Nintendo Wants You to Forget These 3 Legend of Zelda Games Ever Came Out

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The Legend of Zelda has been one of Nintendo’s most successful and acclaimed series for almost 40 years, and it’s a standout in the gaming world. While now famous for its adventurous spirit, innovative gameplay, and imaginative worlds – with games like *Ocarina of Time* pioneering 3D adventures and *Breath of the Wild* redefining open-world design – the series has a lesser-known side. Despite its overall success, there are a few Zelda games that both fans and Nintendo would rather forget.

Back in the early 1990s, Nintendo made a surprising deal that led to some poorly received *Zelda* games. As technology was changing, Nintendo let another company create a few games in the series, and the results were far below their usual quality. These games – *The Faces of Evil*, *The Wand of Gamelon*, and *Zelda’s Adventure* – were so different that they aren’t even included in the official *Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia* book, and many fans still don’t know they exist.

Nintendo Disastrous Partnership With Phillips Interactive Media

The most infamous period for The Legend of Zelda began when Nintendo partnered with Phillips Interactive Media, a company also working with Sony. Nintendo was looking for ways to add to the Super Nintendo’s impressive game collection, which already included hits like *Final Fantasy VI* and *Super Mario RPG*. Ultimately, the partnership didn’t work out, but Phillips kept the rights to use some Nintendo characters, including Link, and decided to feature them on their own console, the CD-i.

Hoping to benefit from the popularity of *The Legend of Zelda*, Phillips hired two small development companies, Animation Magic and Viridis Corporation, to create new games. These studios were given very little money, direction, or time to complete the projects. Although they could use characters from the Zelda series, Nintendo didn’t offer any assistance or feedback. This put a lot of pressure on the developers, and ultimately, neither Animation Magic nor Viridis could meet the high expectations associated with the franchise.

The developers aimed to recreate the charm of classic Nintendo games, but didn’t quite have the expertise. Their studio used small teams and older software originally designed for educational programs, which wasn’t ideal for making video games. The final product felt far removed from games like The Legend of Zelda, coming across as cheap imitations instead of genuine entries in the series.

A Departure in Story and Gameplay

From the start, these games aimed high, featuring things like animated scenes, spoken dialogue, and a fresh visual style. These were groundbreaking ideas for their time. The developers, Animation Magic and Viridis, wanted to take advantage of the increased storage capacity of the CD format to include lots of video and audio. Sadly, despite their potential, the games didn’t quite live up to expectations when they were released.

Honestly, playing this game felt really clunky and awkward. The controls were stiff – it was super frustrating just trying to jump or attack! The levels weren’t good either. They didn’t have that focused, exploratory feel that I love in Zelda games. Everything felt disconnected, with objectives that didn’t make much sense and enemies popping up randomly. Switching to a 2D view didn’t help things at all. Even *Zelda’s Adventure* couldn’t really fix it, and that one at least stuck with the top-down perspective we all know and love.

Unfortunately, the game’s story didn’t fare much better. While Animation Magic and Viridis tried to recreate the appealing feel of Nintendo’s games, they went the extra mile with hand-drawn visuals and voice acting. However, the outcome was strange. Characters spoke in overly dramatic ways, and the dialogue felt more suited to a comedy than a fantasy adventure. The animation looked rough and uneven, with inconsistent art styles. The whole thing felt unintentionally funny, especially since the story closely mirrored the original series.

The Legend of Zelda’s Forgotten and Failed Chapter

While the main Zelda games are known for their inspiring sense of adventure, the games released on the CD-i were famously disappointing. They suffered from flawed gameplay, strange conversations, and odd visuals that didn’t fit with the rest of the series. Critics harshly panned them, and they’ve since become a running joke online, especially the iconic line, “Well, excuse me, princess!” Though largely forgotten by most Zelda fans, a small group has developed a strange fondness for these unusual games over the years.

The Legend of Zelda on the CD-i wasn’t just hampered by the developer’s lack of experience and strange decisions; the system’s hardware was the main problem. The CD-i just didn’t have enough power to run a game of that size, leading to slow, choppy gameplay and long waits between screens. It barely worked when it did run, and the final product was a far cry from the smooth, engaging experience Nintendo is known for.

Nowadays, Nintendo and most Zelda fans largely consider these games a failed experiment, best forgotten. They’re often excluded from discussions about the series’ history, much like *Four Swords* and *Tri-Force Heroes*, which are often ranked among the weakest Zelda titles. This really highlights how much the CD-i games missed the core qualities that make the Zelda series so beloved. However, in retrospect, this period does demonstrate just how special and unique *The Legend of Zelda* truly is.

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2025-10-13 18:14