Difference between revisions of "Zelda II: The Adventure of Link"

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[[Image:Legend of Zelda 2, The - Adventure of Link, The - NES - USA.jpg|thumb|256x256px|North American box art.]]
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[[Image:Zelda II - Adventure of Link, The - NES - USA.jpg|thumb|256x256px|North American box art.]]
  
'''''Zelda II: The Adventure of Link''''', known in Japan as '''''ゼルダの伝説パート2 リンクの冒険 [Zeruda no Densetsu, Pato Tsu: Rinku no Boken], "Legend of Zelda, Part 2: Link's Adventure"''''' is an action adventure role-playing game developed and published by [[Nintendo]] and released on the [[Famicom Disk System]] on 1987-01-14, then ported to [[NES]] for release in other countries. It is the second game in the [[The Legend of Zelda (Universe)|Zelda series]].
+
'''''Zelda II: The Adventure of Link''''' is an action adventure role-playing game developed and published by [[Nintendo]] and released on the [[Famicom Disk System]] on 1987-01-14, then ported to the [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]] for release in other countries. It is the second game in the [[The Legend of Zelda (universe)|''Zelda'' series]].
  
In the game's story, even though Ganon has been defeated, his evil monsters live on, and are seeking out Link to mix his blood with Ganon's ashes in order to resurrect him. Worse yet, Princess Zelda has been cursed into a deep sleep from which she cannot awake. Link must seek the third Triforce, the Triforce of Courage. To do this, he must defeat the guardians of six palaces and place a crystal in a shrine in each one, then, defeat the final guardian.
+
In the game's story, even though Ganon has been defeated, his evil monsters live on, and are seeking out Link to mix his blood with Ganon's ashes in order to resurrect him. Also, another Princess Zelda has been cursed into a deep sleep from which she cannot awake. Link must seek the third Triforce, the Triforce of Courage to wake the princess which means defeating the guardians of six palaces to place a crystal in a shrine in each one, then, defeating the final guardian to prove himself worthy.
  
Being such a huge fan of the [[The Legend of Zelda|original game]], I rented this game from a movie rental place around 1990. My brother, who had already played the game at a friend's house, warned me saying the game was terrible, but I refused to believe him. I had seen the game described in Nintendo Power and [[The Official Nintendo Player's Guide]], and it looked so cool. Sadly, my brother was right, and even with a fairly descriptive walk-through of the first part of the game, I didn't get very far before having to return the game. After toying with the game for many years, I began to realize that it was actually a pretty decent game after all, it just got a bad wrap from being compared to the original masterpiece. So, I tried play the game seriously, and made it all the way to the final palace, but, by that time, I was so sick of the game, and it was getting so difficult, I never finished it.
+
==Personal==
 +
Being such a huge fan of the [[The Legend of Zelda|original game]], I rented this game from a movie rental place around 1990. My brother, who had already played the game at a friend's house, warned me saying the game was terrible, but I refused to believe him. I had seen the game described in ''[[Nintendo Power]]'' and ''[[The Official Nintendo Player's Guide]]'', and it looked so cool. Sadly, my brother was right, and even with a fairly descriptive walk-through of the first part of the game, I didn't get very far before having to return the game. After toying with the game for many years, I began to realize that it was actually a decent game for the NES era, it just got a bad wrap from being compared to the original masterpiece. So, I tried play the game seriously, and made it all the way to the final palace, before eventually becoming sick of the game getting so difficult, and I never finished it.
  
I would love for Nintendo to remake this game in a similar way that they remade [[Metroid]] with [[Metroid: Zero Mission]].
+
I would love for Nintendo to remake this game like how they remade ''[[Metroid]]'' with ''[[Metroid: Zero Mission]]''. If it was polished with a graphics upgrade, new translation, bug fixes, and an internal mapping system, I would probably give it another try.
  
 
==Status==
 
==Status==
I own the original gold cart. I have not beaten the game, but I have reached the final cathedral.
+
I own the original gold cart. I have not beaten the game, but I have reached the Great Palace.
  
 
==Review==
 
==Review==
* '''Overall:''' 4/10
+
{{Video Game Review|5|5|4|6|5|NES}}
* '''Best Version:''' NES
+
 
 +
{{Spoilers}}
  
 
===Good===
 
===Good===
 
* Despite what people say, I actually enjoy the side-view platform elements of the game. I like the jumping, ducking, sword swinging, and shield use of combat.
 
* Despite what people say, I actually enjoy the side-view platform elements of the game. I like the jumping, ducking, sword swinging, and shield use of combat.
* Link looks pretty great in his new larger sprite.
+
* Link looks pretty great in his larger sprite, and so do a lot of the other monsters.
* Adding experience and levels was a nice addition. By allowing weaker players the opportunity to grind to become more powerful, the designers made the game more accessible.  
+
* Adding experience and levels was a nice addition. By allowing players to grind to become more powerful, the designers made the game more accessible to weaker players (or, at least, attempted to do so).
 
* It's nice to see towns throughout Hyrule. The original was almost completely devoid of citizens, so it just felt more like a monster land than a kingdom.
 
* It's nice to see towns throughout Hyrule. The original was almost completely devoid of citizens, so it just felt more like a monster land than a kingdom.
 
* Stalfos, Molblin, Goriya, Octoroks, etc. were all well-converted to their side-view look.
 
* Stalfos, Molblin, Goriya, Octoroks, etc. were all well-converted to their side-view look.
* The boss guardians are pretty impressive.
+
* Some of the boss guardians are pretty impressive.
 
* I like how you are taught new forms of attack like the up-thrust and down-thrust.
 
* I like how you are taught new forms of attack like the up-thrust and down-thrust.
 
* I appreciate the addition of magic and spell points in the game.
 
* I appreciate the addition of magic and spell points in the game.
* The game's music is quite nice and hummable.
+
* The game's music is quite nice and hummable. [[Akito Nakatsuka]] did a good job of building on [[Koji Kondo]]'s music from the first game.
 +
* I like how the overworld has many hidden areas with simple rewards.
 +
* The [[new game plus]] feature is nice for completionists who want to max out their character.
 +
* It's nice that Nintendo continued the tradition of a gold cartridge.
  
 
===Bad===
 
===Bad===
 +
* The background story is a bit of a mess, not just because it makes little sense, but because of internal contradictions.
 
* The overworld graphics are awfully blocky.
 
* The overworld graphics are awfully blocky.
* Lives and 1-ups don't fit the game's theme, and aren't even a good mechanic in an action RPG.
+
* Lives and 1-ups aren't a good mechanic in an action RPG, and they certainly don't fit the game's theme.
* I don't understand why a lot of the enemies which have obvious analogues to the original game are renamed. The bat Vire and Keese is now called Acheman and Ache, the slimes Zol and Gel are renamed Bit and Bot, Darknuts are called Iron Knuckles, Moldorms are called Geldarm, etc.
+
* The level 8 cap on each stat keeps players a bit too weak to ever make the game easy. If they let players keep leveling, it would have made the game more accessible to inexperienced players, while still allowing die-hard fans to speedrun.
* I don't like the decrease in items, and several of the new ones are more of a lock-and-key form rather than useful items: Child, Trophy, Hammer, Raft, Boots, Cross, etc.
+
* I don't like the decrease in usable items, or how several of the new items aren't usable, but rather lock-and-key form: Trophy, Hammer, Raft, Flute, Boots, Cross, etc.
* The dialogue isn't translated all that well causing the story to be fairly difficult to follow at times. "I am error," for example.
+
* The game has a fair amount of glitches, most obvious the Fairy spell, that should have been resolved before the game was released.
* The game has a fair amount of glitches that should have been resolved before the game was released.
+
* I don't understand why a lot of the enemies which have obvious analogues to the original game were renamed. The bat Vire and Keese are now called Acheman and Ache, the slimes Zol and Gel are renamed Bit and Bot, Darknuts are called Iron Knuckles, Moldorms are called Geldarm, etc.
 +
* The dialogue translation has several problems which cause the story to be fairly difficult to follow at times. "I am error," for example.
 +
* The P-Bags are pretty fourth-wall-breaking. I'm okay with treasure counting as experience, but this form is a bit childish.
 
* It's a minor issue, but I don't like how palaces collapse after you finish them. I prefer being allowed to return like in the first game.
 
* It's a minor issue, but I don't like how palaces collapse after you finish them. I prefer being allowed to return like in the first game.
* The P-Bags are pretty fourth-wall-breaking.
+
* They should have recorded a new laugh for Ganon rather than recycling the ''[[Punch-Out!!]]'' laugh.
  
 
===Ugly===
 
===Ugly===
* I find the game to be too difficult, especially in later sections. This makes it inaccessible to its target audience.
+
* I find the game to be too difficult, especially in later palaces. This makes it inaccessible to its target audience. The final [[boss tease]] resulting in Shadow Link is especially insidious.
* I don't approve of death by falling in games where players have lots of hit points, especially if the character is difficult to control when taking hits (think [[Castlevania]] or [[Ninja Gaiden]]). I'm fine with pits in [[Mario Universe|Mario games]] because you never really get that powerful, and levels are fairly short, but it's such a let-down for your fully equipped character with tons of hit points to get killed by a weak monster just because of a single late reaction.
+
* I don't approve of death by falling in games where players have lots of hit points, especially if the character is difficult to control when taking hits (think ''[[Castlevania]]'' or ''[[Ninja Gaiden]]''). I'm fine with pits in [[Mario (universe)|''Mario'' games]] because you never really get that powerful, and the levels are fairly short, but it's such a let-down for your fully equipped character with tons of hit points to get be completely killed because of a single late reaction to a weak monster near a pit.
* The long areas where Link is expected to simply dodge enemy fire are really annoying and unrewarding. The bridges with bubbles are annoying, but the path to the Great Palace where Gerus pelt you with rocks over and over again is just obnoxious.
+
* The long areas where Link is expected to simply dodge enemy fire are both annoying and unrewarding. The bridges with bubbles is bad, but the path to the Great Palace where Gerus pelt you with rocks over and over again is just obnoxious.
  
==Documentation==
+
==Media==
 +
===Box Art===
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
Legend of Zelda 2, The - Adventure of Link, The - NES - Manual.pdf|Game manual.
+
Legend of Zelda 2, The - Adventure of Link, The - FDS - Japan.jpg|The Japanese box shows a defiant Link with sword and shield outside of a well fortified castle with a Triforce symbol behind him. Although the drawing is pretty basic, I prefer this cover to the other regions.
Official Nintendo Player's Guide - 007.jpg|[[The Official Nintendo Player's Guide]], part 1.
+
Legend of Zelda 2, The - Adventure of Link, The - FDS - Japan - Disk Sleeve.jpg|FDS disk sleeve.
Nintendo Power - 1988-06 - 026-027.jpg|[[Nintendo Power]], June, 1986, 2nd Quest, part 1.
+
Zelda II - Adventure of Link, The - NES - USA.jpg|All other regions use this gold box with a well-painted shiny metallic jeweled short sword. It's reminiscent of the previous game's North American box art, and gets the point across you're playing an action game, but it's still pretty vague.
 +
Legend of Zelda 2, The - Adventure of Link, The - NES - USA - Cartridge.jpg|The North American golden metallic cartridge.
 +
Legend of Zelda 2, The - Adventure of Link, The - NES - France - Cartridge.jpg|Europe saw a silvery metallic cartridge.
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  
==Maps==
+
===Documentation===
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
Legend of Zelda - Overworld.png|Overworld map.
+
Legend of Zelda 2, The - Adventure of Link, The - FDS - Manual - Digital.pdf|Famicom manual (digital).
 +
Legend of Zelda 2, The - Adventure of Link, The - FDS - Japan - Insert.pdf|Japanese insert.
 +
Legend of Zelda 2, The - Adventure of Link, The - NES - USA - Manual.pdf|NES manual, USA.
 +
Legend of Zelda 2, The - Adventure of Link, The - NES - USA - Manual - Digital.pdf|NES manual, USA (digital).
 +
Legend of Zelda 2, The - Adventure of Link, The - FDS - Japan - Futabasha Guide.pdf|Futabasha Guide.
 +
Legend of Zelda 2, The - Adventure of Link, The - NES - Map - Drawing.jpg|Map of Hyrule.
 +
Official Nintendo Player's Guide - 043.jpg|''[[The Official Nintendo Player's Guide]]'', part 1.
 +
Official Nintendo Player's Guide - 044.jpg|''The Official Nintendo Player's Guide'', part 2.
 +
Official Nintendo Player's Guide - 045-046.jpg|''The Official Nintendo Player's Guide'', part 3.
 +
Official Nintendo Player's Guide - 047-048.jpg|''The Official Nintendo Player's Guide'', part 4.
 +
Official Nintendo Player's Guide - 049-050.jpg|''The Official Nintendo Player's Guide'', part 5.
 +
Official Nintendo Player's Guide - 127.jpg|''The Official Nintendo Player's Guide'', blurb.
 +
Nintendo Power - 1988-09 - 084-085.jpg|''[[Nintendo Power]]'', Pak Watch.
 +
Nintendo Power - 1989-01 - Cover.jpg|''Nintendo Power'', 1989-01, cover.
 +
Nintendo Power - 1989-01 - 018-019.jpg|''Nintendo Power'', 1989-01, part 1.
 +
Nintendo Power - 1989-01 - 020-021.jpg|''Nintendo Power'', 1989-01, part 2.
 +
Nintendo Power - 1989-01 - 022-023.jpg|''Nintendo Power'', 1989-01, part 3.
 +
Nintendo Power - 1989-01 - 024-025.jpg|''Nintendo Power'', 1989-01, part 4.
 +
Nintendo Power - 1989-01 - 026-027.jpg|''Nintendo Power'', 1989-01, part 5.
 +
Nintendo Power - 1989-01 - 028-029.jpg|''Nintendo Power'', 1989-01, part 6.
 +
Nintendo Power - 1989-01 - 030-031.jpg|''Nintendo Power'', 1989-01, part 7.
 +
Nintendo Power - 1989-01 - 032-033.jpg|''Nintendo Power'', 1989-01, part 8.
 +
Nintendo Power - 1989-01 - 034.jpg|''Nintendo Power'', 1989-01, part 9.
 +
Nintendo Power - 1989-01 - 035.jpg|''Nintendo Power'', 1989-01, part 10.
 +
Nintendo Fun Club - 1988-06-01 - 11.jpg|''[[Nintendo Fun Club]]'', 1988-06 - Blurb.
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  
==Fan Art==
+
===Maps===
 +
<gallery>
 +
Legend of Zelda 2, The - Adventure of Link, The - NES - Map - Hyrule.png|Hyrule.
 +
Legend of Zelda 2, The - Adventure of Link, The - NES - Map - Hyrule (Spoilers).png|Hyrule with spoilers.
 +
Legend of Zelda 2, The - Adventure of Link, The - NES - Map - North Castle.png|North Castle.
 +
Legend of Zelda 2, The - Adventure of Link, The - NES - Map - Rauru.png|Town of Rauru.
 +
Legend of Zelda 2, The - Adventure of Link, The - NES - Map - Ruto.png|Town of Ruto.
 +
Legend of Zelda 2, The - Adventure of Link, The - NES - Map - Saria.png|Town of Saria.
 +
Legend of Zelda 2, The - Adventure of Link, The - NES - Map - Mido.png|Town of Mido.
 +
Legend of Zelda 2, The - Adventure of Link, The - NES - Map - Nabooru.png|Town of Nabooru.
 +
Legend of Zelda 2, The - Adventure of Link, The - NES - Map - Darunia.png|Town of Darunia.
 +
Legend of Zelda 2, The - Adventure of Link, The - NES - Map - Kasuto (Deserted).png|Town of Kasuto (Deserted).
 +
Legend of Zelda 2, The - Adventure of Link, The - NES - Map - Kasuto.png|Town of Kasuto.
 +
Legend of Zelda 2, The - Adventure of Link, The - NES - Map - Parapa Palace.png|Parapa Palace.
 +
Legend of Zelda 2, The - Adventure of Link, The - NES - Map - Midoro Palace.png|Midoro Palace.
 +
Legend of Zelda 2, The - Adventure of Link, The - NES - Map - Island Palace.png|Island Palace.
 +
Legend of Zelda 2, The - Adventure of Link, The - NES - Map - Maze Palace.png|Maze Palace.
 +
Legend of Zelda 2, The - Adventure of Link, The - NES - Map - Palace On the Sea.png|Palace On the Sea.
 +
Legend of Zelda 2, The - Adventure of Link, The - NES - Map - Three-Eye Rock Palace.png|Three-Eye Rock Palace.
 +
Legend of Zelda 2, The - Adventure of Link, The - NES - Map - Great Palace.png|Great Palace.
 +
</gallery>
 +
 
 +
===Graphics===
 +
* [https://www.spriters-resource.com/nes/tloztheadventureoflink spriters-resource.com/nes/tloztheadventureoflink] - Graphic Sheets.
 +
 
 +
===Gallery===
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
Zac Gorman - Legend of Zelda - Sword.gif|Old man gives Link a sword comic by Zac Gorman.
+
Legend of Zelda 2, The - Adventure of Link, The - NES - Map - 1st Game Inset.png|Zelda II contains the map of the first game.
Legend of Zelda - Deimos-Remus - Link.jpg|Link fan art by Deimos-Remus.
+
Legend of Zelda 2, The - Adventure of Link, The - NES - Fan Art - Healing Comic.jpg|Fan art - Healing Comic.
 +
Legend of Zelda 2, The - Adventure of Link, The - NES - Fruit Snacks.jpg|Fruit snacks.
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
 +
 +
===Videos===
 +
{{#ev:youtube|sDBfNTf4ORY|256|inline|Review - Angry Video Game Nerd.|frame}}
 +
{{#ev:youtube|_wcefuuDoBU|256|inline|Review - Metroidvania Works.|frame}}
 +
{{#ev:youtube|FES3QUWshFI|256|inline|Boundary Break.|frame}}
 +
{{#ev:youtube|P9jThfBhP5A|256|inline|Regional differences.|frame}}
 +
{{#ev:youtube|MRpfgo-1kNQ|256|inline|BrentalFloss.|frame}}
 +
{{#ev:youtube|LY-YryVEXZQ|256|inline|Longplay.|frame}}
 +
 +
==Credits==
 +
Zelda II has credits, but they leave out some people and are mostly aliases. Thankfully, dedicated fans have determined the majority of their real names.
 +
 +
{| class="wikitable" |
 +
! Roles !! Staff
 +
|-
 +
| Executive Producer || [[Hiroshi Yamauchi]], [[Satoru Iwata]]
 +
|-
 +
| Producer || [[Shigeru Miyamoto]]
 +
|-
 +
| Directors || [[Tadashi Sugiyama]], [[Yasuhisa Yamamura]]
 +
|-
 +
| Designer || [[Kazunobu Shimizu]]
 +
|-
 +
| Programmers || [[Kazuaki Morita]], [[Tatsuo Nishiyama]], [[Shigehiro Kasamatsu]], [[Yasunari Nishida]], [[Toshihiko Nakago]]
 +
|-
 +
| Music, Sound Effects || [[Akito Nakatsuka]]
 +
|}
 +
 +
==Titles==
 +
{| class="wikitable"
 +
! Language !! Native !! Transliteration !! Translation
 +
|-
 +
| English || Zelda II: The Adventure of Link || ||
 +
|-
 +
| Japanese || ゼルダの伝説パート2 リンクの冒険 || Zeruda no Densetsu, Pato Tsu: Rinku no Boken || Legend of Zelda, Part 2: Link's Adventure
 +
|}
  
 
==Links==
 
==Links==
* [http://www.mobygames.com/game/nes/zelda-ii-the-adventure-of-link mobygames.com/game/nes/zelda-ii-the-adventure-of-link] - MobyGames.
+
{{Link|MobyGames|http://www.mobygames.com/game/zelda-ii-the-adventure-of-link}}
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zelda_II:_The_Adventure_of_Link en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zelda_II:_The_Adventure_of_Link] - Wikipedia.
+
{{Link|Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zelda_II:_The_Adventure_of_Link}}
* [http://www.vgmpf.com/Wiki/index.php?title=Zelda_II:_The_Adventure_of_Link_(NES) vgmpf.com/Wiki/index.php?title=Zelda_II:_The_Adventure_of_Link_(NES)] - Music.
+
{{Link|StrategyWiki|https://strategywiki.org/wiki/Zelda_II:_The_Adventure_of_Link}}
* [http://www.thealmightyguru.com/Games/Hacking/Wiki/index.php?title=Zelda_II_-_The_Adventure_of_Link thealmightyguru.com/Games/Hacking/Wiki/index.php?title=Zelda_II_-_The_Adventure_of_Link] - NES Hacker Database.
+
{{Link|VGMPF|2=http://www.vgmpf.com/Wiki/index.php?title=Zelda_II:_The_Adventure_of_Link_(NES)}}
 +
{{Link|NESHacker|2=http://www.thealmightyguru.com/Games/Hacking/Wiki/index.php?title=Zelda_II_-_The_Adventure_of_Link}}
 +
{{Link|TCRF|https://tcrf.net/Zelda_II:_The_Adventure_of_Link}}
 +
{{Link|TVTropes|https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/VideoGame/ZeldaIITheAdventureOfLink}}
 +
 
 +
* [https://www.zeldadungeon.net/wiki/Zelda_II:_The_Adventure_of_Link zeldadungeon.net/wiki/Zelda_II:_The_Adventure_of_Link] - Zelda Dungeon.
 +
* [https://zelda.gamepedia.com/Zelda_II:_The_Adventure_of_Link zelda.gamepedia.com/Zelda_II:_The_Adventure_of_Link] - Zelda Wiki.
  
  
 
[[Category: Games]]
 
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[[Category: Video Games]]
 
[[Category: Video Games]]
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[[Category: 1987 Video Games]]
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[[Category: Video Game Prime Order - Adventure, Action, Strategy]]
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[[Category: Video Game Genre - Adventure]]
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[[Category: Video Game Genre - Metroidvania]]
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[[Category: Video Game Genre - Role-Playing Game]]
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[[Category: Media Theme - Action]]
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[[Category: Media Theme - Adventure]]
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[[Category: Media Theme - Fantasy]]
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[[Category: Game Mechanic - Boss Tease]]
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[[Category: Game Mechanic - New Game Plus]]
 
[[Category: NES Games]]
 
[[Category: NES Games]]
 
[[Category: Famicom Disk System Games]]
 
[[Category: Famicom Disk System Games]]
[[Category: Action]]
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[[Category: Trope - Damsel In Distress]]
[[Category: Adventure]]
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[[Category: Trope - Women As Reward]]
[[Category: Role-Playing Game]]
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[[Category: Video Games That Fail the Bechdel Test]]
[[Category: Fantasy]]
+
[[Category: Video Games I Haven't Beaten]]

Revision as of 12:15, 13 November 2020

North American box art.

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link is an action adventure role-playing game developed and published by Nintendo and released on the Famicom Disk System on 1987-01-14, then ported to the NES for release in other countries. It is the second game in the Zelda series.

In the game's story, even though Ganon has been defeated, his evil monsters live on, and are seeking out Link to mix his blood with Ganon's ashes in order to resurrect him. Also, another Princess Zelda has been cursed into a deep sleep from which she cannot awake. Link must seek the third Triforce, the Triforce of Courage to wake the princess which means defeating the guardians of six palaces to place a crystal in a shrine in each one, then, defeating the final guardian to prove himself worthy.

Personal

Being such a huge fan of the original game, I rented this game from a movie rental place around 1990. My brother, who had already played the game at a friend's house, warned me saying the game was terrible, but I refused to believe him. I had seen the game described in Nintendo Power and The Official Nintendo Player's Guide, and it looked so cool. Sadly, my brother was right, and even with a fairly descriptive walk-through of the first part of the game, I didn't get very far before having to return the game. After toying with the game for many years, I began to realize that it was actually a decent game for the NES era, it just got a bad wrap from being compared to the original masterpiece. So, I tried play the game seriously, and made it all the way to the final palace, before eventually becoming sick of the game getting so difficult, and I never finished it.

I would love for Nintendo to remake this game like how they remade Metroid with Metroid: Zero Mission. If it was polished with a graphics upgrade, new translation, bug fixes, and an internal mapping system, I would probably give it another try.

Status

I own the original gold cart. I have not beaten the game, but I have reached the Great Palace.

Review

Video Game Review Icon - Enjoyment.png Video Game Review Icon - Control.png Video Game Review Icon - Appearance.png Video Game Review Icon - Sound.png Video Game Review Icon - Replayability.png
5 5 4 6 5

Best Version: NES

— This section contains spoilers! —

Good

  • Despite what people say, I actually enjoy the side-view platform elements of the game. I like the jumping, ducking, sword swinging, and shield use of combat.
  • Link looks pretty great in his larger sprite, and so do a lot of the other monsters.
  • Adding experience and levels was a nice addition. By allowing players to grind to become more powerful, the designers made the game more accessible to weaker players (or, at least, attempted to do so).
  • It's nice to see towns throughout Hyrule. The original was almost completely devoid of citizens, so it just felt more like a monster land than a kingdom.
  • Stalfos, Molblin, Goriya, Octoroks, etc. were all well-converted to their side-view look.
  • Some of the boss guardians are pretty impressive.
  • I like how you are taught new forms of attack like the up-thrust and down-thrust.
  • I appreciate the addition of magic and spell points in the game.
  • The game's music is quite nice and hummable. Akito Nakatsuka did a good job of building on Koji Kondo's music from the first game.
  • I like how the overworld has many hidden areas with simple rewards.
  • The new game plus feature is nice for completionists who want to max out their character.
  • It's nice that Nintendo continued the tradition of a gold cartridge.

Bad

  • The background story is a bit of a mess, not just because it makes little sense, but because of internal contradictions.
  • The overworld graphics are awfully blocky.
  • Lives and 1-ups aren't a good mechanic in an action RPG, and they certainly don't fit the game's theme.
  • The level 8 cap on each stat keeps players a bit too weak to ever make the game easy. If they let players keep leveling, it would have made the game more accessible to inexperienced players, while still allowing die-hard fans to speedrun.
  • I don't like the decrease in usable items, or how several of the new items aren't usable, but rather lock-and-key form: Trophy, Hammer, Raft, Flute, Boots, Cross, etc.
  • The game has a fair amount of glitches, most obvious the Fairy spell, that should have been resolved before the game was released.
  • I don't understand why a lot of the enemies which have obvious analogues to the original game were renamed. The bat Vire and Keese are now called Acheman and Ache, the slimes Zol and Gel are renamed Bit and Bot, Darknuts are called Iron Knuckles, Moldorms are called Geldarm, etc.
  • The dialogue translation has several problems which cause the story to be fairly difficult to follow at times. "I am error," for example.
  • The P-Bags are pretty fourth-wall-breaking. I'm okay with treasure counting as experience, but this form is a bit childish.
  • It's a minor issue, but I don't like how palaces collapse after you finish them. I prefer being allowed to return like in the first game.
  • They should have recorded a new laugh for Ganon rather than recycling the Punch-Out!! laugh.

Ugly

  • I find the game to be too difficult, especially in later palaces. This makes it inaccessible to its target audience. The final boss tease resulting in Shadow Link is especially insidious.
  • I don't approve of death by falling in games where players have lots of hit points, especially if the character is difficult to control when taking hits (think Castlevania or Ninja Gaiden). I'm fine with pits in Mario games because you never really get that powerful, and the levels are fairly short, but it's such a let-down for your fully equipped character with tons of hit points to get be completely killed because of a single late reaction to a weak monster near a pit.
  • The long areas where Link is expected to simply dodge enemy fire are both annoying and unrewarding. The bridges with bubbles is bad, but the path to the Great Palace where Gerus pelt you with rocks over and over again is just obnoxious.

Media

Box Art

Documentation

Maps

Graphics

Gallery

Videos

Review - Angry Video Game Nerd.
Review - Metroidvania Works.
Boundary Break.
Regional differences.
BrentalFloss.
Longplay.

Credits

Zelda II has credits, but they leave out some people and are mostly aliases. Thankfully, dedicated fans have determined the majority of their real names.

Roles Staff
Executive Producer Hiroshi Yamauchi, Satoru Iwata
Producer Shigeru Miyamoto
Directors Tadashi Sugiyama, Yasuhisa Yamamura
Designer Kazunobu Shimizu
Programmers Kazuaki Morita, Tatsuo Nishiyama, Shigehiro Kasamatsu, Yasunari Nishida, Toshihiko Nakago
Music, Sound Effects Akito Nakatsuka

Titles

Language Native Transliteration Translation
English Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
Japanese ゼルダの伝説パート2 リンクの冒険 Zeruda no Densetsu, Pato Tsu: Rinku no Boken Legend of Zelda, Part 2: Link's Adventure

Links

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