One of my favorite zelda games. I still come back and play this regularly, like ive played all the way through 4 or 5 times in the last 6 months. Im good at the game by now so i understand when the devs said they may have made it more difficult to enternain themselves as they got more skilled while testing, but i dont honest thinks its as difficult as many people think it is.
Great video! The difficulty ramp so soon in the game still gets me to this day. I remember playing this in the mid to late 90's (pre-internet for sure), and having absolutely no idea what to do or where to go after a certain point. Some of the more cryptic elements still drive me nuts to this day, but I somehow still find myself playing it at least once a year. It's still nowhere near as cryptic as Simon's Quest IMHO!
I've always felt out of all the Zelda games, this is the most underrated and misunderstood. This game really needs a remake. It's not a bad game, but it badly needs improvement in certain areas. Perhaps longer sword / shield upgrades More Magic abilities More story Slower difficulty spike More interactive map screen Less invisible pits More sword techniques Better clues where to go Different dungeon music & themes Costume color choices Just my thoughts. I don't see why this game doesn't get a remaster like OOT, LA, and MM did.
Fun fact: the level system was originally intended to make the game easier for people who weren't very good at action games, and was intended to go as high as level 16. Why they decided to cap it at 8, who knows.
What do you think about the combat? You talked about some of the individual enemies, but I'm not sure if you said much generally. I ask because I really like it. The high/low stab and block stuff, hopping and timing your attack to swing above the enemy's guard, the downward thrust, and especially the kinetic little bounces your thrusts cause both you and the enemy when you connect is all stuff I think just feels really great. But I'd be curious to hear your take.
@@cactrot83 I think it's fine. I like the high and low attack concept well enough. The down thrust goes a long way towards improving the feel and flow of combat. The knock back is perhaps a bit more than I'd like but on the whole I think Link controls and handles well. I think the implementation isn't always the best. Blue Iron Knuckles for instance are so quick to change between high and low it seems like trying to jump over their defense is the only real way to get hits in. At least for me. I don't have any real issues with it, it can be fun, but I personally don't particularly love it either.
I revisit then abandon this game every few years. It’s always as frustrating as I remember it being and just stops being fun. It has so many good ideas but all the criticism is warranted. Great video though. Thanks for making it.
Even though sone of the puzzles were almost unfair, I miss the challenge of classic Zelda puzzles and dungeons. They felt like labyrinths, non-linear and interconnected.
@@_sparrowhawk Let’s use Majora Mask and Link to the Past’s (or the good clone games of which there are several) dungeons as starting points, and aim to achieve the same puzzle quality level Portal 2, Talos Principle, or Witness because those three games (along with Majora, LTTP) know how to use a space to it’s full potential.
It’s crazy to me the devs didn’t think to have any item in the game that would let you test for these false floors in the final palace. Other games like Mega Man 2 and Simon’s Quest had similar obstacles but gave you Bubble Lead or Holy Water to help find these traps. I do like Zelda 2 more than I used to, though. The push your luck nature of how far to press since you lose all XP on game over means some careful risk assessment at times since it can be devastating to lose hundreds of XP, and the combat is fun, especially once you start unlocking the up and down thrusts, as well as knowing the jump stab trick to try to get around defenses. Great video! Looking forward to the rest.
it was a time where the devs only expected people to play a single game for a ton of time, so the players would eventually memorize where the false floors are. it's what happened to me at the time, but nowadays I wouldn't have the same patience lol
I played through this game a few times, mostly to be able to say that I did it. I remember that the original run was tough, but manageable. I also remember that even though I started with everything on the 2nd Quest, it felt harder, because even though you have everything, the difficulty spikes only due to having more things that you need to manage. I appreciate you showing that (on occasion) you lost, because I definitely died more times on the 2nd Quest than I ever did on my first playthrough.
Hi, I really love your podcasts, you did a wonderful work with this one n.n 44:40 i think those statues are random. I used the rewind feature every time a Red Fokka apeared in those statues and some times a jar appeared and some other times a Red Fokka appeared again.
I’m like well this game warrants the hate it gets lol but It also deserves all the love it gets and more . The music is catchy and gets stuck in your head, I liked powering up and feeling how link was getting stronger. Save states were the only way I was able to pass this cause I just could NOT sometimes lmao. This game is nice to replay every so often. Great video!
Was one of the first games you needed Nintendo power magazine to beat. Nobody would’ve spent 300+ hrs testing all the false walls and passageways back in the day.
I actually really enjoy the combat in AoL. I’m one who beat this twice on the GBA without save slates and I’m a little proud of that I guess but I was really happy to have the rewind feature on NSO the last time I played it! You mentioned several times the aesthetic of the dungeons. Did you know that the Japanese version only had grey brick for all of the palaces? A welcome change for localization and indeed over the years I’ve realized that the NoA versions of Zelda games often incorporate some improvements from the original Japanese counterparts.
"A massive cemetery full of graves that must stretch on for miles..." So Zelda II is a Souls game? Okay, this was a joke, but then you got to illusiory walls and NPCs that need to be talked to multiple times to progress.
Good job bringing to context a lot of Zelda II. I do find there are people who really like this game, but many of them aren't Zelda fans, or are fans of other genres like Contra. There is one secret in Old Kasuto that is totally not worth it. Scribbled on the wall on the last house is a sign mentioning the magic key in New Kasuto.
Actually most of the people who love Zelda 2 are Zelda fans. I'm one of them. But I played Zelda 2 before I played Zelda 1. There are a lot of people out there like me. People who didn't play Zelda 1 first almost universally like this game. The ONLY people I know who dislike this game are those who played Zelda 1 first and were expecting a clone of the first game and let their expectations ruin the game for them. Is it hard? Yes. But I don't think it's any more difficult than the first game. I personally had more difficulty with the first game. Is it cryptic? Yes. That's the most valid complaint imo. The cryptic nature is due to bad translations. Other than that, the game is outstanding for the NES. It platforms very well. So it's very well programmed. No unfair hitboxes and it doesn't control stiff. The leveling up system is a fun mechanic and can easily be exploited to become powerful early in the game. And the open world exploration element is fun, trying to figure out where to go.
My favorite classic zelda game. The only thing I don’t like it the overworld. I wish you were able to fight on the overworld but if you got hit than you go into the side scrolling.
It really does feel like Zelda II is held back by the mindset of the times which has led it become repellent to many gamers in later years. It's a shame, because as you pointed out in this video, Zelda II does a lot to expand the scope of the series and the addition of towns you have to visit in each area adds more life and narrative to the area. It's also funny how we almost have the complete "Zelda formula" here, but at this stage, the items in the towns are needed to complete the dungeons, and dungeon items are needed to open the way to the next area rather than having anything to do with the boss or any other part of the dungeon. I'm also kind of sad that we never got to see what the "Zelda 3" party would look like, but it was probably for the best that the series moved towards having some consistency rather than changing up the mechanics and core gameplay every single time. All in all. Great stuff. Looking forward to seeing how you approach ALTTP ^_^
"It really does feel like Zelda II is held back by the mindset of the times which has led it become repellent to many gamers in later years" So... bad design.
@@_sparrowhawk Yes and no. There weren't as many games back then, and they had to pad out the content somehow, which is why a lot of games on the NES era were designed to be difficult rather than accessible. The problems come from the fact this design doesn't age well outside of platformers, which is why a lot of people have problems going back to it (unless they are looking for a challenge).
Say It has bad design is limited. I would say more prototype design. This is before defined design conventions. I say those started to be concretely defined lat 90s, early 2000s.
This game was good back in the 80thies and now. Its from a time when it was okay to be stuck and not to beat the game. Gamers nowadays are just spoiled by easy games and the Internet.
I'm not entirely sure about "spoiled by the internet." Back then, we had other players, player's guides, Nintendo Power, and call centers to consult, all which amount similarly to the internet.
@@AkaiAzul It's different. Nowadays you can find a complete 100% walkthrough within hours of a game's release. Back then, your friend had to figure it out too or you had to be lucky to find it in a guidebook.
@@RFGSwiss exactly, some times a magazine walkthrough would take months to be completed too. I remember a monthly magazine having one OoT dungeon per issue. it's not as easy like nowadays where you start typing the name of the game and the browser already suggests "[game name] "walkthrough".
@@RFGSwissRespectfully disagree. Many people want to play a fun, enjoyable game. Most simply don't have the time anymore to test every wall and floor these days. I am also an old school gamer from the 80's and I agree on there being too much handholding, but games like this could benefit from a bit more in some areas. Castlevania 2 being a prime example.
If you want to beat this game easily, go to each palace but dont beat the boss. Get all the items, then go back and finish each palace. You will get all the levels to max without having to grind at all. To beat the thunderbird, just stay in front of it, everyone knows how to beat dark link lol
Some one said it best: it's the ugly duckling. Something undesired and ugly at inception, blossoms into something beautiful after much time has passed.
Undesired at first? Game sold over four million copies on NES/FDS and was the 8th best selling game on the console worldwide. A lot of people just liked ALTTP more, and the narrative just kind of spun out from there.
My top 10 Zelda Games 🛡️🙏 #1 Majora’s Mask #2 Twilight Princess #3 A Link Between Worlds #4 Ocarina of Time #5 Breath of the Wild #6 A Link To The Past #7 Minish Cap #8 Zelda 2: Adventures of Link #9 Link’s Awakening #10 Legend of Zelda(Original)
I completed this game back in 1997 when I was 12 years old. It’s wild that modern gamers struggle so much with games that were just common difficulty for children at the time.
When you were twelve I am guessing you had fewer options and more time on your hands. Nothing insulting, just a different environment from when you grew up.
@@gmradio2436 I had a typo in there too… it was actually 1987 😂😂😂 There were still tons to do… not so much in the winter when it was freezing cold outside… I remember staying up all night playing Zelda and then going to school all day on no sleep. I didn’t have much parental guidance. 🤷🏼
@@mywifesboyfriend5558 We actually went outside and played with our friends… we weren’t sitting around with our faces stuck in a phone all day. Same amount of hours in a day… different priorities.
I always felt like that first dark cave to get to parapa desert was a test of courage
One of my favorite zelda games. I still come back and play this regularly, like ive played all the way through 4 or 5 times in the last 6 months. Im good at the game by now so i understand when the devs said they may have made it more difficult to enternain themselves as they got more skilled while testing, but i dont honest thinks its as difficult as many people think it is.
Great video! The difficulty ramp so soon in the game still gets me to this day. I remember playing this in the mid to late 90's (pre-internet for sure), and having absolutely no idea what to do or where to go after a certain point. Some of the more cryptic elements still drive me nuts to this day, but I somehow still find myself playing it at least once a year. It's still nowhere near as cryptic as Simon's Quest IMHO!
I've always felt out of all the Zelda games, this is the most underrated and misunderstood. This game really needs a remake.
It's not a bad game, but it badly needs improvement in certain areas.
Perhaps longer sword / shield upgrades
More Magic abilities
More story
Slower difficulty spike
More interactive map screen
Less invisible pits
More sword techniques
Better clues where to go
Different dungeon music & themes
Costume color choices
Just my thoughts. I don't see why this game doesn't get a remaster like OOT, LA, and MM did.
Fun fact: the level system was originally intended to make the game easier for people who weren't very good at action games, and was intended to go as high as level 16. Why they decided to cap it at 8, who knows.
If you use the reflect spell during the Thunderbird fight, most of the fireballs will just bounce off of you.
This podcast is soul food
What do you think about the combat? You talked about some of the individual enemies, but I'm not sure if you said much generally.
I ask because I really like it. The high/low stab and block stuff, hopping and timing your attack to swing above the enemy's guard, the downward thrust, and especially the kinetic little bounces your thrusts cause both you and the enemy when you connect is all stuff I think just feels really great. But I'd be curious to hear your take.
@@cactrot83 I think it's fine. I like the high and low attack concept well enough. The down thrust goes a long way towards improving the feel and flow of combat. The knock back is perhaps a bit more than I'd like but on the whole I think Link controls and handles well. I think the implementation isn't always the best. Blue Iron Knuckles for instance are so quick to change between high and low it seems like trying to jump over their defense is the only real way to get hits in. At least for me. I don't have any real issues with it, it can be fun, but I personally don't particularly love it either.
I revisit then abandon this game every few years. It’s always as frustrating as I remember it being and just stops being fun. It has so many good ideas but all the criticism is warranted. Great video though. Thanks for making it.
"If all else fails, use fire."
Excellent advice for all situations in life.
When I played the game recently the combat reminded me of Sekiro...
Even though sone of the puzzles were almost unfair, I miss the challenge of classic Zelda puzzles and dungeons. They felt like labyrinths, non-linear and interconnected.
Yes but "difficulty for its own sake" (from the current video) isn't fun. It's just irritating.
@@_sparrowhawk Let’s use Majora Mask and Link to the Past’s (or the good clone games of which there are several) dungeons as starting points, and aim to achieve the same puzzle quality level Portal 2, Talos Principle, or Witness because those three games (along with Majora, LTTP) know how to use a space to it’s full potential.
What context are you using classic in, and could you provide examples please?
It’s crazy to me the devs didn’t think to have any item in the game that would let you test for these false floors in the final palace. Other games like Mega Man 2 and Simon’s Quest had similar obstacles but gave you Bubble Lead or Holy Water to help find these traps.
I do like Zelda 2 more than I used to, though. The push your luck nature of how far to press since you lose all XP on game over means some careful risk assessment at times since it can be devastating to lose hundreds of XP, and the combat is fun, especially once you start unlocking the up and down thrusts, as well as knowing the jump stab trick to try to get around defenses.
Great video! Looking forward to the rest.
it was a time where the devs only expected people to play a single game for a ton of time, so the players would eventually memorize where the false floors are. it's what happened to me at the time, but nowadays I wouldn't have the same patience lol
I played through this game a few times, mostly to be able to say that I did it. I remember that the original run was tough, but manageable. I also remember that even though I started with everything on the 2nd Quest, it felt harder, because even though you have everything, the difficulty spikes only due to having more things that you need to manage. I appreciate you showing that (on occasion) you lost, because I definitely died more times on the 2nd Quest than I ever did on my first playthrough.
Hi, I really love your podcasts, you did a wonderful work with this one n.n
44:40 i think those statues are random. I used the rewind feature every time a Red Fokka apeared in those statues and some times a jar appeared and some other times a Red Fokka appeared again.
Great video! Are you going to beat CDi games as well?
@@PieJee1 I don't have any current plans to do the CDi games
I don’t know if I’m blinded by nostalgia but I have always loved this game. Such a blast! Great vid my friend.
I’m like well this game warrants the hate it gets lol but It also deserves all the love it gets and more . The music is catchy and gets stuck in your head, I liked powering up and feeling how link was getting stronger. Save states were the only way I was able to pass this cause I just could NOT sometimes lmao. This game is nice to replay every so often. Great video!
Was one of the first games you needed Nintendo power magazine to beat. Nobody would’ve spent 300+ hrs testing all the false walls and passageways back in the day.
People would. People still do. The tolerance was a lot higher at the time from limited choice and culture at the time.
I actually really enjoy the combat in AoL. I’m one who beat this twice on the GBA without save slates and I’m a little proud of that I guess but I was really happy to have the rewind feature on NSO the last time I played it!
You mentioned several times the aesthetic of the dungeons. Did you know that the Japanese version only had grey brick for all of the palaces? A welcome change for localization and indeed over the years I’ve realized that the NoA versions of Zelda games often incorporate some improvements from the original Japanese counterparts.
Personaly i love it
"A massive cemetery full of graves that must stretch on for miles..."
So Zelda II is a Souls game?
Okay, this was a joke, but then you got to illusiory walls and NPCs that need to be talked to multiple times to progress.
Four Swords hype 🙌
Gotta give yourself a chance, I don't blame you for using the SP edition.
BTW: Spell Spell lets you turn some enemies into bots.
Good job bringing to context a lot of Zelda II. I do find there are people who really like this game, but many of them aren't Zelda fans, or are fans of other genres like Contra.
There is one secret in Old Kasuto that is totally not worth it. Scribbled on the wall on the last house is a sign mentioning the magic key in New Kasuto.
@@Mer.Saloon Good to know, thanks!
Actually most of the people who love Zelda 2 are Zelda fans. I'm one of them.
But I played Zelda 2 before I played Zelda 1. There are a lot of people out there like me. People who didn't play Zelda 1 first almost universally like this game. The ONLY people I know who dislike this game are those who played Zelda 1 first and were expecting a clone of the first game and let their expectations ruin the game for them. Is it hard? Yes. But I don't think it's any more difficult than the first game. I personally had more difficulty with the first game. Is it cryptic? Yes. That's the most valid complaint imo. The cryptic nature is due to bad translations. Other than that, the game is outstanding for the NES. It platforms very well. So it's very well programmed. No unfair hitboxes and it doesn't control stiff. The leveling up system is a fun mechanic and can easily be exploited to become powerful early in the game. And the open world exploration element is fun, trying to figure out where to go.
I never heard of a non-Zelda-fan liking this game lol
My favorite classic zelda game. The only thing I don’t like it the overworld. I wish you were able to fight on the overworld but if you got hit than you go into the side scrolling.
It really does feel like Zelda II is held back by the mindset of the times which has led it become repellent to many gamers in later years. It's a shame, because as you pointed out in this video, Zelda II does a lot to expand the scope of the series and the addition of towns you have to visit in each area adds more life and narrative to the area.
It's also funny how we almost have the complete "Zelda formula" here, but at this stage, the items in the towns are needed to complete the dungeons, and dungeon items are needed to open the way to the next area rather than having anything to do with the boss or any other part of the dungeon.
I'm also kind of sad that we never got to see what the "Zelda 3" party would look like, but it was probably for the best that the series moved towards having some consistency rather than changing up the mechanics and core gameplay every single time.
All in all. Great stuff. Looking forward to seeing how you approach ALTTP ^_^
"It really does feel like Zelda II is held back by the mindset of the times which has led it become repellent to many gamers in later years"
So... bad design.
@@_sparrowhawk Yes and no. There weren't as many games back then, and they had to pad out the content somehow, which is why a lot of games on the NES era were designed to be difficult rather than accessible. The problems come from the fact this design doesn't age well outside of platformers, which is why a lot of people have problems going back to it (unless they are looking for a challenge).
Say It has bad design is limited. I would say more prototype design. This is before defined design conventions. I say those started to be concretely defined lat 90s, early 2000s.
This game was good back in the 80thies and now. Its from a time when it was okay to be stuck and not to beat the game.
Gamers nowadays are just spoiled by easy games and the Internet.
I'm not entirely sure about "spoiled by the internet." Back then, we had other players, player's guides, Nintendo Power, and call centers to consult, all which amount similarly to the internet.
@@AkaiAzul It's different. Nowadays you can find a complete 100% walkthrough within hours of a game's release. Back then, your friend had to figure it out too or you had to be lucky to find it in a guidebook.
I would move the date from the 80s to mid 2000s. About the same time manuals died.
@@RFGSwiss exactly, some times a magazine walkthrough would take months to be completed too. I remember a monthly magazine having one OoT dungeon per issue. it's not as easy like nowadays where you start typing the name of the game and the browser already suggests "[game name] "walkthrough".
@@RFGSwissRespectfully disagree. Many people want to play a fun, enjoyable game. Most simply don't have the time anymore to test every wall and floor these days.
I am also an old school gamer from the 80's and I agree on there being too much handholding, but games like this could benefit from a bit more in some areas. Castlevania 2 being a prime example.
Soraia and Maido towns lol
If you want to beat this game easily, go to each palace but dont beat the boss. Get all the items, then go back and finish each palace. You will get all the levels to max without having to grind at all. To beat the thunderbird, just stay in front of it, everyone knows how to beat dark link lol
Remaster please
I don’t know how I beat this at 10 years old
I'm a bit confused as to why he refers to this as a podcast?
@@FnRenner Because it is one. legendaryadventurespod.podbean.com/
Maybe im jp spell might be called chant or curse
no, it's called Spell, the spell menu is in english even in the Japanese version.
@@domennysometimesplays2484 never seen the famincom ver didnt know it was in english
@@TheVgrey yeah, even the title screen scrolling text telling the story is in English, but iirc the western version fixed some typos.
27:16 "This is the first dungeon I disliked on the playthrough"
Seriously?
@@_sparrowhawk Yes, seriously
As a kid I hated this game to hard turn me off to zelda games till Windwaker 😊
Furthest thing from the black sheep of the series.
The furthest thing from the black sheep would be the standard bearer. Which, for the series, isn’t this.
Some one said it best: it's the ugly duckling. Something undesired and ugly at inception, blossoms into something beautiful after much time has passed.
Undesired at first? Game sold over four million copies on NES/FDS and was the 8th best selling game on the console worldwide.
A lot of people just liked ALTTP more, and the narrative just kind of spun out from there.
@@Dyundu How did it review at the time?
Yeah I'm sick of hearing this from zoomers
My top 10 Zelda Games 🛡️🙏
#1 Majora’s Mask
#2 Twilight Princess
#3 A Link Between Worlds
#4 Ocarina of Time
#5 Breath of the Wild
#6 A Link To The Past
#7 Minish Cap
#8 Zelda 2: Adventures of Link
#9 Link’s Awakening
#10 Legend of Zelda(Original)
That's nice, but nobody asked.
No replies will be seen
I completed this game back in 1997 when I was 12 years old.
It’s wild that modern gamers struggle so much with games that were just common difficulty for children at the time.
When you were twelve I am guessing you had fewer options and more time on your hands.
Nothing insulting, just a different environment from when you grew up.
@@gmradio2436
I had a typo in there too… it was actually 1987
😂😂😂
There were still tons to do… not so much in the winter when it was freezing cold outside… I remember staying up all night playing Zelda and then going to school all day on no sleep. I didn’t have much parental guidance. 🤷🏼
@@mazzvidzWe kids had more time back then. Much had changed.
@@mywifesboyfriend5558
We actually went outside and played with our friends… we weren’t sitting around with our faces stuck in a phone all day. Same amount of hours in a day… different priorities.
He is astonishly bad at video games.
Make your own video and let us critique you.
This video kinda made me compare Zelda 2 to Gargoyle's Quest in a lot of ways