Nintendo Acknowledges the Existence of the Philips CDi Zelda Titles

Between cringe-worthy cutscenes and arguably poor game design, it is no surprise that the Zelda games released for the Philips CDi console aren’t typically at the forefront of Nintendo’s flagship franchise. Though perhaps enjoyable games on their own, Link: The Faces Of Evil, Zelda: The Wand of the Gamelon, and Zelda’s Adventure simply do not measure up to the likes of Ocarina of Time or A Link to the Past, or even games that are usually at the bottom of the barrel within the Zelda community such as Phantom Hourglass or Spirit Tracks.

The ongoing silence surrounding the mere existence of these “black sheep” Zelda games made it apparent that Nintendo wanted fans to forget that the CDi games ever existed. Thus, many assumed that Nintendo hasn’t been the proudest of their decision to trust their characters to Philips in the early 1990s. After a deal with Sony to develop an SNES add-on fell through, Nintendo went on to make the same deal with then-emerging Philips. However, even when plans for the add-on were ultimately scrapped altogether, Philips still came out of the agreement with the licensing rights to Mario and Zelda characters. The three CDi Zelda games were made as a result.

Quality is not a word synonymous with these Zelda games, and yet fans over the years have not forgotten them. In fact, they latched onto the ridiculousness and the hilarity, with such lines as, “This peace is what all true warriors strive for,” and, “Oh my goodness,” as well as famous images and characters from the games becoming memes and inside jokes within the community.

“I can’t wait to bomb some Dodongos,” a line from Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon, was recently part of a series of Twitter polls celebrating the Zelda series as a whole in honor of its 35th anniversary, surprisingly posted by the official Nintendo of America Twitter account itself! The various Twitter polls were posted to promote the next episode of the Nintendo Power Podcast, which will be looking back at The Legend of Zelda‘s 35 years of history. The results of these polls, including the one referencing Wand of Gamelon, will be discussed on the episode as well.

The CDi games are thus not only part of the Zelda series, but are worthy of celebration by Nintendo! The question is, can you wait to bomb some Dodongos? What do you think? Have you ever played a CDi Zelda game? What is your favorite moment from any of the three games? Should they be ported to the Switch? Let us know in the comments below!

Source: Nintendo of America

Editor’s Note: This article has been edited to more accurately describe the development history of the Zelda CDi titles.

Alexandria Weber

Alexandria Weber is a Senior Editor and an aspiring creative writer. Her favorite food is apple pie and she loves her cat Galadriel. Ask her for pictures!