This is one of my favorite games of all time. I remember beating it for the first time in the late 80's using help from my brothers and Nintendo Power.
@AustinAshworth as good as Zelda 1 is, Zelda 2 raises the bar and many players met the challenge and we're victorious. Thise who were look back at that challenge with passion and fun!
A fun detail is that if you start the game after beating it the first time, you'll begin with all levels and techniques and spells. But not containers or items.
I read the game FAQ website where it lists all text from NPCs. You'd be surprised how many helpful things they assist you with. The heart piece east of three rock palace, bagu location, and much more. Blew my mind. So actually I can be 10 % less pissed at this game. The answers are there. People would just rather play the read and go blind into the fight
That would be interesting to read though to see all that I missed; I definitely know I missed the Bagu in game hint and ended up resorted to a guide while playing that section. I should have been more patient I guess!
Itay Swissa I really appreciate the kind words! Gives me motivation to put my best foot forward. Thank you so much. LttP is a great pick, probably top 5 for me. I won’t disappoint!
I don't understand why people haven't come around on The Adventure of Link. It's such a charming game even with all its flaws and the temple music is super iconic. I have so many fond memories of playing this over other 2d zeldas when I discovered emulators in Jr high. Great video!
Probably just because it’s so different from the other games in the series. I’ll admit it’s probably the toughest game in the series for me to enjoy just because it is so different but once you give it a chance you grow to appreciate all the unique stuff it does.
Dude, the life system is a crucial part of old school games and good game design if implemented correctly and fairly. Back in the NES days Games were short because there was only so much you can fit on an NES cartridge. Plus games were expensive, like crazy expensive. Games were anywhere from 60-80 bucks. Which is like 150 dollars today counting for inflation. So imagine you're a teen in the 80's you go buy a brand new game with the money you've saved from your part time job and you beat it in one afternoon. It would feel unsatisfying and you'd feel burned, like you just spent a small fortune to play a game for a few hours. By implementing a life system you inherently boost the difficulty of the game and simultaneously make it feel longer. Like yeah, the game is still short and once you get good at the game you can beat it in an afternoon. But that first time you play it, it'll feel so much longer, it'll feel like it was worth the money. Modern games don't have that problem because they're HUGE an average modern game will take you at least a week or two to beat even with the nerfed difficulty just because they're physically longer than NES games. Mind you this was at a very scary time for video games after the crash of 83 and 84 when the entire market basically imploded. That was due to a lot of reasons, but one of the big ones was that people felt ripped off by some short video games. Lives are good game design, lives make the game harder, lives make you think and strategize and actually PLAY the game, lives make the satisfaction of beating a game even more sweet. You can't just mash the buttons and expect to win.
Thank you so much! I plan to cover the whole series going in release order, I just work at a slow pace because it’s just a hobby for me at this point. Hope you stick around for more!
@@AustinAshworth can't wait I'll be here. Just listened to all your Zelda's to fall asleep. Woke up to my Bluetooth screaming low battery low battery low battery powering down
@@retropaloozaforget keeping it a hobby, go full time and I'll join your patreon plus the town with the life spell has a NPC that says master in woods N of river. It does say where to look but like u said it's all surrounded by gauntlets. Even the hidden town, I had no idea for ages on how to use hammer to uncover hidden town under bushes....total rath of God stuff
2:03 You forgot the part where Ganon's minions are trying to kill Link so they might sprinkle his blood upon their master's ashes, and resurrect their Master. And this game introduced and INSANE amount of the Legend of Zelda's lore that gave it a sense of identity. Also, instead of retrieving treasures from the dungeon, Link is PLACING treasures in the dungeon. And we get a tribute to the original Zelda 1's map in the game south of Death Mountain. And we're shown that civilization is returning to Hyrule after Ganon's defeat. The game sincerely feels more optimistic. And Hyrule now feels like a PLACE.
Bagu is in the forest north of town. They do give a hint. I also notice when u go in the chimney hole it gives u a message. We must have different usa versions of game
100% possible I just missed the hint. Sorry for the mistake. Regardless, I think the point still stands that the progression can be very unclear in the game.
@AustinAshworth wasn't an insult just an observation. Good video. Hope to see a skyward sword one someday. Thanks for replying....I don't know if your version is different from mine or if they even exist. Your vid had many thing different from mine. Ex. More bricks on main zelda room at start. Dungeon bosses are different. Plus u have a text bos when u go into chimney hole on town I never saw it before and I just looked for it. Must be different versions
@@retropalooza No worries, I didn’t take it as an insult. I appreciate the correction actually. Weird that there are differences, haven’t heard of that. Glad you enjoyed the video and hope you stick around. I will definitely reach Skyward Sword eventually but I’m going in order and at a slow pace so won’t be for a long while.
14:34 Incorrect. You talk to the blob monster over and over, and it'll eventually tell you his master is in the forest north of town. Telling you were to find Bagu.
i am a GenXer, aka '80s kid', and LOVED NES, had all the major games, to include zelda 1 and 2, and LINK was challenging - but i fairly certain i had Nintendo POWER, or a helpful friend with good intel (esp death mtn, and some mapping of the dungeons, etc) , and i remember it DID take a long time to beat it, but i DID beat it (at least once, without saves, AND NO GLITCHES , cause they did not exist early on )!! and played it as an open world from time to time, but always preferred ZELDA One. as for its weakness, the map was crapy, but in 80s it was VERY ACCEPTABLE , ESPECIALLY compared to Atari, NES and even Zelda 2 was considered a Ferari, and a HUGE improvement.
3:00 Don't lie to the audience. They're not 'random encounters' as an RPG fan thinks of them. The monsters appear on the map and avoidable if you're clever enough, and you can tell which monsters are the 'strong' encounter and the 'weak' encounter, and sometimes a fairy will appear instead of a monster.
Adventure of Link feels pretty similar in a lot of ways to other second titles of that era. Look also at Castlevania and Final Fantasy with how unusual their second titles are compared to the others.
No Patreon right now but maybe one day that will change. Subscribing and sharing my videos are the best way to show your support. I really appreciate your kind words though!
Though I haven't played this game myself, I still found your critique insightful and interesting. I definitely agree that the map mechanism was a step down from the original, it looks very bland and I would much rather have an open world than a set path that I'm forced to travel on.
Don't feel bad about not having played - I'd bet this is the Zelda game with the least exposure. It's just so different from the rest of the series which is a double edged sword: both makes it interesting to study and difficult to approach.
@@AustinAshworth yours has the red reset precautions on the save screen and my version doesn't. You either have a copy of the second release or the third release which came in a box with the words classic series in red on the box cover. There's also a gray cart that exists. How many screws is yours? Nintendo power had a issue with people saying the lost their data and don't know why. So Nintendo put that red reset button instructions screen on the save screen to avoid returns because people think it's broken...
The footage for the video wasn’t recorded off original hardware, it was emulated. That’s interesting they made those small tweaks between revisions though
@@AustinAshworththat could be a reason why. Thanks for replying. Excellent video my friend. Love to see you do a skyward sword video. But regardless you got good talent keep it up
I’ve owned this game on a GBA cartridge for most of my life and I have yet to ever make it maybe 10% of the game everytime I play it. This is my OG dark souls lol
Miyamoto said that Link's design was based off of Peter Pan. Which is very much noticeable. So it's only fitting that his own sbadow should eventually become his antgonist.
16:10 "...not one of these spells is interesting...". I thought the spells were good and the strategies surrounding them, like when to spend 16MP on Shield at the start of a tough room vs. risking taking damage and having to use 50MP on Life. Or when to use Jump to take a higher route and avoid enemies below, or when to use Fire (and discovering which enemies it's effective against). I think MP management added strategy and fun to Zelda 2.
Watching this section back, I may have been overly harsh. I don't find the magic system especially engaging but I think I'd miss it if it were absent. Thanks for offering a thoughtful rebuttal!
About the linearity. One of the most common complaints of Zelda 1 back in the day was that it was too open ended. Remember this was the 1980's and we didn't have game sense like we have today. Nonlinearity was not a popular feature back then... We had to beg our parents to call nintendo's paid hotline when we got stuck not knowing what to do next.
@@arithmechick that or buy Nintendo Power haha. It’s always interesting how much your play experience is shaped by the era you play the game in. Someone who played Zelda 2 at release and me playing it in the modern day almost played two totally different games the experience is so different
I'm part of the "gamer" cohort but I've never understood my fellows hatred of saving games. If saving wasn't intended then why did it appear in the game?
So idea, if u take the gyromite NES adapter out of its game pak and use it to play the Famicom cartridge on a USA NES can u over ride the way the game lowers your magic life and attack values to the lowest point upon power down/reset/save slot change? I think it will work
Sounds like an interesting idea but I've gotta admit you lost me there haha, I never actually owned an NES/Famicom so I'm not sure how all the hardware fits together in your scenario.
As a kid in the 80s, I beat Zelda II through sheer dogged determination, lol. I set out to beat the game and wouldn’t quit until I succeeded. It took about three months, if I recall correctly. Back then, our Summers were nothing but cartoons, bicycles, setting things on fire and playing Nintendo, haha. We didn’t seem to have nearly as many distractions as modern kids. As for the legacy of the game, I will say that modern games are too easy. When you finished something like Zelda II, you felt like you had accomplished something. In addition, I played Zelda II before I ever touched the original Zelda game on the NES. When I finally did get to play that game, I hated it. It felt like a baby’s game by comparison. There was no complex sword play and tactics…the controls were boring…the graphics weren’t nearly as detailed or exciting…etc. I came to appreciate the first game for those now-classic Zelda game components, but I will always consider Zelda II to be superior.
@@frankschuler2867 Thanks for sharing, that’s a really interesting perspective. Regardless of which you played first between Zelda 1 and 2, the other is so different it’s bound to be a little jarring or disappointing. Usually people think less of Zelda 2 because it’s different than the Zelda 1 they are familiar with, but it was the opposite for you!
@@AustinAshworth No doubt! There are a few of us out there who played Zelda II before the original and share similar opinions…but we are certainly the exception. I definitely agree that it’s due to how different the two games are. Both are good…but your first is always special.
Definitely best forgotten in the grand scheme of Zelda games, but there are Definitely many things to be learned from the game. There are also plenty of great evolutions in the cast and enemies, so the game shouldn't be outright forgotten, but LoZ fans should definitely never feel like they must force themselves through the game.
Although the side scrolling gameplay has never returned, that doesn't mean the Zelda series completely forgot AoL - it definitely brought a lot to the table that has been iterated upon in future games!
@@XX-sp3tt Good for you. I didn't say anything about people not being allowed to love this game. I simply compared it to the rest of the series. It evolved much of the lore, but did not inform the future gameplay, and with good reason. Just bc you love the odd off shoot of a series, doesn't mean it was a great installment. Some love it, most hate it, but its contributions to the series cannot be denied.
Maybe I'm just not cut out for the more obscure design of these older titles haha, I must have missed the hint. Apologies and I appreciate the correction!
We managed in rhe 80s cuz we were latchkey kids. Come home from school keep yourelself not dead until dad gets home from working a double at the plant and mom finishes up at the beauty parlor. We were supposed to kill time and this was the way it was. I remember being home from 230 to 5pm from 10 years old so play Nintendo, no internet yet or go find your friends. School sports were fridays and weekends
Zelda was my favorite game as a pre-teen. When I saw the ads for the sequel, I was disappointed by the look of the game. Totally unappealing to me. I decided to rent it first before buying. When I got the rental copy in my hands & played it, I was crestfallen. I didn't even notice another Zelda game had been released until 2000, when a friend forced me to play OoT & MJ. I didn't play Link to the Past until a year ago. This game's release coinciding with my own puberty, made me turn the TV off & get interested in girls instead. I didn't buy another console until the N64. But for some reason, I want to give this game another go. What the hell is wrong with me?
The game has it's fans for sure but it's so different from the rest of the series that you really can't tell if you'll like it until you try it. Even the most ardent Zelda fan could hate Adventure of Link, and someone who doesn't like the Zelda series might love it. Really interesting game for better or worse.
@@AustinAshworth Yessir. I think this game would yield an excellent remake since it would benefit so much. I'm planning an attempt to finally defeat this game over the weekend.
This game is ostensibly known as the black sheep of the franchise, but I have yet to meet anyone who actually views it that way. Where are all these Zelda 2 haters out there?
@@arithmechick I don’t think calling Zelda 2 the “black sheep” is necessarily meaning it’s bad. It’s just very different from the other games in the series; it feels like the odd one out. It has its strengths and weaknesses like any of the games but it’s just such a radically different game that it almost feels like it doesn’t belong
I understand the millenial / GenZ tastes for a "hand-holding" game design, but it can border on being far too predictable and uninspiring when used as a hard rule. There's no thrill of the hunt; no requisite mystery to overcome. Having mismatched items to dungeons is a feature, not a bug.
None taken! That is true, the early Zelda games were well before my time and I make no attempt to disguise that fact. I do my best to put myself in the shoes of a gamer of the day, but obviously it's impossible to fully recapture that experience.
@@AustinAshworth it's bad for you though. Happens to alot of people. I complained to YT and their answer was if your not premium you get capped at 2000 subs and then it overwrites screwing the creators....kicker is I am premium
This is one of my favorite games of all time. I remember beating it for the first time in the late 80's using help from my brothers and Nintendo Power.
@@Alexvander10 thanks for sharing your special memories! Hope I did the game justice!
The use of the Spell spell to open up that shrine is the most cryptic thing in the history of zelda.
17:05 The fairy spell also let you squeeze through key doors if you don't have a key.
You got that right
The encounters on Maze Island aren't random either, they're static, they're always in the same place, and you can avoid most of them.
I'll take the sequel over the first any day! Any game like that, Faxanadu, Olympus, Rambo, they are all stars in the library ✨️
Great coverage!
Thank you! I’m surprised at the number of people who have said they prefer Zelda 2 to Zelda 1 here!
@AustinAshworth as good as Zelda 1 is, Zelda 2 raises the bar and many players met the challenge and we're victorious. Thise who were look back at that challenge with passion and fun!
A fun detail is that if you start the game after beating it the first time, you'll begin with all levels and techniques and spells. But not containers or items.
I read the game FAQ website where it lists all text from NPCs. You'd be surprised how many helpful things they assist you with. The heart piece east of three rock palace, bagu location, and much more. Blew my mind. So actually I can be 10 % less pissed at this game. The answers are there. People would just rather play the read and go blind into the fight
That would be interesting to read though to see all that I missed; I definitely know I missed the Bagu in game hint and ended up resorted to a guide while playing that section. I should have been more patient I guess!
Also, once you max out your levels, any level up after that will give you an extra life.
Love both of you videos, wonder when alttp retrospective is coming. Alttp is my fav zelda game
Itay Swissa I really appreciate the kind words! Gives me motivation to put my best foot forward. Thank you so much. LttP is a great pick, probably top 5 for me. I won’t disappoint!
@@AustinAshworth No problem! I love giving motivation to intersting/importent thing people do.
19:11 You left out that you DO respawn at the start of the final palace if you die there, so you don't need to go through the Valley of Death again.
I don't understand why people haven't come around on The Adventure of Link. It's such a charming game even with all its flaws and the temple music is super iconic. I have so many fond memories of playing this over other 2d zeldas when I discovered emulators in Jr high. Great video!
Probably just because it’s so different from the other games in the series. I’ll admit it’s probably the toughest game in the series for me to enjoy just because it is so different but once you give it a chance you grow to appreciate all the unique stuff it does.
Dude, the life system is a crucial part of old school games and good game design if implemented correctly and fairly.
Back in the NES days Games were short because there was only so much you can fit on an NES cartridge. Plus games were expensive, like crazy expensive. Games were anywhere from 60-80 bucks. Which is like 150 dollars today counting for inflation. So imagine you're a teen in the 80's you go buy a brand new game with the money you've saved from your part time job and you beat it in one afternoon. It would feel unsatisfying and you'd feel burned, like you just spent a small fortune to play a game for a few hours.
By implementing a life system you inherently boost the difficulty of the game and simultaneously make it feel longer. Like yeah, the game is still short and once you get good at the game you can beat it in an afternoon. But that first time you play it, it'll feel so much longer, it'll feel like it was worth the money. Modern games don't have that problem because they're HUGE an average modern game will take you at least a week or two to beat even with the nerfed difficulty just because they're physically longer than NES games.
Mind you this was at a very scary time for video games after the crash of 83 and 84 when the entire market basically imploded. That was due to a lot of reasons, but one of the big ones was that people felt ripped off by some short video games.
Lives are good game design, lives make the game harder, lives make you think and strategize and actually PLAY the game, lives make the satisfaction of beating a game even more sweet. You can't just mash the buttons and expect to win.
Articulated very well. This is an insightful comment, thanks for sharing.
20:10 Incorrect. Huge amounts of the lore of Zelda's setting were established here.
U really did good work on this. You should try more of the Zelda's other than the first few games. Try Skyward sword now there's a Zelda 2 runner up
Thank you so much! I plan to cover the whole series going in release order, I just work at a slow pace because it’s just a hobby for me at this point. Hope you stick around for more!
@@AustinAshworth can't wait I'll be here. Just listened to all your Zelda's to fall asleep. Woke up to my Bluetooth screaming low battery low battery low battery powering down
@@retropaloozaforget keeping it a hobby, go full time and I'll join your patreon plus the town with the life spell has a NPC that says master in woods N of river. It does say where to look but like u said it's all surrounded by gauntlets. Even the hidden town, I had no idea for ages on how to use hammer to uncover hidden town under bushes....total rath of God stuff
2:03 You forgot the part where Ganon's minions are trying to kill Link so they might sprinkle his blood upon their master's ashes, and resurrect their Master. And this game introduced and INSANE amount of the Legend of Zelda's lore that gave it a sense of identity. Also, instead of retrieving treasures from the dungeon, Link is PLACING treasures in the dungeon. And we get a tribute to the original Zelda 1's map in the game south of Death Mountain. And we're shown that civilization is returning to Hyrule after Ganon's defeat. The game sincerely feels more optimistic. And Hyrule now feels like a PLACE.
Bagu is in the forest north of town. They do give a hint. I also notice when u go in the chimney hole it gives u a message. We must have different usa versions of game
100% possible I just missed the hint. Sorry for the mistake. Regardless, I think the point still stands that the progression can be very unclear in the game.
@AustinAshworth wasn't an insult just an observation. Good video. Hope to see a skyward sword one someday. Thanks for replying....I don't know if your version is different from mine or if they even exist. Your vid had many thing different from mine. Ex. More bricks on main zelda room at start. Dungeon bosses are different. Plus u have a text bos when u go into chimney hole on town I never saw it before and I just looked for it. Must be different versions
@@retropalooza No worries, I didn’t take it as an insult. I appreciate the correction actually. Weird that there are differences, haven’t heard of that. Glad you enjoyed the video and hope you stick around. I will definitely reach Skyward Sword eventually but I’m going in order and at a slow pace so won’t be for a long while.
@@AustinAshworth u mean I gotta wait 26 years...ok I will. Get editing....be safe
With the exception of the over world map, it really looks and plays like The Battle Of Olympus.
Wasn't familiar with that game but after looking it up I definitely see that comparison!
That's where the inspiration came for Olympus.
14:34 Incorrect. You talk to the blob monster over and over, and it'll eventually tell you his master is in the forest north of town. Telling you were to find Bagu.
Yeah his knowledge of the two first Zelda games isn’t great.
i am a GenXer, aka '80s kid', and LOVED NES, had all the major games, to include zelda 1 and 2, and LINK was challenging - but i fairly certain i had Nintendo POWER, or a helpful friend with good intel (esp death mtn, and some mapping of the dungeons, etc) , and i remember it DID take a long time to beat it, but i DID beat it (at least once, without saves, AND NO GLITCHES , cause they did not exist early on )!! and played it as an open world from time to time, but always preferred ZELDA One.
as for its weakness, the map was crapy, but in 80s it was VERY ACCEPTABLE , ESPECIALLY compared to Atari, NES and even Zelda 2 was considered a Ferari, and a HUGE improvement.
Master is in woods North of River is hinted by the blue bubble guy in the village
@@KehHs-l8b that is something I missed for sure. Apologies for the mistake, I appreciate the correction
U got too much right no worries. Hope to see more vids in the future. Good stuff thanks again
3:00 Don't lie to the audience. They're not 'random encounters' as an RPG fan thinks of them. The monsters appear on the map and avoidable if you're clever enough, and you can tell which monsters are the 'strong' encounter and the 'weak' encounter, and sometimes a fairy will appear instead of a monster.
💯
Adventure of Link feels pretty similar in a lot of ways to other second titles of that era. Look also at Castlevania and Final Fantasy with how unusual their second titles are compared to the others.
Master is in woods north of river.....there's is a bagu hint in the town
Definitely something I missed on my playthrough, appreciate the correction
@@AustinAshworth it's Zelda 2 it's the Zelda we all wish we missed lol still great video
New sub here, great stuff man. Got a Patreon
No Patreon right now but maybe one day that will change. Subscribing and sharing my videos are the best way to show your support. I really appreciate your kind words though!
Awesome I'm in too
Though I haven't played this game myself, I still found your critique insightful and interesting. I definitely agree that the map mechanism was a step down from the original, it looks very bland and I would much rather have an open world than a set path that I'm forced to travel on.
Don't feel bad about not having played - I'd bet this is the Zelda game with the least exposure. It's just so different from the rest of the series which is a double edged sword: both makes it interesting to study and difficult to approach.
I don't remember the text box saying it looks like I can get in the fireplace.....is this a special version
As far as I know it’s standard US release! Weird
@@AustinAshworth yours has the red reset precautions on the save screen and my version doesn't. You either have a copy of the second release or the third release which came in a box with the words classic series in red on the box cover. There's also a gray cart that exists. How many screws is yours? Nintendo power had a issue with people saying the lost their data and don't know why. So Nintendo put that red reset button instructions screen on the save screen to avoid returns because people think it's broken...
The footage for the video wasn’t recorded off original hardware, it was emulated. That’s interesting they made those small tweaks between revisions though
@@AustinAshworththat could be a reason why. Thanks for replying. Excellent video my friend. Love to see you do a skyward sword video. But regardless you got good talent keep it up
I’ve owned this game on a GBA cartridge for most of my life and I have yet to ever make it maybe 10% of the game everytime I play it. This is my OG dark souls lol
I had no idea there was a GBA version, that’s pretty cool. It’s definitely a tough one!
I had no clue there was a link doll on the bottom right swamp thx kid
@@Retroman8000 happy to help!
Miyamoto said that Link's design was based off of Peter Pan. Which is very much noticeable. So it's only fitting that his own sbadow should eventually become his antgonist.
I never knew that and, as you said, it’s very appropriate given that inspiration. Cool bit of trivia, thanks for sharing!
16:10 "...not one of these spells is interesting...". I thought the spells were good and the strategies surrounding them, like when to spend 16MP on Shield at the start of a tough room vs. risking taking damage and having to use 50MP on Life. Or when to use Jump to take a higher route and avoid enemies below, or when to use Fire (and discovering which enemies it's effective against). I think MP management added strategy and fun to Zelda 2.
Watching this section back, I may have been overly harsh. I don't find the magic system especially engaging but I think I'd miss it if it were absent. Thanks for offering a thoughtful rebuttal!
About the linearity. One of the most common complaints of Zelda 1 back in the day was that it was too open ended. Remember this was the 1980's and we didn't have game sense like we have today. Nonlinearity was not a popular feature back then... We had to beg our parents to call nintendo's paid hotline when we got stuck not knowing what to do next.
@@arithmechick that or buy Nintendo Power haha. It’s always interesting how much your play experience is shaped by the era you play the game in. Someone who played Zelda 2 at release and me playing it in the modern day almost played two totally different games the experience is so different
I'm part of the "gamer" cohort but I've never understood my fellows hatred of saving games. If saving wasn't intended then why did it appear in the game?
Gamers don’t hate saving games, they hate save states.
@@UncleTamir666 thanks uncle
So idea, if u take the gyromite NES adapter out of its game pak and use it to play the Famicom cartridge on a USA NES can u over ride the way the game lowers your magic life and attack values to the lowest point upon power down/reset/save slot change? I think it will work
Sounds like an interesting idea but I've gotta admit you lost me there haha, I never actually owned an NES/Famicom so I'm not sure how all the hardware fits together in your scenario.
It’s interesting that you noted a similarity between dark souls already, ocarina of time is pretty much the blueprint of that series
I always have Dark Souls on my mind haha, one of my all time favorites!
@@AustinAshworth oh I’ll be waiting for the series retrospective then
I actually found the Zelda 2 dungeons HARDER to navigate, since there is no in game map.
As a kid in the 80s, I beat Zelda II through sheer dogged determination, lol. I set out to beat the game and wouldn’t quit until I succeeded. It took about three months, if I recall correctly. Back then, our Summers were nothing but cartoons, bicycles, setting things on fire and playing Nintendo, haha. We didn’t seem to have nearly as many distractions as modern kids. As for the legacy of the game, I will say that modern games are too easy. When you finished something like Zelda II, you felt like you had accomplished something. In addition, I played Zelda II before I ever touched the original Zelda game on the NES. When I finally did get to play that game, I hated it. It felt like a baby’s game by comparison. There was no complex sword play and tactics…the controls were boring…the graphics weren’t nearly as detailed or exciting…etc. I came to appreciate the first game for those now-classic Zelda game components, but I will always consider Zelda II to be superior.
@@frankschuler2867 Thanks for sharing, that’s a really interesting perspective. Regardless of which you played first between Zelda 1 and 2, the other is so different it’s bound to be a little jarring or disappointing. Usually people think less of Zelda 2 because it’s different than the Zelda 1 they are familiar with, but it was the opposite for you!
@@AustinAshworth No doubt! There are a few of us out there who played Zelda II before the original and share similar opinions…but we are certainly the exception. I definitely agree that it’s due to how different the two games are. Both are good…but your first is always special.
U forget the game pak in the box window
Definitely best forgotten in the grand scheme of Zelda games, but there are Definitely many things to be learned from the game. There are also plenty of great evolutions in the cast and enemies, so the game shouldn't be outright forgotten, but LoZ fans should definitely never feel like they must force themselves through the game.
Although the side scrolling gameplay has never returned, that doesn't mean the Zelda series completely forgot AoL - it definitely brought a lot to the table that has been iterated upon in future games!
What are you talking about? I loved this game.
@@XX-sp3tt Good for you. I didn't say anything about people not being allowed to love this game. I simply compared it to the rest of the series. It evolved much of the lore, but did not inform the future gameplay, and with good reason. Just bc you love the odd off shoot of a series, doesn't mean it was a great installment. Some love it, most hate it, but its contributions to the series cannot be denied.
@@VonDiesel3768 “definitely best forgotten” couldn’t be less true
Best forgotten? Were you alive when this came out? It was a big thing, it was well received and lots of people loved it. It did very good.
The NPC says when u wake him....MASTER IS IN WOODS N. OF RIVER......so yes there is a clue to finding BAGU
Maybe I'm just not cut out for the more obscure design of these older titles haha, I must have missed the hint. Apologies and I appreciate the correction!
7:11 The boss monsters in the first Zelda game were also not cheap damage sponges.
Zelda 2 wasn't meant to be sequel it was meant to be a spin-off
Master is in woods n of river, blue chu chu jelly says in house ...viola bagu found
We managed in rhe 80s cuz we were latchkey kids. Come home from school keep yourelself not dead until dad gets home from working a double at the plant and mom finishes up at the beauty parlor. We were supposed to kill time and this was the way it was. I remember being home from 230 to 5pm from 10 years old so play Nintendo, no internet yet or go find your friends. School sports were fridays and weekends
I miss those days when I had all the time in the world and the months seemed to drag out forever. Now you blink and half a years gone by
@@AustinAshworth it was 2020 last Thursday ...before that it was skyward sword launch on wii
Zelda was my favorite game as a pre-teen. When I saw the ads for the sequel, I was disappointed by the look of the game. Totally unappealing to me. I decided to rent it first before buying. When I got the rental copy in my hands & played it, I was crestfallen. I didn't even notice another Zelda game had been released until 2000, when a friend forced me to play OoT & MJ. I didn't play Link to the Past until a year ago. This game's release coinciding with my own puberty, made me turn the TV off & get interested in girls instead. I didn't buy another console until the N64. But for some reason, I want to give this game another go. What the hell is wrong with me?
The game has it's fans for sure but it's so different from the rest of the series that you really can't tell if you'll like it until you try it. Even the most ardent Zelda fan could hate Adventure of Link, and someone who doesn't like the Zelda series might love it. Really interesting game for better or worse.
@@AustinAshworth Yessir. I think this game would yield an excellent remake since it would benefit so much. I'm planning an attempt to finally defeat this game over the weekend.
This game is ostensibly known as the black sheep of the franchise, but I have yet to meet anyone who actually views it that way. Where are all these Zelda 2 haters out there?
@@arithmechick I don’t think calling Zelda 2 the “black sheep” is necessarily meaning it’s bad. It’s just very different from the other games in the series; it feels like the odd one out. It has its strengths and weaknesses like any of the games but it’s just such a radically different game that it almost feels like it doesn’t belong
Oh man, kids now a days want everything to be easy including videogames
"Not that bad" kinda of as compared to....totally sucks backtracking
I do think this game is fine with it’s plot but, the rest fell flat on everything else
I understand the millenial / GenZ tastes for a "hand-holding" game design, but it can border on being far too predictable and uninspiring when used as a hard rule. There's no thrill of the hunt; no requisite mystery to overcome. Having mismatched items to dungeons is a feature, not a bug.
No offence mate, but it's extremely obvious that you were born well after 1990 and didn’t grow up with NES.
None taken! That is true, the early Zelda games were well before my time and I make no attempt to disguise that fact. I do my best to put myself in the shoes of a gamer of the day, but obviously it's impossible to fully recapture that experience.
Again I got unsubscribed....if I didn't remember I wouldn't have even known
@@KehHs-l8b oh no! That’s really strange. Well glad to have you back!
@@AustinAshworth it's bad for you though. Happens to alot of people. I complained to YT and their answer was if your not premium you get capped at 2000 subs and then it overwrites screwing the creators....kicker is I am premium
Link looks really bad in this game imo. He looked cute and chunky in the previous game but he looks like a dweeb here