Zelda 25th Anniversary: Remembering Zelda II: The Adventure Of Link

Classic Nintendo games became a huge priority when I was a teenager. Being raised on Sega systems, I never had the chance to dig into the massive library of phenomenal NES games. As a little kid I spent a few fleeting moments with Mega Man, Castlevania, and Zelda at my cousin’s house, but I never had enough time or skill to get lost in those challenging 8-bit dreamlands. Years later, I religiously played through all those missing memories after finally tracking down and purchasing a functioning NES at a local used game shop. Along with it, I secured a mint condition copy of Zelda II: The Adventure of Link.

Thankfully, I was shopping with my best friend. I had heard that Zelda II was by far the weakest entry in the core series and was ready to skip the title, but he argued otherwise. He recalled his childhood quests through Hyrule with such nostalgic loyalty that I felt I’d be letting him down if I didn’t give Link’s sophomore outing a try.

I still remember plugging that shining cartridge into my grubby NES. It worked without any finagling, and soon enough I was staring at Link’s profile. Zelda II’s side-scrolling gameplay caught me off guard, but years of platforming experience helped me acclimate quickly. Link doesn’t usually bring his aerobic abilities into battle, and that’s why jumping in Zelda II intrigued me. Leaping to slash at enemies’ weak points added a new wrinkle of complexity to fights. Combat became less about blindly slashing and more about strategy when I first encountered the shielded Ironknuckles. I loved predicting and deflecting their attacks. These encounters reminded me of Stalfos battles in Ocarina of Time, and discovering the seed that would later evolve into grand 3D swordfights felt great.

The next thing that threw me for a loop was the music. Upon entering the top-down overworld, the familiar melody of the original Zelda’s theme begins, but it is quickly replaced with a more flourishing, triumphant tune. I’ve always adored video game music, and Zelda II’s soundtrack immediately nestled into my ears. Despite the game’s age, the score sucked me into Link’s grand adventure, and I still catch myself humming it today.

Good music has helped smooth over Zelda II’s rough edges in my fuzzy memories, but the game’s punishing difficulty isn’t easily forgotten. By the time I decided to tackle the game, I had already conquered several Final Fantasy titles. I was no stranger to grinding. Zelda II is the only time I’ve had to grind out levels as Link, and I loved it. Beefing up Link’s magic, health, and attack power after endlessly murdering enemies with a high P-bag drop rate (Zelda II’s confusing XP pickup) was as rewarding a venture as in any RPG.

Maxing out Link’s abilities wasn’t just satisfying, it was downright necessary. Facing off with the first incarnation of the now-infamous Dark Link was a grueling slugfest. I died many, many times. I probably should have taken a break, but I remember fighting that *** for hours straight. I could have trekked through that temple in my sleep by the time I finally vanquished my doppelganger and won the Triforce of Courage. Princess Zelda had been saved again.

I recall visiting a local pool hall with friends shortly after the ending credits rolled. I awkwardly leaned over the table in the smoky room and lined up my shots with fingers still aching from the NES controller’s rigid architecture. I whiffed several shots and probably sunk the eight ball. I was never good at pool, but it didn’t really bother me that night – I had just beat Zelda II.

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[This essay first appeared in Game Informer issue #222]