Prerelease:Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon

This page details prerelease information and/or media for Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon.

Gamelon Map Concept Art

Concept Art	Final

In May 2010, some original artwork for the Zelda CD-i games was released online. Included was an early map of Gamelon, which showed off a few differences.

• A large chunk of land near Aru Ainu was removed. Gobiyan Ship was moved to fill its space, and had its front mast broken off.
• Speaking of Aru Ainu, the shields near the huts were removed, and some hills and rocks were added. It also has a slightly different name, "Aru-ainu".
• The small shrines on the Shrine of Gamelon's mountainside were removed.
• More details were added to Kobitan, such as trees and farmland.
• Some rocks near Sakado and Ahitaru were removed.
• Tykogi Tower was moved up and to the right, and the peninsula next to Dodomai Palace was shortened. Zelda's ship was placed between them.
• The lighthouse south of Zelda's ship has a different design, and seems to be built into the rock it's on.

(Source: Original Zelda CD-i artwork surfaced online)

PAX East 2024

An interview with Rob Dunlavey (background artist in Wand of Gamelon) at the PAX East event in March 2024 revealed some sheets of layout sketches, showcasing more design differences with the final product.

Gobiyan Ship

• The starting area is drawn without finer details like grass, rocks, or the fence near the ship, and the dunes themselves have a different layout.
• A Gohma would've appeared at the cabin's entrance.
• The notes call for Tektites and Arpagos to appear on the ship's masts. There are no mentions of Ghinis or Zolas for this level.
• It also says that Octoroks, and most curiously, Leevers - a type of enemy from the original The Legend of Zelda - would've been encountered at the starting area. Leevers don't make an appearance in this game or Link: The Faces of Evil at all.

Nokani Forest

• The "tall trees" area of Nokani Forest is noted as being the fourth map. Nokani Forest is only three maps long in the final game, indicating that one of its maps was cut.
• The sketch has more background foliage and a few less platformer-friendly tree branches.
• The notes call for Tektites and Arpagos to appear in this zone, but in the final game, Bots and Moas show up instead.

Reesong Palace

• The tunnel is labeled as being the fourth map in the layout sketch - in-game, it's the third map of Reesong Palace. This implies a map near the start of the area was cut.
• The tunnel itself is two screens long instead of one, and its notes mention a cut Candle item (though given the Lantern is also mentioned, it's possible Animation Magic hadn't decided on what the darkness-lighting item would be yet).
• A Gleeok would've appeared in the Reesong Palace tunnel instead of two boomerang-throwing Goriyas.
• The tower room is also larger, being a full three screens tall instead of the final game's two screens. It features extra platforms, ladders, and two doors that would've led to a completely scrapped kitchen area.
• The scrapped kitchen room fills only one screen; in it, Zelda would've fought an enemy named "Hamati". It's unknown if this name was meant for a regular enemy (whether used and unnamed or cut from the game) or for a cut boss.
• The upper level area is only vaguely similar to the two horizontally-scrolling, run-down zones at the top of Reesong Palace. The sketch features a lot of destroyed furniture and tattered curtains, and seemingly takes place entirely indoors.
• The notes call for Stalfos, Armos and Wallmasters to appear in the tower and the upper level, but none of them do.

CD-i Magazine Screenshot

Prerelease	Final

Two screenshots of The Wand of Gamelon were shown on the back cover of CD-i Magazine Issue 2. One of them, showing Zelda at the Shrine of Gamelon's exterior, has a Daira right next to the Shrine itself. In the final game, no Dairas appear in the level.