Yes, this was a little April Fools gag — we hope you enjoyed it!
We've received word from a source close to Nintendo that the Phillips CD-i Legend of Zelda games are coming to Switch later this year, and that Nintendo is reportedly saving the announcement for a Nintendo Direct this summer, with a planned shadow drop.
Three Zelda titles were released on the platform in the '90s thanks to a deal between Nintendo and Phillips — Link: The Faces of Evil, Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon (both in 1993), and Zelda's Adventure (in 1994). And all three are coming to Switch in 'Remastered' form as part of a Zelda blowout that Nintendo is planning in 2023 following the release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom in May.
Our source — who wishes to remain anonymous — told us that while Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma doesn't consider the trilogy canon to Zelda lore, they're "an important part of Nintendo's and The Legend of Zelda's history and as the first games to allow players to control Zelda, deserve to be accessible on more modern systems". All three games will feature polished-up visuals and a rearranged orchestral soundtrack.
Indeed, both The Wand of Gamelon and Zelda's Adventure mark the very first time that Princess Zelda was playable in non-spirit form — hi, Spirit Tracks! — and she still hasn't had a playable human role in a mainline Zelda game. That means these two entries, despite how controversial and reviled by Zelda fans they are, are important milestones in the series.
The Faces of Evil and The Wand of Gamelon were developed simultaneously by Animation Magic. At the time of release in October 1993, reviews were mixed but leaned towards the positive. Both games are side-scrolling action-adventure titles that put you in the shoes of Link (Faces of Evil) and Zelda (Wand of Gamelon). Utilising expressive animated cutscenes, some of the most memorable moments in Zelda series history happened in these two games.
Zelda's Adventure, the third CD-i game, was developed by Viridis Corporation and instead of using animated cutscenes, employed FMV throughout the game. The action was top-down, unlike Animation Magic's efforts, and once again saw you playing as Zelda on a quest to save Link from Ganon.
The deal between Nintendo and Phillips infamously caused the Big N to break its previous agreement with Sony, which was developing a CD-ROM add-on for the Super NES. Sony then went on to develop the PlayStation — and we know how that turned out.