The wildly popular franchise of The Legend of Zelda has over fifteen titles to its reputation, but none are quite like the second installment, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. Familiar items and enemies populate the game, but the ways which the player achieves Link's various goals are vastly different than its predecessor and its many successors, making Zelda II a unique cult classic in a league of its own.
The Adventure of Link released on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1987, expanding upon the gameplay that the original Legend of Zelda introduced in 1986. A notoriously difficult game, Zelda II is similar to the original in that it offers little assistance to wandering players. Link is spawned in a temple, empty but for a sleeping Princess Zelda, with little direction or exposition to set up his journey. From that point on, the game is a series of trial and error as Link traverses from town to town looking for the way forward.
The most glaring difference between Zelda II and every other installment of The Legend of Zelda series is the side-scrolling platform style. When in towns and dungeons, Link is confined to traveling left and right with the landscape, rather than the bird's eye view style of the original. It's the only game in the franchise that utilizes this platformer device, making it a unique member in the Zelda family. Additionally, Link is also equipped with a jumping capability that is otherwise absent from most other games.
Zelda 2: What Else Makes Link's Adventure Different?
Zelda II plays a little more like Mario Brothers than a Zelda game, simply substituting a sword for battle in place of Mario's jump attack. The Adventure of Link also makes use of an Overworld through which Link has to navigate to find new locations. While traveling, Link has his old bird's eye view that negates his jumping ability and his sword swinging, making him a target for enemies roaming the land. The game cleverly combines the two styles, forcing players into an encounter instance when they are touched by these Overworld enemies, making the world feel simultaneously massive and accessible while still dangerous.
In addition to the unique landscape, Zelda II also has a distinctive experience-based system. Link collects points for defeated enemies, resulting in a level up when he hits a new milestone. At these points, the player has a choice regarding how to level Link up including life increase, magic buffs, or an increase in attack power. Most Zelda games increase Link's life and magic use as the journey unfolds, but The Adventure of Link is the only installment that uses experience points.
It works nicely for the game, giving players the opportunity to leave a difficult spot in order to grind a few levels and come back to an easier fight. If players are met with a challenge, they are quick to discover the life-based system unique to Zelda II. When Link's health reaches zero, he loses a life and respawns at the entrance of the same room. However, if Link loses all three of his lives, it is "Game Over" and he is forced all the way back to where he started the game (thankfully maintaining his items and his level progress). It can be a frustrating experience, though the accomplishment players get from their success is significant.
While the spirit of the game is intact with its familiar quest for the Triforce of Courage, Zelda II is a quaint yet difficult installment within the series. The unique gameplay is an exciting change of pace, with distinctive items and locations, while still including several well-known enemies like Stalfos and Lizalfos. It's a masterful blend of familiar, and unfamiliar, that players have been enjoying for decades. Due to the fact Zelda reinvents itself every few years, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link fits right in, despite it being so different.
