The CD-i Zelda Games Get a Bad Rap

“My boy, this peace is what all warriors strive for!”

One mention of the CD-i Zelda games to any die hard Zelda fan will bring about anything but peace. In a brief partnership between Nintendo and Philips, three games were released to the Philips CD-i featuring our favorite heroes: Link: Faces of Evil,  Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon, and Zelda’s Adventure.

You would be hard pressed to find anyone with good things to say about these titles. In fact, they are often cited as three of the worst video games ever made. Series director Eiji Aonuma is on record saying, “they don’t fit in.” Hyrule Historia doesn’t even mention them a single time.

These games are certainly the focal point of much ire in both the Zelda and gaming communities, but why? You can certainly make a case for the animation. Cobbled together by a Russian studio, the game looks as though my three-year-old daughter drew it. The voice acting is also famously bad, straddling the line between campy and simply awful. However, I am reminded of The Legend of Zelda cartoon that appeared briefly during the Super Mario Bros. Super Show. It’s a show rife with camp, questionable writing, and, let’s face it, an unlikable Link character. Yet, even as mediocre as the show was, it is still remembered fondly, by and large, by the Zelda community.

There are certainly quite a few things the games get wrong. I would argue there are also a few things they get right. While linear in nature, you are free to explore much of the world from the start. Much like many classic games, or even a choose your own adventure book; make a wrong turn and you will regret it. This aspect lends to the learning process you experience playing through these games. Musically, there are some truly outstanding tracks, such as Nortinka Igloo or Reesong Palace. Finally, I appreciate how the games rely quite a bit on trial and error. While this can lead to frustration when you get lost, it also carries a feeling of accomplishment. I remember the thrill I felt when I finally made it into Ganon’s Palace, or the relief when I discovered the fairy fountain and received an extra heart.

The voice acting in each of the three CD-i Zelda games is laughably bad. That said, the story within each game, when I look at them subjectively, is actually decent. Faces of Evil is typical (read: recycled) Zelda fare. You star as Link, using the power of the Triforce and other found items to rescue Princess Zelda from Ganon. Where the games actually break the mold and set themselves apart are with The Wand of Gamelon and Zelda’s Adventure. Roles become reversed and it is Zelda who sets out to find and rescue Link. No other game in the series has embraced that simple role reversal. While this does not make a game inherently good, it’s certainly a noteworthy risk that these two games took. This provided a nice break from the stereotypical “rescue the princess” trope in most games.

I’m not going to tell you these games are great. What I will say is, much like a cult classic movie such as The Rocky Horror Picture Show, or songs like We Built This City, sometimes a thing can be so bad it carries a certain charm that captures you and pulls you in. The CD-i Zelda titles, while not great games, are certainly worthy of the old college try, but carry with you the expectation of what these games are: lesser titles with a name that carries lofty expectations.

Have you tried any or all of the CD-i Zelda games? What was your experience with them like? Let us know in the comments below!