Fan Revives Infamous CD-i Zelda Game with Game Boy Port: Experience the Forgotten Flop in a New Way

In the 1990s, Philips attempted to enter the video game market with its ill-fated CD-i multimedia set-top box. Despite the failure of the CD-i, Philips had the rights to develop three Zelda games for the platform. One of these games, Zelda’s Adventure, is considered by many to be the worst Zelda game ever made. However, a fan of the series has now unofficially ported this notorious title to the Game Boy.

The story behind the Game Boy version of Zelda’s Adventure began when John Lay, a programmer and graphic designer, discovered the modern development tool GB Studio. Intrigued by the possibility of creating a portable version of the game, Lay started working on a demake during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Zelda’s Adventure for Game Boy, which took around 14 months to complete, aesthetically resembles 1993’s Link’s Awakening and incorporates features from the Game Boy Color games Oracle of Ages and Seasons. The music was composed by Beatscribe.

To play this unique port, fans can download the ROM from Lay’s Itch page or play it directly in their browsers. They can also watch a full playthrough of the fan game on Lay’s YouTube channel. While Lay has no plans to demake the other two CD-i Zelda games, he enjoyed working on this project and appreciates the positive feedback received from the community.