Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon

Overview

Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon was the second of three Zelda titles produced for the Philips CD-i. In the game, the player takes the role of Princess Zelda (as opposed to Link, the usual protagonist in the vast majority of Zelda titles) as she embarks on a quest to defeat the evil Ganon and save Link and King Harkinian. The gameplay is identical to that in the first CD-i Zelda game, Link: The Faces of Evil.

The Wand of Gamelon was the first game to portray Zelda as the player character. The third and final CD-i Zelda title, Zelda's Adventure, also cast her in the role of the protagonist.

Story

The story begins with Zelda's father, the king, going to Gamelon to aid Duke Onkled in his ongoing battle with the forces of Ganon. To protect himself, he takes the Triforce of Courage and tells Zelda to send Link if he's not heard from in a month. Impa foretells through the Triforce of Wisdom that the king will return safely. However, a month passes with no word from him. Impa and Link reassure Zelda that he's fine, but Zelda sends Link to find her father as he had requested.

When Link fails to return, Zelda eventually tells Impa to go to Gamelon with her. They take the Triforce of Wisdom and embark on their journey to find Zelda's father and Link. It is revealed that the king was betrayed by Duke Onkled, who was actually working for Ganon.

During her adventure, Zelda obtains the Wand of Gamelon, a weapon needed to defeat Ganon. In their final battle, Zelda throws the wand at Gannon, ensnaring him in chains and sealing him in a book. At the end of the game, Zelda reunites with her father, Duke Onkled is captured, Link is freed from a mirror, and a feast is had for all.

Gameplay

Wand of Gamelon plays similarly the previous CD-i Zelda game, Link: The Faces of Evil. It is played from a side-scrolling view similar to that seen in Zelda II on the NES. Many of the players actions, including attacking, collecting items and rubies, and talking with villagers are performed with the same button.

Major Differences

There are a number of differences that distinguish The Wand of Gamelon from the majority of games in the Zelda series.

• The game world's currency are "rubies" rather than "rupees". Red rubies are are worth one, green are worth five, and blue are ten rubies each.
• The characters, including Link, all have voice acting.
• Zelda must hit things in order to pick them up instead of walking over them.