Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon was the product of a compromise between Nintendo and Philips following their failure to release a CD-ROM based add-on to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It was developed in tandem with Link: The Faces of Evil and marks the first game where the eponymous princess Zelda is playable. The Wand of Gamelon differ from most conventional Zelda games as it is a platformer with a side-scrolling view, similar to The Adventure of Link. Stages are accessed from a world map, with more becoming available as Zelda clears an area or defeats a boss. The game have been subject to much criticism and Nintendo does not recognize it as part of the series.

King Harkinian announces his plan to aid Duke Onkled of Gamelon who is under attack by Ganon and orders Zelda to send Link for backup if she does not hear from him within a month. A month passes without word from the King, so Zelda sends Link to find him but he too goes missing. Zelda ventures off to Gamelon to find both Link and the King, accompanied by her elderly nursemaid Impa.