An unwitting hero, a nation in need of salvation and a massive, free-roaming 3D world to explore – no prizes for guessing which famous Nintendo franchise Crusade of Destiny takes its inspiration from.

The Legend of Zelda’s influence can be felt in practically every aspect of this fantasy romp, and while it can’t possibly hope to meet the high standards of Shigeru Miyamoto’s masterpiece, compared to other Android RPGs it can hold its head high.

In graphical terms Crusade of Destiny is seriously impressive, boasting well-animated characters and large, undulating environments.

The only drawback is that despite the complex nature of the 3D models, the actual art design is a little goofy with childish-looking characters sadly detracting from the overall aesthetic impact to a certain extent. Some rather awkward dialogue doesn’t help matters either.

Thankfully the core gameplay in Crusade of Destiny is pretty solid. It revolves around boosting your experience through combat, purchasing new upgrades (such as weapons and armour) and running errands, some of which are merely side-quests while others push the narrative forward.

Most of the 10 or so hours the game offers will be spent hacking and slashing at the wide range of beasts which populate the landscape.

To begin with you’ll only be capable of taking down lowly beetles and scurrying rats but as your proficiency with sword, bow and magic improves, you’ll be able to tackle more intimating monsters – some of which are three or four times your size.

Boss fights are another highlight, presenting some fearsome guardians which require you to learn and adapt to a strict strategy – another Zelda hallmark.

Thankfully controlling your on-screen avatar is a relatively straightforward affair.

Movement is handled by a virtual D-pad and it’s possible to spin your viewpoint by touching anywhere on the screen with a second finger.

Attack options are assigned to buttons in the bottom-right corner of the screen.

Initially it seems as if there’s little finesse in the combat - with early battles being a case of running up to a foe and tapping the button repeatedly – but as you progress and unlock skills you’ll be able to drop in special attacks and score critical hits (amusingly referred to as “Critial Hits”) which inflict more damage than usual.

While Crusade of Destiny isn’t perfect – the aforementioned design choices are questionable and the lack of music is a little unsettling – but when placed alongside similar Android adventures its impact is a little more impressive.

Few titles on the Android Market can offer the same amount of gameplay and depth as Crusade of Destiny and the striking 3D graphics only add to the appeal.

If you can overlook the rough edges then you’ll enjoy many hours of questing with this sizeable epic, although the fact that it’s twice as expensive on Android than it is on the iPhone is a little cheeky.