Beating every Zelda in timeline order 18/20:
To say I beat Zelda II: The Adventure of Link is a bit of an exaggeration. Thank the lord for save states because this game is a motherfucker. I thought the original Legend of Zelda was difficult and enemy placement was a bit arbitrary but still a fun time overall. Zelda II, from the very beginning, kicks you in the shins and spits in your face. Whether it be the erratic overworld enemy encounters, the esoteric item usage or retrieval (maybe the manual cleared this up) or the fact that I just can't seem to fucking figure out to consistently hit those god damn iron knuckles. Every single enemy is extremely annoying to deal with. I'm not a huge fan of the level up and magic systems either. All it really resulted in was me grinding before dungeons to get my levels up so I'd stand a chance. At least 3 hours of my 9 hour playthrough was grinding. The dungeons are a series of dead ends and required secret passageways that are easy to miss unless you accidentally stumble upon them. Not that the first Zelda had too many actual puzzles but the game at least made me enjoy experimenting with bombing walls, burning bushes, etc. Zelda II feels like beating your head against a brick wall and then sometimes your head goes through the wall and actually that wall was a secret passageway, didn't you know that? You stupid fucking idiot! You dumb bitch!
However, despite all this, I weirdly do enjoy the combat. If the enemies fought a little more fair, I could see myself really getting into improving at this game. With everything Link can do with his sword in this game, it feels snappy and in player control way more than any other Zelda game. At some points, I found myself having a weird amount of fun with the amount of time the game was telling me to go fuck yourself. I could see Zelda II being fun. You've just gotta be like, REALLY good. And I'm not. I'm dogshit. I also like the music.
Even though I enjoy the gameplay at the most basic level, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link is a frustrating, overly difficult, esoteric grindfest of a game and absolutely deserves the reputation it has.
To say I beat Zelda II: The Adventure of Link is a bit of an exaggeration. Thank the lord for save states because this game is a motherfucker. I thought the original Legend of Zelda was difficult and enemy placement was a bit arbitrary but still a fun time overall. Zelda II, from the very beginning, kicks you in the shins and spits in your face. Whether it be the erratic overworld enemy encounters, the esoteric item usage or retrieval (maybe the manual cleared this up) or the fact that I just can't seem to fucking figure out to consistently hit those god damn iron knuckles. Every single enemy is extremely annoying to deal with. I'm not a huge fan of the level up and magic systems either. All it really resulted in was me grinding before dungeons to get my levels up so I'd stand a chance. At least 3 hours of my 9 hour playthrough was grinding. The dungeons are a series of dead ends and required secret passageways that are easy to miss unless you accidentally stumble upon them. Not that the first Zelda had too many actual puzzles but the game at least made me enjoy experimenting with bombing walls, burning bushes, etc. Zelda II feels like beating your head against a brick wall and then sometimes your head goes through the wall and actually that wall was a secret passageway, didn't you know that? You stupid fucking idiot! You dumb bitch!
However, despite all this, I weirdly do enjoy the combat. If the enemies fought a little more fair, I could see myself really getting into improving at this game. With everything Link can do with his sword in this game, it feels snappy and in player control way more than any other Zelda game. At some points, I found myself having a weird amount of fun with the amount of time the game was telling me to go fuck yourself. I could see Zelda II being fun. You've just gotta be like, REALLY good. And I'm not. I'm dogshit. I also like the music.
Even though I enjoy the gameplay at the most basic level, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link is a frustrating, overly difficult, esoteric grindfest of a game and absolutely deserves the reputation it has.
I was surprised how much fun I had playing Zelda II. I'd heard a lot about how punishing and unforgiving it is - and that's true, but the game feels excellent to control. Link is responsive and mobile, and getting through a tough encounter with minimal damage makes you feel very slick indeed.
It's impressive how much you can achieve with just a d-pad and 2 buttons. Obviously, you have attack and jump. When link isn't attacking, he is blocking - either high or low depending on whether you're ducking. As the game progresses you also unlock the iconic down and up stabs from the Smash games - these expand your options greatly as there is a great deal of verticality in the movement.
The magic system also works well, although only 3 of them (shield, jump, life) see a lot of use. The rest are only really useful in specific situations (some of them only need to be used once). Jump is great, and even when not required can make difficult platforming sections much easier. It can throw off your combat timings, as well as using up precious magic, so it's an interesting trade-off!
Zelda II also has an excellent soundtrack, some of which will be familiar to many people. The dungeon theme in particular is incredible, but the whole score is very pleasant and catchy. Which makes the incessant beeping at low health in this game all the more torturous!
Now, don't get me wrong, the game can be very cruel, especially the lives/continue system. You get 3 lives, and after a game over you continue from the starting location of the game. It's not all that bad though, you keep your level (but lose all exp on your current level, which can be a lot in the late game) and any items you've picked up. It can be emotionally draining to respawn at Zelda's side. However, the world is very quick to navigate as you unlock new shortcuts throughout - so I don't think it's quite as severe as it feels.
Although Link gets stronger through the adventure, the enemies do also and appear in increasingly awkward situations. Still, by the endgame you can tank quite a lot of hits and restore your health somewhat frequently if you manage your magic meter well. Although I did struggle in places and get frustrated, in reality even with retries and a couple minutes of extra walking after a continue I was back in action fairly quickly. The game is still rather short by modern standards, so having to replay some sections a few times isn't all that big of a deal.
Zelda II is truly a worthy member of the Zelda lineage, and I think it gets a bit overlooked! Honestly I enjoyed this game more than the original, simply due to the feel of the movement and combat. The soundtrack will stick with me for a long time. Strongly recommended for those with the patience to put up with this game's minor annoyances!
It's impressive how much you can achieve with just a d-pad and 2 buttons. Obviously, you have attack and jump. When link isn't attacking, he is blocking - either high or low depending on whether you're ducking. As the game progresses you also unlock the iconic down and up stabs from the Smash games - these expand your options greatly as there is a great deal of verticality in the movement.
The magic system also works well, although only 3 of them (shield, jump, life) see a lot of use. The rest are only really useful in specific situations (some of them only need to be used once). Jump is great, and even when not required can make difficult platforming sections much easier. It can throw off your combat timings, as well as using up precious magic, so it's an interesting trade-off!
Zelda II also has an excellent soundtrack, some of which will be familiar to many people. The dungeon theme in particular is incredible, but the whole score is very pleasant and catchy. Which makes the incessant beeping at low health in this game all the more torturous!
Now, don't get me wrong, the game can be very cruel, especially the lives/continue system. You get 3 lives, and after a game over you continue from the starting location of the game. It's not all that bad though, you keep your level (but lose all exp on your current level, which can be a lot in the late game) and any items you've picked up. It can be emotionally draining to respawn at Zelda's side. However, the world is very quick to navigate as you unlock new shortcuts throughout - so I don't think it's quite as severe as it feels.
Although Link gets stronger through the adventure, the enemies do also and appear in increasingly awkward situations. Still, by the endgame you can tank quite a lot of hits and restore your health somewhat frequently if you manage your magic meter well. Although I did struggle in places and get frustrated, in reality even with retries and a couple minutes of extra walking after a continue I was back in action fairly quickly. The game is still rather short by modern standards, so having to replay some sections a few times isn't all that big of a deal.
Zelda II is truly a worthy member of the Zelda lineage, and I think it gets a bit overlooked! Honestly I enjoyed this game more than the original, simply due to the feel of the movement and combat. The soundtrack will stick with me for a long time. Strongly recommended for those with the patience to put up with this game's minor annoyances!
couldnt beat the last level (i likened it to being as hard as quitting smoking) but a damn fine game. damn fine.
This game had me hooked as a kid, but nowadays it's a bit of a frustration fest. Still, its nostalgic charm shines through, especially in the boss battles that are somehow amusing.
A pesar de su conocido "hate" es un graaaan juego, con mecanicas muy precisas y bien llevadas a cabo, el juego es precursor de varias cosas que se quedaron en la saga, como las ciudades y sus nombres, a pesar de ser muy "distinto" al resto de la saga lo cual aleja a la mayoria de las personas de este juego, vale la pena darle una oportunidad.
Well, well, well
Very different from Zelda 1 and I know it's experimental but, goddammit why tf is this so fucking hard I just hate how this has an exp system and the random encounters don't help with exp because they give little to non unless you're lucky with the rare bag drop form mobs and they just exist for the sole reason is to annoy you. I don't mind the sidescrolling it can be fun sometimes. This is certainly a challenge and I applaud those people going through the entire way through.
it is not as bad as people say but is true that is the worst or at least the least zelda.