Link: The Faces of Evil and Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon

Last updated
Link: The Faces of Evil
Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon
Link facesofevil packaging.jpg Zelda wandofgamelon packaging.jpg
Packaging for Link: The Faces of Evil and Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon. The artwork for Link and Zelda were reused promotional art from The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past .
Developer(s) Animation Magic
Publisher(s) Philips Interactive Media
Director(s) Dale DeSharone
Producer(s) Dale DeSharone
Designer(s) Dale DeSharone
Rob Dunlavey
Programmer(s) Linde Dynneson
John O'Brien
John Wheeler
Artist(s) Tom Curry
Max Stienmetz
John Ursino
Writer(s) Jonathan Merritt
Composer(s) Tony Trippi
William Havlicek
Series The Legend of Zelda
Platform(s) Philips CD-i
Release
  • NA: October 10, 1993 [1]
  • EU: December 25, 1993 [1]
Genre(s) Action-adventure
Mode(s) Single-player

Link: The Faces of Evil and Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon are action-adventure games developed by Animation Magic and published by Philips Interactive Media for the CD-i on October 10, 1993 in North America [1] and December 25 of the same year in Europe. [1] They were released on the same day, were developed simultaneously, and look and play similarly because they use the same graphic engine. Both games are based on Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda franchise, but are not acknowledged as official, canonical entries [2] and are the first two games of three Zelda games released for the CD-i. The third, Zelda's Adventure , was developed separately and plays differently.

Contents

Link: The Faces of Evil puts the player in control of Link, who goes on a quest to defeat Ganon and rescue Princess Zelda. Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon changes the roles and has the player control Zelda, who sets out to save Link and King Harkinian and defend her kingdom from Ganon. Both travel to a new world (Koridai and Gamelon, respectively) to thwart Ganon's plans. At the time of their release, the games received mixed to positive reviews. In later years, both games have received universally negative reception for their plots, full-motion video animated cutscenes, voice acting, controls, and graphics. The games were not acknowledged in the official The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia guidebook; Eiji Aonuma, who has served as a series director since Ocarina of Time , has remarked that the games do not "fit in the 'Zelda' franchise". [2] This has led to the three games (Link: The Faces of Evil, Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon, and Zelda's Adventure ) being considered not only the worst games in the Zelda franchise but also among the worst video games of all time.

Gameplay

Players take control of Link in The Faces of Evil, and of Zelda in The Wand of Gamelon. At the beginning of both games, players have access to only three areas, which are accessed through an in-game map. The two characters only have their swords and shields at this stage. The sword can be used to attack enemies either by stabbing or shooting "Power Blasts", while the shield can deflect attacks. Link's sword in The Faces of Evil is known as his Smart Sword, and will not hurt anyone considered friendly. [3] The shield is used whenever the player character is standing still or crouching. They gain new items later on in the game, including lamp oil, rope, and bombs, all of which can be purchased from a shop. Rubies (rupees in canon Zelda games) can be obtained by stabbing them with the sword after defeating an enemy, after which they can be spent at the shop.

The player's health is measured in "Life Hearts". Although the player begins the game with only three hearts, there are ways to earn more. Each time the player character is injured, they will lose at least one-half of a heart. The first two times the player runs out of Life Hearts, the player will be given the option of continuing from near the point where their last heart was lost. When the player loses their hearts for the third time, they will be returned to the map and must start the level from the beginning. Returning to the map replenishes their Life Hearts and lives, and they will retain any items and Rubies they picked up. [3] [4]

Plot

Link: The Faces of Evil

The story begins in Hyrule Castle, where a bored Link discusses the prospects of new adventure with King Harkinian. Soon, Link's hopes are fulfilled, as a wizard named Gwonam arrives on a magic carpet, telling them that Ganon (the series' antagonist) and his minions have taken over Koridai Island. Although the King immediately offers his aid, Gwonam explains that according to a prophecy, "only Link can defeat Ganon". [5] Link asks Princess Zelda for a kiss for good luck, but she refuses. Gwonam then transports Link to Koridai and explains that many of Ganon's minions have established the "Faces of Evil", giant mountains and stone structures that bear the resemblance of their commanding minions that act as their bases of operation. Link ventures through the island and conquers all the bases along with defeating their leaders such as the necromancer Goronu; the anthropomorphic pig and jokester Harlequin; the fire-breathing armored knight Militron; the gluttonous cyclops Glutko; and the anthropomorphic and sinister wolf Lupay. [6] [7] During Link's quest, Gwonam discovers and informs him that Ganon has captured Zelda and imprisoned her in his lair. [8]

At one point during Link's adventure, he discovers the sacred Book of Koridai, which he brings to a translator named Aypo who reveals to him that the book is the only way to defeat Ganon. [9] Link finally confronts Ganon, who attempts to recruit him with the promise of great power. Link then defeats him, imprisoning him within the pages of the Book of Koridai, before he rescues a sleeping Zelda and awakens her. Gwonam appears and congratulates Link on his success, and then transports the two on his magic carpet, showing them the liberated and recovering Koridai before he officially declares Link the hero of the island. Once again, Link requests Zelda to kiss him as a reward but she still refuses.

Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon

King Harkinian announces his plan to aid Duke Onkled of Gamelon, who is under attack by Ganon's forces, [10] and orders his daughter Princess Zelda to send Link for backup if she does not hear from him within a month. He reassures her that he is taking the Triforce of Courage that will protect him while Zelda's elderly nursemaid, Impa, states that the Triforce of Wisdom promises that the King will return safely. [11] Despite these promises, a month eventually passes without word from the King, so as instructed, Zelda sends Link to find him. When he too goes missing, Zelda ventures off to Gamelon to find both Link and the King, accompanied by Impa.

During Zelda's quest in Gamelon, Impa discovers that King Harkinian has been captured by Ganon and that Link was engaged in a battle, the outcome of which is unclear. As she ventures across Gamelon, Zelda kills many of Ganon's minions including the villainous mummy Gibdo; the wicked three witches of the Fairy Pool; the intimidating knight Iron Knuckle; the evil sorcerer Wizzrobe; and the shapeshifting creature Omfak. Eventually, Zelda rescues a woman named Lady Alma, who gives her a canteen that she claims Link gave her in exchange for a kiss. Zelda then travels to Dodomai Palace, where she storms the castle, defeats Ganon's henchman, Hektan, and saves a prisoner named Lord Kiro (sometimes known as Fari), who had accompanied King Harkinian before he was captured. Kiro then reveals to Zelda that Duke Onkled has betrayed the King and has been intentionally collaborating with Ganon, and that he lured the King to Gamelon to be imprisoned. Kiro then reveals the entrance to Onkled's chamber, and when they confront and apprehend him, he reveals the secret entrance to Reesong Palace, where Ganon has taken residence.

Zelda travels to the Shrine of Gamelon to obtain the Wand needed to defeat Ganon, then makes her way to Reesong Palace where she fights him. After incapacitating Ganon with the Wand, she rescues her father. Back at Hyrule Castle, Lord Kiro turns Duke Onkled over to the King, who pleads for mercy. The King then orders him to scrub all the floors in Hyrule as punishment for his treason. [12] Although Link's whereabouts are still unknown, a comment by Lady Alma prompts Zelda to throw her mirror against the wall, and as it smashes Link magically materializes, seemingly having been trapped in the mirror, although he seems to have no recollection of what happened. They decide to celebrate Gamelon's return to peace with a feast.

Development

In 1989, Nintendo signed a deal with Sony to begin development of a CD-ROM-based add-on for the Super NES (see Super NES CD-ROM) that would allow for FMV and larger games. [7] [13] However, Nintendo broke the agreement and instead signed with Philips to make the add-on, which caused Sony to spin off their add-on into its own console called the PlayStation. [6] [7] [14] Witnessing the poor reception of the Sega Mega-CD, Nintendo scrapped the idea of making an add-on entirely. [7] [13] As part of dissolving the agreement with Philips, Nintendo gave them the license to use five of their characters, including Link, Princess Zelda, Ganon, and Mario [15] for games on Philips's console, the CD-i, after the partnership's dissolution. [13] [16]

Contracting out to independent studios, Philips subsequently used the characters to create three games for the CD-i, with Nintendo taking no part in their development except to give input on the look of the characters [8] [13] based on the artwork from Nintendo's original two games and that of their respective instruction booklets. [17] Philips insisted that the development studios utilize all aspects of the CD-i's capabilities, including FMV, [10] high-resolution graphics, and CD-quality music. [17] Because the system had not been designed as a dedicated video game console, there were several technical limitations, such as unresponsive controls (especially for the standard infrared controller), [10] and numerous problems in streaming audio, memory, disc access, and graphics. [17] The first two games were showcased at the 1993 Consumer Electronics Show. [18]

The Faces of Evil and The Wand of Gamelon were the first two Nintendo-licensed games released on the Philips CD-i. [19] They were given the relatively low budget of approximately $600,000, and the development deadline was set at a little over a year – to be split between the two games. [10] [17] It was decided by Animation Magic, the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based development team led by Dale DeSharone, that the two games would be developed in tandem and would share the same graphics engine in order to make more efficient use of the budget. [20]

The rest of the development team included three programmers (all previous employees of Spinnaker Software), musician Tony Trippi, and freelance writer Jonathan Merritt, who created the scripts and designs. Under DeSharone's direction, development progressed similarly to that of his game Below the Root , which Retro Gamer's John Szczepaniak suggested was as a forerunner. [21] Background designs were created by local Cambridge artists. [17] The animated cutscenes were created by a team of animators from Russia, led by Igor Razboff, who were flown to the United States for the project. [22] These games marked the first time that Russian outsourcing had been utilized by an American games company – a move that was only possible due to the somewhat thawed political climate after the fall of the Berlin Wall. [17]

For voice acting, Animation Magic auditioned local New England community theater actors. Jeffrey Rath was cast as Link. In a 2010 interview with The Gaming Liberty, Rath stated that there were two-hour recording sessions after roughly 15 minutes of rehearsals. [23] Bonnie Jean Wilbur was cast as Zelda [24] and her husband Paul Wann played various characters, including Gwonam. Mark Berry provided the voices of King Harkinian, Ganon and a Gibdo. Additional voices were provided by Jeffrey Nelson, Natalie Brown, Phil Miller, Chris Flockton, John Mahon, Josie McElroy, Jerry Goodwin, Karen Grace, and Marguerite Scott. [25]

Reception

Contemporary responses

At the time of its release, contemporary criticism was mixed for both games. SNES Force magazine described the animated sequences as "breathtaking" and praised the game for its high-resolution graphics and its "brilliant" use of sound and speech. [26] Highly anticipated by the French video game press, Joystick magazine's development preview of The Faces of Evil described it as a veritable arcade-quality game with stunning graphics and "perfect animation". They gave The Wand of Gamelon similar praise, and gave it additional praise for its use of voice acting, its plot and its backgrounds. [27] [28] The same magazine would ultimately score The Faces of Evil 79%, a few months later, giving particularly high marks for music, sound effects and play-through time. [29]

Other publications gave more negative reviews. CDi Magazine rated The Faces of Evil 65%, stating that the game was a poor relation to the original Nintendo games and singling out the perfunctory storyline, the lack of graphical features like parallax and the slow and repetitive gameplay. Another reviewer for the magazine gave The Wand of Gamelon a higher 75% and called it a "reasonably good game" for its puzzles and animated sequences, but criticized its plot and controls. [30] [31] In 1994, Edge reported that as CD-i sales began to suffer, criticism sharpened, and the games were described as low-cost, low-risk ventures that had failed to excite any interest in the platform. [32]

Re-evaluation and infamy

Link: The Faces of Evil and Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon have been met with negative reviews in retrospect. Wired magazine said that the animation in both games was extremely simple and stilted and that the graphics had several glitches. [6] IGN 's Travis Fahs criticized the games for using a style similar to Zelda II: The Adventure of Link , for "insufferable" controls, and for the designers' poor understanding of the Legend of Zelda franchise. He noted, however, that the backgrounds looked decent considering the poor design of the CD-i's hardware. [33] IGN's Peer Schneider criticized The Wand of Gamelon for not effectively indicating when a platform begins or ends, and also said its controls were "sloppy". Schneider also argued that the decision to star Zelda in The Wand of Gamelon may have been based on the fact that the CD-i's library was directed at women. However, he felt that they failed at this due to Zelda playing the same role as Link. [34]

Pictured is the intro of Link: The Faces of Evil. The quality of the games' cutscenes has been derided by critics. Link The Faces of Evil Cutscene.png
Pictured is the intro of Link: The Faces of Evil. The quality of the games' cutscenes has been derided by critics.

The games' animated cutscenes and voice acting drew particular criticism. The Star Tribune described the voice acting as "laughable", [35] and was also criticized by Zelda Elements as "jarring". [8] IGN described the cutscenes as "infamous" and "cheesy"; [36] other reviewers described them as "freakish" [19] and "an absolute joke". [13] Schneider felt that the cutscenes in The Wand of Gamelon were "entertaining... for all the wrong reasons". [34]

The games' soundtracks drew mixed responses. Zelda Elements felt it was "average" and not up to the usual Zelda quality, [10] while Schneider described the soundtrack as "redbook audio CD pop". [34] This has been contested by other reviewers, who described it as diverse, high-quality and superb with an adventurous upbeat tempo blending "delicious '80s synth", electric guitar, panpipes, marimbas, and other unusual instruments. [17]

Despite the largely negative reception that the games have received, there have been a few positive reviews as well. Both Danny Cowan of 1UP.com and John Szczepaniak of Hardcore Gaming 101 praised Faces of Evil and Wand of Gamelon as among the best games on the CD-i. Szczepaniak in particular suggested that several of the magazines that had rated and reviewed Wand of Gamelon and Faces of Evil had engaged in hate campaigns having never even played the game. [17] Their praises drew from the games' detailed, well-drawn in-game backgrounds (which was described as both Gigeresque [17] and Monet-esque) [37] and "pretty decent" gameplay, [19] [10] [20] although both criticized the controls. [19] [20] According to Szczepaniak, the games' controls work best when played with a hardwired three-button CD-i control pad, as opposed to the CD-i's "crappy infrared remote". [20] [38]

In a periodical for Retro Gamer magazine, Szczepaniak suggested that the natural comparison of the games by reviewers to the quality of games in the rest of the Zelda series was an improper comparison to make, arguing that when reviewed in their own right, the games were actually excellent. [39] Contrary to what were described as "lies perpetuated about [Faces of Evil and Wand of Gamelon]", Retro Gamer described the games as "astoundingly good" and rated them together as number ten in its "Perfect Ten Games" for CD-i. While acknowledging that they were non-canonical, the games were praised for exhilarating pacing and superb gameplay design. [37]

Various characters from the game, including shopkeeper Morshu, wizard Gwonam, and King Harkinian, have gained notoriety as internet memes, and have been featured in countless fan-made 3D animations and YouTube poop parody videos. [40] [41]

Sales

In 1994, Edge reported that both Faces of Evil and Wand of Gamelon had sold a "respectable number of units", [32] but IGN claimed that sales of CD-i games (including these two) were poor and caused them to be readily available years later. [34]

Rankings

IGN's Peer Schneider ranked the two games among Nintendo's biggest failures (despite the games not being made by Nintendo). [42] Electronic Gaming Monthly contributor Seanbaby ranked Zelda: Wand of Gamelon the sixth worst game of all time, while GameTrailers rated it fifth worst game of all time. [43] [44]

The Wand of Gamelon appeared in an IGN bracket poll of "The Greatest Legend of Zelda Game" along with Zelda's Adventure . It lost in the first set of rounds to The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past . [45]

Legacy

Unofficial remakes of both games were developed in GameMaker by amateur developer Seth "Dopply" Fulkerson in an effort to teach himself game development. After four years of development, the remakes were released in November 2020 for Linux and Microsoft Windows. The remakes feature the same assets and gameplay as the original releases and add several quality-of-life improvements. In addition to subtitles for cutscenes and a widescreen mode, the remakes add new unlockable content and the ability to choose between the original gameplay style and "Remastered Mode", which makes various gameplay changes to reduce player frustration. [1] [46] To avoid receiving a cease-and-desist notice from Nintendo like many similar fan projects, Fulkerson made the remakes unavailable for download two days after their release. [47]

By 2023, Fulkerson was developing a spiritual successor to the games, titled Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore . Arzette features similar gameplay and graphics to Faces of Evil and Wand of Gamelon, as well as vocal performances by Link and Zelda actors Jeffrey Rath and Bonnie Jean Wilbur. The game was published by Limited Run Games on February 14, 2024 for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows. [48]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>The Legend of Zelda</i> Video game series

The Legend of Zelda is an action-adventure game franchise created by the Japanese game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. It is primarily developed and published by Nintendo, although some portable installments and re-releases have been outsourced to Flagship, Vanpool, and Grezzo. The gameplay incorporates action-adventure and elements of action RPG games.

<i>The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time</i> 1998 video game

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is a 1998 action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It was released in Japan and North America in November 1998 and in PAL regions the following month. Ocarina of Time is the first game in The Legend of Zelda series with 3D graphics.

<i>The Legend of Zelda</i> (video game) 1986 video game

The Legend of Zelda, originally released in Japan as The Hyrule Fantasy: Zelda no Densetsu, is an action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo. The first game of The Legend of Zelda series, it is set in the fantasy land of Hyrule and centers on an elf-like boy named Link, who aims to collect the eight fragments of the Triforce of Wisdom in order to rescue Princess Zelda from Ganon. The player controls Link from a top-down perspective and navigates throughout the overworld and dungeons, collecting weapons, defeating enemies and uncovering secrets along the way.

<i>The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past</i> 1991 video game

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is an action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the third game in The Legend of Zelda series and was released in 1991 in Japan and 1992 in North America and Europe.

<i>The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker</i> 2002 video game

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is an action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. An installment in The Legend of Zelda series, it was released in Japan on December 13, 2002, in North America on March 24, 2003, and in Europe on May 2, 2003.

<i>Zelda II: The Adventure of Link</i> 1987 video game

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link is an action role-playing game developed and published by Nintendo. It is the second installment in the Legend of Zelda series and was released in Japan for the Famicom Disk System on January 14, 1987—less than one year after the Japanese release and seven months before the North American release of the original The Legend of Zelda. Zelda II was released in North America and the PAL region for the Nintendo Entertainment System in late 1988, almost two years after its initial release in Japan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Princess Zelda</span> Video game character

Princess Zelda is a character in Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda video game series. She was created by Shigeru Miyamoto for the original 1986 game The Legend of Zelda. As one of the central characters in the series, she has appeared in the majority of the games in various incarnations. Zelda is the elf-like Hylian princess of the kingdom of Hyrule, an associate of the series protagonist Link, and bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom.

Link (<i>The Legend of Zelda</i>) Protagonist in The Legend of Zelda

Link is a character and the protagonist of Nintendo's video game franchise The Legend of Zelda. He was created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Link was introduced as the hero of the original The Legend of Zelda video game in 1986 and has appeared in a total of 20 entries in the series, as well as a number of spin-offs. Common elements in the series include Link travelling through Hyrule whilst exploring dungeons, battling creatures, and solving puzzles until he eventually defeats the series' primary antagonist, Ganon, and saves Princess Zelda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ganon</span> Video game character

Ganon is a character and the main antagonist of Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda video game series and franchise, as well as the final boss in many Zelda titles. In his humanoid Gerudo form, he is known as Ganondorf. A massive and malevolent pig-like creature, Ganon first appeared in the original The Legend of Zelda game in 1986, while his alter ego, Ganondorf, was introduced in Ocarina of Time. He has since appeared in the majority of the games in the series in various forms. He is the archenemy of the protagonist Link and Princess Zelda of Hyrule and originally the leader of the Gerudo, a race of humanoid desert nomads before becoming the ruler of his demon army.

<i>The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures</i> 2004 video game

The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures is an action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. It is the eleventh installment in The Legend of Zelda series. It was released in 2004 in Japan on March 18, and in North America on June 7. In 2005, the game was released in Europe on January 7, and in Australia on April 7. The Game Boy Advance handheld game console can be used as a controller when using the GameCube – Game Boy Advance link cable bundled with the game in North America and Europe.

<i>Zeldas Adventure</i> 1995 video game

Zelda's Adventure is an action-adventure fantasy video game developed by Viridis Corporation and released on the CD-i format, based on The Legend of Zelda franchise. Set in the land of Tolemac, the game follows a non-traditional storyline, in which Link has been captured by the evil lord Ganon, and Zelda must collect the seven celestial signs in order to rescue him.

LCD games are electronic games played on an LCD screen. Since the release of the Zelda Game & Watch game in August 1989, several LCD games based upon the theme of The Legend of Zelda have been licensed by Nintendo to be released for both Japanese and foreign markets. While Zelda was both developed and manufactured by Nintendo, later LCD games would only be licensed by Nintendo. The Legend of Zelda game watch is an LCD wristwatch game produced by Nelsonic as part of their Nelsonic Game Watch series, and Zelda no Densetsu: Kamigami no Triforce is an LCD fighting video game licensed by Nintendo and produced by Epoch Co. for the Barcode Battler II platform, and released only in Japan.

In the 1990s, Philips Interactive Media published three action-adventure games based on Nintendo's Legend of Zelda franchise for its Compact Disc-Interactive (CD-i) players. The first two, Link: The Faces of Evil and Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon, were developed by Animation Magic and released simultaneously on October 10, 1993, and Zelda's Adventure was developed by Viridis and released on June 5, 1994. The two latter entries are the first to feature Princess Zelda as the protagonist instead of Link. Faces of Evil and Wand of Gamelon use the side-scrolling view introduced in Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (1987), while Zelda's Adventure has a top-down view reminiscent of the original 1986 game. All three are non-canon to the Zelda franchise.

Animation Magic was a Russian-American animation studio founded in Gaithersburg, Maryland in 1991, with offices later added in Cambridge, Massachusetts and a 100%-owned subsidiary in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The company developed animations for CD-based software. It was acquired in December 1994 by Capitol Multimedia.

<i>I.M. Meen</i> 1995 video game

I.M. Meen is a 1995 fantasy educational game for DOS to teach grammar to children. It is named for its villain, Ignatius Mortimer Meen, a "diabolical librarian" who lures young readers into an enchanted labyrinth and imprisons them with monsters and magic.

<i>The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild</i> 2017 video game

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a 2017 action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch and Wii U. Set at the end of the Zelda timeline, the player controls an amnesiac Link as he sets out to save Princess Zelda and prevent Calamity Ganon from destroying the world. Players explore the open world of Hyrule while they collect items and complete objectives such as puzzles or side quests. Breath of the Wild's world is unstructured and encourages exploration and experimentation; the story can be completed in a nonlinear fashion.

<i>Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity</i> 2020 video game

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, released in Japan as Zelda Musou: Apocalyptic Record of The Calamity, is a 2020 hack-and-slash game developed by Omega Force and published by Koei Tecmo in Japan and by Nintendo internationally for the Nintendo Switch. Like the original Hyrule Warriors (2014), Age of Calamity is a crossover that mixes the world and characters of Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda series with the gameplay of Koei Tecmo's Dynasty Warriors series, and acts as a spin-off prequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017).

<i>Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore</i> 2024 video game

Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore is an animated adventure game developed by Seedy Eye Software and published by Limited Run Games. It was released on February 14, 2024, for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows. Arzette is a spiritual successor to the CD-i games Link: The Faces of Evil and Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Amateur dev remakes CD-i games Link: The Faces of Evil and Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon so we can suffer them again, 27 years later". Eurogamer . 28 November 2020.
  2. 1 2 Cipriano, Jason (19 September 2013). "Eiji Aonuma Addresses Those Horrible 'Zelda' CD-i Games". MTV. Viacom International Inc. Retrieved 22 August 2023. Mr. Aonuma laughed a little bit before stating, "I don't know that those really fit in the 'Zelda' franchise."
  3. 1 2 Animation Magic (1993). Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon instruction booklet. Philips Media.
  4. ↑ Animation Magic (1993). Link: The Faces of Evil instruction booklet. Philips Media.
  5. ↑ Animation Magic (1993). Link: The Faces of Evil (Philips CD-i). Philips Media. Level/area: Opening sequence. Gwonam: Your Majesty, Ganon and his minions have seized the island of Koridai. / King: Hmm. How can we help? / Gwonam: It is written: only Link can defeat Ganon.
  6. 1 2 3 Kohler, Chris (March 24, 2008). "Game|Life The Video, #7: Nintendo and CD-i". Wired . Archived from the original on April 1, 2009. Retrieved April 7, 2008.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  7. 1 2 3 4 Zelda Elements Staff (January 1, 2008). "Overview: CDi Series". Zelda Elements. Archived from the original on March 6, 2008. Retrieved April 7, 2008.
  8. 1 2 3 Zelda Elements Staff (January 1, 2008). "Overview: Link: The Faces of Evil". Zelda Elements. Archived from the original on March 14, 2009. Retrieved April 7, 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  9. ↑ Animation Magic (1993). Link: The Faces of Evil (Philips CD-i). Philips Media. Level/area: Nortinka. Ipo the Reader: Listen. Such is the power of the Prince of Darkness that he can kill with a single look. Attacks against Ganon will prove fruitless unless Link attacks with the sacred book.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Zelda Elements Staff (January 1, 2008). "Overview: Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon". Zelda Elements. Archived from the original on February 20, 2008. Retrieved April 7, 2008.
  11. ↑ Animation Magic (1993). Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon (Philips CD-i). Philips Media. Level/area: Opening sequence. King: Zelda, Duke Onkled is under attack by the evil forces of Ganon. I'm going to Gamelon to aid him. If you don't hear from me in a month, send Link.
  12. ↑ Animation Magic (1993). Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon (Philips CD-i). Philips Media. Level/area: Ending sequence. Duke Onkled: Please! Your Omnipotence! Have mercy! / King: After you've scrubbed all the floors in Hyrule, then we can talk about mercy! Take him away!
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 GameTrailers Staff (2006-10-22). "The Legend of Zelda Retrospective Zelda Retrospective Part 3". GameTrailers. Archived from the original on 2008-03-19. Retrieved 2008-04-07.
  14. ↑ GameSpy Staff (2008-01-01). "Nintendo: From Hero to Zero". GameSpy . Archived from the original on April 4, 2008. Retrieved April 7, 2008.
  15. ↑ Samuel Clemens (July 4, 2022). "Stephen Radosh: An Interview with the Creator of Hotel Mario". Games Reviews. GR Media. Archived from the original on July 5, 2022. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  16. ↑ Wilson, Mark (2007-06-05). "This Day in Gaming, June 5th". Kotaku . Archived from the original on 2008-06-08. Retrieved 2008-04-07.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "The Making of... Zelda: 'Wand of Gamelon' & 'Link: Faces of Evil'". Retro Gamer . No. 27. August 2006. pp. 52–57. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  18. ↑ Rodrigues, Iara, ed. "Game Plus: Multimídia - Zelda Ataca CDI". GamePower. No.16. Pg.45. October 1993.
  19. 1 2 3 4 Cowan, Danny (April 25, 2006). "CDi: The Ugly Duckling". 1UP.com . Archived from the original on July 20, 2012. Retrieved April 7, 2008.
  20. 1 2 3 4 Szczepaniak, John (October 22, 2007). "Zelda: Wand of Gamelon / Link: Faces of Evil - Phillips CD-I (1993)". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on October 28, 2014. Retrieved February 4, 2010.
  21. ↑ The Making of... Zelda: 'Wand of Gamelon' & 'Link: Faces of Evil' - Roots of Origin . Retro Gamer. Issue 27. p. 55. August 2006.
  22. ↑ McFerran, Damien (12 September 2014). "Meet The Unsung Pioneer Behind The Most Reviled Zelda Games Of All Time". Nintendo Life. Gamer Media. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  23. ↑ Retroplayer (November 11, 2010). "An Interview with Jeffrey Rath". The Gaming Liberty. Archived from the original on February 22, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  24. ↑ Doolan, Liam (13 July 2022). "Random: Voice Of Zelda In CD-i Games Would Love To Return To The Role". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  25. ↑ Samuel Clemens (July 11, 2022). "The Legend of Zelda: The Voice Behind the Character". Games Reviews. GR Media. Archived from the original on July 11, 2022. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
  26. ↑ Rice, Chris, ed. NEWS: ZELDA CDi EXCLUSIVE . SNES Force. Issue 1. Pg.7. July 1993.
  27. ↑ ECTS 93: CDi Philips - Link: The Faces of Evil. Joystick. No.38. Pp.43-44. May 1993.
  28. ↑ ECTS 93: CDi Philips - Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon. Joystick. No.38. Pp.43. May 1993.
  29. ↑ CD TESTS: Link The Faces of Evil. Joystick. No.44. Pg.192. December 1993.
  30. ↑ Stout, Andy. "Games - Zelda The Wand of Gamelon". CDi Magazine (Andy Clough, ed.). Haymarket Publishing, UK. Issue 2. Pg.25. October 1993.
  31. ↑ Toor, Mat. "Games - Link The Faces of Evil". CDi Magazine (Andy Clough, ed.). Haymarket Publishing, UK. Issue 2. Pg.24. October 1993.
  32. 1 2 Brookes, Jason, ed. (August 1994). "CD-i: Philips Reinvents" (PDF). Edge . No. 11. p. 49. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 18, 2018. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  33. ↑ Fahs, Travis (2010-08-27). "IGN Presents the History of Zelda". IGN . Retrieved 2013-09-18.
  34. 1 2 3 4 Schneider, Peer (December 8, 2001). "Hyrule Times Vol. 12: Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon". IGN . Archived from the original on June 2, 2018. Retrieved September 18, 2013.
  35. ↑ Salas, Randy A. (2007-03-04). "Game over; Think again before bringing back these vintage titles". Star Tribune . p. 4F. Archived from the original on March 29, 2012. Retrieved 2009-09-23.
  36. ↑ Drucker, Michael S. (2005-09-30). "The Legend of Zelda: The Complete Animated Series - DVD Review at IGN". IGN . Retrieved 2010-05-14.
  37. 1 2 Retrospection: Philips CD-i - Perfect Ten Games: Link: FoE / Zelda: WoG . Retro Gamer. Issue 32. p. 47. January 2007.
  38. ↑ "GamesTM 116 – History of Metroidvania".
  39. ↑ Profile: Dale DeSharone - Highlights: Dale's Top Tips . Retro Gamer. Issue 31. p. 75. December 2006.
  40. ↑ Doolan, Liam (January 24, 2021). "Random: Morshu From Link: The Faces of Evil Has Been Turned Into A 3D Animation". Nintendo Life .
  41. ↑ Randall, Harvey. "The internet shitposted too close to the sun, and now we're getting a spiritual successor to the most cursed Zelda games of all time" . Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  42. ↑ Schneider, Peer (December 7, 2001). "Hyrule Times Vol. 11: Link: The Faces of Evil". IGN . Archived from the original on June 2, 2018. Retrieved September 18, 2013.
  43. ↑ Reiley, Sean (2007-01-01). "#6: Zelda: Wand of Gamelon (CDI)". Seanbaby.com. Archived from the original on March 26, 2018. Retrieved April 7, 2008.
  44. ↑ "Top Ten Best and Worst Games of All Time". Gametrailers.com. 2006-11-17. Retrieved 2009-12-27.
  45. ↑ "The Greatest Legend of Zelda Game". IGN . 2011. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved September 18, 2013.
  46. ↑ Bolding, Jonathan (28 November 2020). "A fan has remade the Faces of Evil and the Wand of Gamelon". Pc Gamer.
  47. ↑ @thedopster (November 30, 2020). "Just as a reminder, I have pulled the..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  48. ↑ Romano, Sal (July 12, 2023). "Interactive animated adventure game Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore announced for PS5, Xbox Series, PS4, Switch, and PC". Gematsu. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.