Zelda's Adventure - Philips CD-I (1994)

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Published on February 18, 2024 11:33:55 PM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YEdbqcP1A0

Game:

Zelda's Adventure (1994)

Duration: 14:57

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1

It's hard to comment without retreading the obvious. There was a missed opportunity with all of these games. Where the Link games could have done quite a bit with the Zelda 2 format, this had a chance to really do something special for Zelda 1. The realistic fantasy vibe could have put a Willow-like twist on the original game. I just don't think they realized what made Zelda so great - control.
What bugs me is that the CD-I wasn't incapable of good controls. No system is. It's down to the controller and how the controls are interpreted. You can point at the remote control all you want, but that's not the problem. It's when you put a controller in your hand and realize that even in its best light, this game was just terribly designed. I've heard enough rumors that the dev kit was effectively non-existent, so some of the fault could be levied on Philips themselves. Good designers can get around that, though. This was licensed shovelware intended to show a fancy FMV scene here and there to draw attention. It's actually incredible the games were as elaborate in scope as they were.