Although generally considered the black sheep of the series, Zelda II has a special charm about it that many fans adore, giving it its cult status today. Many were critical of its side scroller gameplay instead of the overhead view of the first. Don't get me wrong, I get why people weren't into that, but also keep in mind that when it came out, there was only two Zelda games, so there was no real standard yet. I appreciate their attempt to do something fresh and different even if it didn't pan out. Not to mention this is one of the first games to implement RPG elements such as leveling up and RNG enemy spawns. One things for damn sure, this is the hardest Zelda game. On top of the gameplay being tricky to get used to, the difficulty balance is just off. The hardest levels are at the beginning when you're underleveled, and you pretty much have to be at max level to have any luck againist the later ones. And its not done for any sense of accomplishment, it feels like its done to be mean. The puzzles and dungeons feel very needlessley cryptic, I have no idea how anyone is able to beat this without a guide. The sense of exploration is still there however, with the addition of visiting towns, interacting with NPCs, doing side quests to get magic spells being a satisfying element to the series. Unfortunately it is hurt by an awful overworld. The theme is not as good or classic as the first, graphically its a mess, everything is a block and is unappealing as hell, and navigating some areas is very frusturating. Like yeah you're only in the overworld to get to other places so it doesn't take up that much time, but it's still easily the worst part of the game. I do think this game gets a bit too much hate, because for what it is, its still a pretty good game overall, and has its place in the Zelda series. It was an ambitious title for the franchise, and if that meant it had to be the sacrificial one to know how to improve later one, then for that alone, I salute it.