Though Nintendo celebrates much ofThe Legend of Zelda’shistory, it has done its best to avoid addressing its infamous Philips CD-i games, except the obvious solution to finally absolve itself of this disrepute is to finally remake these games. While someThe Legend of Zeldagamesremain more popular and prominent than others, with leading examples being theOcarina of TimeorA Link to the Past, Nintendo has always shown appreciation for its more eclectic entries such as itsOracleduology orThe Adventures of Link. But the three games released exclusively to the CD-i have been unceremoniously brushed under the rug.
Despite trying to turn a blind eye to this part of theZeldaseries, both the fan community and third-party developers remain not just aware but actively interested in these CD-i games. Even the latestHyrule Warriors: Age of Calamityreferences one of theZeldaCD-i’s charactersproving that decades later these games continue to hold a place within theZeldacommunity that perhaps Nintendo wished it didn’t. Trying to avoid these games only brings attention to them more, so Nintendo’s only real solution is to lean into these titles and remake them to patch upZelda’s ever-evolving legacy.
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Exploring the History of Zelda CD-i Games
The history of Nintendo’s and Philips' relationship with the CD-i is a contentious one, something that incidentally resulted inSony developing the PlayStationas it distanced itself from Nintendo. To make a long story short, when Nintendo dissolved its partnership with Philips, it agreed to license the use of Link, Zelda, and Ganon for the CD-i. This could explain why two of these games use Princess Zelda as a protagonist instead of Link, and why all three games seem to have very little in common with the broaderZeldaseries beyond familiar characters like Impa or a stand-in for King Rhoam called “Harkinian.”
Due to this agreement, Nintendo had no input on these games, leading Philips to contract independent studios Animation Magic and Viridis Corporation to make them. Philips insisted these developers utilize the capacity of the CD-i such as itsFMV, but since the system was not developed with gaming in mind resulting in lagging controls or technical issues with audio, memory, and disk access. The resulting games are therefore both weird interpretations of theZeldaseries and are uniquely difficult and frustrating games to play.
The most well-knownZeldaCD-i games areZelda: The Wand of GamelonandLink: Faces of Evil,thanks in part to their heavily memed animated cutscenes. Both were developed by Animation Magic, which explains why they look and play similarly, and were the first to release to the CD-i at the same time. The third lesser-known game, simply titledZelda’s Adventure,was made by Viridis Corporation and is considered the worst due to its unpolished gameplay. Its release after Animation Magic’s games and underdeveloped state could speak toPhilips' market troublesand the CD-i’s decline.
How to Remake Zelda CD-i Games
With three games to address, it would beambitious for Nintendo to create individual remakeswhen so much work would be needed for these, especially sinceZelda’s Adventureneeds such a big overhaul. A simpler approach would be to unpack what each game tried to deliver, including the plot points and characters that are worth salvaging, and create a hybridized game that incorporates all three. SinceThe Wand of GamelonandThe Faces of Evilhave the most in common, it would make more sense to use these as the groundwork for the remake and bring inZelda’s Adventurewherever possible.
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However, though the story could be reshaped to fit theZeldacanon, the biggest hurdle lies in its gameplay. Animation Magic’s games took a 2D approach akin toThe Adventures of Link, but most if not allZeldagames since then have been played from a third-person perspective, either over-the-shoulder or top-down.Zelda’s Adventureis the closest in format to modernZelda, but its imperfect gameplay isn’t a good basis to work from. Nintendo should instead follow the likes ofLink’s Awakeningremake for the Switch, with aZeldaCD-i remake equally starting largely from scratch.
Why Should Nintendo Remake the Zelda CD-i Games?
Ultimately, as much as fans might speculate on how these CD-i games might be revived, the bigger question is why would Nintendo bother. So far, its current approach has just been to ignore these games and not draw attention to them, but this isn’t a sentiment shared by fans. Some have even gone as far as working on their ownfan-developed remake ofZeldaCD-i games, focusing onThe Wand of GamelonandTheFaces of Evil, demonstrating that the games aren’t going anywhere despite Nintendo’s best efforts otherwise.
Nintendo shares the broader gaming industry’s penchant for developing remakes of fan-favorite or cult classic games. It has been no exception to this trend with calls for futureZeldaremakes fromThe Legend of Zelda: The Minish CaptoThe Adventures of Link. But with the list of possible candidates for remakes growing ever shorter, Nintendo could instead focus on theZeldaCD-i games. While these games are classed as spin-offs, opting to remake these before others likeThe Minish Capcould help Nintendo’s long-term plans forZeldawith short-term CD-i remakes.
Rather than attempt to dismiss part ofZelda’shistory and resist its fans, Nintendo could capitalize on the nostalgic and ironic interest in these CD-i games and turnpastZeldafailuresinto a modern success. Much of what draws players into these games is not only the unusual story behind their development but also their absurd cutscenes, goofy characters, and frustratingly obtuse controls. While some of this may be sacrificed to improve the remake’s playability, paying homage to these games and giving them their dues could be a love letter to fans that finally closes the chapter onThe Legend of Zelda’s CD-i era.
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