For the first time in my life, I was able to complete Zelda II: The Adventure of Link! It has been many, many years since I had last played it and had in fact lost my copy. I was able to find another copy for a decent price at a local game shop so I snatched it up in order to try my hand at finally beating it.
Unfortunately, when I got home and tested it, I found out the battery was dead so it would no longer hold a save. After a quick internet search I found a repair guide and kit from Retro Video Game Repair. It was a relatively quick and easy fix. The only hard part was breaking the old battery free from it's mounts since it was soldered in. After I broke it free, I was able to install the new battery with some electrical tape to keep it in place and it works like new!
Below you can find my thoughts about this game.
(For part one that features the original LoZ, click here)
On a scale of 1 to 5:
Graphics: 2
Music: 5
Puzzle Difficulty: 2
Combat Difficulty: 5
Items: 2
Story: 2
(The above scores do not represent how good or bad the game is. I will be using them to compare these areas to the other games in the series as I replay them.)
Overview: Zelda II is a very unique Zelda game. It is part RPG, part side-scrolling hack n' slash, and part exploration adventure. The overworld is viewed from a top-down perspective, like the previous title, but the towns, dungeons, and other areas you explore are side-scrolling levels with some platforming sections. As you move around the overworld, your options for interactions are limited. You can enter caves, towns, dungeons, etc..., use the hammer to break boulders or the flute to reveal secrets. Enemies randomly appear as you walk around and when you bump into one, you are taken to a 'mini level' with several enemies to defeat, or run past, to get to the end. These enemy sections change as you reach new areas. Starting off, you will face slimes on flat grasslands, but eventually you'll face tougher opponents on varying and uneven terrain.
Another unique aspect of this game is the 'lives' system. You begin with three lives and each time you die, you just begin at the last screen you entered, but if you lose all your lives and get a game over, you must begin all the way back at the starting location of the game. Your progress is saved, however any experience points you have obtained are lost. This isn't a big deal at the beginning of the game since the first few dungeons are close, but as you venture farther out, it starts to get annoying. For instance, you get to the boss of a dungeon and get a game over, you now have to traverse the overworld, facing any enemies and obstacles in your way, to get back to the dungeon, then make your way back through the dungeon to face the boss again. Luckily, the doors you have unlocked remain open and if you happened to find the dungeon's item, you keep it so all you really need to do is make a bee line to the boss to face it again.
Graphics: The graphics are a slight improvement from the previous title but again do not do much to impress. Most of the overworld looks relatively the same with grasslands, desserts, mountainous regions, graveyards, and oceans. The palaces (dungeons) do differ slightly in their color schemes but mostly use the same building blocks with swapped palates. This is understandable due to the limited amount of memory that the NES has and does not detract from the gameplay at all. Link, as well as enemies, have bigger sprites in this game compared to the previous due to the switch from the top-down view of the first to the side scrolling view of this one.
Music: The music is really catchy in this game and there are several more tracks in this one compared to the previous one. The overworld theme, which I really enjoyed, begins with some familiar notes but quickly changes up the classic tune we all know and love. The rest of the music whether in battle, at the various towns, or in a palace is just as good and compliments the game very well. Firing up the game after so many years and hearing these songs again brought up so many memories of my younger days playing this game with my cousin as we tried and tried to complete it. It is amazing how much music is tied to memory!
Puzzle Difficulty: Most of the puzzles weren't too difficult but there were a few times where it took me a while to find an item that a villager requested, specifically the mirror... who knew it would be in the house next door under the table! I spent a good while hunting through all the nearby swamps, woods, and caves looking for that silly thing. Most of the dungeon puzzles consisted of invisible walls or knowing when to fall into a hole to get to a floor below you. Talking with all of the citizens of each village helps you out as they give you hints that will come in handy as you explore the world and dungeons near them. Dungeon difficulty comes through their maze like design which requires exploration and hitting several dead ends along the way.
Combat Difficulty: Combat was tough. Really tough. Not 'Battletoads' or 'Ghosts n' Goblins' tough, but it is probably one of the toughest in this series. This game plays unlike any other Zelda game and will present a very great challenge for any 'casual' Zelda players. All of your battles will be fought through 2D sidescrolling levels, some with slight platforming parts. While standing, Link can attack and block high and while crouching, he blocks and attacks low. This means if an enemy throws or shoots something at you from a low position, you will need to duck in order to block it (same goes for high attacks). Many enemies carry shields and can block the same way you do. This results in a weird dance as you try to hit their opening while simultaneously trying to block their attacks. Later in the game, you get a downward thrust and upward thrust attack that really helps out in your battles, although some enemies are immune to those.
As the game progresses, you will gain magic, both offensive and defensive that you can use in battle. These include a shield spell, fire ball spell, lightning spell, a healing spell, and a jump spell. Knowing when to use these is important since your magic is limited and the spells only last for as long as you are on the same room in the dungeons or caves.
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Items: This is another area where this game differs from most other Zelda games. There really aren't many items to use at all during combat or dungeon exploration. You primarily get spells, which I mentioned above, and for exploration, just two of them come in handy - Jump and Fairy. Cast jump and you can jump twice as high enabling you to reach places previously unreachable. Cast fairy to transform into a fairy and fly to places that are impossible to jump over. The items you do get are primarily used in the overworld as a way to progress to the next area of the map. These items are a hammer that can break rocks, a candle to light caves, a flute to clear a monster and reveal a palace, a raft to cross the ocean, and boots to walk on certain bodies of water. While some of these items do make appearances in other titles in the series, there just wasn't as big of an emphasis placed on them.
Story: This game has just a little more story than the previous one. It takes place a few years after the events of the first one and this time Link must place six stones in different places throughout Hyrule to awaken Zelda who is under a sleeping spell. To make matters worse, Ganon's minions are out to kill Link in order to revive their fallen leader. This game features several different towns with several NPC's that you can talk with. They will give you hints, spells, and abilities and also refill your life and magic bars. Each town also has a unique feel with differing architecture and color palates. You will also find some hidden towns and people in the wilderness that will help you in your quest.
Summary: This game definitely presents a fair challenge to even seasoned gamers while also changing up the classic Zelda formula that many have come to love. For these reasons, it may put off more casual players, but I enjoyed it thoroughly. If you are a Zelda fan and have never played this game, you really aren't missing a whole lot, but I would recommend you at least give it a shot!
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