Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (NES) Playthrough - NintendoComplete

A playthough of Nintendo's 1988 action-adventure game for the NES, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link.

Zelda II, much like Super Mario Bros. 2, was a bit of an odd duck. Both titles were follow-ups to some of Nintendo's most successful games, but instead of adhering to the styles established in originals, they were brand new gameplay experiences. It was a bit of a risky gambit in both cases, but it paid of handsomely in both cases, as did the hype generated by the huge shortage of both titles in America during the 1988 holiday season.

Zelda II still revolves around Link's adventures in Hyrule, but this time Zelda is playing the part of Sleeping Beauty, and she can only be wakened by the power of the Triforce.

Instead of playing solely from a top-down perspective like in The Legend of Zelda, Zelda II spends most of it's time as a 2D, side-scrolling platformer. There are now towns full of people to talk to and quests to fulfill, and though it still retains many of the exploration aspects of The Legend of Zelda's gameplay, this one is far more focused on dungeon-crawling and fighting.

As most people will tell you though, Zelda II pulls no punches in its difficulty. The platforming is tricky, but the enemies are merciless. It doesn't take too many times whiffing a sword strike to lead to your demise, though the Ganon/Soda Popinski laugh on the game over screen is pretty unforgettable. The enemy patterns are pretty unforgiving here, and you have to have your timing down, or you'll die often. It's not unfair, but it can be fairly rage-inducing at times. I've always found it to be one of Nintendo's hardest first-party games.

But it is fun, and it is a worthy follow-up to the original. The graphics and sound were terrific upgrades despite the game's age (Zelda II was released in Japan well before America ever got Zelda 1!), and the towns added a much-needed feeling of being "lived in" to Hyrule, and some of the Engrish-dialogue is quite meme-worthy.

It's amazing that Nintendo managed to so successfully create a sequel that broke with expectations in so many fundamental ways, but there is no denying that Zelda II was a smashing success and a damned good game.

I wonder how many NES controllers met their end because of this game?
_
No cheats were used during the recording of this video.

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