The CD-i Zelda games refer to three officially licensed Legend of Zelda titles released in the 1990s for the Philips Compact Disc-Interactive (CD-i) multimedia system: Link: The Faces of Evil, Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon, and Zelda’s Adventure. Unlike Nintendo’s own Zelda titles, these games were developed by external studios under a unique licensing arrangement with Philips and are not considered part of the main Zelda series canon.
The first two games (Faces of Evil and Wand of Gamelon) were released simultaneously in 1993 and feature a side-scrolling action-adventure format, while the third (Zelda’s Adventure) came out in 1994/1996 with a top-down perspective more akin to classic Zelda games. All three titles gained infamy for their unconventional design, primitive animated/live-action cutscenes, and overall quality.
They were poorly received and have since become notorious among fans – often cited among the worst video games ever made. Despite (or because of) this reputation, the CD-i Zelda games hold a peculiar place in gaming history and Zelda fandom for their unusual development story and their later status as internet meme material.
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Development History and Philips Licensing
The creation of the CD-i Zelda games was a direct result of a failed partnership between Nintendo and Philips in the early 1990s. Originally, Nintendo had been working with Sony to develop a CD-ROM add-on for the Super Nintendo (the ill-fated “SNES-CD” project), but Nintendo abruptly switched to Philips to pursue the add-on. When Nintendo ultimately canceled the CD add-on altogether (partly due to the poor market performance of rival Sega’s Mega-CD), Nintendo’s deal with Philips was dissolved.
As part of the breakup, Nintendo granted Philips a one-time license to use several Nintendo characters – including Link, Princess Zelda, and villain Ganon – for games on Philips’ CD-i platform. This unusual licensing agreement opened the door for Philips to create its own Zelda games (as well as a Mario-themed title) without Nintendo’s direct involvement.
Philips contracted independent development studios to produce the games, while Nintendo remained largely hands-off, offering only minimal input on character designs and artwork to ensure they resembled the Nintendo source material. The first two games were developed in tandem by a Massachusetts-based studio called Animation Magic, led by Dale DeSharone. Philips gave the team a relatively small budget (around $600,000) and about one year of development time total to produce both Faces of Evil and Wand of Gamelon, so the two projects were built using the same game engine and assets in parallel.
Philips was adamant that the games showcase the CD-i’s multimedia capabilities, which meant incorporating features like full-motion video (FMV) cutscenes, high-resolution still images, and CD-quality audio. However, the CD-i hardware was not designed primarily for gaming, and the developers struggled with technical limitations – sluggish input (especially with the CD-i’s default infrared controller), memory and streaming constraints, and other performance issues that hindered gameplay responsiveness.
On Philips’ insistence, both of the first two games feature animated story cutscenes, which were produced by an outsourced team of animators from Russia. In fact, this marked one of the first instances of a U.S. game company using Russian animation talent, an arrangement made possible by the post-Cold War climate of the early 1990s. These hand-drawn cartoons play during the intro, ending, and at key moments, giving Faces of Evil and Wand of Gamelon a very distinctive (if rudimentary) visual style. The third game, Zelda’s Adventure, was handled by a different developer (Viridis Corporation) and took a different approach: it uses live-action video sequences with actors for its cutscenes instead of animation.
Viridis also attempted to push the CD-i hardware with digitized photographic backgrounds and a larger scope, which led to even more severe technical issues during development (such as extremely long load times and choppy performance). Ultimately, all three games were completed with very limited resources and oversight. They debuted on a system that itself struggled commercially, which contributed to their low sales and obscurity at the time.
Link: The Faces of Evil – Story and Gameplay
Link: The Faces of Evil (1993) was one of the first two Zelda titles released on the CD-i. It is a side-scrolling 2D action-adventure game, taking inspiration from the gameplay of Nintendo’s Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (1987) in its platforming and combat style. The player controls Link throughout the adventure. The game begins with Link in Hyrule, feeling restless due to the lack of recent battles. Soon, a wizard named Gwonam arrives on a flying carpet to inform King Harkinian and Link that the evil Ganon’s forces have invaded the island of Koridai.
According to prophecy, only Link can defeat Ganon, so Gwonam magically transports Link to Koridai to embark on the quest. Shortly after arriving, Link learns that Ganon has already captured Princess Zelda and imprisoned her on the island. Gwonam describes how Ganon’s minions have taken over regions of Koridai known as the “Faces of Evil” – large mountain-like faces or structures that serve as strongholds for Ganon’s lieutenants.
In classic Zelda fashion, Link must travel across Koridai and conquer each of these areas, vanquishing the monsters within. Over the course of the game, Link battles a variety of bizarre bosses who rule the “Faces of Evil,” including a necromancer (Goronu), a bomb-throwing jester (Harlequin), an armored fire-breathing knight (Militron), a gluttonous cyclops (Glutko), and a wolf-like creature (Lupay). Each victory helps free Koridai from Ganon’s influence.
Along the way, Link recovers a magical artifact called the Book of Koridai, which proves to be the key to defeating Ganon. In the final confrontation, Link faces Ganon in his lair. Ganon tries to tempt Link with offers of power (and threatens him with death), but Link uses the Book of Koridai to trap Ganon inside its pages, effectively neutralizing him. Link then rescues a sleeping Zelda from captivity and awakens her. As Gwonam transports Link and Zelda back home, he shows them that Koridai has been liberated and declares Link the hero of the island. The game ends with peace restored and Link having proven himself as a hero once again.
Gameplay in Faces of Evil is a mix of combat, platforming, and item usage presented in a side-scrolling format. Players start with only a sword and shield, and only a few areas accessible on the world map. As Link, the player can perform a sword stab or shoot sword beams (when at full health) to attack enemies, and the shield will automatically block when Link is standing still or crouching. As enemies are defeated, they drop rubies (a mis-translated form of Rupees, the Zelda currency) which Link must physically pick up with his sword.
These rubies can be spent in a shop to buy vital supplies – most famously lamp oil, rope, and bombs, as the shopkeeper Morshu advertises – which are needed to progress through certain areas. The game uses a life meter of Life Hearts (starting with three) and a checkpoint system: if Link loses all health, he can continue from nearby twice, but on the third death in a level he is kicked back to the map and must restart that area.
However, any items collected remain saved. The levels themselves consist of short platforming stages where Link must fight enemies, avoid hazards, and sometimes solve rudimentary puzzles (often by using an item in the correct spot). The controls are notably stiff and unresponsive due to the CD-i’s limitations, making even simple jumps and attacks challenging – a point that drew much criticism later on. Still, at the time, some reviewers admired the bright high-resolution background art and the presence of voice-acted animated cutscenes, which were novel features in 1993.
Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon – Story and Gameplay
Released alongside Faces of Evil, Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon is its sister game – developed in parallel on the same engine, with very similar gameplay, graphics, and interface. The key difference is that Wand of Gamelon puts Princess Zelda in the starring role, making it one of the first games in the franchise where Zelda is a playable protagonist. The storyline of Wand of Gamelon cleverly inverts the typical “Link rescues Zelda” formula.
It begins in Hyrule with King Harkinian preparing to aid the Duke of Gamelon, a neighboring kingdom, which is reportedly under attack by Ganon’s forces. The King tells Zelda that if he does not return within a month, she should send Link to help him. When the King subsequently goes missing in Gamelon and no word comes, Zelda dutifully dispatches Link to investigate. Another month passes with neither the King nor Link returning, so Zelda takes it upon herself to venture to Gamelon, accompanied by her elderly nursemaid Impa. Zelda’s mission is to find her father and Link, and to save Gamelon from whatever evil has befallen it.
Traveling through the realm of Gamelon, Zelda fights many of the same kinds of foes that one might expect in a Zelda adventure. She battles Ganon’s minions across various locales – including undead mummies called Gibdos, a coven of three witches, and armored knights (Iron Knuckles) blocking her path. As the story unfolds, Zelda discovers evidence of treachery. Impa learns that King Harkinian has been captured by Ganon, and that Link engaged Ganon’s forces and went missing during the struggle.
The true villain in Gamelon turns out to be the apparently friendly Duke Onkled – he has betrayed the King and allied with Ganon, luring Harkinian into a trap. Zelda teams up with a local woman named Lady Alma (whom she rescues from an evil sorcerer) and a man named Lord Kiro (one of the King’s knights) as she presses forward. With their help, Zelda storms Duke Onkled’s palace and forces him to reveal the entrance to Reesong Palace, where Ganon resides. Before facing Ganon, Zelda must acquire the titular Wand – a magical wand capable of defeating the dark lord. She obtains this artifact after defeating a shape-shifting creature named Omfak in the Shrine of Gamelon.
Armed with the Wand of Gamelon, Zelda enters Reesong Palace and confronts Ganon. In the final battle, she uses the wand’s power to bind Ganon in magical chains, subduing him. Zelda then frees her father, King Harkinian. Back in Hyrule, the traitorous Duke Onkled is handed over to King Harkinian, who orders him to scrub all the floors in the castle as punishment (a rare bit of humor in the ending). One loose end remains: Link is still missing. During the celebration, Lady Alma mentions a clue that prompts Zelda to shatter a mirror – and Link magically appears, having apparently been trapped in the mirror by Ganon’s magic. The heroes are reunited, and a feast is held to celebrate peace in Gamelon.
Gameplay in Wand of Gamelon is essentially identical to Faces of Evil. Players this time control Princess Zelda, but she moves and fights with the same mechanics as Link did. Zelda uses a sword and shield, can collect rubies from defeated enemies, and purchase/use items like lamp oil, rope, and bombs to progress. The level layouts and enemies are different, but the game structure – choosing areas from an overworld map, completing side-scrolling action stages, and watching animated cutscenes for story progression – follows the same template.
Because both titles were developed together, they share the same strengths and weaknesses: Wand of Gamelon also boasts colorful background art and fully voiced cartoon cinematics, but suffers from the same clunky controls and erratic design. Notably, having Zelda as the hero was a fresh concept at the time. In practice, however, the character swap did not drastically change gameplay. (Zelda’s sprite and animations are different, and she wears a cloak, but she plays very much like Link.) The game’s difficulty is considered quite high due to stiff controls and unforgiving enemy attacks, leading some contemporary reviewers to label it “unplayable” despite its presentation. Still, Wand of Gamelon gave players the rare chance to step into Princess Zelda’s shoes – a feature that has only been revisited sparingly in the franchise’s history.
Zelda’s Adventure – Story and Gameplay
Zelda’s Adventure (released in 1994 in North America and 1996 in Europe) is the third and final CD-i Zelda game, and it differs significantly from the first two. Developed by Viridis Corporation, Zelda’s Adventure trades the side-scrolling format for an overhead perspective that more closely resembles the original Legend of Zelda (1986) and A Link to the Past (1991). In this game, Princess Zelda is once again the protagonist, embarking on a quest to save Link. The setting is the fantastical realm of Tolemac (which, as the game cheekily points out, is “Camelot” spelled backwards). The story premise is that Ganon has escaped into Tolemac, plunged the kingdom into an “Age of Darkness,” and kidnapped Link while also stealing the kingdom’s seven celestial signs – magical symbols that brought light and prosperity. With Link imprisoned and the land in darkness, Zelda takes up the adventure to recover the celestial signs, defeat Ganon, and rescue Link.
Guided by a court astrologer named Gaspra and an old guide named Shurmak, Zelda must journey through seven shrines scattered across the regions of Tolemac, each shrine housing one of the celestial signs and a guardian boss. Her quest spans varied environments (forests, mountains, swamps, etc.) and each shrine is essentially a dungeon that Zelda must navigate. For example, in the Shrine of Rock, she battles a greedy monster named Llort (which happens to be “Troll” spelled backwards) to gain the first sign. Subsequent challenges include the Shrine of Illusion (with a clownish foe named Pasquinade), the Shrine of Air, the Shrine of Destiny, the Shrine of Water, the Shrine of Power, and finally the Shrine of Fire.
Each success earns Zelda another celestial sign and brings her one step closer to dispelling the darkness. After proving herself in the seven shrines, Zelda is directly confronted by Ganon just as she reaches for the final sign – his claw snatches it and pulls her into his lair for the final showdown. In the final battle, Zelda faces Ganon (portrayed by a live actor in creature makeup via full-motion video). With the power of the collected celestial signs, Zelda manages to defeat Ganon and free Link from captivity. In the closing scene, Link is shown safe and standing with Zelda amid the restored light of Tolemac, as the kingdom returns to an “Age of Lightness” once Ganon’s darkness is dispelled. Peace returns to the land, and the two heroes presumably travel back home after their victory.
Gameplay in Zelda’s Adventure feels closer to a traditional Zelda title, but executed on underpowered hardware. The game uses a top-down view and an overworld map divided into regions, through which Zelda can roam to find the entrances to each shrine (dungeon). Players control Zelda directly, fighting enemies in real time with swordplay and items, much like in the classic NES/SNES games. The design is more open-ended: you explore the world of Tolemac, talk to NPCs for clues, and tackle the seven shrines in a sequence that loosely follows the narrative.
Zelda’s Adventure attempts a more ambitious scope than the previous CD-i games, but it suffers greatly from the CD-i’s technical shortcomings. The game’s graphics are a mix of digitized photographs and primitive sprites – background scenes were actually created from real-life photos and video footage (for example, some backdrops were filmed in Hawaii) to give a more realistic look. This approach resulted in very large data sizes and slow loading; the game frequently pauses to load when moving between screens, and the frame rate is choppy.
The FMV cutscenes are live-action, featuring amateur actors portraying Zelda, Ganon, and other characters in costume. While having live actors was an interesting choice (making Zelda’s Adventure the only Zelda game ever with live-action scenes), the quality of acting and production was low even by mid-90s standards – the cutscenes have an odd campy charm, but were often deemed unintentionally comical. Gameplay involves standard Zelda activities like collecting tools and weapons, solving simple puzzles, and fighting bosses at the end of each shrine.
However, many players found the game nearly unplayable due to its sluggish controls, muddy visuals, and long loads. Zelda’s movement is slow and the CD-i often struggles to keep up with the action, leading to a very frustrating experience. In one infamous technical flaw, the CD-i couldn’t play background music and sound effects at the same time in this game, meaning much of the adventure is eerily quiet or missing audio feedback. Despite these issues, Zelda’s Adventure did manage to capture a bit more of the Zelda spirit on paper – it had a larger world and a quest structure closer to the Nintendo games – but the execution left a lot to be desired for players.
Cultural Legacy
Beyond memes, the CD-i Zelda games are frequently discussed as a quirky footnote in The Legend of Zelda’s history. They stand as examples of what can happen when a beloved franchise is handled outside its creator’s vision. For Zelda fans, the CD-i trio is often an object of morbid curiosity – the franchise’s “dark secret.” Fan communities occasionally do deep-dives into how these games were made, and interviews with the developers or voice actors have surfaced over the years shedding light on their creation.
They also illustrate a pivotal moment in gaming history: the Nintendo-Philips partnership that produced these games is the very same deal that indirectly led to Sony entering the market with the PlayStation (since Nintendo’s rejection of Sony’s SNES-CD collaboration pushed Sony to develop its own console). In that sense, the CD-i games are a strange side-effect of one of the major turning points in the industry.
Despite their awful reputation, there has been a measure of fan-driven homage to the CD-i Zelda titles in recent times. In 2020, an independent developer actually remade Faces of Evil and Wand of Gamelon for PC, using the GameMaker engine, as a fan project. These unofficial remakes used the original graphics and audio but implemented smoother controls and quality-of-life improvements (like added subtitles and a widescreen option) to make the games less frustrating to play. The remakes were released for free and garnered attention from curious fans. However, fearing legal action, the creator pulled the downloads after a couple of days.
Additionally, the legacy of the CD-i games inspired a spiritual successor: a game titled Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore, announced in 2023, intentionally mimics the style of the CD-i Zelda games (complete with campy animation) while being a completely new adventure. Arzette even brought back the original voice actors for Link and Zelda from the CD-i games, as a tongue-in-cheek nod to their legacy. It was released on modern platforms in 2024, giving the CD-i Zelda aesthetic a second life on contemporary hardware. Such projects reflect a sort of affectionate nostalgia that has formed around these titles – fans are intrigued enough by the CD-i games’ mystique to keep them alive in various forms.
The CD-i Zelda games occupy a unique and unenviable spot in the Zelda saga. Link: The Faces of Evil, Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon, and Zelda’s Adventure are remembered not for greatness but for their notorious missteps. From their unusual origins in a Nintendo licensing mishap, to their rushed development on an ill-suited console, to the enduring ridicule of their cutscenes, these games have become a cautionary tale and a source of ironic entertainment.
For visitors to Zelda Central, the story of the CD-i games serves as both a historical lesson and a bizarre side-chapter in the otherwise high-quality legend of Zelda. Love them or hate them, the CD-i adventures show how even the most famous heroes can sometimes wander into the darkest timelines – only to be forever immortalized as legend (of a different sort) in gaming history.