Customer Reviews

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Zelda II: The Adventures of Link is the direct sequel to one of my favorite games of all time - The Legend of Zelda. Zelda II expands on the story, having a grown up Link fighting to save the princess (who has been cursed into sleep) and Link is also trying to stop the forces of evil from reviving Gannon (the bad guy from the first Zelda game).

While the first Zelda game was a straight adventure game, Zelda II mixes in RPG elements in how you search the towns, talk to people and try to discover what to do and where to go next. When you are in the overworld, you control link from the top down and this is very similar to an RPG. As you walk, you get into random battles (which are partially avoidable) and the action is now side-scrolling. You can fight with your sword and cast magic. Throughout the game Link levels up as he gains experience and can earn more magic points, health, or strength.

This is one of the more difficult Zelda games and it was only until I replayed the game a couple years ago that I was finally able to make my way through the final dungeon to defeat the game (I could never find my way to the last boss). Even with the advanced difficulty, this is a stellar game and fully lives up (or helps to set up) the Zelda dynasty and is part of the reason why this is such a well respected and beloved video game franchise.

Zelda II is different. I will admit right off the bat that this game may not be for everyone. When it was released, it recieved a lot of negative feedback because it was not what people were expecting from a "Zelda" game. This game, at it's heart, is an action-sidescroller, and a VERY difficult one at that.

Having said that, you should definitely try it out. The game uses rpg-zelda-like adventuring, but zooms in for a 2D sidescroll view for combat sequences, and the result is a VERY engaging and creative game. The combat is more complex than most action games, lending a high degree of difficulty to the game. (fighting advanced opponents often involves sword-and-shield combat that required more thinking and reacting than simply "button-mashing.")

The graphics are way better than they have any right to be for an 8-bit game and the music is quite good. (much better than Zelda I's music.) There are only 7 temples, but they are challenging and will take you quite a while to defeat. The last temple is a MONSTER and it's big secret has stumped *many* excellent gamers for years.

The game builds nicely throughout and the gameplay never relents. There are very few opportunites for "metaplay" this game. (metagaming = "programmer-allowed cheating." as in: finding a way to defeat an enemy that the computer cannot possibly defend against.) The final battle is fast and ferocious and the identity of your oponnent will surprise you! (hint: he makes a cameo appearance in Zelda 64! Well, Now you HAVE to try the game, don't you?? :D)

As a fellow game-developer myself, I have to commend Nintendo for their ingenious design of the last temple and in fact, the whole game. This game has rightly become a cult-classic in recent years and should be required material for any action-rpg game fan.

Be warned though, if you are expecting a game like Zelda I or III, you will be surprised, though not necesarily dissapointed.

Highly recommended.

I am one of a few people that think, that Zelda II: The Adventure Of Link, surpasses it's original (The Legend Of Zelda).

There's something really mystical and magical about every aspect of this game., that was severely lacking in it's predecessor. (That is severely lacking in most games that are on the market today!)

From the moment you turn the game pak on, wonderful, mystical/fantasy music hits, which soon turns eerie and frightening; a sort of a feeling that the land of Hyrule has suddenly changed. It's a nightmare province now; we feel we're in a fantasy within a fantasy. The rest of music, thought the game thoroughly reflects the moods generated. So unlike many other games there's no lost of feeling of what your quest is about, and how you must desperately trying to get rid of this horrendous and fearful evil. Now very few games have that sort of effect on people, I can tell you.

The story is that it's been years since an inexperienced Link had defeated the evil Ganyon (the original game) But now the Ganyon has returned, causing yet more treacherous murder as he tries to overthrow the power of awe inspiring Princess Zelda. Removing six precious crystals from palaces across the land of Hyrule, he uses the powerful wizardry from them to put a sleeping spell on the beautiful Princess Zelda.

Hyrule's only hope is her close and best friend (really her boyfriend!) Link. Now bigger and more mature and skillful. Who sets on, on what feel surely a traitorous and grueling quest.

As you might have gathered from playing Zelda games is that the land of Hyrule is HUGE! Your first main task is to return the six precious crystals to their origins, in six stone statues. Only by defeating the six guardians you will be able to gain access to the seventh palace. Once the palace has it's stone returned the palace will turn to stone! But the first task itself is not at all simple: On your way helpful villagers from town you may want to visit will encounter clues and lot of secret info that is almost essential to your quest. That's not all! You can learn a variety of magic spells and learn new moves with your sword! As well as a complex way of extending life and magic power.

I could go on and on about this game, because the whole game is just so well planned out! I can see that people were put off with this game because of the complex elements during gameplay. It's not just an RPG action adventure scrolling game.

I don't know what is wrong with some of my brethren. I do not see how anyone could conceivably award this game less than 5 stars. If you have not played this game before, then ignore the cynics, skeptics, party-poopers and naysayers who ignorantly and stupidly sully this game's rating. Know that this is quite possibly the best video game ever made for any system.

What makes this game so good? The plot is compelling, the characters are well-drawn, the theme music is absolutely and undeniably genius and the game is appropriately challenging--it is difficult, but not too difficult. You will not be able to beat this game quickly, and there will be points in the game where you are frustrated, but the journey will be worth it. One of the greatest experiences of your life will be thrashing Ganon and bringing peace to Hyrule.

Do not pay attention to the nincompoops complaining that this game is 2D. First of all, they're wrong. Much of the game actually IS 3D, particularly when Link travels in Hyrule. Only the battle scenes are in 2D, but this is a good feature, because 2D battles emphasize swordsmanship more. With time you will master the upward thrust, the downward thrust and the jumping swipe. Look for the swordsmen in the villages to teach you these tricks. And, for the final time, ignore the haters of this game. These people have poor judgment and they should be tortured and fed to lions.

Zelda II - The Adventure Of Link was a game that I used to play constantly back in 1989 and 1990. I was addicted to the game. Nothing else mattered. I remember one Friday night in February 1990 I had the worst three game series I had ever bowled on my Friday night men's league (401), in fact, that series is still to this day the lowest series I've ever bowled on any men's league I've ever bowled on, and I've been bowling on men's leagues for 23 years (I have a 204 average and a high series of 790). Bowling that bad really bothered me. But there was something that would make me forget about everything - Zelda II. I knew that I'd get to go home and play Zelda II. I walked in the door and immediately turned on the Nintendo system and suddenly everything felt better. I ended up playing until about 4 AM.

I reached the last phase of this game, but never was able to "beat" the game. Oh well. As addicted as I was to this game back in 1990, the last time I played this game was in.......1990.

This game's graphics and overall level of fun were, in my mind, unmatched back in the early '90s. Nowadays, people (especially young people) probably think this game is inferior on every level.

I've played harder games than this one, but its certainly no cakewalk in any way, shape, or form. It will definitely test your ability to inflict and dodge attacks. Your life preserving strategies will get quite a workout too. You've got to be on the ball if you want to get through this game. Even with maxed out stats, you can't just plow through the game and take hits. Heck, even with max strength I wouldn't mess with those knife-throwing eagles. I just ran away from them, and still somehow lived.

There's no way you can beat this game without a walkthrough. No freaking way. Way too many dangerous mazes and unobvious methods to get items. And you need ALL of the items to get through the game. You can't just pick and choose. You need to have the thunder spell to beat the boss, and you need to have all the magic containers to get the spell, see.

There are really only two places where you'd get stuck in this game. Unfortunately one of the places is right at the beginning and the other is right at the end. At the beginning, Death Mountain really is DEATH mountain. I can't think of any way to get through it except by building up experience points like crazy and leveling up several times. Those red alligator cavemen are monstrous.

And at the end, well, just walking along the path from the giant spider to the Great Palace is a heck of a challenge. Dinosaur men throw barrages of rocks at you with the accuracy of snipers, and one-eyed ghosts fly around randomly, knocking you into lava and zapping away whatever lives you have. Thank goodness if you actually make it to the Great Palace, you can continue from there.

What really makes this game so different from the other Zelda games is the jumps. In Zelda 1 and 3, there aren't really any jumps, and if you miss a jump in Zelda 4, its not really all that big of a deal. Start where you left off and try again. But if you miss a jump in Zelda 2, it costs you dearly. Miss three of those and you're back at the beginning, and believe me, there are plenty of enemies around to help you miss those three.

The odd thing though, is that while the combat system and the required jump-dodging are what makes this game hard as heck, they also are what make the game good. After some practice, you'll be impressed at what you're able to do. Especially once you figure out how to get past those boomerang guys. The controls are practically flawless, and my only complaint about them is Link's sword is too short for the upward thrust to be particularly effective. Half the time I'd use that attack I'd take damage instead of give it.

Quite primitive, and definitely not as good as Zelda 3 or 4, but it has some neat items and spells, and its definitely a man's game. Play it if you dare.

Many will say this game is not worthy of the name Zelda, but I say they are just afraid of change. Many people playing Zelda II might expect a clone of the original Zelda, but at what point in the rest of the Zelda series has that ever happened? Every new Zelda game has added some new element to the gameplay, and changed the story. This is the only one to be a direct sequel, and it changed the gameplay drastically.
For those not familiar with Zelda II, the basic idea is that Princess Zelda has been placed into a deep sleep by an unknown person. The only thing that can wake her is the Triforce of Wisdom. (If you remember Zelda I, Ganon had the Triforce of Power, and Link collected the Triforce of Courage.) The triforce of Wisdom is securely locked away in the Golden Palace. But Link can't just walk in the front door of the palace. He must first break the magical seal around the palace. He does this by placing six crystals in statues scattered throughout Hyrule. Each statue is in a palace, guarded by some VERY difficult bosses. That's really all there is to the story.
The gameplay is the part that seems to cause the most grumbling among the nay-sayers. I won't lie, it is VERY difficult, because it focuses on sword-fighting, and you don't get to fall back on some other weapon if you suck with the sword. But if you can master the basics of sword fighting, the rest of the game is just about finding your way, and discovering an enemy's weakness. There are many helpful characters in the game, who give you ample hints to get you pointed in the right driection. You still have to solve the puzzles, and find a lot of things yourself, but how fun would it be if they spelled the answers out for you?
There is a level-up system using experience points which is unique for the Zelda series, and if you try to go straight to the first palace from the get-go, you will die quickly, and often. But, like many of the Final Fantasy style RPG's, you can always earn XP in random battles, and beef yourself up at will. So you CAN make the game easier, with minimal effort if you go to the right places.
Some have said that if you finally manage to beat it, you're dissappointed by the ending. I say, it's 8-bit! What did you expect? A DVD-quality animatic? Anyone who's ever felt their pulse pounding when they approach a boss in any game, and felt the rush of joy when they stomp that boss into the ground will be able to feel the same feeling when they beat Zelda II. The game is difficult enough that just beating it is a badge of honor.
Replay value? Some games in the RPG genre lose a lot of their appeal when you know all the puzzles, and know where all the extras are. But not Zelda II. Combat is challenging enough that the game can still be fun the second time, or even the 20th time through. Sure, it took me almost a month to beat it the first time, and now I can do it in about 6 hours, but I still enjoy it every time.
I urge anyone who's passed this title over because of negative reviews to take another look at it. Pick yourself up a copy, and play it. I don't mean just a half-hearted attempt either. Give it a chance to either shine or fail on its own merits. Stop comparing it to the rest of the series, and give this amazing game a chance! If you really didn't like it, you're only out a few bucks right? and you can propably resell the game.

Zelda II has its share of detractors because everything they loved about Zeldas I, III, and the Zelda Game Boy games is absent from this installment. Gone is the bird's eye view combat mode that dominates the other titles. Gone are the intricate dungeon puzzles. In its place is a side-scrolling actioner combined with elements of a classic format RPG (complete with experience points, levels, spells and the rest). I first played this game when I was 12, and my initial reaction at the time was, 'Oh no! What have they done?' Needless to say, 15 minutes later I was hooked. By the time I had completed the game, I liked it better than the first. What it lacks in sheer scope, length, and originality, it far makes up for in terms of challenge. This is easily the most difficult Zelda game of all, which - considering that all future Zelda installments are unbelievably easy - is a good thing.

While I enjoyed this game better, I admit the first and third titles demonstrated more ingenuity, originality, and were better produced considering their respective release dates. Zelda II is -barely- recognizeable as a Zelda game in the way we think of them, and part of me suspects that Mr. Miyamoto (the brains behind all other major Zelda releases) was barely involved in this installment. Once you get past the shock of the different format, however, the game easily draws you in. One other disclaimer: I am partial to RPGs, which may explain my preference for this entry. But part of the reason is also inexplicable - there is something subconsciously fascinating about Zelda II. It's less monotonous than the other Zeldas, and more bizarre, moody, even random - in some respects it is even comparable to Ultima: Exodus (another classic NES title, released the same year, which I highly recommend to anyone who likes Zelda II). In any case, this is a title not to be missed, is worthy of the Zelda name if only for quality's sake, and represents the most challenging entry in a franchise that has lately been lacking in that area.

Well Zelda 2 Or As A Lot Of People Spell It Zelda II The Adventure Of Link And This Was One Heck Of A Adventure The Story Well In The Last Game You Defeted The Evil Ganon And In This Game You Are Trying To Relese Zelda From A Sleeping Spell And You Have To Go Through I Think 7 Dungeouns And A Lot Later In The Game You Encounter Dark Link Who Was Also In OoT Awesome Game There Anyway Back To Zelda II This Game Also Has Monsters Trying To Kill link And Revive Ganon And If You Win Zelda Wakes Up And The Curtain Comes Down And Peoples Best Guess Is They Make Out But Any Way Get This Game If You Are A HUGE Zelda Fan

This was a little departure from the first Zelda which featured the top view action RPG style and which Nintendo went back to for Zelda 3 and other subsequent Zelda titles on the Game Boy and DS.

Here is just my overall impression, for specifics you can read many other reviews.

The action is good, but the system of leveling up your weapon, magic, and life is very un-Zelda. Gaining heart and magic containers is definitely a traditional Zelda theme. The fighting can get tedious at times, especially against the Knights and the floating heads. The overworld map is a little lame and the random battle system is rather annoying. Oh, and no puzzles like other Zelda games!

No for the good things! The game is fast paced and exciting. Having the game as a side scrolling action style requires a few new abilities like jumping. Finding spells, heart and magic containers, and extra lives can be fun.

Overall this plays halfway between Mario and Zelda. It's like Nintendo was trying something new and later decided (rightly) to go with the original formula. A great game nonetheless, just the one odd man out in the Zelda franchise.