The under-appreciated Zelda game that originated Link's patented Up and Down Thrust.
THE GOOD
-Excellent level design
-Solid controls
-Epic boss fights
-Great leveling system
-Large world of Hyrule to explore
THE BAD
-When you "Game Over" you lose all your experience
OVERVIEW
Zelda II: The Adventure Of Link is a very under-appreciated game. This game was one of the first good action / role playing games. In this game you play as Link and the story picks up after The Legend of Zelda game. In The Legend of Zelda, Link destroys Ganon and saves Zelda. Well now Ganon's allies find out that if they kill Link and pour his blood on Ganon that he will be reborn again. On top of that, Zelda was put under a sleeping spell and only the Triforce of Courage, which is hidden in an evil palace (of course), can bring her out of her eternal sleep. In order to eliminate the force field in front of this palace, Link needs to conquer the other palaces (6 in all) and place a crystal in each of the statues there and when Link does this the force field spell on the final palace will be broken. So, once again Link has his hands full and if you fail, Ganon will be reborn to bring chaos back to Hyrule.
GAMEPLAY
Zelda II offers a fun action / rpg feel with a very good leveling system. As you gain experience, from killing enemies, you can level up three attributes: Attack (physical damage), Magic (magic usage), and Life (defense and hit points). Each attribute requires a certain amount of experience in order to proceed to the next level and you have the option to use all your experience at that time or save it and try to increase a different attribute with a higher experience goal. If you plan to save your experience just keep in mind that if you "Game Over" (run out of lives) you lose all your experience which can be very disheartening.
Controlling Link is different then the first Zelda game because instead of the top-down view, this game is a side-scroller. But don't be alarmed the controls are very good. You can jump, attack with your sword, use magic, and perform special weapon attacks like the up and down thrust. Along with good controls this game has excellent level design. From the overview of Hyrule to the different towns and palaces, you'll really appreciate the world that was created. Scattered all across Hyrule are lots of things to find like heart containers, magic containers, experience bags and some useful items. So it really pays off to leave the beaten path and explore around. Each of the seven palaces require lots of player skill to defeat the tough enemies and bosses but also requires a little thinking to figure out how to maneuver around each labyrinth. The boss fights in particular are very challenging.
GRAPHICS & SOUND
The visuals for Zelda II are top-notch and coupled with great level design makes for a great experience. Each of the palaces and towns are unique so that it doesn't feel repetitive.
Just like the first Zelda game, Zelda II has great music that is very catchy and cool sound effects. Great audio and video really enhances the gameplay of this game.
CONCLUSION
Zelda II is a tough game like the first Zelda game but just as good. Even though most reviewers will say that this game sucks, I think you will be pleasantly surprised by how big of a heart this game has!