Something I didn’t think I needed…

Not a lot of gamers have nostalgia for the CD-i. It was a weird time in gaming when the media was changing, CDs were all the rage, and lots of companies were trying to get a piece of the action by introducing new consoles. I remember how awesome I felt when I got my CD-i (which only lasted a week before I returned it). The idea of having games with real video included on top of educational software was a big deal. Also there were Nintendo games on it, so it must be good! Needless to say those games were NOT good and the system was kind of a dud, still I have nostalgia for it. All these years later I still check out the games, I have a soft spot for those wild Zelda games, and Arzette pays tribute to that while also modernizing the way it plays to make it a perfect way to experience that era.

So for anyone who has never played those games, they were side-scrolling action titles with some outlandish animated cutscenes featuring some horrendous voice acting, and awkward animation. They are hilarious, not by design, but in execution. While they were bad, they were not the reason the games failed. Instead it was the game play. This is where Arzette succeeds as it could have easily just reproduced that, but instead decided to keep the ideas and design, but update it with a game that is actually fun to play.

MSRP: $19.99
Platforms: Switch (reviewed), Xbox, PlayStation, PC
Price I’d Pay: $19.99

Arzette borrows almost everything from those games so much so that it could have been a sequel with different characters. The concept is that our hero Princess Arzette must traverse the land of Faramore defeating the evil demon lord Daimur’s minions and collect the shards of the Jewel of Faramore. The story is of course told through animated cutscenes featuring some of the original voice actors from those Zelda CD-i games and of course a host of others. They are all done extremely well and invoke the sense of those past games. This is easily one of the first games in a while where I made it a point to talk to every single NPC just so I could revel in the nostalgia.

The core game play remains the same as those original games. Arzette controls much better though and combat feels responsive. One of the biggest changes made was that Arzette no longer has to stab coins or hearts to pick them up. I mean, you can still do that for nostalgia fun, but I could also just walk over them. The platforming is also refined and it is much easier to navigate ledges. Exploration returns in the same form, and this is a sore spot for the game. Each area is divided into a level that can be selected. The issue is some of these are blocked off from items you need to collect before entering them. Sadly I wasn’t always aware of what was needed going in.

These levels can be long too, which means trudging through them only to realize I needed to come back later with new equipment. I also had to revisit the same areas multiple times along the way in order to access new paths, which is normally not a chore, but the way these games are designed it feels more like padding than anything else. Still these are minor gripes and the positives far outweigh the negatives for what I was hoping for from this experience.

The pieces that I wanted to hit are here. The story is whimsical and fun. The cutscenes are an absolute blast, and you can tell the developers have a true passion for the games that inspired this one. I could not have asked for a better homage to those classic CD-i games, which I just recently revisited myself. Arzette nails all of that while crafting a world interesting enough to stand on its own.

Visually the game looks good with architecture that mimics those older games while also having an appeal of its own. The cutscenes are fantastic with crude style mixed with the perfect color palette and animation. The voice acting is hit and miss with some great performances and some weird ones that sound like they were recorded in a different studio. The music itself is akin to those older games with goofy melodies that had me humming along.

Arzette is a love-letter to those old CD-i games and I am all here for it. I adored revisiting this style of game and it is clear that the developers have a genuine love for those older titles, and not just a need to tick some boxes. For people that have memories of the Zelda CD-i games, this is a must. Heck, even if you have only seen them in YouTube videos from retro personalities, I still recommend this game. It is a charming platformer that wears its inspirations on its sleeve while also carving out its own path.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.