The Legend of Zelda 2: Rinku no bôken

The NES sequel "Zelda II: The Adventue of Link" is a very strange game indeed. Seemingly different from its predecessor in every way, this game is the "sore thumb" of the franchise. It just doesn't fit in or make much sense... at all.

Set a few years after the first game, Link, our hero, is sent on a new quest- to save a different Zelda (yes, according to this game, there are two Zelda's... this is the first of the many nonsensical plot points this game doesn't explain very well), whom had been placed in an eternal slumber many centuries ago. At the same time, Link must also stop Ganon (the villain from the first game) from being resurrected by his followers. (Which happens in the event of you losing the game.) The general logic of the game is similar to the first- Link must traverse Hyrule, seeking dungeons to complete in order to collect artifacts to get more power, before confronting the big villain. But here is where the similarities end.

The game is told from an entirely different perspective. A bulk of the game is played similar to "Castlevania"- side-scrolling, with a lot of platform hopping. You do get a top-down map of the world (similar to Final Fantasy games), but it's only a small, small part of the game. 95% of it is played from the side perspective. There is also a lot less strategy in this game, due to the side-scrolling nature. You just hack, slash and avoid enemies.

You also collect experience, like an RPG, rather than getting Heart Containers to boost your health, so you will inevitably have to spend countless hours level-grinding, which gets incredibly annoying considering how little experience points you earn in battle.

The game's difficulty is near impossible, as well. Enemies move far too quickly and often come out of nowhere, and are much stronger than you. You will, without question, die dozens of times within the first few hours of gameplay, which is extremely discouraging. It just robs the game of a lot of the enjoyment. There's even enemies that are near invisible at times, which is blatantly unfair.

In addition, there are a lot of weird things in the game, including the infamous "I am Error." character, and lots of oddball moments that don't make much sense.

The graphics and sound, for an 80's NES game, are surprisingly decent, to be honest, so I can't complain about them. It's just the weird side-scrolling gameplay and the insane difficulty, not to mention the convoluted plot, that ruin it.

All of that being said, the game is still strangely playable. Something about its tone and style will keep you playing, so I must give it brownie points for that.

I give "Zelda II" a 5 out of 10. It's a crappy game, but it's somehow a FUN, crappy game.