Game #13: Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link (Redux ROM Hack)

Release Year: 1988

System: PC

Date Finished: March 18th

Status: Completed

Boy this sure is a sequel on the NES. Funny how a lot of major franchises that started that far back had some kind of drastic shift with the second game, and Zelda 2 is obviously no different. As much as I love traditional 2D Zelda (it’s probably the format that stuck for a reason), I don’t have anything against the structure 2 tries. It’s more so..the trappings of being an RPG on the NES. Clues for puzzles and objectives can be very cryptic, combat is clunky and unfairly difficult, and the beginner’s traps like fake walls and secrets with little hints for them. The leveling system and spells are pretty fun, though it’s a bit lame that some of the spells are super situational. The music is great, the overworld and palace themes especially being really catchy. Honestly there is some fun to be had with a Zelda taking this route being more of an actual RPG with side scrolling, and I’d love to see a remake and/or a new game like this. In the end though I’d still only recommend playing Zelda 2 if you have a thorough guide handy. Both NES Zeldas are games that are too archaic for me personally to want to replay, though between the 2…I think I’d sooner to back to the first game. There’s some charm going back to where it all started and experiencing the very basic roots of the franchise, and despite being the first it still has things about it that I love about Zelda games which were absent from the second game. Mainly the items, kinda disappointing that all of them in 2 are basically just automatic keys for unlocking the rest of the game and maybe some optional stuff. The game maybe wasn’t *as* bad as I expected it to be, it ain’t one of the worst games I’ve ever played, but it’s still absolutely brutal at times.

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