Look, we have to talk about the Philips CD-i. Specifically, we have to talk about Zelda: Wand of Gamelon. It’s one of those games that exists in a weird, fever-dream pocket of history. If you grew up in the 90s, you probably saw the grainy screenshots in a magazine or heard whispers about a Zelda game that wasn't on a Nintendo console. Most people treat it as a punchline. They aren't entirely wrong. But there’s a lot more to the story than just "bad animation."
Zelda: Wand of Gamelon was released in 1993, alongside its sibling, Link: The Faces of Evil. Nintendo had this messy partnership with Philips after a failed deal for a SNES CD-ROM add-on. As part of the breakup, Philips got the rights to use characters from the Mario and Zelda franchises. They didn't just get the rights; they got them for dirt cheap. And they handed them to a small developer called Animation Magic.
The result? Pure chaos.
Zelda: Wand of Gamelon and the CD-i Trap
The CD-i wasn't a gaming console. It was meant to be a "multimedia player." Basically, it was a high-end VCR that could play interactive encyclopedias. The controller was a remote with three buttons and a joystick that felt like it was carved out of cheap soap. Trying to play a side-scrolling action game with a TV remote is exactly as frustrating as it sounds.
Honestly, the controls are the biggest reason people hate Zelda: Wand of Gamelon. You jump by pressing up on the d-pad. Not a button. Up. That single design choice makes every platforming section a nightmare. You’re trying to navigate these hand-painted backgrounds, which actually look quite beautiful for the time, but the collision detection is a mess. You’ll fall through a ledge that looks solid, or get hit by an enemy you swear you dodged.
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What makes this game unique is that you play as Princess Zelda. King Harkinian goes to Gamelon to help Duke Onkled, but he never comes back. Then Link goes to find him, and he disappears too. Zelda finally says, "Fine, I’ll do it myself," and sets off with her elderly scribe, Impa. It was actually the first time in the series history that Zelda was the primary protagonist in a full-scale adventure.
The Animation That Launched a Thousand Memes
We can't talk about Gamelon without mentioning the cutscenes. They are legendary. Animation Magic outsourced the work to a team of Russian animators who had very little experience with Western video game aesthetics. The characters have these exaggerated, rubbery facial expressions that look like they belong in a bizarre 70s educational cartoon.
There's a specific charm to it, though. It’s not "good" in a traditional sense, but it’s memorable. Lines like "I'll bet he's having a blast!" or "You've saved me!" have been recycled in YouTube Poop videos for decades. These memes have kept the game alive long after the CD-i hardware ended up in landfills.
Why the Gameplay Actually Matters
If you can get past the jank, there’s a legitimate game here. It’s a 2D side-scroller with an inventory system that mimics the core Zelda loop. You collect rubies—called "rubies" here, not Rupees—to buy items. You need the heat lamp to see in caves. You need the shroud to survive the desert. It’s a metroidvania before that term was even a thing.
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The boss fights are hilariously brief. Usually, you just use the right item once, and the boss explodes or disappears. It’s not the strategic combat of Ocarina of Time. It's more of an interactive puzzle. You find the "Wand of Gamelon" itself toward the end of the game, which allows you to defeat Ganon. Interestingly, Ganon’s design in these games is actually pretty cool—he looks like a massive, demonic pig-man, staying true to his original NES roots.
It’s worth noting that the music is surprisingly solid. It’s moody and atmospheric, taking advantage of the CD-ROM's storage capacity. While the gameplay is stuttery, the audio tracks for levels like the Tyarard Tower are actually quite haunting.
The Development Reality
Dale DeSharone was the lead on these projects. He had a tiny budget and a very short timeline. His team had to build two massive Zelda games simultaneously. When you look at it through that lens, it’s a miracle they even work. They were pioneers in a new format. They were trying to figure out how to make a game look like a movie while working with hardware that was never meant to handle it.
Many people think Nintendo made these games. They didn't. Nintendo had zero creative input. They just let the license go and looked the other way. This is why the games feel like "bootleg" Zelda. The lore is all over the place. The characters act like caricatures. But that’s what makes them a fascinating piece of history. They represent a "What If" scenario where Zelda went in a completely different, weirdly cinematic direction.
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Rediscovering Gamelon in 2026
You don't need a $500 CD-i player to play this anymore. Fans have spent years reverse-engineering the games. There are "remastered" versions for PC that fix the controls. They map "Jump" to a button. They fix the lag. When you play it with modern controls, you realize that the level design isn't actually that bad. It’s just okay. And "just okay" is a huge step up from the "unplayable garbage" reputation the game has.
If you want to experience Zelda: Wand of Gamelon, don't go in expecting a masterpiece. Go in expecting a weird, 90s artifact. It’s a time capsule of an era when developers were still figuring out what "multimedia" meant. It’s a testament to how a strong IP like Zelda can survive even the weirdest experiments.
Actionable Steps for Curious Retro Gamers
If you’re actually brave enough to dive into this:
- Skip the Original Hardware: Unless you are a hardcore collector, avoid buying a Philips CD-i. The consoles are prone to hardware failure, specifically the "Timekeeper" chip battery.
- Look for Fan Remakes: Search for the "Linux/Windows Remake" by developer Dopply. He rebuilt both Gamelon and Faces of Evil from the ground up in a modern engine. It includes widescreen support and, most importantly, responsive controls.
- Watch the Speedruns: If you don't want to play it, watch a GDQ (Games Done Quick) run. Seeing a pro blast through the game in 20 minutes makes you appreciate the weird quirks of the engine.
- Contextualize the Lore: Don't try to fit this into the official Zelda timeline. It's not there. It’s its own pocket universe. Enjoy the "King" memes for what they are—pieces of internet history that bridge the gap between 90s tech and modern digital culture.
The game isn't a "hidden gem" in terms of quality, but it is a "hidden gem" in terms of historical significance. It’s the ultimate example of what happens when a legendary franchise loses its way and finds something incredibly strange in the process.