Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

, often simply called "The Adventure of Link" or "Zelda II", is the second main installment of and the direct sequel to . It was originally released on the Family Computer Disk System in 1987 for Japan and on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1988 internationally. While retaining many of the features of its predecessor, altered certain elements of gameplay, most notably affecting movement and combat. Traveling across a world map would lead to enemy encounters which took place on a side-scrolling field of play rather than the top down perspective for which the 2D part of the series became widely known.
==Story==
Six years after the defeat of Ganon and the rescue of Princess Zelda in the events of The Legend of Zelda, Link, now at the age of sixteen,Nintendo Virtual Console: Adventure of Link is disturbed by the appearance of a mark on the back of his left hand. Upon seeing this mark, Impa, the nurse of Zelda, tells him the story of how, ages ago, the King of Hyrule had hidden a third part of the Triforce, the Triforce of Courage, in the Great Palace to safeguard it from evil.
Upon the death of the King, his son had searched for the missing Triforce, but its location had been imparted only to the king's daughter, Princess Zelda. Angered upon learning this, the Prince tried to use the power of a Magician to force the truth from his sister. After she refused, the wizard cast a powerful spell upon her to put her into a deep sleep, which caused the wizard to die soon after. Only by uniting the Triforce of Courage with its counterparts, the Triforce of Power, the piece formerly stolen by Ganon, and Triforce of Wisdom - itself Princess Zelda's piece, would Link be able to awake the sleeping princess. Upon hearing this tale, Link receives from Impa six crystals that serve as keys to open the seal on the Great Palace.
As Link learns all of this, the minions of Ganon begin to attack once again. Believing that they could revive their master by pouring the blood of Link over his ashes, they begin to spread across the land, seeking for him in order to kill the hero. Eventually, Link is able to gain the Triforce of Courage by defeating his own shadow. Uniting the three Triforce parts to become complete, Link returns to the Northern Palace to wake the slumbering Zelda at last and save Hyrule once again.
==Gameplay==
 was the sequel to the highly acclaimed , and the second Zelda game released. Like its predecessor, features dungeons that must be located in the overworld. Inside them, Link can find a boss and an item that will prove useful. However, the game features many and very significant gameplay changes from the previous installment that would also contrast to later 2D games. 
Combat is restricted to the Sword and Shield. The main projectile weapon is the Sword Beam, which can only be used when Link has full health. The game also lacks recovery Hearts, meaning that Link can only recover his health by leveling up, using the Life Magic, finding Fairies or Heart Containers, or by talking to some women in towns.
The overall gameplay of The Adventure of Link is comparable to that of the Castlevania series' titles released on the NES.
===Screen Interface===
The game features a more prominent use of a side-scrolling perspective, which is used when Link is exploring a town, cavern, secret open field, bridge, or dungeon. The top-view perspective is only used when moving through the overworld. In addition, when an enemy group (represented in the overworld map as black-colored creatures) manages to make contact with Link, the perspective changes to a side-scrolling one, where Link must either defeat the enemies or flee.
===Magic Usage===
When Link is on a side-scrolling perspective, he is able to use Magic. Each Magic can be used either for attack, defense, or solving puzzles. Each ability consumes a certain amount of Magic Points on Link's Magic Meter, and while their effects are of unlimited time, they automatically cancel after Link reaches a new room. Certain enemies drop Magic Jars that contain Magic Power which replenishes the Magic stock. There are eight Magic Spells in total:
*Shield: Enemies inflict half of the damage.
*Jump: Makes Link jump twice as high.
*Life: Makes Link recover three life points.
*Fairy: Turns Link into a Fairy, used to reach high places and pass through locked doors.
*Fire: Makes Link able to shoot fireballs from his Sword (two at a time).
*Reflect: Allows Link's Shield to counter stronger projectiles.
*Spell: Turns enemies into Bots.
*Thunder: Eliminates every enemy in the screen.
===Experience===
As Link defeats enemies, he gains Experience points. When a certain number of points is reached, Link can increase the level of his health, attack, or Magic up to level 8. The maximum Experience amount that can be reached is 8,000. After leveling all three attributes to their maximum, every time Link accumulates 9,000 points, he receives an extra life. Link can also increase his Experience points by collecting Treasure Bags.
===Lives===
Link starts with three lives, and when he is defeated, he loses one, afterwards resuming his quest from the same place where he was defeated. Link can increase his life stock by collecting Link Dolls, generally hidden in secret areas or dungeons. When Link loses all his lives, the game is over and the next time he resumes his quest, he will restart from the Northern Palace. However, Link retains everything he has collected.
===Item Usage===
Link can also collect different items, however, not all of them can be used directly by pressing a button. The Hammer and the Flute are used in the overworld by pressing certain buttons, to which said items are assigned permanently. They can be used to open new ways to new areas, whereas the Boots and the Raft are used for crossing otherwise unreachable areas without the need of a button press. Other items have permanent effects for the side-scrolling perspective. The Candle illuminates darkened caves, the Handy Glove allows Link to break blocks inside dungeons, the Magical Key can open any locked door, and the Cross allows Link to see invisible enemies.
===Second Quest===
The game also offers a Second Quest after completing it. However, the game is the same, only that the Experience stats, Sword techniques, and Magics learned are retained from the previous playthrough. Therefore, the gameplay can be significantly easier than in the First Quest.
==Game Information==
===Development===
Development of started with Shigeru Miyamoto's idea of creating a side-scrolling action game which used up and down movements for attacks and defense. This idea was developed as a new sword and shield action game that did not follow the system seen in the original The Legend of Zelda. At the end of development, the game was considered a type of spin-off until it was decided on a story where Link would be 16 years old, attaching the Zelda title to it.
The leveling up system was added so players could battle enemies multiple times, while encounters on the overworld added a luck factor to the narrow map. The high difficulty of the game was implemented to extend playing sessions due to the lack of content in games at the time (which led to a series of infamous NES titles declared "Nintendo Hard").
===Regional Differences===
====Gameplay====
*Leveling up is very different between versions.
**In the Japanese version, all stats of a given level cost the same amount, meaning the player is more likely to choose to increase different stats to fit their play style. The international version changes the starting cost of Life to be cheapest and Attack to be most expensive, so that the player is more likely to level each of the three in order of cost, making Link's stat progression more linear.
**Saving in the FDS version causes all stats to reduce to the lowest level of the three; for example, having Life at 3 and Attack and Magic at 4 would mean saving would reduce all three stats to 3. The NES version saves the value of all three separately.
**The overall cost of leveling up gets much higher in the NES version, with the final upgrade costing 8000 Exp and extra lives costing 9000 Exp afterwards. The Japanese version has the final tier of upgrades all only cost 3000 with extra lives costing 4000.
*Overworld encounters are more likely to have Bit in the Japanese version than in international versions.
*In the Japanese version of , can be found inside . In international versions, they were replaced with blue .
*The international version uses faster elevators in palaces and sometimes adds or removes enemies.
*The location of the differs significantly between the Japanese and international versions of . In the Japanese version, the features a dark sky and enemies such as Bots and a . This area was revamped in international versions to feature a light sky and the enemies have been replaced by an elderly woman who explains the surrounding area. The location present in the original Japanese version was relocated southwest in international versions of the game.
File:TAoL King's Tomb FDS.png|The in the Japanese version
File:TAoL King's Tomb.png|The in international versions
*Important items in the Japanese version of need to be stabbed in order to collect. This is most visible in the "Child" item, which is tied up with rope in the Japanese version. This makes it appear as if Link is cutting the child free of the rope. In international versions, Link will simply pick up the item and hold it high.
*The international version of the game increases the damage of certain enemies, as well as making some enemy attacks reduce Link's experience points when taking damage. Conversely, several enemies also give more experience in the international version compared to the Japanese version; for example, give 50 in the international release compared to the Japanese version's mere 10.
*The boss was added in the international version to replace a second, harder fight against Jermafenser. Jermafenser's now sole battle is also made to match the harder encounter.
*Two gameplay glitches were introduced in the NES version that were not present in the FDS version:
**The Fairy Warp Glitch, which allows Link to warp back to a previous area if he turns into a fairy near the top of the screen. This causes the pit falling animation to play before placing him elsewhere in the game.
**The final battle against Dark Link now has an exploit where he can easily be defeated by crouching in the corners of the room and stabbing. This makes the FDS version much harder to beat.
**Iron Knuckles use Sword Beams in the FDS version, with the same visual and audio effects as with Link. In the NES version, they instead throw knives that act the same as other projectiles.
====Graphics and Audio====
*Link's side-view sprite has a visible mouth added in the NES version. The original FDS release's side-view sprite for Link is used in all versions of Nintendo Badge Arcade.
*Princess Zelda's Chamber was changed between versions. The FDS version has the pillars and curtains stop after the steps leading to her altar, while the international version has them continue the whole way across the ceiling.
*Due to additional RAM added by the FDS, the Japanese version does not have slowdown on the overworld that is present in other versions.
*Overworld encounters have vastly different sprites. The Japanese version has a ghost-like sprite for all three types (white for normal, blue for strong, and red for fairy), while the international version uses unique sprites for each (a Bot for normal, for strong, and for fairy).
*The churches found in towns have a unique sprite for their steeple cross in international versions, while the Japanese version reuses the gravestone cross.
*Water and lava are animated on the overworld in the FDS version, due to its ability to modify VRAM on-the-fly as an added feature. The NES, lacking this ability, uses static sprites instead.
*The Raft has Link always face south in the Japanese version. The international version has Link face the direction of travel and changes the proportions of the raft to compensate, but is inconsistent in construction as a result.
*The Kasuto secret building has different tiles between versions.
*Extra NPC sprites were added to the NES version, and their animations better match their movement speeds.
*Internationally, River Guards and Swordsmen are given different sprites to make them look less like generic NPCs. Magicians are also given animated sprites.
*A graphical glitch was introduced during porting to the NES. This causes animated projectiles to flash Link's color palette over 6 frames. While this makes them briefly visible in dark areas, it also makes them appear reorient to their starting position regardless of if they have been rotated or mirrored on previous frames.
*The 's sprite resembles an in the Japanese version of . However, in international versions, its sprite was changed to resemble a black hexapod. As Oni were not culturally relevant to foreign consumers at the time of release, this was possibly done to avoid any connection to in the Christian religion beliefs.
File:TAoL FDS River Devil Sprite.png|The in the Japanese version
File:TAoL River Devil Sprite.png|The in international versions
*The , which closely resembles an angel, has a different sprite in the Japanese version compared to international versions. In the original FDS release, the has its wings outstretched and its hands held open, whereas in the NES versions, the has folded wings and has its hands clasped together in prayer.
File:TAoL FDS Trophy Sprite.png|The in the Japanese version
File:TAoL Trophy Sprite.png|The in international versions
*The international version adds different brick sprites for palaces to make them more visually distinct.
* has only a single, symmetrical sprite used when fighting him in the Japanese version. In the international version, he has a sprite that appears to be turned slightly toward the side to face Link.
*The boss of has an appearance more reminiscent of artwork of Eastern dragons and is named in the Japanese version. The international release makes his head more sinister and adds extra animation frames, and changes his name to .
*The and entryway ground are colored differently between versions.
*The end credits use different colors between versions. The NES version's curtain also doesn't use the correct bottom sprite, causing it to simply look like it was cut off at the bottom.
*In the FDS version, some bosses use a bestial roar similar to the one used in . This was completely removed in international versions.
*The screens are completely different between versions. The original FDS version is a black screen with the same roar used in boss fights playing over it to reference Ganon off-screen. In the NES version, Ganon himself is shown in silhouette laughing.
*The spell is erroneously spelled as "Reflex" in the FDS version. This was corrected in localization.
*Overworld battles begin with a harsh musical sting in the Japanese version. It was changed to a whooshing sound internationally.
*The Overworld encounter music is much different between versions: the FDS version is much shorter and more sinister sounding, while the NES version is longer and more "adventurous". This change makes the music in non-combat encounters like fairies and item locations contrast less contextually.
====Narrative====
*The English intro crawl text in the Japanese version has some unusual transliteration, as well as incorrect grammar. For example, is spelled as "Gannon" like in The Legend of Zelda, and is spelled as "Try-Force". The NES version somewhat condenses the text in addition to correcting its spelling and grammar.
*The Japanese version has a reference in Saria Town, with one grave reading "Here lies Loto" (whose name was changed to Erdrick in America). This was removed entirely for the NES version. A similar reference was utilized in Final Fantasy at Elfland, only it was retained in the English localization in that case.
*The names of two characters, and , form plays on the technical terms for "" and "" respectively. Though 's name, , was localized properly, 's name was instead mistakenly transliterated from and the intended meaning was lost.
===Graphics and Audio===
The overworld map has a similar visual style to that of the first Zelda game, but more polished and incorporating new elements that reflect the variety of the ecosystems; there is also a clear distinction between the enemy-free paths and the rest of the ground territory (grass, trees, sand, etc.). The side-scrolling visuals are more reminiscent of the platform games for the NES, especially Super Mario Bros.. Also, each dungeon has a different texture and architecture, not like in the original game.
As for sound effects, there are also many differences in the Japanese version. A few examples include different music for the title screen and for when Link encounters an enemy. In the Famicom version, the bosses also roar, and the sound effects are harsher sounding than in the NES version.
===Setting===
Hyrule in consists of two continents and two islands. It features eight towns, which respective names were later used to name the Sages in . Four Towns are located in Western Hyrule and four are found in Eastern Hyrule.
Like The Legend of Zelda's incarnation of Hyrule, the world of Adventure of Link is not landlocked, meaning that Link will have to travel overseas to move from one side of Hyrule to the other. Death Mountain, which was in the north in the prequel, is now in the southwest. While it was a simple mountain region in the previous title, it is now a complex rocky labyrinth.
===Timeline Placement===
Both this game and its prequel are linked in continuity, since the original game revolves around retrieving two of the major fragments of the Triforce, Power and Wisdom, and Ganon is fought in order to rescue Princess Zelda; the second game revolves around finding the third major fragment, Courage, in order to revive an incarnation of Zelda that was sleeping for a very long time, and to impede the revival of Ganon.
In the Zelda Timeline revealed in , takes place in the "Downfall" branch after . It is the latest entry in this part of the timeline that has its roots in , and starts with . After Ganon is defeated again in , and , and , Hyrule then entered The Golden Era, in which the wise Hyrule monarchs used the Triforce to govern the land. After the last king's death and the attempt of the Prince of Hyrule to assemble the complete Triforce, Hyrule was lead into the Era of Decline. The Prince of Darkness Ganon was revived, leading to the events of The Legend of Zelda, but ultimately slayed by Link. The events of take place six years later, but refer back to the Princess Zelda that was put under a sleeping spell at the beginning of the Era of Decline.
===Speedrun Records===
==Listings==
===Characters===
===Bosses===
===Enemies===
===Locations===
===Dungeons===
===Items===
===Magic===
===Translations===
===Credits===
===Glitches===
==Reception==
===Sales===
 was commercially successful, selling 4.38 million copies worldwide and being the fifth best-selling Nintendo Entertainment System game of all time;RPGamer - Japandemonium: Xenogears vs. Tetris however, it sold less than its predecessor, which sold 6.51 million copies.
===Reviews===
In terms of critical reception, IGN reviewer Lucas M. Thomas gave the Virtual Console version a score of 8.5/10, encouraging players to give it a try and forget about the common belief that it is a "bad game";http://wii.ign.com/articles/793/793966p1.html Zelda II: The Adventure of Link Wii Review at IGN] he praised the sound, the gameplay, the length and the presentation, but admitted that the graphics "did not age very well". Kristian Reed from Eurogamer, when reviewing the Game Boy Advance version, justified the game being underrated, saying that the game was "an ill-fated experiment", and that it aged "badly".Classic NES Series - Zelda II: The Adventure of Link Review (GBA) When reviewing , Game Observer editor Jacob Crites cited as one of the "black sheep" titles in the series, along with , and itself.The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks - Zelda at its Finest
The original version earned a score of 36/40 from Famitsu, and was placed 110th on Nintendo Power's Top 200 best Nintendo games of all time (however, in the December 2009 Issue, they changed their mind and placed it last in their list of best The Legend of Zelda games).
===Fan Reception===
Over the many years since its release, has received positive feedback from fans of the franchise. It currently holds an average reader score of 9.4 at IGN,IGN: Zelda II: The Adventure of Link as well as a current average user score of 8.0 at GameSpot.Zelda II: The Adventure of Link User Reviews for NES - GameSpot Zelda II: The Adventure of Link was however ranked by WatchMojo as the worst entry in the main series as part of their "Every Major Legend of Zelda Game Ranked" video over on MojoPlays; they also referred to it as the hardest Zelda game to complete in their "10 HARDEST Zelda Games To Complete" list countdown.Alden, G. (2021). Every Major Legend of Zelda Game Ranked. YouTube. MojoPlays (WatchMojo). Retrieved July 27, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9R7jh5pPBj8.MojoPlays. (2022). The 10 HARDEST Zelda Games To Complete. WatchMojo. Retrieved August 4, 2023, from https://www.watchmojo.com/video/id/46648.
Although it was successful, The Adventure of Link currently remains one of the most divided games in The Legend of Zelda series community, due its notoriously high difficulty and completely different gameplay compared to The Legend of Zelda and all later titles of the franchise.
==Ports and Remakes==
In 2003, Nintendo released a bundle for the GameCube which included , a disc which featured, amongst other games, . A port for the Game Boy Advance for the "Classic NES Series" was also released.
 has also been released for download on the Wii's Virtual Console. The game became available on August 31, 2011 as one of the games eligible for free download over the Virtual Console as part of the Nintendo 3DS Ambassador Program, a service available to players who bought a 3DS before its price dropped on August 11, 2011.Official Nintendo Website - Nintendo 3DS Ambassador Program It was officially released in the US on November 22, 2013. The game has also been released for download on the Wii U Virtual Console on September 12, 2013.
The NES Classic Edition included as one of the 30 games available, alongside The Legend of Zelda.
 was added to the Nintendo Switch Online Service on January 16, 2019. A special save file was also added to the service which started the player with all maxed out at level 8. This version was named "Zelda II - The Adventure of Link: Link, warrior without equal."
==Legacy==
Despite featuring many radical changes from the previous Zelda title, the game also offered canonical elements to be part of the series' standards. It contributed largely to the overall storyline and gameplay of the series. For instance:
*The ability of Ganon to be revived after his defeat or death.
*The introduction of the Triforce of Courage.
*The first appearance of a dark doppelganger of Link that needs to be fought, which would later be reflected with Dark Link and Shadow Link in later games. On a similar note, the concept of an enemy being formed largely from Link's own dark side as a final battle would ultimately be reused to an extent with the Shadow Nightmare from and its various remakes such as A Link to the Past & Four Swords.
*A magic system, even though it was used far less excessively after this game.
*The introduction of several new enemies and one boss (aside from Dark Link) that return in later games, such as the Iron Knuckle.
*The ability to learn new moves (though still limited to only two). More generally, the existence of distinct sword techniques at all, as opposed to the single forward strike of .
*The six Sages in are named after the towns in this game (in-game chronology by Hyrule Historia, however, indicates the opposite: The towns were named after the Sages).
*The need to do tasks outside the main mission Quest like having to save a trophy or finding medicine for a sick child.
*This is the first game where Link shapeshifts (into a Fairy) as well the first game where the process is voluntary and beneficial.
*Contrary to popular belief, this is not the only Zelda game to feature side-scrolling gameplay. It is used briefly in the first game when taking secret passages. It is also used in , Oracle of Seasons/Ages, and Echoes of Wisdom when taking underground paths, as well as certain boss fights.
*Bosses as well as the Final Boss have their own battle theme. They lacked it entirely in the original game.
*This is the first game where villages and towns appear.
*This game marks the debut of an adolescent Link in the series. Link is officially 16 in this title. This concept would later be reused in Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword, Breath of the Wild, and Tears of the Kingdom (though in these titles he is slightly older).
*All of the dungeons in this game are known by the word for temple in Japanese, and this naming convention is reused in English as well as Japanese and most other languages in some other entries in the series, like . The English localization of this game changed it to palace due to Nintendo of America's then-current policy concerning religious references in games.
*Certain recurring types of item, such as the hammer and boots.
*The suggestion of romantic interest between Link and Princess Zelda, as implied by the ending.
*Enemy characters disguise themselves as NPCs to ambush , which would later be reflected with the in and , and to a lesser extent and the in and , respectively.
*Depicting Hyrule as having multiple regions to it besides the main locale (in this case, the Hyrule from ), which would later be revisited with and to a lesser extent and .
==Trivia==
*Although the Japanese title for uses the English name of , and the game's backstory explicitly defines as a plot concept, the English language game is the only one in the main series not to include in its title.
*Like its prequel, The Legend of Zelda, the international release of The Adventure of Link is widely known for being in unique golden cartridges with a cutout on the box art to see part of the hardware inside. It too would have a Classic Series release late in the NES lifespan where it instead comes in the standard gray color.
*This game marks the first appearance of the Triforce in its full essence. However, it would not be properly seen in complete form until the following entry of the series, A Link to the Past (although the Japanese box art shows the golden relic behind Link).
*The sword shown in the game's box art as well as the title screen is the Magical Sword, the only blade in the game and is the strongest weapon in the prequel. It is also seen as the Master Sword's precursor in the series.
* marks one of the very few times where Link directly speaks in a mainline game, by saying "I found a mirror under the table" while in Saria Town and "Looks like I can get in the fireplace" in Kasuto.
*The act of Ganon's minions using Link's blood to revive the Demon King in the events of a Game Over is a homage to the 1897 Dracula novel, where the main antagonist, Dracula himself, was revived by having blood spilled onto his ashes.
*The sound effect of when Link as well as his shadow self takes damage is reused from Simon Belmont in Castlevania.
*The Famicom Disk System version of the game uses the infamous "Gannon" spelling in the intro, as well as other typos such as "Tryforce." This intro was largely re-written in the North American release.
*The ending of the game shows Link and Princess Zelda hugging or perhaps kissing during when "The End" appears on-screen, despite only their lower half being visible under the curtain, making it the first of very few times in the entire series Link were to take direct affection from another character.
*According to series creator Shigeru Miyamoto, is the only game to this day he himself considers a failure, due to the limitations of the hardware.
*Ganon's laugh on the Game Over screen in the international version of the game is reused from Bald Bull, Soda Popinski, and Mr. Sandman from Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!.
*The mark of the Triforce on Link's hand as seen in the intro and offical artwork was likely the result of himself having the Triforce of Power and Triforce of Wisdom obtained in the events of The Legend of Zelda.
==Nomenclature==
==Gallery==
==External Links==
*Nintendo UK Game Boy Advance site
Category:Games
Category:2D Games
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