DISCLAIMER: This site was made for entertainment purposes only. I am in no way associated with Seedy Eye Software or Limited Run Games, nor do I claim to be.

Site Contents

  • What is Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore?
  • What it means to me
  • My Steam Achievements
  • Fanart

What is Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore?

Before I can answer this question, I first need to talk about an obscure little console called the Philips CD-i.

Back in the 90s, Nintendo released their SNES console amid an already established fourth-gen console scene. It was incredibly successful during its production run despite fierce competition with the SEGA Genesis. Nintendo, in an attempt to keep up with other fourth-gen consoles, decided to develop a CD-ROM add-on that would plug into their pre-existing SNES consoles.

They first turned to Sony to develop this technology. Somewhere along the way, the deal fell through — but not without anything to show for it. In the end, Sony kept the technology they developed, which was released as a little console we now call the Playstation.

After that, Nintendo turned to Philips. We know that the SNES never got a CD-ROM expansion, so one can safely assume that this deal also went through. However, this time Philips got the rights to produce a couple games with two of Nintendo's biggest IPs, namely, Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda.

The Mario and Zelda games we got from that failed deal have gone down in history as some of the worst video games of all time. And it is those exact Zelda titles, games that Nintendo refuses to acknowledge even exist, that inspired the creation of Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore.

What it means to me

I got Arzette as an impulse buy from the fall Steam sale, but I had been aware of its existence for a while.

My recent gaming history up to that point had been occupied with massive, sprawling JRPGs (in order: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild; Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition; The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom; Xenoblade Chronicles 3; and Xenoblade Chronicles X). As incredible as they were, they left me feeling worse about my ability to create games and media that people will love.

Enter Arzette, a ~5 hour long sidescroller that, despite being made in the style of one of the worst games of all time on purpose, rekindled my love of video games. Arzette did not need an epic saga of a plot for it to be engaging, nor high resolution graphics. The game's world didn't need miles of space for exploration to take place. Quality doesn't always need quantity

Another factor that probably contributed to my enjoyment - I've always gravitated toward the "independent female warrior" type of characters, even as a child. Our heroine Arzette is a sword-slinging warrior who perfectly fits that bill! I don't really have anything deeper to say about this, I just think she's really cool.

My Steam Achievements

Achievement progress: 15 out of 21 (71%)

Fanart

...there might be some here in the future ¬‿¬