Nintendo has been incredibly protective of its IPs throughout its history, largely retaining control and maintaining exclusivity on its platforms, aside from the occasional arcade machine. That makes the ‘Zelda’ trilogy on the Philips CD-i particularly fascinating (the system had Mario titles as well), as they’re oddities that are almost cult classics despite their various issues. They’re not canon, of course!
Those games sprung to mind today when we saw information on Nobelia, a new game for Philips CD-i from TwBurn. You can see its trailer at the top of the page and some official details below:
Zelda meets Bomberman in this homebrew game for the Philips CD-i.
Nobelia is an explosive open world action/adventure game which can be described as a crossover between The Legend of Zelda and Bomberman.
With over 30 unique levels, four power-ups, and four different enemies it is the biggest and most ambitious homebrew game released yet for the CD-i.
Includes an in-game timer with highscores to allow for competition and speedrunning in three different categories.
This is initially being sold on its official website as a physical edition, with assurances that it’s been tested on multiple iterations of the CD-i hardware. It costs between $35-40 depending on region, while US consumers can go to Good Deal Games where it’s $34.95.
It’s always fascinating to see new games developed for retro hardware, giving their own takes on classics while working within system restrictions. It also shows that the collector and enthusiast community for the CD-i is alive and well.
