Arzette The Jewel of Faramore

Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore is a deliberate spiritual successor to the two Philips CD-i Zelda-adjacent games — Link: The Faces of Evil and Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon — that became infamous for their voice acting and animation rather than their gameplay. Seedy Eye Software's premise is that those games are worth taking seriously, and the result is a polished modern action-adventure with the same visual register.

Princess Arzette is the kingdom of Faramore's only hope after the evil Daimur returns from a decade of dormancy. The campaign sends her through hand-painted backgrounds and side-scrolling levels filled with secrets, items, and townsfolk who need help in exchange for keys to the next region. Combat carries the snap of classic side-scrolling action games, with acquired abilities expanding traversal options.

The production credits are deliberate fan service. Artist Rob Dunlavey, who painted the original CD-i world maps, returns for this game's environments. Digital Foundry's John Linneman and Audi Sorlie joined the team. Original CD-i voice talent Jeffrey Rath and Bonnie Jean Wilbur reprise the energy of the originals, this time on purpose. Composer Jake "Button Masher" Silverman scores the whole thing.