Revolutionary Game Takes Inspiration from Zelda Classics, Bringing a Fresh Twist

Introducing Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore, an exciting new game that draws inspiration from two infamous Zelda titles, Link: The Faces of Evil and Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon. Created by Limited Run Games, a North Carolina-based company dedicated to preserving video games in physical format, Arzette is a 2D side-scrolling platformer.

Limited Run recently hosted the 2023 Summer Games Showcase, where they unveiled a range of exciting projects that revolve around preserving classic games. Among the announcements were limited edition collections of Jurassic Park video games from the 1990s, along with a physical release of the beloved Gex trilogy.

In addition to reaffirming Limited Run's dedication to game preservation at the 2023 Summer Games Showcase, they also announced a new game published under their banner. However, this new game may not appear to be fresh, and that is the intention. Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore serves as a spiritual successor to the infamous Zelda CD-i games, which are known for being the most tonally inconsistent entries in the Zelda series. Furthermore, these games are often regarded as some of the worst video games ever created.

Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore aims to take the formula established by these universally criticized Zelda games and transform it into something that people would actually want to play. The trailer showcases how faithfully Arzette adheres to the Zelda CD-i aesthetic, including hand-painted backgrounds, platforming mechanics reminiscent of early-1990s games, and an absurd full-motion animated cinematic style that perfectly emulates the art style of the CD-i Zelda games. However, this time around, Limited Run deliberately embraces these elements to pay homage to the legacy of these notorious games, all in good humor.

Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore, developed by thedopster, is set to release in 2023 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. In the 1990s, Philips Interactive Media released Zelda games for the CD-i gaming console, including Link: The Faces of Evil, Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon, and Zelda's Adventure. These games featured 2D side-scrolling platforming gameplay, accompanied by poorly executed animated cinematics that have gained notoriety among gamers for all the wrong reasons. It is important to note that these games were not developed by Nintendo and are not considered part of the official Zelda series. As such, Nintendo has distanced itself from these titles. Nonetheless, thedopster, known for remastering the CD-i Zelda games in 2020, is now working on Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore.