this game is the method of difficulty adjustment--choosing your two starting items. This seems like a great, elegant way to create different difficulty settings; more games should use this sort of thing.