2025 CD-i Nintendo General Survey (second half)

This is the second half of the results of my 2025 CD-i Nintendo Survey. You can read an overview of the survey (and the results for the first four sections) through the link on the sidebar.
The most-voted options will be bolded. Answers submitted via text input will be italicized.

Sections:

Part 5: AniMagic Zelda Character Popularity Poll -- Part 6: Other CD-i Nintendo Questions -- Part 7: Other Related Questions -- Findings

Part 5: AniMagic Zelda Character Popularity Poll

Of the following "main characters", rank your top five favorite characters.

Character	#1	#2	#3	#4	#5	Total	Average	Proportion	Weighted Avg. (avg/prop)
Link	12	35	38	45	23	153	3.209	0.850	3.775
Zelda	28	23	38	37	24	150	3.040	0.833	3.648
Ganon	6	29	41	26	34	136	3.390	0.756	4.486
King Harkinian	111	31	15	6	7	170	1.629	0.944	1.725
Duke Onkled	1	2	3	10	21	37	4.297	0.206	20.906
Gwonam	12	49	35	31	29	156	3.103	0.867	3.580
Impa	2	2	0	15	25	44	4.341	0.244	17.758

Of the following non-Ganon bosses, rank your top five favorite characters.

Character	#1	#2	#3	#4	#5	Total	Average	Proportion	Weighted Avg. (avg/prop)
Goronu	4	10	7	13	15	49	3.510	0.272	12.895
Harlequin	16	14	30	23	22	105	3.200	0.583	5.486
Militron	32	23	18	7	12	92	2.391	0.511	4.679
Glutko	26	19	14	19	18	96	2.833	0.533	5.313
Lupay	22	18	16	16	11	83	2.711	0.461	5.879
Gibdo	4	9	8	9	16	46	3.522	0.256	13.781
Iron Knuckle	9	15	20	14	6	64	2.891	0.356	8.130
Three Witches	3	6	13	8	12	42	3.476	0.233	14.898
Wizzrobe	2	4	4	2	1	13	2.692	0.072	37.278
Hektan	33	29	17	15	15	109	2.541	0.606	4.197
Omfak	9	10	10	24	20	73	3.493	0.406	8.613

Of the following side characters from Link: The Faces of Evil, rank your top five favorite characters.

Character	#1	#2	#3	#4	#5	Total	Average	Proportion	Weighted Avg. (avg/prop)
Alora	1	8	12	12	12	45	3.578	0.250	14.311
Anutu	3	25	19	15	11	73	3.082	0.406	7.600
Aypo	2	11	13	13	7	46	3.261	0.256	12.760
Clora	0	2	3	4	7	16	4.000	0.089	45.000
Droolik	1	28	18	12	12	71	3.085	0.394	7.820
Fairies	1	21	9	14	23	68	3.544	0.378	9.381
Fish Lady	2	12	20	16	13	63	3.413	0.350	9.751
Hamsha	3	8	18	13	8	50	3.300	0.278	11.880
Horgum	1	4	5	5	6	21	3.524	0.117	30.204
Kulvan	6	6	7	12	12	43	3.419	0.239	14.310
Morshu	145	10	4	8	2	169	1.296	0.939	1.380
Odranoel	2	3	3	5	5	18	3.444	0.100	34.444
Suprena	4	14	12	6	14	50	3.240	0.278	11.664
Zorga	1	10	14	13	14	52	3.558	0.289	12.315

Of the following side characters from Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon, rank your top five favorite characters.

Character	#1	#2	#3	#4	#5	Total	Average	Proportion	Weighted Avg. (avg/prop)
Fairies	13	10	8	13	10	54	2.944	0.300	9.815
Grimbo	1	12	11	11	11	46	3.413	0.256	13.355
Harbanno	26	24	23	17	14	104	2.702	0.578	4.676
Lady Alma	2	6	7	8	12	35	3.629	0.194	18.661
Lika	4	6	5	4	18	37	3.703	0.206	18.013
Lord Kiro	22	24	22	16	17	101	2.822	0.561	5.029
Lubonga	3	3	4	6	6	22	3.409	0.122	27.893
Makoto	11	13	18	12	13	67	3.045	0.372	8.180
Mayor Cravendish	51	34	22	12	1	120	1.983	0.667	2.975
Myra	6	3	5	7	7	28	3.214	0.156	20.663
Sakado Merchant	10	15	14	14	12	65	3.046	0.361	8.436
Sanda	1	2	2	3	3	11	3.455	0.061	56.529
Yokan	12	6	11	19	14	62	3.274	0.344	9.506

Who is your top favorite character from Link: The Faces of Evil?

Answer	Percentages	# of Responses
Link	5.6%	10
Zelda	6.1%	11
King Harkinian	32.8%	59
Gwonam	6.7%	12
Ganon	3.3%	6
Goronu	0.0%	0
Harlequin	2.2%	4
Militron	2.2%	4
Glutko	0.0%	0
Lupay	2.2%	4
Alora	0.0%	0
Anutu	0.6%	1
Aypo	0.0%	0
Clora	0.0%	0
Droolik	0.0%	0
Fairies	0.0%	0
Fish Lady	0.6%	1
Hamsha	0.6%	1
Horgum	0.0%	0
Kulvan	0.6%	1
Morshu	35.0%	63
Odranoel	0.0%	0
Suprena	1.1%	2
Zorga	0.6%	1

Who is your top favorite character from Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon?

Answer	Percentages	# of Responses
Zelda	25.0%	45
Link	2.8%	5
King Harkinian	45.0%	81
Impa	1.1%	2
Duke Onkled	1.7%	3
Ganon	4.4%	8
Gibdo	0.6%	1
Iron Knuckle	0.6%	1
Three Witches	0.0%	0
Wizzrobe	0.0%	0
Hektan	2.2%	4
Omfak	0.6%	1
Fairies	1.1%	2
Grimbo	0.6%	1
Harbanno	1.1%	2
Lady Alma	0.6%	1
Lika	0.0%	0
Lord Kiro	2.2%	4
Lubonga	1.1%	2
Makoto	1.7%	3
Mayor Cravendish	5.6%	10
Myra	0.0%	0
Sakado Merchant	0.6%	1
Sanda	0.0%	0
Yokan	1.7%	3

Part 6: Other CD-i Nintendo Questions

What do you think about the animation quality of the CD-i Nintendo games?

Rating
Answer	Percentages	# of Responses
Generally positive	43.3%	78
Neutral/mixed	48.9%	88
Generally negative	6.7%	12
No comment given	1.1%	2
Descriptive Terms Used
Fair for its day Fair considering limitations	7.8%	14
Fluid Kinetic Overanimated	15.6%	28
Expressive Have personality	5.0%	9
Funny Goofy	10.6%	19
Unique Memorable Iconic	11.1%	20
Stylistic	1.7%	3
Interesting Fascinating	6.1%	11
Fun Charming Charismatic	28.9%	52
Strange Weird Odd	9.4%	17
Ugly Uncanny	3.3%	6
Other
Compared to other media?	2.2%	4
Compared to: Zenless Zone Zero 2000s Polish animated films Richard Williams' works "Wow, A Talking Fish!" (1983)

Funniest reply: "i think it being weirdly kinetic preceded zenless zone zero by decades."

Most interesting reply: "I have watched Soviet era animation and chatted with a Slavic (Polish) friend before about animation from that time. The standards and focus of Soviet animation are different from other standards like one may expect here in America, but I will maintain that Wand of Gamelon and Faces of Evil are NOT badly animated. Considering the animation studio is Russian, and these scenes were made in the early post-Soviet Union era of the very early 90s; it can confidently be said that what they animated is very competent and standard animation from their region. It's very expressive and movement-focused more than accuracy-focused; and while some of the zooming and panning movements are disorienting, broadly, they are not bad. They are simply different from the usual expected standard of animation here, and if one likes animation as a broad art and field, the variation is welcome and intriguing to see."

What do you think about the voice acting of the CD-i Nintendo games?

Rating
Answer	Percentages	# of Responses
Generally positive	46.7%	84
Neutral/mixed	46.7%	84
Generally negative	5.0%	9
No comment given	1.7%	3
Descriptive Terms Used
Fair for its day Fair considering limitations	4.4%	8
Overdramatic Hammy Cheesy	10.6%	19
Expressive Have personality	2.8%	5
Funny Goofy	18.3%	33
Unique Memorable Iconic	18.9%	34
Interesting Fascinating	2.8%	5
Fun Charming Charismatic	15.6%	28
Strange Weird Odd	3.3%	6
Amateurish Stilted	7.2%	13
Fits the animation/tone/ games	2.8%	5
VAs had fun with performances/gave it their all	6.7%	12

Funniest reply: "Video game voice acting was best when it was kinda dogshit, so I'm a big fan"

Most interesting reply: "A lot like the animation, it's clearly low-budget and rushed, but with some real effort behind it. It's amateur, but rarely cringeworthy. I get the sense that these actors were inexperienced, but well directed. Low-budget VA work is often stilted, monotone, and seemingly unaware of the surrounding conversation. But these voice actors sound lively, energetic, and cartoony. It's still not... good. Especially those plumbers. But it's interesting!"

What quote from Link: The Faces of Evil is your favorite?

Answer	Percentages	# of Responses
"My boy, this peace is what all true warriors strive for."	18.3%	33
"How about a kiss, for luck?" "You've got to be kidding!"	1.1%	2
"Squadala! We are off!"	11.1%	20
"Lamp oil, rope, bombs! You want it? It's yours, my friend, as long as you have enough Rupees!"	15.6%	28
"Sorry, Link, I can't give credit! Come back when you're a little... mmm... richer!"	15.0%	27
"You lose!"	0.6%	1
"Oh my goodness, this is awful!"	3.9%	7
"It tastes like a Daira! Perhaps just one more...?"	0.6%	1
"Join me, Link, and I shall make your face the greatest in Koridai! Or else you will die!"	12.3%	22
"No, not into the pit! It burns!"	3.3%	6
"I won!"	2.8%	5
"When I'm crouching, you can make me do the duckwalk! Cool, huh?!"	6.1%	11
"Feel the fire of war!"	1.1%	2
"Once you get rid of Ganon, we can get back to fishing!"	0.6%	1
"Biggest crab I ever caught, heh heh!" "It's a Gohma!"	1.1%	2
"Come."	0.6%	1
"Worthless Koridian, you must be hardened with fire! Go and kill!"	0.6%	1
"Here is the map. Where do you wish to go?"	0.6%	1
"At last, you have the vision to find my house!"	1.1%	2
"Do you know what it means when you lose your last ruby? Now you work for me! Take him away!"	0.6%	1
"Golly!"	0.6%	1
"These are the Faces of Evil. You must conquer each."	0.6%	1
"Consider Lupay the most dangerous of Ganon's minions."	0.6%	1
Wand of Gamelon quote	0.6%	1
None	1.1%	2

What quote from Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon is your favorite?

Answer	Percentages	# of Responses
"My ship sails in the morning. I wonder what's for dinner?"	24.4%	44
"Oh, boy! I'm so hungry, I can eat an Octorok!"	3.9%	7
"Great! I can't wait to bomb some Dodongos!"	1.7%	3
"This is illegal, you know." "My cakes will burn!"	10.0%	18
"Your friend Link could eat ten of these!" "At least."	1.1%	2
"You are my prisoner." "Hey!" "SILENCE!"	2.2%	4
"You've killed me!" "Good."	31.1%	56
"You dare bring light to my lair?! You must die!"	7.2%	13
"After you've scrubbed all the floors in Hyrule, then we can talk about mercy! Take him away!"	5.6%	10
That laugh King Harkinian and Zelda do in the ending cutscene	10.0%	18
"Whatever I see, I shall devour."	1.1%	2
"He's dead." "Let's get outta here!"	0.6%	1
None	1.1%	2

What quote from Hotel Mario is your favorite?

Answer	Percentages	# of Responses
"Nice of the princess to invite us over for a picnic, eh, Luigi?"	8.3%	15
"I hope she made lotsa spaghetti!"	13.3%	24
"And you gotta help us!"	2.8%	5
"If you need instructions on how to get through the hotels, check out the enclosed instruction book!"	5.0%	9
"You know what they say - all toasters toast toast!"	23.9%	43
"You bring a light?" "No."	13.9%	25
"Hey, you! Get off of my cloud!"	7.2%	13
"When you pinch Wendy's pennies, they pinch back."	5.0%	9
"This is it, Luigi!"	12.8%	23
"Remember, where there's smoke..." "...there's fire!"	1.1%	2
"Well, maybe a Koopa will lend us his... if we "persuade" him!"	1.1%	2
"The Princess is now a permanent guest at one of my seven Koopa Hotels!"	0.6%	1
"It's been one of those days... Come on, Luigi."	2.2%	4
Princess Peach screaming "MARIO!!!!!!" after getting blasted out of Larry's hotel	0.6%	1
"It's hard to see through those clouds. I hope we can get rid of them! Get the hint?"	0.6%	1
The really loud smoke sound from the "Where there's smoke..." QuebecGamers cutscene capture	0.6%	1
None	1.1%	2

Are you aware of the Food Dude easter egg in Zelda's Adventure?

Answer	Percentages	# of Responses
No, this is my first time hearing about it	69.4%	125
Yes, I read about it and/or watched it in action	29.4%	53
Yes, I activated it while playing the game	1.1%	2

If Nintendo planned to re-release the CD-i Nintendo games on the Switch or Switch 2, which method would you prefer?

Answer	Percentages	# of Responses
Emulation through Nintendo Switch Online	28.3%	51
Polished-up remasters (similar to Dopply's fan remasters)	47.8%	86
Remakes that retain basic gameplay and cutscenes	11.7%	21
Complete remakes that bring them in-line with the series	12.2%	22

What piece of CD-i Nintendo lost media do you want to see the most?

Answer	Percentages	# of Responses
Iggy's cut hotel (Hotel Mario)	7.8%	14
The scrapped cheese hotel (Hotel Mario)	8.3%	15
Original hand-drawn cutscene art (TFoE/TWoG)	39.4%	71
Uncut version of Zelda's Adventure	6.1%	11
Mario Takes America	7.8%	14
The untitled CD-i Donkey Kong game	30.6%	55

Part 7: Other Related Questions

Have you played any of the other CD-i games made by the CD-i Nintendo games' developers? Check all that apply.

Answer	Percentages	# of Responses
Alice in Wonderland (Spinnaker Software/Animation Magic)	4.4%	8
Laser Lords (Spinnaker Software/Animation Magic)	5.6%	10
Mutant Rampage: Bodyslam (Animation Magic)	3.9%	7
Pyramid Adventures Episode 1 (Animation Magic)	3.9%	7
Name That Tune (Fantasy Factory)	1.1%	2
I have not played any of these	91.1%	164

Have you played I.M. Meen? If so, through which methods? Check all that apply.

Answer	Percentages	# of Responses
No, I have not	83.9%	151
Yes, on original DOS hardware	1.7%	3
Yes, on a DOS emulator	14.4%	26
Yes, through MeenTC	5.0%	9

When you first learned about I.M. Meen, did you think it was a CD-i game (or part of the CD-i Zelda games) instead of actually being a separate DOS game?

Answer	Percentages	# of Responses
No, I always knew it was a separate DOS game	26.1%	47
Yes, but I found out later	39.4%	71
This question is how I found out it was a separate DOS game	34.4%	62

Have you played Chill Manor? If so, through which methods? Check all that apply.

Answer	Percentages	# of Responses
No, I have not	97.8%	176
Yes, on original DOS hardware	0.0%	0
Yes, on a DOS emulator	2.2%	4

Have you played Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore? If so, through which methods? Check all that apply.

Answer	Percentages	# of Responses
No, I have not	73.9%	133
Yes, on a computer	21.1%	38
Yes, on a game console	8.9%	16

Findings

Most participants were between 18 to 34, first heard of the CD-i Nintendo games between 2007 to 2013, and did so through YouTube Poops. These findings show that, even to this day, the CD-i Nintendo games' perception and community are heavily influenced by the "golden age" of YouTube Pooping (which is generally agreed to be around 2007 to 2012).
Most of the participants were from North America - interesting, given the Philips CD-i's country of origin and Europe being the continent where the console was most successful. This result likely comes from the YouTube Poop ties discussed above.
As expected (from their rarity and market price), many participants in the survey did not own a Philips CD-i or physical copies of the Philips CD-i games.
What was somewhat unexpected was the amount of people that had not played any of the CD-i Nintendo games or their relatives - even those that had received more accessible and easy-to-use remakes. A majority of this may stem from the games' design peculiarities, general infamy, and lack of access.

In order, the most played games were Link: The Faces of Evil (30.6% of participants), Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore (26.1%), Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon (23.9%), Hotel Mario (16.7%), I.M. Meen (16.1%), Zelda's Adventure (8.9%), Super Mario's Wacky Worlds (5.6%), and Chill Manor (2.2%).
Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon was played less than Link: The Faces of Evil; this may result from the latter game having more "memorable" characters like Morshu and Gwonam.

For the character popularity poll:

The most popular characters in every category were King Harkinian, Militron (for TFoE) and Hektan (for TWoG), Morshu, and Mayor Cravendish. This roughly tracks with what was gathered for the 2024 poll, though for that one Morshu was in the same category as King Harkinian.
The least popular characters in every category were Duke Onkled, Goronu (for TFoE) and Wizzrobe (for TWoG), Clora, and Sanda. Rather similar to the results for last year, though Duke Onkled won over Impa and Clora replaced Odranoel's spot.
The five characters with the highest number of votes were King Harkinian (170), Morshu (169), Gwonam (156), Link (153), and Zelda (150).
The five characters with the lowest number of votes were Sanda (11), Wizzrobe (13), Clora (16), Odranoel (18), and Horgum (21).
Only Morshu and King Harkinian had averages (both regular and weighted) under 2. Mayor Cravendish had a regular average under 2 as well.
Due to the weighting, some characters with less votes were able to secure a higher rank than others that had more votes. These include Zelda (over Link), Militron and Glutko (over Harlequin), Iron Knuckle (over Omfak), Suprena and Hamsha (over Zorga), and Kulvan (over Alora).
Morshu was the top favorite character for Link: The Faces of Evil, while King Harkinian was the top favorite for Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon. For the Faces of Evil poll, the percentage gap between King Harkinian and Morshu (2.2%) was smaller than in 2024 (3.0%).
The weighted averages of Kulvan and Alora (14.310 and 14.311, respectively) differed by one thousandth!! No other character pairs got THAT close with their weighted averages.

Participants had more positive things to say about the voice acting of the CD-i Zelda games than their animation.
The Harkinians won both of the CD-i Zelda quote polls; King Harkinian won the one for Link: The Faces of Evil with his "My boy" quote, while Zelda won the one for Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon with her "Good." quote.
Morshu's "Lamp oil, rope, bombs!" quote got one more vote than the "Come back when you're a little... mmm... richer!" quote.
Mario's "All toasters toast toast!" quote won the Hotel Mario quote poll.
On the CD-i Nintendo lost media poll, a majority of participants wanted to see either the original cutscene art for TFoE/TWoG or the Donkey Kong CD-i game.

And, to the 14 people who voted for Iggy's lost hotel in that poll... well, your wish has been somewhat granted.

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Last updated: June 24th, 2025.