The Zelda CD-i Games Have Been Remade (for Free) on PC

I daresay I’m probably not giving you any huge revelations by telling you that in the early ’90s, there were a number of Zelda games produced for the Phillips CD-i console. Albeit, I’d forgive you if you’d never heard of either the titles or the system as neither were a huge commercial success!

So, how did this happen? – I know, it is a bit of a curiosity. Particularly given how Nintendo has always rather jealously guarded their IPs. Well, in a nutshell, the games came about following a deal that was originally intended to produce a CD addon for the SNES. Keeping it short, it didn’t work out with Phillips, Nintendo then went to Sony, that deal also fell through, and then we got the PlayStation. The rest, as they say, is history!

So, Zelda games? That must mean they’re pretty awesome, right? Well, the short answer is no. They were pretty awful. – Well, actually, that’s not entirely true or fair, for as bad as they were (and particularly the now-infamous cutscenes), I think many would agree that a decent enough game lurked under the surface. It was simply plagued by a lot of interface/control problems and a difficulty akin to beating Dark Souls blindfolded.

Like many people, however, while I was fully aware of the Zelda CD-i titles, I’d never actually played any of them. My experience or knowledge of them, in terms of gameplay, has largely been restricted to watching others.

That is, until now!

Zelda CD-i Games Hit the PC!

Game creator ‘@thedopster‘ has announced that he has created a practical remake of both ‘Link: The Faces of Evil’ and ‘Zelda: Wand of Gamelon’ that are both entirely playable on the PC (and Linux) as self-contained executables. In other words, you don’t need the use of an emulator. Two clicks of the mouse, and you’re away! – Using original assets, the games, while keeping all of the ‘look’ of the originals, have been vastly improved with a number of key (and much needed) improvements to the controls and general interface.

Oh, don’t get me wrong, they’re still very bloody difficult, but yes, you can play these right now and, better still, they’ve been made available to download, right now, for free.

I should note, in case you’re wondering, he hasn’t (yet) released a version of ‘Zelda’s Adventure’. Given that this was a very different game, however, that’s not entirely surprising.

Where Can I Try Them Out?

So, I daresay you’re more than a little curious to check these out. Particularly if, like me, you’ve only watched these played from afar. Well, being available entirely for free, if you want to grab your games, click on the link here!

You can also show the creator of these Zelda ‘remakes’ some love by checking out their Discord channel here! – From my perspective though, as much as I might end up with a case of ‘be careful what you wish for’, finally having access to these titles is an exceptionally welcome early Christmas present for me!

What do you think? – Let us know in the comments!