Back in the day Nintendo refused to put the real names of the involved staff in their game credits. They didnt want other companies to hire their workers.
@@DrJohn-be1pk This is true, they were credited under pseudonyms. Tezuka was credited under the name TenTen at the time, but that name isn't in the credits for Zelda II
Nowadays, too many people get credited. Do we really need to who Soken's caterers are or which Canadian real estate agency Square-Enix leased property from while they were working on FF16?
Ok so honestly, Zelda II is one of my top 3 zelda games. I can remember seeing it in action for the first time. My older cousin had rented it and we both spent the night at our grandparents house. I was caught up in the adventure and exploration. Uncovering new abilities and learning new wisdoms lol such a wonderful time to be alive. I've never fully understood the hate for this game... I mean (say it with me) different does not equal bad.) Anyway I guess what I want to say is Thank You. Thank You for the time and effort you put into making these videos. I love your channel and i just want to encourage you to keep up the great work.
@@ExtendedJet8 that's great that you and your mother used to play NES/ games together, what a great memory to have. My parents never really got the "Nintendo thing". While they never discouraged us from playing, they just never did much more than line up "blocks" in Tetris or hunting ducks in 🤔 "something hunt"... I don't remember the name. But I do have a tone of memories NESing it up with the cousins.
It's not really a Zelda game though. It's the black sheep because it was meant to be its own series. Agree with Miyamoto, they made the game too hard, and thus the vast majority of players bounced once they hit Death Mountain. "I was caught up in the exploration" Are we talking about the same game?
@@_sparrowhawk I never hit any area on Zelda 2 where I stalled. Zelda 1 though I ran into a castle where I had a room I couldn't get past for almost a year. Had those things that would pounce on you and steal your shield and there were so many of them. I'd always die. But Zelda 2 I never had a problem with. I also played Zelda 2 before I played Zelda 1, so I was able to appreciate it for what it is rather than hating it for unreasonable expectations. It platforms well, it's difficult but fair(from a gameplay perspective), and the leveling up and exploration elements can be fun. The only complaint is the cryptic nature of some secrets that were largely due to translation errors, but I was able to figure everything out. Never got stuck for more than a day or so on Zelda 2.
I thought this game stood out from the rest of the series in a good way. Never a dull moment. Facing off with iron knuckles pumped me full of adrenaline. Downthrust jumps were a game changer!
I don’t care what anyone says, I thoroughly enjoy this game and always have. It would be so amazing if they remade these retro games, with the same graphics and sounds but added levels and items. It would be such a treat to further explore the areas we thought we were familiar with.
I'm so glad you are redoing these, I *tried* to watch the originals, but they were just.. rough in terms of audio. So, these revisited episodes are awesome to see.
I think it’s kind of sweet that in some ways, OoT could be seen as a second attempt at Adventure of Link. The “black sheep” would heavily influence the most landmark game in the series. Also I see how the leveling system influences the one in Echoes of Wisdom, right down to “dungeons give you enough to level up”.
Same here. I can play through it in a couple hours. I play through this game every few years. It's my favorite NES game. But I played Zelda 2 before Zelda 1, so I was able to appreciate it for what it was. I've found that the people who don't like it are almost exclusively those who played Zelda 1 first and were disappointed it wasn't a clone of the first game. Everybody I know who played Zelda 2 first, loves the game. It's programmed very well, it platforms well, the exploration element is fun, and the level building can be fun if you liked RPGs. It has it fair criticisms for sure, especially the criptic nature of some things, but it was a great game.
@@turinturambar347 For me personally, this is one of those games where in my earliest memories before I even knew how to spell words I was playing it and the first zelda (along with other NES games) but I never beat either. Later on in life I came back to these games and loved them both. It's not like Simon's Quest levels of cryptic so I really do not think it is that bad...I think that modern gaming has spoiled many gamers but designing games in such a way that one does not really have to pay attention or teach players when to go fast versus when to be patient. The very tight combat mechanics in zelda 2 are really something special, when you spend time observing enemies and learning to the point you can go toe to toe with Darknut/Goriya/Daira/Bird Knight without getting hit much if at all...the game becomes extremely satisfying to play. It's kind of like what made everyone love Dark Souls.
@@snowyzorua I agree on all points. Though I'd also add that I love Simon's Quest. My favorite NES Castlevania game. But again, it was the first Castlevania game I played. My friend had a subscription to Nintendo Power, so we were able to get around all of the cryptic stuff. We only used it when we got lost and were desperate.
@@AnAverageGoblin it is good and people do appreciate it. The only people who don’t are the ones who played Zelda 1 first and were expecting a clone of the first game.
Just got done with you LoZ revisit, absolutely amazingly done. I do wish you had touched on the hidden bombable walls a bit more but you did suggest watching a walkthrough for people who wanted to find them all. And that was probably the right choice.
I would love a re-imagining of this game. Either make it feel like playing Link in Smash Bros. (Without the excess that comes with Smash, like massive leaps), or completely revamp it.
No Zelda title lives permanently in the front of my head like Zelda II. I don't even know why. Edited because I thought I found a reason. But I didn't.
Props for mentioning Jeremy Parish! He is, by far, my favorite retro-gaming journalist! Here are his most significant videos about Zelda II: (1) Metroidvania Works #11: th-cam.com/video/_wcefuuDoBU/w-d-xo.html ; and (2) NES Works #105: th-cam.com/video/L-zz4JrqIK0/w-d-xo.html
This was SO incredibly informative! Thanks so much for all your research and interesting footage/quotes! I cracked up at John Stossel waiting impatiently in line just to have footage for a news story 😆
I love the first two games and never understood the dislike for II. It's really not any more cryptic that the first and sure it's 80's Nintendo hard, but I found it easier to beat than most of the Mario games. I also love the RPG elements.
As a 9 year old child, I needed to call Nintendo’s tip line for tips on some of those puzzles. This destroyed their phone bill. They were horrified because they thought I was calling a phone sex line, then still horrified when they learned it was actually to beat a video game, then still still horrified because the tips to beat it cost them more than the game itself.
Zelda 2 was my favorite NES game. I loved it. I still love it. I play through it every few years and can do so with ease. It really isn't as hard as people seem to think it is. I much prefer it over Zelda 1, which I still like, but not near as much. But then again, I played Zelda 2 before I played Zelda 1. So I played the game without any expecations or even knowing that it was a popular game. My dad just picked it up and I had no idea what the Zelda series was even about. So I was able to play the game and appreciate it for what it was/is. It's a very well programmed game, with elements of exploration and level building and I liked RPG and exploration type games, of which there were very few back then. The game play can be hard, but it's fair. There aren't any bad hit boxes, Link isn't stiff, so he platforms very well(though being knocked back into pits can be an issue like in Castlevania), and every enemy has a pattern that can be learned. It's truly a very underappreciated game. Those who don't like it are almost exclusively people who played Zelda 1 first and were disappointed because they were wanting a clone of the first game. Similar to Chrono Cross. I loved Chrono Cross. One of my favorite Playstation 1 RPGs, but again, I played Chrono Cross first. Never picked up Trigger on the SNES. Though I did go back and play Chrono Trigger later in life and absolutely loved it and view it very favorably against Chrono Cross, where as Zelda 1 doesn't hold a candle to Zelda 2 in my opinion.
It would be really cool if Nintendo made an open air sequel to this game in the breath of the wild engine with this map, they've been reusing the LttP a few times, and the map in this game is utterly massive with a ton of settlements, making it perfect for a new huge open air game to explore.
@@_sparrowhawk He never said he didn't like the other Zelda games. Just that it was his favorite. You must be one of those who are bitter because you bought it expecting a clone of the first game.
I recognize it may be nostalgia, but Zelda II is vastly underrated imo. Core memory and one of my favorite childhood games. I'd recommend it to any modern souls Bourne lovers.
Adventure of Link was the dev teams trying to make Ocarina of Time, a decade and two generations of hardware earlier. The vision of what a more action-oriented Zelda game would be like was there and almost fully realized, but the hardware limitations of the time held back the concept. But the world, the lore and the combat are all there, coupled with a desire to make a more "immersive" experience. Zelda 1 is a masterpiece, but even back then, felt like little pieces moving around on crude wargaming terrain. There's a reason Echoes of Wisdom and the remake of Link's Awakening both have a clay, chibi, "toy-like" feel. Adventure of Link felt like Link was a fully-realized action hero rather than a stout, chubby little chess piece moving around on an animated map. The game was ahead of its time, in concept, unfortunately not in its realization. If Nintendo wanted to hold it up to the caliber of Zelda 1, the game needed more work and needed more development. It's too difficult and too esoteric. And if they wanted to lean into the RPG elements and mechanics, they should have gone further, if anything. Zelda II, Adventure of Link is great because it's an example of what can be done with the Zelda franchise. It's literally on the opposite end of the spectrum from Zelda 1 and every game since has been somewhere in the middle of those two.
"The game was ahead of its time, in concept" Yea, it was so far ahead of its time that Nintendo doesn't want to touch it with a ten foot pole, in the past 30 years.
@@_sparrowhawk BOTW hardly has anything to do with Zelda one, it re-did a few ideas but nothing is a flat out remake. plus Zelda 1 had a remake on the BBS thing for SNES.
I loved Zelda II. Even with my first copy experiencing a glitch with the Fairy spell that broke the entire game. On all save files. Even when deleted. Start a new safe file? Start as a fairy that's falling though pits. In North Castle.
I'd say that it also influenced Battle of Olympus... they are very similar! In my opinion, Zelda 2 is a game that demanded the player's respect. It didn't baby the player. In some ways, it was like the NES predecessor to Dark Souls. Not only were you going to die, but the game even had Gannon laugh at you. I loved it. I have gotten close to beating it, but something always happened. I still look forward to beating it one day.
One day we will get a remaster of this game or some sort of sequel like A Link Between Worlds did for A Link to the Past. I think everyone would love that, it’s been proven that people want to play tough games.
I remember getting this game right after Christmas. My parents couldn't find it and so gave me a "certificate" to redeem for the game. We went around town the day after Christmas looking for it. We were in line at a store's electronics department to ask if they had it and the person in front of us was returning their game because they heard it was the big thing to get, but didn't realize you needed a system to play it. 😂 He got his refund and we bought it.
@@DanielDod What the hell were they thinking? 😂 Wonder if they tried to put it in the VHS or maybe the toaster. That poor kid that was teased with a Zelda game for christmas makes me a little sad though.
Zelda II is not my favorite Zelda (that honor belongs to WW/MM/LA, generationally), not that I'm saying it's bad, it's just that it's not "fully Zelda". But it's a game I enjoy playing every time, just because of how different, creative (AND DIFFICULT!) it was. And it set the cornerstone of future games of the series. Also, Link's combat style on the SSB games is a direct call to Zelda II. I love it. Not as a Zelda game, but as an unique proposal that helped cement the future good reputation of the series.
@15:59, I don't know. I feel recent games don't really have much story to them either. The Zelda games are notorious for not having any really relevant story to them that ties anything to anything else. I am unsure if it is a problem or an asset. I feel like Nintendo would have done best to quash the idea of a timeline and just gone with the idea that Final Fantasy went with where every story is self contained and not related to any other story. It is supposed to be a "legend" and legends change and evolve with time and aren't directly related to true historical events.
Zelda II's overworld map of Western Hyrule shares many similarities with Breath Of The Wild's map. It's too bad we didn't get to explore Z2's Eastern Hyrule in the Tears Of The Kingdom.
Yeah I'm in the same boat of respecting this game (and everything it's done for the series) but never enjoying it when I sit down to play it. The concept of the gameplay is solid, but difficultly really does hold it back, and the fact that it was a completly new team does explain why the atmosphere makes it seem like the odd-one-out in the whole series. On the subject of Tezuka's writing credits, this is speculation on my part, it's possible there are talking about him writing the story in Zelda 2's manual rather than the actual in-game dialogue. Something similar happened with Koizumi, where he has gone on record several times saying that he was the one that wrote the story for the manual in A Link to the Past, but his only credit in the game is under "Printed Art Work".
@@TheJoninMonkey It's possible that Tezuka wrote the manual, I was just unable to find any quotes or interviews with him talking about working on Zelda II.
Personally, I'd have to say that now (at just about 42y/o), in comparison to a very large majority of the NES library that I've played through over the years.... Despite its flaws, I think Zelda II : The Adventure of Link may be the most balanced game on the console - within the context of what it presented and executed. And apart from that statement, for me personally, it is my favorite of the series - past to present day. Miyamoto-san has nothing to be ashamed of, when it comes to this title.
To me the main thing that it messes up the most is taking away exp when you die. At a certain point in the game when leveling takes a lot of exp, after you die its more worth it to try to avoid every enemy and clear a dungeon. This sucks because the combat is the best part of the game
It’s weird, as a around 4th? Grade kid when this dropped, this game never grabbed me. Most of my friends were lukewarm on it. And I just wasn’t interested at all. Double Dragon and Mario 2 were the big games that year where I lived.
wanted the Zelda games to get easier as Link gets stronger . . . meanwhile, BotW and TotK punish you for being good at parrying and cool kills by giving you more XP for that and leveling up your enemies. Enemies that used to take 2 hits with a strong sword in the early games now take game-fluffing 30+ hits to kill.
I always wished that nintendo would remake this game in an updated side scroller. I really never liked the direction that nintendo took the series after the SNES game. I have put a lot of hours into playing the 3D games but never really finished any of them they just got really boring. I miss the simpler side scrollers and overhead view games.
So, I just found your podcast randomly starting with the sept 25th episode. I enjoyed it quite a bit, and while I was pretty sure I was going to continue listening, despite not being a fan of Nintendo anymore-thanks to their current attitude towards fans, and more importantly, their inability to make decent games (Metroid Dread being the rare exception for many years)… but what sealed the deal, was you not buying into the revised version of history for the creation of Zelda 2. Not that I have any insider information about the facts, but it would make sense that they try to distance shiggy as much as possible, considering the game is essentially garbage (take everything out of the game that ties it to the Zelda universe, then find any gamer who claims it’s still just as enjoyable… then I believe you’ve just found yourself one of the greatest liars the world has ever seen!) I personally don’t think he’s been involved in making games for many years, but is kept on staff (likely with a fairly large “hush-fund”) to keep the illusion of existing talent alive. At best, he looks at what the real workers are up to, and gives quick feedback- “green light that”, and “axe this”… the end. So yeah, my long winded way of saying I think I’ll be sticking around for a while.😬👍
Nintendo has been using the same excuse since the NES for why people can't find their stuff! Holy moly. "Chip shortage" and "demand exceeding expectations" wow. I'm getting more and more tired of them, to be honest. Looking forward to the copyright strikes on all TH-camrs playing their music now that they decided to create a music app. They're becoming quite the tyrant with their ninjas.
As a kid i loved zelda 2 thought it was better than yhe first game and i still think that overall though the first game overall is a lot more approachable. Only disappointment is i was expecting a 2nd quest like the OG.
Well let's see: we'll give them Links Awakening and Echoes of Wisdom and then show them this 2D thing on NSO and ask them to play it. We'll see if they get past Death Mountain.
@@_sparrowhawk Better yet, make them go back and play both Zelda 1 and Zelda 2 and see which they like better. I'll bet the result are very close to even. They won't be playing it with nastalgia glasses on.
If I had been around, this game would have been a MASSIVE disappointment. For one, just look how damn ugly and basic it looks. I can't believe they released this as is. Interesting that some people have good memories of it.
I never understood why people found this game so difficult. I was 8 when the game came out and beat it without too much difficulty. I think modern audiences expect things to be handed to them too much.
Modern audiences don’t play this game in first place. Seriously, most people under 40 wouldn’t care to play this game in the first place, let alone complain about how hard it is.
Yup that’s me at 46 still lie bragging about games I played at 8. What a weirdo why would I lie in a random comment section on a random TH-cam video? It was the 80s man that’s all I had to do was live and breathe the original Nintendo. We didn’t know the games were “hard” because we didn’t know any different. The amount of hours I put into that game and Zelda 1 and Metroid and Mega man 2. You think Zelda 2 is hard you should try mega man 1. That’s a game I never beat.
@@paulgales8211Ok, you got a point here. I loved Kirbys Adventure and Duck Tales. Those were the few NES games I was able to beat as a kid 😅 And Mega Man is insane, I know.
Why not try _Zelda II: The Adventures of Link PC Edition?_ Gameplay is, otherwise, the same, as are all of the quests, however, the PC Edition adds in plenty of new areas, new puzzles, new collectables (Heart Containers and upgraded weapons and tools), and Minigames. There's a twist on one of the Spells though as it no longer works as it did in the OG. It's as difficult as the OG game at the start, but, at the end game, Link is much stronger than he is in the end game of the OG. The Link dolls are also permanent. The New Game+ has you go through all the leveling up again, all of the palaces again, all of the collectables again, but you retain the spells, and has a completely new area with new collectables, and even a new final boss (with a familiar boss theme from a different Zelda game), all after Shadow Link, as the NG+ is a sequel in this version as even the sleeping Zelda is awake from the start. Currently, I find the PC edition is the definitive way to play the game. I recommend changing the music to "Isabelle Chiming" for at least the New Game+.
The overworld map was *such* trash. 😕 I always wished that they'd put as much effort into that as they did with the dungeon layouts. And I have no idea why they decided to give Link a bloody KNIFE in lieu of a sword, but... whatever. It wasn't a bad game, but it certainly wasn't as awesome as the original or ALttP.
Of course he doesn't like Zelda 2. I imagine most of its sales were based on the greatness of the first game, and as Nintendo went back to the AAA designers for LTTP, they went back to the original games design. Guys. This game was never meant to be a Zelda game. The branding was applied at the last minute. I would say full credit goes to Ocarina of Time for Z-targetting, not this game, that has no such technology.
Link starts off with the magic sword that’s why he does upgrade to a stronger sword. The magic sword is the most superior. Unlike Zelda1 where you work up to the magic sword . Zelda 2 is an awesome game. I remember thinking how cool it was that you started off with the magic sword. Zelda 2 has always been one of my top 5 games.
Back in the day Nintendo refused to put the real names of the involved staff in their game credits. They didnt want other companies to hire their workers.
@@DrJohn-be1pk This is true, they were credited under pseudonyms. Tezuka was credited under the name TenTen at the time, but that name isn't in the credits for Zelda II
That would explain why so many games had what was seemingly wrestler nicknames in the credits lol
Nowadays, too many people get credited. Do we really need to who Soken's caterers are or which Canadian real estate agency Square-Enix leased property from while they were working on FF16?
@@diegoarmando5489 yes
Konami used joke names in Castlevania. Atari programmers who wanted to be credited back in the day had to hide it in game
Ok so honestly, Zelda II is one of my top 3 zelda games. I can remember seeing it in action for the first time. My older cousin had rented it and we both spent the night at our grandparents house. I was caught up in the adventure and exploration. Uncovering new abilities and learning new wisdoms lol such a wonderful time to be alive. I've never fully understood the hate for this game... I mean (say it with me) different does not equal bad.) Anyway I guess what I want to say is Thank You. Thank You for the time and effort you put into making these videos. I love your channel and i just want to encourage you to keep up the great work.
I remember playing it with my mom, we both liked it. I didn't know it was "hated" till several years later when we got online.
@@ExtendedJet8 that's great that you and your mother used to play NES/ games together, what a great memory to have. My parents never really got the "Nintendo thing". While they never discouraged us from playing, they just never did much more than line up "blocks" in Tetris or hunting ducks in
🤔 "something hunt"... I don't remember the name. But I do have a tone of memories NESing it up with the cousins.
@@keithseratt5926 ähm maybe..Duck Hunt? 😅
It's not really a Zelda game though. It's the black sheep because it was meant to be its own series. Agree with Miyamoto, they made the game too hard, and thus the vast majority of players bounced once they hit Death Mountain.
"I was caught up in the exploration" Are we talking about the same game?
@@_sparrowhawk I never hit any area on Zelda 2 where I stalled. Zelda 1 though I ran into a castle where I had a room I couldn't get past for almost a year. Had those things that would pounce on you and steal your shield and there were so many of them. I'd always die. But Zelda 2 I never had a problem with.
I also played Zelda 2 before I played Zelda 1, so I was able to appreciate it for what it is rather than hating it for unreasonable expectations. It platforms well, it's difficult but fair(from a gameplay perspective), and the leveling up and exploration elements can be fun. The only complaint is the cryptic nature of some secrets that were largely due to translation errors, but I was able to figure everything out. Never got stuck for more than a day or so on Zelda 2.
I thought this game stood out from the rest of the series in a good way. Never a dull moment. Facing off with iron knuckles pumped me full of adrenaline. Downthrust jumps were a game changer!
Upward thrusts too, I love how those moves live on in SSB now.
I don’t care what anyone says, I thoroughly enjoy this game and always have. It would be so amazing if they remade these retro games, with the same graphics and sounds but added levels and items. It would be such a treat to further explore the areas we thought we were familiar with.
My least favorite game in the Zelda series is Zelda’s Adventure from Philips CD-i
Nintendo will never touch Zelda 2...
Loved your vid on the original NES Zelda. I clicked this one super fast lol
I'm so glad you are redoing these, I *tried* to watch the originals, but they were just.. rough in terms of audio. So, these revisited episodes are awesome to see.
I think it’s kind of sweet that in some ways, OoT could be seen as a second attempt at Adventure of Link. The “black sheep” would heavily influence the most landmark game in the series.
Also I see how the leveling system influences the one in Echoes of Wisdom, right down to “dungeons give you enough to level up”.
I love this game. Every so often I fire up this game and beat it in an evening. I wish more people appreciated this classic ARPG
Same here. I can play through it in a couple hours. I play through this game every few years. It's my favorite NES game.
But I played Zelda 2 before Zelda 1, so I was able to appreciate it for what it was. I've found that the people who don't like it are almost exclusively those who played Zelda 1 first and were disappointed it wasn't a clone of the first game. Everybody I know who played Zelda 2 first, loves the game. It's programmed very well, it platforms well, the exploration element is fun, and the level building can be fun if you liked RPGs. It has it fair criticisms for sure, especially the criptic nature of some things, but it was a great game.
@@turinturambar347 For me personally, this is one of those games where in my earliest memories before I even knew how to spell words I was playing it and the first zelda (along with other NES games) but I never beat either.
Later on in life I came back to these games and loved them both. It's not like Simon's Quest levels of cryptic so I really do not think it is that bad...I think that modern gaming has spoiled many gamers but designing games in such a way that one does not really have to pay attention or teach players when to go fast versus when to be patient.
The very tight combat mechanics in zelda 2 are really something special, when you spend time observing enemies and learning to the point you can go toe to toe with Darknut/Goriya/Daira/Bird Knight without getting hit much if at all...the game becomes extremely satisfying to play. It's kind of like what made everyone love Dark Souls.
@@snowyzorua I agree on all points. Though I'd also add that I love Simon's Quest. My favorite NES Castlevania game. But again, it was the first Castlevania game I played. My friend had a subscription to Nintendo Power, so we were able to get around all of the cryptic stuff. We only used it when we got lost and were desperate.
if it was good people would lmao.
@@AnAverageGoblin it is good and people do appreciate it. The only people who don’t are the ones who played Zelda 1 first and were expecting a clone of the first game.
Very clean interesting new perspective of this classic game. Subscribed and thank you for digging this deep!
Just got done with you LoZ revisit, absolutely amazingly done. I do wish you had touched on the hidden bombable walls a bit more but you did suggest watching a walkthrough for people who wanted to find them all. And that was probably the right choice.
SOOO much nostalgia here! I love it!
I would love a re-imagining of this game. Either make it feel like playing Link in Smash Bros. (Without the excess that comes with Smash, like massive leaps), or completely revamp it.
Great video! And mad props for the Jeremy Parish reference, he is absolutely amazing.
No Zelda title lives permanently in the front of my head like Zelda II. I don't even know why.
Edited because I thought I found a reason. But I didn't.
Lol
The Japanese battle song returned in Minish Cap as a mini boss song. I don't know why it changed in America.
I'd guess due to the differing sound hardware. But that's just a general WAG.
Props for mentioning Jeremy Parish! He is, by far, my favorite retro-gaming journalist! Here are his most significant videos about Zelda II: (1) Metroidvania Works #11: th-cam.com/video/_wcefuuDoBU/w-d-xo.html ; and (2) NES Works #105: th-cam.com/video/L-zz4JrqIK0/w-d-xo.html
I taped that 20/20 segment on vhs and watched it probably 30 times.
This was SO incredibly informative! Thanks so much for all your research and interesting footage/quotes! I cracked up at John Stossel waiting impatiently in line just to have footage for a news story 😆
I love the first two games and never understood the dislike for II. It's really not any more cryptic that the first and sure it's 80's Nintendo hard, but I found it easier to beat than most of the Mario games. I also love the RPG elements.
dark link's first appearance
Also the first appearance of the Goddess Statue.
13:57 That fairy tune always makes me think of "Let the Music Play" by Shannon
As a 9 year old child, I needed to call Nintendo’s tip line for tips on some of those puzzles. This destroyed their phone bill. They were horrified because they thought I was calling a phone sex line, then still horrified when they learned it was actually to beat a video game, then still still horrified because the tips to beat it cost them more than the game itself.
Zelda 2 was my favorite NES game. I loved it. I still love it. I play through it every few years and can do so with ease. It really isn't as hard as people seem to think it is. I much prefer it over Zelda 1, which I still like, but not near as much.
But then again, I played Zelda 2 before I played Zelda 1. So I played the game without any expecations or even knowing that it was a popular game. My dad just picked it up and I had no idea what the Zelda series was even about. So I was able to play the game and appreciate it for what it was/is. It's a very well programmed game, with elements of exploration and level building and I liked RPG and exploration type games, of which there were very few back then. The game play can be hard, but it's fair. There aren't any bad hit boxes, Link isn't stiff, so he platforms very well(though being knocked back into pits can be an issue like in Castlevania), and every enemy has a pattern that can be learned.
It's truly a very underappreciated game. Those who don't like it are almost exclusively people who played Zelda 1 first and were disappointed because they were wanting a clone of the first game. Similar to Chrono Cross. I loved Chrono Cross. One of my favorite Playstation 1 RPGs, but again, I played Chrono Cross first. Never picked up Trigger on the SNES. Though I did go back and play Chrono Trigger later in life and absolutely loved it and view it very favorably against Chrono Cross, where as Zelda 1 doesn't hold a candle to Zelda 2 in my opinion.
I hated it... but still own it... :)
It would be really cool if Nintendo made an open air sequel to this game in the breath of the wild engine with this map, they've been reusing the LttP a few times, and the map in this game is utterly massive with a ton of settlements, making it perfect for a new huge open air game to explore.
I like how the background music at the beginning of the video is the main theme from the Alien Invasion mobile game lol
Hell yeah! Zelda II is my favourite NES game.
Same
Imagine that - 35 years of not liking Zelda games.
@@_sparrowhawk He never said he didn't like the other Zelda games. Just that it was his favorite.
You must be one of those who are bitter because you bought it expecting a clone of the first game.
@@turinturambar347 And yet Zelda 2 is the opposite of real Zelda games so...
I recognize it may be nostalgia, but Zelda II is vastly underrated imo. Core memory and one of my favorite childhood games. I'd recommend it to any modern souls Bourne lovers.
Adventure of Link was the dev teams trying to make Ocarina of Time, a decade and two generations of hardware earlier.
The vision of what a more action-oriented Zelda game would be like was there and almost fully realized, but the hardware limitations of the time held back the concept. But the world, the lore and the combat are all there, coupled with a desire to make a more "immersive" experience.
Zelda 1 is a masterpiece, but even back then, felt like little pieces moving around on crude wargaming terrain. There's a reason Echoes of Wisdom and the remake of Link's Awakening both have a clay, chibi, "toy-like" feel. Adventure of Link felt like Link was a fully-realized action hero rather than a stout, chubby little chess piece moving around on an animated map.
The game was ahead of its time, in concept, unfortunately not in its realization. If Nintendo wanted to hold it up to the caliber of Zelda 1, the game needed more work and needed more development. It's too difficult and too esoteric. And if they wanted to lean into the RPG elements and mechanics, they should have gone further, if anything.
Zelda II, Adventure of Link is great because it's an example of what can be done with the Zelda franchise. It's literally on the opposite end of the spectrum from Zelda 1 and every game since has been somewhere in the middle of those two.
"The game was ahead of its time, in concept"
Yea, it was so far ahead of its time that Nintendo doesn't want to touch it with a ten foot pole, in the past 30 years.
It’s a fantastic game. Very difficult to
This day. Very adventurous.
good vid, I cant wait for your LTTP video. That's my favorite Zelda
This and the first game deserve remakes.
Zelda 1 was remade into BOTW
Zelda 2 Nintendo would like to forget, honestly. The real Zelda 2 was actually on SNES.
@@_sparrowhawkAgree to disagree. If Nintendo really wanted to forget it they wouldn't keep re-releasing it.
@@_sparrowhawk BOTW hardly has anything to do with Zelda one, it re-did a few ideas but nothing is a flat out remake. plus Zelda 1 had a remake on the BBS thing for SNES.
@@AnAverageGoblin Nintendo obviously disagrees with you but you do you. th-cam.com/video/Bk5swSyJ5zQ/w-d-xo.html
Great vid, enjoyed it!
I loved Zelda II. Even with my first copy experiencing a glitch with the Fairy spell that broke the entire game. On all save files. Even when deleted. Start a new safe file? Start as a fairy that's falling though pits. In North Castle.
I beat this game when I was 10 back in the early 90's. I knew it was hard but I just figured it was made for adults. Little did I know.
I'd say that it also influenced Battle of Olympus... they are very similar! In my opinion, Zelda 2 is a game that demanded the player's respect. It didn't baby the player. In some ways, it was like the NES predecessor to Dark Souls. Not only were you going to die, but the game even had Gannon laugh at you. I loved it. I have gotten close to beating it, but something always happened. I still look forward to beating it one day.
One day we will get a remaster of this game or some sort of sequel like A Link Between Worlds did for A Link to the Past. I think everyone would love that, it’s been proven that people want to play tough games.
At the time i didn't think anything of it. Thanks to the SMB2/Doki Doki Panic thing, I just figured Nintendo sequels were super different
Because of.. one other game?
@@_sparrowhawk well that and Castlevania 2 lol
Felt super accomplished when I beat this. I tried to play it last year and struggled to get to the 2nd dungeon.
I remember getting this game right after Christmas. My parents couldn't find it and so gave me a "certificate" to redeem for the game. We went around town the day after Christmas looking for it. We were in line at a store's electronics department to ask if they had it and the person in front of us was returning their game because they heard it was the big thing to get, but didn't realize you needed a system to play it. 😂 He got his refund and we bought it.
@@DanielDod What the hell were they thinking? 😂 Wonder if they tried to put it in the VHS or maybe the toaster. That poor kid that was teased with a Zelda game for christmas makes me a little sad though.
@@DrJohn-be1pk I am guessing they thought it was a handheld game like a Game and Watch or one of the Tiger Electronics ones.
OH MY GOD YES!!
Zelda II is not my favorite Zelda (that honor belongs to WW/MM/LA, generationally), not that I'm saying it's bad, it's just that it's not "fully Zelda". But it's a game I enjoy playing every time, just because of how different, creative (AND DIFFICULT!) it was. And it set the cornerstone of future games of the series.
Also, Link's combat style on the SSB games is a direct call to Zelda II. I love it. Not as a Zelda game, but as an unique proposal that helped cement the future good reputation of the series.
@15:59, I don't know. I feel recent games don't really have much story to them either.
The Zelda games are notorious for not having any really relevant story to them that ties anything to anything else. I am unsure if it is a problem or an asset. I feel like Nintendo would have done best to quash the idea of a timeline and just gone with the idea that Final Fantasy went with where every story is self contained and not related to any other story.
It is supposed to be a "legend" and legends change and evolve with time and aren't directly related to true historical events.
Zelda II's overworld map of Western Hyrule shares many similarities with Breath Of The Wild's map. It's too bad we didn't get to explore Z2's Eastern Hyrule in the Tears Of The Kingdom.
12:00 damn. Literally went "skill issue"
Yeah I'm in the same boat of respecting this game (and everything it's done for the series) but never enjoying it when I sit down to play it. The concept of the gameplay is solid, but difficultly really does hold it back, and the fact that it was a completly new team does explain why the atmosphere makes it seem like the odd-one-out in the whole series.
On the subject of Tezuka's writing credits, this is speculation on my part, it's possible there are talking about him writing the story in Zelda 2's manual rather than the actual in-game dialogue. Something similar happened with Koizumi, where he has gone on record several times saying that he was the one that wrote the story for the manual in A Link to the Past, but his only credit in the game is under "Printed Art Work".
@@TheJoninMonkey It's possible that Tezuka wrote the manual, I was just unable to find any quotes or interviews with him talking about working on Zelda II.
I found Zelda 1 much more difficult than Zelda 2.
I adore this game.
Personally, I'd have to say that now (at just about 42y/o), in comparison to a very large majority of the NES library that I've played through over the years.... Despite its flaws, I think Zelda II : The Adventure of Link may be the most balanced game on the console - within the context of what it presented and executed. And apart from that statement, for me personally, it is my favorite of the series - past to present day.
Miyamoto-san has nothing to be ashamed of, when it comes to this title.
Zelda 2 is one of my favorite nes games. Battle of Olympus was definitely inspired by Zelda 2..
Spotted a young Jeremy Parish at 0:38 !
To me the main thing that it messes up the most is taking away exp when you die. At a certain point in the game when leveling takes a lot of exp, after you die its more worth it to try to avoid every enemy and clear a dungeon. This sucks because the combat is the best part of the game
Is that Jon Stossell?
so what about that game battle of olympus ? its so similar to Zelda II, I wouldve guessed it uses the same engine
The Adventure of Link is still one of the best Zelda game ever made. Sad Nintendo the Snes Remake for this game.
So what I get out of this is Skyward Sword is the most directly tied to Zelda 2 in terms of gameplay and vision
It’s weird, as a around 4th? Grade kid when this dropped, this game never grabbed me. Most of my friends were lukewarm on it. And I just wasn’t interested at all. Double Dragon and Mario 2 were the big games that year where I lived.
I bet people would like it more if it were remade in the LA engine with QoL improvements
Will the game revisit of The Adventure of Link be out next Wednesday?
@@McLovinMods Yes
wanted the Zelda games to get easier as Link gets stronger . . . meanwhile, BotW and TotK punish you for being good at parrying and cool kills by giving you more XP for that and leveling up your enemies. Enemies that used to take 2 hits with a strong sword in the early games now take game-fluffing 30+ hits to kill.
I always wished that nintendo would remake this game in an updated side scroller. I really never liked the direction that nintendo took the series after the SNES game. I have put a lot of hours into playing the 3D games but never really finished any of them they just got really boring. I miss the simpler side scrollers and overhead view games.
The first souls like
So, I just found your podcast randomly starting with the sept 25th episode.
I enjoyed it quite a bit, and while I was pretty sure I was going to continue listening, despite not being a fan of Nintendo anymore-thanks to their current attitude towards fans, and more importantly, their inability to make decent games (Metroid Dread being the rare exception for many years)… but what sealed the deal, was you not buying into the revised version of history for the creation of Zelda 2. Not that I have any insider information about the facts, but it would make sense that they try to distance shiggy as much as possible, considering the game is essentially garbage (take everything out of the game that ties it to the Zelda universe, then find any gamer who claims it’s still just as enjoyable… then I believe you’ve just found yourself one of the greatest liars the world has ever seen!)
I personally don’t think he’s been involved in making games for many years, but is kept on staff (likely with a fairly large “hush-fund”) to keep the illusion of existing talent alive. At best, he looks at what the real workers are up to, and gives quick feedback- “green light that”, and “axe this”… the end.
So yeah, my long winded way of saying I think I’ll be sticking around for a while.😬👍
Seeing these videos are crazy because my first thought is I wonder what happened to these people...
If anyone wants to play a great remake of zelda 2 try zelda 2 enhanced on pc
How can you not mention battle of Olympus? Its like almost a sequel to zelda 2
Nintendo has been using the same excuse since the NES for why people can't find their stuff! Holy moly. "Chip shortage" and "demand exceeding expectations" wow. I'm getting more and more tired of them, to be honest. Looking forward to the copyright strikes on all TH-camrs playing their music now that they decided to create a music app. They're becoming quite the tyrant with their ninjas.
"Game is notoriously hard"
9 year old me in 1988: beats game without dying once
As a kid i loved zelda 2 thought it was better than yhe first game and i still think that overall though the first game overall is a lot more approachable. Only disappointment is i was expecting a 2nd quest like the OG.
Zelda II >>> Zelda
Yeah, but kids familiar with today's Zelda would say top down isn't like the 3d Zelda they're used to.
Well let's see: we'll give them Links Awakening and Echoes of Wisdom and then show them this 2D thing on NSO and ask them to play it. We'll see if they get past Death Mountain.
@@_sparrowhawk Better yet, make them go back and play both Zelda 1 and Zelda 2 and see which they like better.
I'll bet the result are very close to even. They won't be playing it with nastalgia glasses on.
lol, relax, didn't mean for my comment to hurt your nostalgic feelings guys. Let's be men and not cry if someone says something we don't agree with. 😂
If I had been around, this game would have been a MASSIVE disappointment. For one, just look how damn ugly and basic it looks. I can't believe they released this as is. Interesting that some people have good memories of it.
I never understood why people found this game so difficult. I was 8 when the game came out and beat it without too much difficulty. I think modern audiences expect things to be handed to them too much.
Thats actually hard to believe 😂
Modern audiences don’t play this game in first place. Seriously, most people under 40 wouldn’t care to play this game in the first place, let alone complain about how hard it is.
Yeah I was a little liar when I was 8 too
Yup that’s me at 46 still lie bragging about games I played at 8. What a weirdo why would I lie in a random comment section on a random TH-cam video? It was the 80s man that’s all I had to do was live and breathe the original Nintendo. We didn’t know the games were “hard” because we didn’t know any different. The amount of hours I put into that game and Zelda 1 and Metroid and Mega man 2. You think Zelda 2 is hard you should try mega man 1. That’s a game I never beat.
@@paulgales8211Ok, you got a point here. I loved Kirbys Adventure and Duck Tales. Those were the few NES games I was able to beat as a kid 😅 And Mega Man is insane, I know.
Why not try _Zelda II: The Adventures of Link PC Edition?_ Gameplay is, otherwise, the same, as are all of the quests, however, the PC Edition adds in plenty of new areas, new puzzles, new collectables (Heart Containers and upgraded weapons and tools), and Minigames. There's a twist on one of the Spells though as it no longer works as it did in the OG.
It's as difficult as the OG game at the start, but, at the end game, Link is much stronger than he is in the end game of the OG.
The Link dolls are also permanent.
The New Game+ has you go through all the leveling up again, all of the palaces again, all of the collectables again, but you retain the spells, and has a completely new area with new collectables, and even a new final boss (with a familiar boss theme from a different Zelda game), all after Shadow Link, as the NG+ is a sequel in this version as even the sleeping Zelda is awake from the start.
Currently, I find the PC edition is the definitive way to play the game.
I recommend changing the music to "Isabelle Chiming" for at least the New Game+.
Third best Zelda game imo. People don't like change and they don't like difficult games *shrug*
The overworld map was *such* trash. 😕 I always wished that they'd put as much effort into that as they did with the dungeon layouts. And I have no idea why they decided to give Link a bloody KNIFE in lieu of a sword, but... whatever. It wasn't a bad game, but it certainly wasn't as awesome as the original or ALttP.
It was a bad game LOL. This is what happens when the B team plays instead of the A team (when Miyamoto was cooking with SMB 3)
Back when link didn’t look like some weird androgynous thing.
Of course he doesn't like Zelda 2. I imagine most of its sales were based on the greatness of the first game, and as Nintendo went back to the AAA designers for LTTP, they went back to the original games design.
Guys. This game was never meant to be a Zelda game. The branding was applied at the last minute. I would say full credit goes to Ocarina of Time for Z-targetting, not this game, that has no such technology.
Do you have any proof of that or are you just a nintendo spaz like Movie Bob?
Link starts off with the magic sword that’s why he does upgrade to a stronger sword. The magic sword is the most superior. Unlike Zelda1 where you work up to the magic sword . Zelda 2 is an awesome game. I remember thinking how cool it was that you started off with the magic sword. Zelda 2 has always been one of my top 5 games.