Developer(s) – Nintendo R&D 4
Publisher(s) – Nintendo
Director(s) – Tadashi Sugiyama & Yoichi Yamada
Producer(s) – Shigeru Miyamoto
PEGI – 3
Released the year after the original game, and to universal acclaim and sales eventually peaking at over 4 million units worldwide, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link made many radical departures from the first game. Whilst exploration and travel were handled using the top-down perspective synonymous with the first Legend of Zelda, combat was represented through a 2D side-scrolling perspective. And works very similarly to games such as Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest.
Thus it joined a class of NES sequels that were drastically different from their predecessors. Alongside Double Dragon II: The Revenge, Godzilla 2: War of the Monsters, and most famously, Super Mario Bros 2. Personally, I found that although this formula has never been able to quite match the same level of enjoyment with the classic top-down Zelda formula used in the likes of A Link to the Past or A Link Between Worlds, I still found the first game extremely entertaining. And a strong entry in the series that still holds up even after almost 30 years.
Graphics – 8/10
Making a significant departure from its predecessor, the second game in the Legend of Zelda series displayed many improvements in visual presentation from a technical standpoint. Sprites and scenery are much more detailed, and there is an abundance of enemy variety. Some of which have gone on to become staples of the series. Such as the Moblins, the Iron Knuckles, and perhaps most notably, Dark Link.
In the timeline of the series, this game is the latest following the game-over scenario in Ocarina of Time, which leads to the decline of the land of Hyrule. So like many of the games in the series, it has a level of conceptual design that has since continued to deviate away from many familiar elements like Hyrule Castle and Kakariko Village. And thus, it still continues to stand out in this respect. It’s also interesting to consider how the names of towns in this game were later reworked into other entries. Most notably, Ocarina of Time.
Gameplay – 7/10
The developers adopted a style of play for the second Zelda game that went against almost everything the original game was based on. And a style of play that has not really been seen in the series since. Instead of the game solely focusing on the bird’s eye view synonymous with 2D Zelda games, the developers instead opted to use 2D side-scrolling mechanics for the combat side and even incorporated a classic RPG style of play whereby Link would level up in order to become stronger over time.
Whilst Nintendo has never chosen to focus on this style of play again (and most definitely for the better in my opinion), it still made for a particularly fun game; certainly one of the better titles on the NES. Combat is addictive. As well as challenging. Whilst it may not have been innovative for the time. Since it was largely based on games such as Castlevania and Faxanadu, it still worked surprisingly well.
Controls – 9/10
Both styles of play portrayed in the game were quite prominent at the time. Especially 2D side-scrolling. So there are no problems with this game for the most part. The mechanic of the player having to periodically switch between both was seamlessly handled, and combat was handled almost as well as most other games it was based on. The only bad thing I would say about it, as was indeed the case with a fair few side scrollers on the NES (most notably both Castlevania and Mega Man) is that the controls can at times be a little bit stiff and slow to register player commands. Which adds an unnecessary degree of annoyance. Thankfully, since this game is much more accessible than both the aforementioned examples, it doesn’t cause anywhere near as much of a problem.
Lifespan – 8/10
In all, Zelda II can take around 3 and a half hours to complete to 100%, which by today’s standards may seem like nothing. But it was exceptionally long for the time. Generally, games took little more than an hour to complete. But there were exceptions made to this rule in titles such as the first two Zelda games. As well as Metroid, Dragon Warrior, and Final Fantasy. Though it may be understandable to wish for a longer lifespan since the game is certainly addictive enough to warrant at least a few more hours of play, hardware limitations at that time should be taken into consideration.
Storyline – 8/10
The story of the second game takes place some years after the first game during the era of Hyrule’s decline. Princess Zelda has fallen under a sleeping spell. And it is up to Link to seek out Zelda’s caretaker Impa to find a way of breaking the curse. As well as stop followers of the evil wizard Ganon. Who plans to kill Link and use his blood to bring their master back to Hyrule.
Interestingly, I found that Zelda II introduced many darker aspects of the series that would also be seen in later entries. Such as mature themes and hints of ritualistic behavior reminiscent of the likes of Majora’s Mask and Twilight Princess. It’s considered a black sheep of the series in terms of gameplay by most fans. But I believe it can also be considered as such in terms of the story since it has a fairly prominent dark undertone to it. Although games at the time generally relied on players reading the manual, for the most part. It, of course, adds to the experience of looking for things like this within the actual game.
Originality – 8/10
As I previously mentioned, Zelda II belongs to a group of sequels that were drastically different from their predecessors. And consequently, this game stands out much more than many others at the time. But in all, in a positive way. Though there would be many future games in the series released that would surpass the quality of this entry, it’s still an extremely pleasurable experience in its own right. This is owed largely to how much it stands out from the rest of the entire Zelda saga.
Happii
Overall, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link is a very strong entry, both despite and because of how different it is from any other Zelda game. And I would recommend it like I would recommend most others in the series. Exploration is rewarded greatly, combat is very addictive. And in my opinion, it is a game that is likely to hold up for another 30 years.