The Jewel of Faramore (Nintendo Switch)

Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore has set its sights on being a spiritual successor to a pair of CD-i games, Link: The Faces of Evil and Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon. Despite being viewed as YouTube fodder, younger Trev played these games on real CD-i hardware and found them intriguing. While critics may claim these games to be travesties, Arzette aims to celebrate the best of them while polishing their rough edges into a new adventure.

The plot of Arzette falls short, lacking a brilliant storyline. However, the characters you meet elevate the experience, adding touches of “it’s so bad, it’s good.” The animation, drawing, and vocals in the game celebrate the cheesiness of the ‘90s CDs, leaving a lasting impression with their exaggerated movements and over-the-top voice work.

The gameplay, inspired by the original Zelda games on CD-i, takes place from a side-scrolling perspective and offers a variety of enemies and secrets to discover. While the gameplay progresses in a fine but unexceptional way, the game includes faithful nods to the original CD-i games.

The hand-painted backgrounds and fine music in Arzette add to the overall visual and auditory experience. The soundtrack is strong and complements the visuals well. Despite having a fondness for the CD-i games, some may still find enjoyment in Arzette, but the appeal may be limited based on personal preferences.

Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore parodies the uncanonical Zelda games while offering a unique and detailed gaming experience. The game may not appeal to everyone, but its attention to detail deserves respect. Perhaps a follow-up game mocking CD-i’s top-down take, Zelda’s Adventure, could be next.