It’s harmful to base a whole sport, film, guide, or something on a single joke – particularly a referential joke. But the builders of Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore did precisely that.

The Phillips CD-i Legend of Zelda titles are many issues, together with a uncommon besmirchment on the model and a laughing inventory, however they’re hardly ever known as high quality video games. For some cause, Seedy Eye Software program (oh, I simply acquired that pun) selected these three video games of questionable high quality as inspiration. Specifically, Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore is billed as a religious successor to Hyperlink: The Faces of Evil and Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon.

But when they had been aiming for “so unhealthy it’s good” with Arzette, they’ve missed the mark solely. Arzette is simply plain good.

Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore (Change [reviewed], Xbox Sequence X|S, PS4, PS5, PC)
Developer: Seedy Eye Software program
Writer: Restricted Run Video games
Launched: February 14, 2024
MSRP: $19.99

The early steps into the world of optical media had been, maybe, essentially the most awkward interval of video video games. Whereas it was typically harnessed for good moderately than evil with video games that resembled the interval’s regular honest with additional voices and cutscenes, others tried to stuff them stuffed with horrible live-action cutscenes and FMV sequences barely resembling gameplay.

Nintendo practically entered this market however bailed out on the final minute, leaving Sony, their first accomplice for an SNES CD-ROM attachment, scorned, and Phillips, the potential successor, with a license to make a couple of video games with Nintendo’s properties. The end result was Resort Mario and three titles based mostly on The Legend of Zelda.

You’ve most likely heard of them since their web fame propelled them to prominence. Each Hyperlink: The Faces of Evil and Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon had animated cutscenes that mixed straight-to-video animation with nightmare gas. Characters had been questionably voiced and scripted, the transitions had been unusual, and whereas the animation had too-detailed motion, it had fewer frames than you’d anticipate. From time to time, a side of the video games breaks away and as soon as once more enters meme-space. I even discover myself unintentionally quoting the video games.

Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore cops that model. It begins with a prologue narrated by a faculty marm earlier than going into a formidable facsimile of CD-i Zelda’s uncomfortable animation. Seedy Eye went the gap with tough edges, horrible zooms, and stilted voice appearing. Underlying it is a soundtrack created from extraordinarily tacky, low-quality sampling.

The schtick progresses into the gameplay, the place the world is damaged into explorable, bite-sized levels. Hand-drawn backgrounds conflict in opposition to primary collision and flat characters. Enemies warp away with tacky sound results. Bits of UI look each ostentatious and unpolished.

Arzette’s purpose is twofold. She has to seek out the items of the eponymous Jewel of Faramore to defeat Daimur, the massive evil. Nevertheless, darkness is protecting the land, so she should additionally gentle beacons to push it again and get entry to extra areas. Past that, she additionally must get gadgets that enable her to proceed and grow to be extra highly effective.

This isn’t a lot totally different from the sooner CD-i Zelda video games, however the distinction is that Arzette doesn’t suck. The controls are responsive, and the hit detection favors the participant significantly better. Extra importantly, motion is way much less sluggish. The degrees are greater and extra open, which seems to be a double-edged sword as you end up revisiting areas to plumb for secrets and techniques and discover higher gear. If you happen to’re going for 100%, you’re going to be seeing the identical stage sections repeatedly.

I completed with round 98%, so it clearly didn’t hassle me that a lot.

That’s largely as a result of, whereas Arzette lifts closely from a legendary kusoge, it’s extra of an aesthetic than a crutch. The overall framework of Faces of Evil and Wand of Gamelon are right here, however a few of the rougher edges (apart from the aesthetic) are polished down. It does its half to really feel just like the religious successor that it payments itself as.

Maybe most surprisingly, Arzette by no means actually makes a joke of itself. It actually references the CD-i Zelda titles in quite a lot of methods, nevertheless it’s all the time delicate and dry. Bizarre stuff occurred, however these video games, in themselves, aren’t bizarre.

The jokes in Arzette are amusing on their very own. The weird zooms and lavish actions actually add an additional layer of humor to its unhealthy puns and subversiveness, nevertheless it isn’t simply pointing and laughing. It is aware of how one can be humorous by itself, which carries it nicely past easy referential humor. It has coronary heart and an affection to these titles. Reasonably than simply poke enjoyable at them, it takes what labored – even when it was unintentional – and expands on it.

The precise moment-to-moment gameplay is nearly too simplistic for its personal good. There isn’t far more to it than hopping round and smacking enemies. It does handle to seize the satisfying feeling one will get once they discover an vital merchandise in a gated exploration sport that offers you entry to all these issues that had been beforehand held simply out of attain. 

Then again, that’s the most affordable a part of Metroidvania video games, and I’ve by no means felt comfy when a sport leans on that form of straightforward thrill. It’s, nonetheless, what Faces of Evil and Wand of Gamelon did, and expunging it might be abandoning a part of its faithfulness. It matches the manifesto, so I can reside with it.

Talking of which, the writer, Restricted Run Video games, created a USB copy of the CD-i controller particularly for this sport. They despatched me one, nonetheless it didn’t arrive on time, so I’ll let you know about it later.

I always discovered myself shocked on the ardour that Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore demonstrates towards its supply materials. It could have been really easy to create a low-effort duplication of the CD-i Zelda video games, however as a substitute, Seedy Eye created a sport that’s pleasing past simply the references it makes. The music and animation, regardless of being stilted to emulate the CD-i aesthetic, are nicely completed. The characters, whereas usually analogous to the weirdos from CD-i Zelda, are memorable and fascinating. Extra importantly, its humorousness manages to tickle in the fitting locations.

My solely grievance – and it’s a minor one – is that the gameplay is a bit on the fundamental aspect, being extra vital in the best way it ties collectively the pleasing cutscenes. At round 4-5 hours for a completion run, it doesn’t overstay its welcome.

Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore is such an unjudgmental love letter to Hyperlink: The Faces of Evil and Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon. It’s a reminder that whether or not or not a sport is sweet or unhealthy isn’t the entire retailer. It’s extra advanced than that. The web discovered official leisure within the CD-i Zelda video games, and moderately than write them off as ridiculous, Seedy Eye dug in and requested why. It discovered what was so compelling about these astounding failures and utilized these classes in a considerate and deliberate manner. The end result transcends its influences and takes on a lifetime of its personal.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}