An Honest Review of the CD-i Zelda Games

[@Verac_VG]

Thank you for admitting to liking CD-i Link. It's a brave stance that emboldens the other five of us in the world who feel this way about him.

[@Majuular]

We can't live in fear forever.

[@KOTEBANAROT]

make it six

[@Anthigonna]

Majuular must be using the triforce of courage.

[@BananaReidy]

I like the goofyness to it.

[@Timic83tc]

@@BananaReidy oh boy!

[@PrismaticWolf]

...I own these games and know the people who made them. Dale DeSharone taught me to play cards. I used to hang out in the office of Animation Magic as a kid. It's been so wild watching Zelda CD-i become a meme.

[@Majuular]

Wow, how surreal this whole thing must be! If you don't mind my asking, what was your relation to AM? Did a family member work there? Also, do you remember what the general vibe/atmosphere of the office was like? It would be great to hear some insights, however scant!

[@PrismaticWolf]

@@Majuular My father worked for them, but not on the CD-i games. ...I think my first introduction to the CD-i games was seeing a bit of Faces of Evil on a lengthy demo reel at my grandmother's house in the early 90s. He did work with the Russian animators who I believe did the CD-i games and has many stories about how notes to the Russians were not quite translated correctly on their end so they sent some weird stuff. Dale, the owner, was a cool guy. He kinda became a friend of the family and could get people laughing for hours. This was all in the 90s and my father said the company was a chill group of folks with lots of creative freedom. I was young enough that I don't really remember the atmosphere, just the art on the walls. I know they shared a building with Looking Glass Studios for a while and thought that was fun. They've since dispersed but they still chat it up with each other so them being friends does seem accurate. Dale passed away from cancer a while ago but I'm sure he'd find this whole situation very funny.

[@KaminoKatie]

@@PrismaticWolf Good to know that the studio is pretty cool to work at

[@Majuular]

@PsiYamaneko It warms the cockles of my heart to know AM was comprised of good people who enjoyed their work. And their sharing a building with LGS is a curveball I never would have expected. Cheers! Really appreciate the comment.

[@benji-menji]

@@PrismaticWolf I don't know if you have been told this yet but I remember people attempting to look for the voice actor for Morshu and so far he hasn't been confirmed. Just wanted to share this in case you somehow don't know about it.

[@azimulhoque1497]

Striking the iron when it is ice cold. The classic Majuular move to review the zelda game everyone is talking about!! :D

[@Majuular]

Tears of the Kingdom (of Gamelon)

[@TempoLOOKING]

The Gameboy port...you did it the hard way...😂

[@Comkill117]

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - old and busted Zelda: Wand of Gamalon, Link: Faces of Evil, and Zelda’s Adventure - new hotness.

[@mushroomman6864]

Ganon taking over Tolemac has the same energy as Doofenshmirtz attempting to conquer the Tri-State Area.

[@supernoob17]

you straddle this perfect line between super academic style reviews and super memey reviews that mostly exist to be their own entertainment. genuinely one of the freshest youtube channels in years, putting out consistent bangers

[@Superschokokeks]

perfectly comfy. to relax and to fall asleep to

[@patrickholt8782]

I’m right there with you. He’s cool.

[@definitely_not_bryce]

Absolutely, and he’s really handsome tbh

[@BENOTAFRAID689]

Majuular the Straddler!

[@ZeDiglett]

I always loved how the characters in Faces of Evil and Wand of Gamelon never stop moving. It gives those cutscenes such a special, uncanny quality that I'm glad I was able to capture in recreating Morshu. Great video!

[@Majuular]

I may have the costume, but you're the king to me!

[@OtakuUnitedStudio]

Oh heck, it's Morshu IRL.

[@benji-menji]

Who needs focus and stability of a character when they should be shmoving.

[@duskonanyavarld1786]

Try to watch the Lord of the ring 1978 film. 😊

[@poniko6034]

They move, but they have no weight to their movement, whether rotoscoped or stylized, cartoony movement. I'm honestly so captivated by it.

[@irkalla100]

I happened to have a friend with a CDi back then (yeah I'm old). I played these games before they were memes, expecting them to just fall into obscurity. It seriously warmed my heart to see it suddenly prop up in ytp content. Seeing those goofy and bizarre animations used again, in a way I honetsly still think is more fitting. I loved every second of it.

[@henotic.essence]

That's so awesome, seeing the old become new!

[@planescaped]

I can recall my older brother telling little kid me about them back during commercial breaks while watching WCW and WWF during the Monday Night War. They were always legendary bad games to me even before AVGN and youtube.

[@Mikey-zj8bn]

I wanted these games so bad as a kid....thankfully I dident get them lol

[@shady4108]

Those youtube poops were the best thing ever to me, I miss them so much

[@Gatorade69]

@@planescaped And people somehow like to pretend that games were better back then and not bad. Bad ga,es have always existed.

[@carbvan]

Honestly didn't think there were redeeming qualities to these games, but this has shown me there's quite a lot that went into them. Zelda's Adventure using scanned figurines is absolutely killer, I honestly want to try it out now - or at least see more of the circus. That area looks so wild for a Zelda game and I'm surprised Nintendo hasn't really attempted something like it besides the mini game in TP.

[@thefoxoflaurels3437]

I think you’re right on about voice acting. A lot of gamers say voice acting is good or bad but they sort of operate on one-size-fits-all and for a silly cartoon kids game it works for what it is.

[@OrgusDin]

This is what all true warriors strive for!

[@planescaped]

I'd make a joke about b-wording dadongo's, but youtube'll auto delete the post. So instead I'll nod at my monitor in assent.

[@sirreginaldfishingtonxvii6149]

​@@planescaped I can't wait to bomb some dodongos! (Does that not get through?)

[@mark6302]

mah boiii

[@LilacMonarch]

​@@sirreginaldfishingtonxvii6149KZbin's autodeletion system is so inconsistent it makes no sense

[@mmyr8ado.360]

​@@planescapedDidn't NoA recogmized that meme on a twitter poll a while back?

[@brianlinden3042]

Link's personality in these games was pretty clearly inspired by the Super Mario Bros Super Show version. (The "well excuuuuuse me, princess" one.)

[@aruce9]

That’s the same link.

[@casanovafunkenstein5090]

​@@aruce9maybe if you consider these games to be younger versions of those characters, you could imagine them being the same Link and Zelda, however it's a bit of a stretch. I do think that it's pretty likely that the developers took inspiration from the cartoon version in some respects, but they do end up being quite distinct from one another. On the TV show I feel like they were going for a sitcom vibe, with Link as a snarky inversion of the archetypal chosen one character and Zelda being the much more competent and serious of the two. On the CDI they definitely aimed for a more child-like interpretation, with him ending up as a bit of a loveable dork who has his heart in the right place but not a lot going on upstairs outside of an infectious positivity and absolute self confidence, as well as not really having much of a filter when it comes to speaking aloud pretty much any thoughts that go through his head. It's a bit unclear how much the development team and/or Phillips knew about the series. I think it's apparent that someone thought that 'rupees' was a typo or mistranslation (which is a reasonable assumption, given that there's not really much Indian influence on the setting and the currency in the games is consistently represented as crystals and cut gems. Can't really blame them for that one), but considering that the character never spoke in the games and there were only two games out at the time I think that the TV show probably factored into their creative choices by necessity and may have been a factor in the choice to make her playable in two out of the three games.

The Dic version.

[@BitchChill]

Link was in the Super Mario Bros Super Show?

[@TerraKnight27]

@@BitchChill there was a zelda show, it was considered to be part of super show

[@criminalsen2441]

Just wild to me that the first two games could flop so miserably bc of poor funding, only for Phillips to be like 'ah!! I know what to do!!' and poorly fund a third game

[@feIon]

and i'm glad they did

[@TheGeno28]

Third time's the charm... Usually.

[@RaveRaptor7]

"What kind of king has to go himself to deal with these problems?" He's a King of the People. King Harkinian is the absolute GOATest of Kings in all of fiction. The very moment he hears about trouble in Gamalon, he's going there HIMSELF (After a healthy dinner, of course), and before that when Koridai was in trouble, he wanted to know how they could help. And then he LETS himself get captured because he remembers from Faces of Evil that it is written "Only Link can defeat Gannon", but he is only surprised by Zelda stepping up to her future role but also defying the fates and making him the proudest father. And with this all, after Duke Onkled's betrayal, how does he punish the Duke after high treason? Execute him? No. He's a benificent king, he just sets him to do some labor like scrubbing the floors. Duke Onkled had no choice, it's GANNON, he had to join his side or die. Amazing review though, 10/10 just S-Tier

[@Gatorade69]

I would easily vote King Harkinian president, especially over those troublesome liberals and greasy conservatives. Vote for the #HarkinianParty

[@santiagopomares6287]

Totk developers just based Rauru on Harkinian "Zelda, hyrule is attacked by the evil forces of Ganon, I'm going to battle with the sages to aid them" "but (greatgrand) father, what if something happens to you?" "I'm taking the secret stone to protect me, if I have to seal myself with him, send Link"

[@AlexHarrison-zv4jj]

#MAHBOI

[@WTFisTingispingis]

Truly a king we must remember forever.

[@39peevedturtles19]

When i was a kid i thought MAH BOI was the funniest thing in the world. I watched so many youtube poops...my poor parents. During my college graduation weekend, i went to the hotel my parents were staying at and dad started playing all the wand of gamelon cutscenes on his bluetooth speaker because i was takiing about tears of the kingdom. Thanks dad.

[@fenrirlives2226]

King Sovereign Majuular? Perfection on the screen! Jesse is so talented and your work is lovely as always!

[@giovlms]

Whenever Majuular uploads I genuinely pour myself a fine wine to enjoy the absolute best the internet has to offer

[@ericv00]

I'm drinking a Belgian Quad.

[@bills-beard]

​@@ericv00cheers🍻

[@bimblor7945]

that's brave to admit lol

[@Gatorade69]

@@ericv00 Good choice. I like a good Triple, quads are a bit harder to come by for me. Belgian Beer > German Beer.

[@Dara-up1pt]

Im drinking Heinz ketchup

[@Blacknight8850]

Honestly, of all things to like about the first two games I find myself really liking Zelda's design in Wand of Gamelon. It's got that same simple, kind of retro quality to it, like how she'd look if she was the protagonist from the start instead of Link. It's a shame it's in a pair of games that Nintendo's *_never, EVER_* going to reference in any media, even as a throwback.

[@mistergrool3941]

Agreed about the references, I remember saying before Tears of the Kingdom released that they should bring back Morshu and put him in a rivalry with Beedle that escalates over the course of the game. Bringing back the King or Gwonam would also be legendary

[@VTWS]

Well that observatory with atmospheric music though… isn’t it the first observatory with such atmospheric music, two floors, and an old man in the series? Meaning Majora’s Mask might have referenced it?

[@Comkill117]

Agree there. She kinda looks somewhere between a sort of Jasmine type character and a pirate, which is pretty cool actually. It’s different, but it’s not like Zelda’s design was ever as consistent as Link’s was anyway so it doesn’t detract or feel out of place for her.

[@KopperNeoman]

It completely violates later established lore too. (Can't fault anyone for that, these were neither canon when made nor did they know of Skyward Sword) Zelda can no more do Link's job than he can do hers.

[@SnakebitSTI]

Nintendo has referenced the Virtual Boy. Anything is possible.

[@Mechazaurus]

I always had a soft spot for CD-i Zelda. Maybe they aren't exactly the greatest games (though honestly not the worst either) but they're unique and memorable to say the least. Once you see them you'll never forget them. And hey, you actually get to play as Zelda! That's worth something. Not much maybe, but something.

[@rodrigoalves-cg6xv]

I find the art of the levels pretty cool as well

[@vizi02]

Knowing these games only trough YTPs didn't made me realize Link's near constant oblivious positivity till now, but man, does "royal make-a-wish kid" describe him to a T. And speaking of YTPs, I really like that you dedicated an entire chapter to the games' YTP career, that till around 2012-2013 era of those videos really contributed to the fledgling internet meme culture in a way the current, fastly born and dying memes can't, regardless of how crude or primitive some YTPs could be.

[@Boonehams]

"It is written, 'Only Link can defeat Ganon.'" *Zelda in Wand of Gamelon: defeats Ganon*

[@TBoneTony]

Tolemac is backwards for Camelot. Great Monty Python scene.

[@fenrirlives2226]

I gotta say, I came away from this enjoying the Zelda's Adventure segment the most! I always love to see the stories of game development, and that team's preservation of their history is really enriching! Great stuff Maj!

[@DonYagamoth]

This is a really fascinating look into these games. While I knew a bunch about them, I never actually realized, that these games were basically developed before SNES Zelda ALTTP - which makes the entire thing a lot more understandable. Also based on the controls described, it seems like they just didn't have anyone who knew how to properly design gameplay... And now I'm eternally left to wonder, what the reception of these games would've been, if they had good gameplay

[@belot217]

I wonder if gameplay mods exist to make them more bearable now.

[@feIon]

@@belot217 he showed in the video that someone remade em

[@ironicdivinemandatestan4262]

Makes a lot more sense that _Faces of Evil_ and _Wand of Gamelon_ were sidescrolling rather than the top-down format that the series would become known for, since the most recent game at the time was _Zelda II: Adventure of Link_ which was a sidescroller.

[@Gatorade69]

Looking at the games that were made for the CD-i I just don't think it could really support a decent playing game.

[@Superschokokeks]

Oh man that art style + animation. It isn't bad It isn't good either It isn't even mediocre. It is unique it is art

[@world.singer]

Unironically, I love the idea of Nintendo remaking these games as serious adventures. Retain the basic plot and items, but expand them into games with the level of quality we're accustomed to now.

[@chrisbellville6957]

If only the souls engine could be open-source like Bethesda we would get some amazing fan games

[@thefunnyman3187]

Keep the cutscenes the exact same tho, they are irreplaceable

[@FireballN]

Agreed, the main issue with this game is the god-awful graphics and voice acting.

[@fictthecreator7083]

Yeah, and I think there’s especially some fun to be had with characterization here! We have decades of official and fan works to draw on now, and I think there’s a lot of potential in leaning into the more chaotic fan interpretations of Link and Zelda that are, however unintentionally, represented in these CDi games. I keep thinking about that opening line, “If something happens to me, send Link!” And like-I can’t think of anything that would please a certain section of the fandom more than an official in-game acknowledgment of Link being a chaotic problem child that gets the job done, but only after 30 hours of side quests and a metric ton of collateral damage

[@SkigBiggler]

@@chrisbellville6957Bethesda hasn’t open sourced any of their engines, idTech can be licensed, but I’m not aware of any non-Bethesda game built on idTech for like decades at this point.

[@cobalttj6356]

Probably the best piece of non YTP content out there regarding the CD-i games. Well edited, some actually funny live action stuff (lemme just say your King impression is on point), and an actual look at the negatives, and some positives, of these notorious pieces of media history. KZbin algorithm recommending the good shit right here

[@IWasAPerson1]

This is easily one of the best videos about the CD-i Zeldas I've seen and I love how it hits the perfect balance of memes to a deep-dive. I weirdly have a lot of respect for the 2d CD-i Zelda games though I'd never call them hidden gems or anything. Having actually played Faces of Evil and Wand of Gamelon it's funny seeing the usual complaints not lining up to the actual problems and you hit the nail on the head with them, both the good and the bad. I played it years ago for a let's play channel because of how much YTP I saw and since I went through the pain of setting an up an emulator (MESS/MAME, worked great but had some issues. Had to use a 2nd emulator to splice footage in for credits) I unintentionally ended up uploading the highest quality Faces of Evil footage for a while. I didn't realize that for a while. There's a few things that made getting through them way easier, apologies for the long comment. So, the animation. As hilarious as it is (they did actually get better when they improved the digitizing process for Mutant Rampage and a canceled Warhammer game, if you can believe it), it came from the creators watching Soviet-era animation and thinking they could get something that fluid and unique on a fraction of the budget of an American studio. If you've ever seen anything like the Russian version of The Little Mermaid from 1968 which is some of the most striking and unique animation I've ever seen, you can genuinely understand why they went this route and thought it was a good idea. Totally worth all the YTP over the years either way. The reason for two buttons and up for jump was a lack of controller real estate. Since the CD-i initially wasn't designed for games, the pack-in controller was a wireless or wired remote that looks like a giant spoon and only had 2 buttons and a d-pad. They made game pads, but the extra buttons were 1+2 simultaneously. Why they didn't use that for the menu instead of down and 2's beyond me, but there was a method to the madness. A giant spoon. Flying enemies also aren't actually infinitely spawning, it just feels like it. Each spawn point can send out anywhere between 5 and 20 of them and if you stop to sequentially kill every single one of them they won't bum rush you. I only learned that from the article that had the interview with the creator. Can't say I ever touched much of Zelda's Adventure though, wouldn't ever work in the emulator for me past the first screen.

[@solidskullz5736]

GEE, IT SURE IS BORING AROUND HERE. MAH BOI, THIS PEACE IS WHAT ALL TRUE WARRIORS STRIVE FOR.

[@matrix3509]

I always described the animation in these games to being akin to an alien lifeform attempting human style animation after it has been described to it. Its so bad, its actually fascinating to really study all the ways in which things are wrong.

[@chara5]

The animation is fucking great. You are wrong I'm afraid.

[@Assimandeli]

Pink Floyd's the Wall made with MSPaint

[@KyokujiFGC]

The animation itself is actually fairly fluid. The art style itself is just inherently off-putting. I remember thinking that it reminds me of the kind of weird, cheap animation you often found in Eastern Europe, so the fact that it was outsourced to Russia is not surprising at all.

[@athenaraines]

It’s a great example of something so bad that it wrapped back around to being good

[@oneinathousand2156]

@@KyokujiFGC yeah the way the characters constantly move around reminds me of stuff like “Wow, a Talking Fish!” Or Treasure Island 1988 but not quite as polished.

[@seff_b]

I didnt expect a segment on YTP and the golden age of the internet. Good stuff man. KZbin has really been pushing your stuff in my suggested vids so you must be doing something right. Keep it up!!!!

[@ArcaneEther]

Tears of the Kingdom gave us the "of Awakening" armor set, in which Link takes on the appearance of his diorama art style from the Link's Awakening remake. They should have given us a "of Gamelon" set, in which Link takes on his Wand of Gamelon appearance. That would just be fun.

[@TBoneTony]

The cut scenes are so memorable, I use some of those quotes in my day to day life. At work one time earlier this year, there was a stain on the floor and it was my job to clean it up. "I am gonna have to scrub all the floors in Hyrule just to clean this mess up" I said to my boss. He didn't know what I was talking about, but at least it was something funny and random to him before I did hard work.

[@deepstothepeeps]

I had Faces of Evil as a kid and I can honestly say I had fun playing it back then. I've found that I am willing to overlook flaws in a game if I like it enough. Certainly, there's a lot to overlook with Faces of Evil, but, back then, I never felt like I was being too generous with the game. Rather, the flaws, especially the controls, were part of the challenge and I was that much more satisfied as I progressed and eventually beat it. I know it's almost heresy to say, but part of me wishes that one of the mainline Zelda games would give the smallest of nods to the CD-I games. Something like mentioning Koridai in some flavor text or a book. I know it'll never happen, but could you imagine if it did?

[@TheSuperZOS]

An entire hour of CD-i zelda games? Squadalaa! We're off to watch some quality content!

[@FeedEgg]

I love how gannon says "it burns!" its the best thing ever made!

[@DDSForbbiden]

After years of watching the cutscenes for these games and seeing them used in all matter of crazy edits, I can say I have genuely grow to love them. They really feel like some obscure cartoon you used to watch in the morning as a kid. The kind that was all kinds of weird, short lived, and yet tottaly left a mark in the back of your mind

[@Whomobile]

My first encounter with the CD-i Zelda games was an article by Seanbaby way back around 2003 when I was big into SNES emulation. My little "I knew about it before it was cool" moment.

[@zchilly7775]

I somewhat recently actually played Wand of Gamelon and Faces of Evil remastered. And with a feature that gave you actual useful hints on how to progress. Combine that with previous knowledge and I beat both games in under 2 hours. Somehow I skipped the ladder half of both games and went straight to ganon without acquiring the necessary items to get to him in the first place, so that was fun.

[@Zylo587]

Great video as usual. Was not expecting the Castlevania 64 and Quest 64 osts to get play, very neat.

[@esuelle]

Great video, Majuular! I'm really glad I found your content a couple months ago. Like you I was also first exposed to the cdi Zelda games through youtube poop way back in the day, and man, they have certainly left a big cultural impact on the internet and gaming, which is a crazy badge of honor not many bad games can claim. I wonder how the people who worked on these games feel about their legacy. Mixed feelings, perhaps? Personally, I would feel proud!

[@Majuular]

It would be great to hear some insights from dev staff! There's a fascinating interview with Dale DeSharone who directed the Animation Magic games, but I'm not sure if he was ever aware of YTP (or if he'd even understand it). Sadly, he's passed away now, but I would love to hear from some more development staff. A CDi reunion would be wild!

[@Will_Negs]

I'm not even 1/10th of the way into the video, but I've really gotta express that I love about Majuular's intro and melody. Something about it just clicks with me, and I always find myself being glad to see it.

[@eldonrosen]

Hey that was really fun to watch! These games really are more interesting than I ever gave them credit for, I'll probably take your advice and avoid playing them but it was awesome learning more about them. Awesome vid as always dude.

[@lucidstatedept1267]

Dude… That little anecdote about older memes and the less corporate, “better days” of KZbin was so great! The way you spoke of it made me so nostalgic. Thank you! I truly miss those “wild wild West” days where creativity was run amok. I miss YTP man. Anyway, instant subscribe. Your essays are fuckin 👌🏻

[@Fabstron]

Gwonam simply saying "cum" 35:35 is just hilarious

[@ImpendingRiot83]

KZbin Poop has burned every single solitary second of these games into my brain to the point where I can quote almost their entirety verbatim, it’s so weird to see it approached as a semi-serious topic but you do it so well.

[@dengeki1]

Zelda's Adventure is giving me some real Harvester vibes.

[@KillLaGrill]

I unironically love CDI Link too. There's something about "goofballs that get the job done" characters that really draw me in

[@LilacMonarch]

Yeah, kinda like Sora. Most of the time you can't take him seriously but he packs a punch

[@Bob_Fiddle]

That's what I like in games and shows like my favorite ninjago character is jay he is a funny character and I like the orange turtle in tmnt he is a funny character

[@WTFisTingispingis]

@@Bob_Fiddle Michelangelo rocks and I will die on this hill.

[@Bob_Fiddle]

@@WTFisTingispingis yea I don't watch TMNT much I watch it but not to often but I agree Mikey is the best

[@LtCdrXander]

​@@WTFisTingispingisI didn't know there were people who didn't like Michaelangelo! All the turtles are great

[@seriousink]

While a million memes and words have been made/written about Faces of Evil and Wand of Gamelon, I really dig the aesthetic of Zelda's Adventure. It reminds me of Betrayal at Krondor and other games of that era that combined sprite work and costuming to make this animated, underground community theater vibe. A sort of theaterpunk, if you will. It'd be cool to see more games made with that vibe these days.

[@thewinterprince1731]

"The royal make-a-wish kid" might be the best description for CD-i Link that I have ever heard.

[@world.singer]

I've always had a morbid curiosity about these games. I am so glad you did a video on them! Now I can die in peace...

[@TheLoneGameMan]

Dude, I LOVE the use of Mischief Makers music in this video! Philips totally done did some Mischief here for sure.

[@bananabike279]

Fun video! Not many people have given these games a fair shot, it was interesting to hear someone actually praise the games for a few points. Also, that King cosplay is PERFECT

[@Dopply]

I'll be adding 'treacherous individual' to my developer bio now, thank you. Great work, excellent video.

[@lillyclarity9699]

the cosplay, man. you went so far for this video. I've seen it a few times by now (being a back-broken cripple confined to bed for the better part of the year had its upsides, I guess) but I really just want to say that the effort you went through to make this video is astonishing and I really hope it paid off for you. guessing from the patronbux it has, but still - I think you did a good job on these games that mostly, honestly, don't deserve it. amazing work maj

[@RustyRick2023]

I can answer your question at 19:12 regarding the breadstick's purpose in-game is as decoy bait for certain flying enemies such as the 'Arpagos'(?) that the baker alludes to. (Those orange flying pterodactyl-like enemies.) They'll swoop down and try to attack the bread, so it's purpose is rather minimal so the cloak is still a better investment in just avoiding damage altogether. Also honestly it was refreshing to see a fair review of these games. I actually owned the Animation Magic-produced games alongside a real CD-i as a kid and played these games often that I could memorize the patterns and actually beat it several times. If I have to state some redeeming factors about the Faces/Wand duo of games, it's that the music is alright and some tracks are some legit bangers to listen to such as the map theme for both games (Edit: You did touch on the music, I just have a short attention span) and that the stages usually aren't very long nor do you ever get a Game Over. After dying 3 times you just get booted back to the map screen so the trial and error-difficulty is somewhat mitigated by these forgiving elements. There's also the bottle of healing water you can use to refill your hearts fully once and which you can refill at certain spots in both games. Overall I really enjoyed this review and the jokes and fair criticism you delivered made it all the better. Keep it up Majuular! 👍

[@Mister_Clean]

"I can't tear myself away from Link's rock hard little ass" made me spit out my drink all over my keyboard Thanks, Majulaar

[@bananonymouslastname5693]

I genuinely like Wand of Gamelon and Faces of Evil, amd own them for my CD-i 220. I remember reading previews in game magazines at the time, and they looked interesting. I'm old, so I remember that time differently than a younger person researching it or someone who first saw KZbin Poop (nothing wrong with YTP, mind you). Back then, with there only having been 2 Zeldas on NES, things weren't standardized as mentioned in this video. Zelda had been adapted into a comic by Valiant Comics (not just the Nintendo Power comic), the Friday Zelda episodes of the Super Mario Bros. Super Show, Nintendo Cereal System... a talking, not always so serious Link was part of the Zelda perception of the time. There weren't standardized values for different rupee colors. There wasn't all the talk of goddesses of creation or anything. Yeah, gameplay is rough around the edges, but there aren't many CD-i games that don't have that problem. Yes, the animation is poor. The voice acting, while amateurish, is actually a lot better that it gets credit for compared to comparable Turbo CD, Sega CD, and other early voiced games. There's effort there that wasn't always present at the time. The graphics are solid for the time, the music is strong, and a lot of the items are pretty faithful to Zelda as a franchise, even moving forward. I'm not trying to say they're fantastic video games that stand up to everything out there, but if you were abog game fan of a certain age, these games aren't just a meme, didn't stick out as so ridiculous, and could be really enjoyed unironically... and if you actually have/had a CD-i, you know that there are very few games on CD-i that play very well. Until you've spent your days playing Dimo's Quest, Mega Maze, the Apprentice, Secret Mission, etc., it's hard to appreciate how well these play next to their contemporaries!

[@MetalSocks]

I've come back to this video to say the first thirty seconds were subscribed worthy, and ever since this popped on the recommend feed you quickly became one of my favorite gamester youtube channels. As Zelda would say, your stuff is Good :).

[@insertsomememereferenceher8483]

I heard that a lot of the levels were designed by painting the background first and working from there, since a lot of the developers leaned more toward being visual artists than game designers.

[@Mia-Solastasia]

Honestly, even as a child, I never really got KZbin poops. The humor's a bit beyond me. But you in that King costume while conducting a semi-serious review? Hilarious. It is the touch this video needed to be glorious.

[@NisseDood]

It heavily depended how much effort was put in to them. Some where fun because they cut together voices and made some sort of story, but a lot just made these annoying error state sounding random noise videos that are really shit. This song is probably the peak of cutting together lines kzbin.info/www/bejne/hImmm417iLqYfMk

[@anoobindisguise4337]

The skill required to wrangle Morshu, or hell, any of the characters in the CDi games, into YTP(MV)s is truly impressive and I'm glad using AI voicing never caught on because it really defeated the whole purpose lol. Really enjoyed this video, I basically never gave these games any thought as to how they actually play. My canonical voice for Link is somewhere between CDi and the TV series. It helps that they're very similar voices and personalities!

[@davidsterling7570]

I've been waiting for this ever since you started mixing in CDI memes. So stoked to hit play! EDIT: Was great. Waaaaas the Quest 64 ost a hint at your next game?

[@mitchdouglas9844]

Ma boi, this review is what all true KZbinrs strive for!

[@braveladder1682]

Your videos are great fun, and you've got a nice radio voice. glad I found this channel through the 3do video. Thanks! Show us the cats!

[@youtubeletmeintoyoutube4580]

This video won me over. I subbed and I promise I will never unsub. This is so lovingly made

[@mementomori771]

Have you considered covering jade empire? Love hearing you talk about companions and that one has some of biowares best

[@squirtkipfan0136]

JESUS CHRIST! That is an incredible voice of the king dude! Also interesting video too, i feel like many review these games for meme status, but nothing deeper than that

[@Autumn-Muse]

I think you've hit a hot iron with the algorithm. Never seen you before, but I'm happy you showed up in my feed.

[@nazgulsenpai]

Hey man, the quality of this content really deserves more subs. Keep it up.

[@Millenia3D]

Happiness is that feeling you get when there's a fresh Majuular drop in your KZbin (registered trademark) subscription box

[@timmer919hep]

Best thing about these games for me was Zelda's design in Wand of Gamelon. Her outfit is cute and it's made for some really great fanart.

[@SpikeRose]

I remember 'The King gets a car' being a cinematic masterpiece of comedy, at least in terms of YTP quality at the time. It was ambitious stuff. The fact you threw in the RE4 one a bit later was just icing on the cake. Also, Unregistered Hypercam 2

[@BusterDrew]

I like the virality of topics we are getting with the new Maj video's, keep it up!

[@johnnythewalrus]

Absolutely loved the redlettermedia shout out. Rich Evans is a true treasure. And I stumbled across your channel because of this video. And I can totally relate to gaming while watching Half in the Bag. That earned you a sub.

[@bafflemint8442]

These games are such a strange combination of genuine ambition combined with seemingly complete ignorance of the most basic ideas in game and visual design, a combination I find incredibly fascinating. Like they're trying harder than they need to and phoning it in at the exact same time.

[@MarioPawner]

35:08 Seeing my Deepercutt remake was a really pleasant surprise, great job with this one!

[@consolemans]

That's a lot of time dedicated to these games in particular but i trust Majuular's grand plan.

[@NotRay1995]

You really hit the nail on the head with your explanation of why ytp's are so great. This video's honestly really well done and i'm glad it ended up on my recommended page!

[@SkyBlueFox1]

I haven’t gotten too far into the video yet, but I will always appreciate anyone who takes the time to wax philosophical about YTP, hah. I was a part of that side of KZbin back in the day, and there’s something to be said for how the memes™️ kinda served as a gateway for people to recognize the good elements tucked away in those games. Having recently watched a full playthrough of Zelda’s Adventure, what fascinates me now is how it’s like, the exact opposite of the other two. FoE/WoG are rough around the edges, but there’s a lot of memetic and legit-entertainment value, and the remasters really show that the devs did put thought into how progression felt (among other things). They’re not great, but they also don’t have any real fluff… meanwhile, ZA’s got tons of useless map space, items that do literally nothing, and lacks almost any meme material. It’s such a strange compare/contrast. EDIT: Also that is a fucking fantastic outfit holy shit lmao EDIT 2: Fuck, the Daggerfall music during the Tolemac bit got me so good

[@DataDrain02]

I gotta say, this was a really good review of all these games. It's funny how much nostalgia was in this video.... The CD-i characters because of YTPs I watched when I was around 18 (I'm almost 33 now). The music choices. Like the Mischief Makers song. (I need to play that again eventually). The Quest 64 OST. I never beat that game, and yeah trying to replay it more recently. I couldn't really get into it. But I loved the atmosphere when I was a kid. And it still has a soft spot in my heart. Overall... I really liked this video.

[@qwertasdf6657]

oh shit, cdi and majuular my two favorite things. as a ytp maker back in the day this really is the shit.

[@Majuular]

CDi & Majuular go together like cookies & milk I always say

[@AfroRyan]

Every one of my Sea of Thieves ships is named after a YTP quote. My Galleon is "B E A E N K E S NO E" and it makes me laugh every time I log in to pirate.

[@austinbrown5964]

The shopkeep from Wand of Gamelon actually has no official name, Ushrom is a fan created name that was yes, just Morshu backwards

[@brunovega6479]

Majular, I didn't truly recognize the effort you put into your costume and your hair the first time I watched this video as I was a short haired peaseant, but now that I've moved on to a long hair squire I can't help but be in awe of your flowing KINGLY mane. so uh yeah that's my comment, that whole costume looks like a fun time

[@WastelandPuppy]

"Squadala" is going straight to my everyday vocabulary.

[@MaitreMechant]

I also knew these only from YTP years ago and still can't here all these lines without laughing, great video

[@just4joebob]

You pushed through Harvester, pushed harder through the 3DO rpg series, and by calling Link the Hyrule Make-A-Wish kid? Yeah. I dig this channel, I genuinely hope it grows mate.

[@kruggsmash]

So weird to hear that Mischief Makers music in the background. Great video by the way. Loved it

[@kingbash6466]

Crazy thing about the Zelda CD-I games is that I unironically think Link's voice isn't too bad. It's a right amount of youthful energy and heroic spunk I'd imagine for the character, and with better direction, the voice actor could have been a good pick for the mainline games.

[@cirokuma]

when majuular uploads a video at 5am i don't question it i just shut up and watch.

[@Zaothus]

Well-researched, informed, thorough, fair-minded and very funny video essay about a piece of weird gaming apocrypha? Yep, it's a Majuular video.

[@jamesbrincefield9879]

The stylized world map that requires pixel-hunting to find all the areas/secrets is something I wish would make a comeback. The Death Trash demo (100% check it out if you like classic Fallout) did something similar recently and I really enjoyed it. If an NPC mentioned a location it would show up on your map as a place to visit, but you could also find it by organically exploring. You could choose any spot on the world map to walk to (the map also worked like old Fallout) and most of the time you would just travel to the location you clicked on, but you could also stumble across other locations that intersected with the path you took. It was really satisfying. The whole game was fantastic and I can’t wait for it to come out of Early Access.

[@AnAverageGoblin]

god no, having to find a near impossible to see pixel to progress is bad design.

[@nisbahmumtaz909]

did you just call CDi Link a "Royal Make-A-Wish" HAHAHAHAHAHA

[@bjarneleigh4589]

From the Hair to Robe to the Chalice, you were on point with the King of Hyrule costume for this video. Props to you and your team!

[@jesse.qua.]

His team of: himself and his girlfriend. True pros!

[@kevinstreetgaming]

I see a new Majuular video, I click it. Simple as.

[@dicene]

Was 100% NOT expecting to hear Rich Evans shimmering voice during a review of Zelda's Adventure. Absolutely perfect video.

[@spookydonkey42]

came for the MY BOY stayed for the LAMP OIL, ROPE?

[@adamvancleave9200]

I was kind of hoping to hear how stuff like these got on a "best of CD-i" list while Labyrinth of Crete didn't make it. Not that I've had the chance to play any of them. LoC was by the same guy that made Fool's Errand though and I have played that.

[@polytanksan5761]

It could just be that there weren't actually enough games for the CD-i for them to put something better on the list

[@adamvancleave9200]

@@polytanksan5761 Well that just makes me question not putting LoC on even more.

[@SavoryParty]

I am so hyped to watch this later. I also want to echo what other comments have already said and that is just how comfy you're videos are. You're videos remind me of how i felt whe i would wake up to watch saturday morning cartoons as a kid.

[@Bonkikavo]

The costume is epic.