Game 2: Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (NES) - Final Rating

While I know playing Zelda II may not have been the popular choice, it was more of a personal one. I played the game when I was younger and planned to play through it again some time. Now seemed like the perfect excuse to do so. There's also the thought that it'll be good to compare it to other CRPGs, especially other action-RPGs, which are coming up in some form soon. So, I hope this helps us get to a better understanding.

Combatant
Being an action game, Zelda II doesn't offer much in this area to fans of slower paced strategy based games. Positioning Link just right to swing his sword and dodge attacks is more important than gaining power or planning for the adventure. The balance near the end is a little skewed as the bird guardians (the blue and red enemies that shoot swords in the Great Palace) seem completely overpowered and the experience reward is so low that it's not worth fighting them. The need for battle falls off near the end, but mostly due to the low rewards than a lack of necessity for them.

It does provide a challenge, but there is a lack of variety in Link's abilities. With only a few spells useful in a few situations I found it best to save these for the boss fights, or stave off death long enough to reach just one more screen transition. The buff spells (Shield, Fire, Reflect, Fairy) only last until the next screen, so there's no way to fully rely on magic. Dying will start Link back at the last screen transition, or if it was his last, he'll start at the North Palace (beginning of the game) upon continuing.

The enemies themselves are well done with smooth animations and AI that offers new challenges. More enemies are introduced with each area and most palaces have their own monster to introduce beyond having a unique boss. Yet, even with all the good, the challenge mainly revolves around controlling Link with skill. Once this is accomplished, the challenge of combat is reduced so far that leveling becomes unnecessary except to quicken the pace at which enemies are dispatched.
Rating: 4

Death from above! This boss becomes a mini-boss twice over.

Admirer
You control Link, a hero clad in green wielding a magical sword and shield. He's a set character though, and there's no changing his look. When starting a game, you can name the save file, which is displayed whenever Link starts the game from a new life. Controlling Link is very smooth, and although some jumps are pixel perfect, most platforming is done without much risk. Fighting enemies is fun, and mistakes are rarely blamed on the game.

About the only personalization possible is through omission: not getting certain spells, or not leveling. These aren't always viable options though, so knowing what's possible and what's not isn't easy the first time playing. The most enjoyable move is the downward thrust, which will cause link to kill enemies or bounce off them without harm.
Rating: 4

The shield spell causes Link's clothes to turn red. If only I could use it more often.

Puzzler
Thinking back, there isn't anything I'd really call a puzzle. Unlike the Zelda game after this one, there isn't anything to figure out aside from knowing the layout for each palace. There's some key management to be had, but it's very minimal, and the likelihood of getting into a dead end isn't possible as far as I can tell.

The side quests aren't very interesting, and all involved some "item" to get back to someone. In fact one time it wasn't very clear I had gotten the item in the first place because these don't show up in the inventory. It all mostly fits though with nothing detracting from the story or setting.

Some alternate routes are possible, and in fact there's a well known trick using the fairy to fly through key holes. I'm not sure this was intentional though since it was removed from (or just not possible in) the PAL version of the game. Beyond the above, there are some small mazes to figure out, and NPC hints are necessary if you're not using previous knowledge or a walkthrough.
Rating: 2

Finally! A game that has an alternative way through locked doors.

Instigator
The main story is (mostly) clearly recapped at the title screen, so the overall goal isn't ever lost; NPCs continue to hint at what is necessary for progress. Getting completely lost would take some effort, and finished castles are obvious by the block tile where the palace should be.

There aren't any descriptions, and it's mostly about the main story, yet there is the tidbit of background. Like towns infested with random NPCs that are actually Ganon's minions, and a hidden town full of refugees from another village full of monsters. However, the rest of the world is lacking; palaces obviously only stand for the item they provide, and statue for unlocking the final palace, not places to explore and understand.

There are no decisions regarding the story, and no way to influence the outcome. The motivation is presented as nothing more than a prophecy and statement that, "you're a hero, go do heroic stuff." Also, the translation is off sometimes, and can confuse some things.
Rating: 3

Translation: "You get some water."

Collector
There is no additional equipment, and no inventory to manage. You'll pick up items, but use most automatically. The hammer and flute are specialized, and are always mapped to set buttons once possessed. Getting everything isn't much of a task, as most of it is necessary or easily stumbled upon.

The only other positive thing to note is completion is obvious with a max level 8 stated in the manual, health and magic bars that reach the maximum width by running up against other user interface graphics, and an item and spell list with only enough space to fit everything. Also tracked are game overs, which are a fun stat to note.
Rating: 3

Mostly everything, but that empty space next to the candle concerns me now

Explorer
I'm not a good judge of things like graphics, music, or sound. It all kind of melts together for me. So, that's why I only consider how fitting or distracting it is. I didn't have much trouble navigating or recognizing anything, and the sound queues plus music were well established. However, there are some graphical glitches near edges of the screen, and not a lot of variety in the music.

The world at large isn't all that large, but fits everything snugly without overcrowding. Each field tile results in different battles, which is nice when the game considers things like that. The caves all look the same, and the backgrounds for the battles as well, but the over-world is the main area for exploration.

Some tiles contain hidden areas that hold high yield experience point bags, heart containers, magic containers, or 1UPs. It's a little exciting running across these when you don't expect it, and being rewarded for exploring is a nice feeling. While not as technically impressive over Phantasy Star, it does match it based on these other merits.
Rating: 6

It makes me wonder what other things I could find through deforestation

Final Rating: 22 (37%)


Now, do note that the rating system I'm using is skewed towards RPGs. So, this being less of one, it naturally scored lower, and while I did enjoy it more than Phantasy Star, it didn't quite satisfy my desire to play a CRPG.

Even so, the great things about it shined through, and it was very close in the end. If one can get past the need of dexterity over strategy, then it is definitely an enjoyable experience. Clocking in at 10 hours on average, it shouldn't outlast its welcome.

I'm looking forward to getting back to games closer to CRPGs we all know and love with Ultima: Exodus. By the way, I drop the 'III' from the title because on the the NES it's the first, and that's what Nintendo did. But first, I have a cut to make, and some words on the blog to get out.


Once again, I'd like to draw attention to the speedrun for this game. The game page is located here: http://speeddemosarchive.com/Zelda2.html. There are several videos that have different goals or restrictions (such as not dying or warping), but the full game is completed in 1 hour and 10 minutes. The skill is very impressive in the "Best single-segment time" record that doesn't include Up+A warping, as the player doesn't die throughout the whole game and skips the Life spell that heals Link. However, I don't know how long this time will stand, as there's been some talk of improving it recently.

Game 2: Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (NES) - Finished!

Link needed to shield himself from Zelda's beauty...

Getting to the end was shear persistence, and once I reached the Great Palace it was only a matter of time before I mapped and completed it. My youthful memories were of an immense maze incapable of being mapped. After a few rounds through it now, I noticed there weren't many paths to choose.

With many ways leading to dead ends, and one to a complete loop, it was easy to track the right way to go. Once I found the final bosses my memory leaped forward to tell me the correct strategy. I nearly completed both without a game over, but even with max health and the shield spell, I could only take 5 or 6 hits from the first boss before dying. Since the bird requires the Thunder spell, I didn't have any magic left for Life. So, I went into the fight with my shadow able to take but 1 more hit.

I didn't even get a hit in

After the trek back I fully expected to fight Thunderbird again, but he was already defeated. So at full health, it was a quick fight to get the Golden Triangle of Courage (pretty sure later games called each piece the Triforce of [Name]... rolls better off the tongue, or mind...).

So we get a nice ending with Link embracing Zelda, but I wonder about a few things. Where did Link get the other two Triforces? Couldn't I have used them during my adventure in some way? What about the Zelda from the first game? Link seems to have forgotten all about her. Really this whole adventure seems rather at odds with its prior game.

In the first game, we're treated to a second quest that is much more difficult than the first. With Zelda II, we have probably the first New Game+ (name originates from Chrono Trigger) in any game. Link can start a new adventure from a completed save file with all levels, spells, and sword techniques, but loses all items and containers (heart and magic).

Beginning the game, again... (note the levels)

It was a fun adventure, but even with the leveling I can't honestly say this was a CRPG. I definitely see the need to differentiate this type of game into a separate genre, and we're getting closer to action-RPGs as we know them today. Many go further than this early game to include more RPG elements like inventories, shops, and more side quests and stories. Going into the final review I'm guessing it's going to score low; not because it wasn't fun, but when reviewed as an RPG, it'll fall short in many areas.

I happened to find the last heart container because while sleeping last night I had an old memory creep in about a heart container in the ocean (this may have been mentioned in a town as well). So, most things were wrapped up, and I believe I completed all the side quests. I visited Error as well, and found he's the one that informs me the way to the third castle is south of the King's Tomb.

Looking for further things I may have missed (none I can find by the way) I'm amazed to find there are 11 walkthroughs for this game (plus 3 foreign language ones) on GameFAQs. Why so many? My only guess is many people enjoyed this game so much that they wanted to write their own for it. Although, it's such a short simple game that I would think one or two is sufficient to cover everything. It seems instead of improving the old ones, we see a "me too" effect here. I do wonder what the point of it is.

Game 2: Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (NES) - Only One Remains

Ganon seems to come back eventually in the sequel, so what's the big deal?

After many more Game Over screens I've managed to push my way to the end. Only the Great Palace remains, if only I could get there.

I'm still at odds with the game, and how it fits with other CRPGs. I've already mentioned the pure action, but fighting really has become more about abusing the AI than skillfully out maneuvering the enemies or strategizing to exploit their weakness. Even with leveling up, the difficulty isn't minimized nearly as much as other CRPGs. I believe I'll need to grind to max level in order to have a chance at completing the game. Accurate jumping and slashing are much more valuable than building up levels, but those are two things I lack with any reliability.

Maybe the key thing missing here though is there's no way to prepare for the adventure. There's no stocking up on healing potions, magic potions, or attack items. No variety in equipment and items means a lack of options, and without options the experience will mostly remain the same between players. Having a difference between each play means we can personalize the game, managing the difficulty by over preparing or add to it by trying to accomplish our goals with the bare minimum.

When the jump button doesn't register Link often falls into pits

The difficulty has ramped up a couple of times already. First after taking the raft to the other continent where new enemies are immune to sword strikes, and only vulnerable to fire magic. Second was after removing the guardian with the Flute, which opened an area with floating eyes and many open pits that mean instant death. I fully expect another increase in the Great Palace; the instructions make mention that Link can continue directly from the start of the Great Palace even when a game over screen is reached.

Once again we're faced with game logic that doesn't quite match what I'd expect. There are times that enemies back away from Link and end up off screen... untouchable. Also, I had read the instructions before playing, and noticed the hammer cuts down trees. Honestly, I'd forgotten about that until remembering there was a town hidden in a forest, but how does a hammer cut down a tree? After getting this hammer of tree cutting, I need to find the only raft in existence in one of the castles... but I can cut down trees...

Enemies have a special ability to phase out at the edge of the screen

So, to recap, getting through the fourth palace involved navigating a maze island, and fighting a Wizzrobe using the reflect spell to enchant the shield to shoot back his magic. In the next is the flute, and a boss that swings a ball and chain with very odd hit detection. I believe there's one more heart container that I haven't found yet, but I'm going to go for the end after leveling up a bit. I'll play today to finish it up and hopefully start Ultima: Exodus on Tuesday. Wish me luck.

Game 2: Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (NES) - Beginnings

"I found Link staring longingly at Zelda (the original princess) as she slumbered soundlessly on her royal bed locked away in a side room at the North Palace. Even though the current princess Zelda waited for his return, I could tell by the look in his eyes that he was ready to throw his life away for a chance to save this one. Rousing him from his daydreaming didn't take long, and only moments more passed before he had his bearings. In front of us was an arduous quest, and although this was still Hyrule, we found ourselves surround by unfamiliar terrain. Without knowing where these palaces were we aimlessly followed the road and came upon a village. Rumors abound of a Palace in Parapa, we determined this was our first destination. An old wise man knew of our desire to head there, and he taught Link a spell that would shield him from the harsh desert environment as well as deadly creatures."

Wow, I must have completely blocked out how tough Zelda II is. I'm fairly sure I beat this game as a kid, although I may have had some help from my brother. On first impressions, and I gather from the comment on the previous post, not many feel this is a CRPG, myself included. I look at the game; I look at the scale, but it doesn't quite feel right. I'll get to that later though.

*Plop*

Last night went fairly well. Even with the obvious difficulty of the game I managed not to game over until Death Mountain. It took quite a few attempts to map the mountain of accurate naming, but even so, it took a couple more game overs until I finally reached the hammer, which allows me to break boulders on the path. I'm getting a little ahead of myself though, so let me start over.

It was easy enough to navigate the over-world and find the first towns by following the road. From even these first few moments it was obvious to me that I remembered a lot of this game. I knew the first palace was through a cave past the forest to the west, and I needed to get a candle from inside. For this playthrough though I'm trying to find the clues in the game that lead me to the sights rather than heading straight for the hidden points of interest. Even so, I did end up getting the trophy that unlocks the second spell before being told to do so because I knew I needed to get it.

That's a very conspicuous looking boulder...

The game itself is definitely an action affair with lots of jumping and button mashing sword swinging fun. Link now also has the ability to cast magic. Spells must be learned from wise ones in each town. The first spell is pretty much handed to you while the others require some kind of fetch quest. One thing I noticed that wasn't mentioned in any other review is the lack of money. This never stuck out as strange in my previous plays, but with an eye on note taking for this blog it's definitely an oddity for a CRPG and for the series.

There are hidden areas on the map that stand out by their unique terrain, but sometimes they blend in with the surroundings. They tend to have heart containers, magic containers, or experience bags. Some areas are set, and unavoidable if I need to pass. Traveling over bridges has always brought up a side-scrolling area with set encounters. In these areas, the direction I enter from determines which side I start on, and exiting on the opposite end allows me to pass through. Traveling over anything except roads will cause monsters to spawn in three directions and move around randomly. If Link touches one of these, then a random encounter occurs with link in the middle of an area; the only escape is to leave out the left or right side (or die trying).

No boomerang?! How is this even a Zelda game?

I had thought enemies dropped health as well as magic or experience, but they sadly do not, which really adds to the difficulty. Luckily I've found the Life spell that allows me to heal, but it comes at a hefty magic cost. I've made it through the first two palaces grossly over-leveled, to compensate for my lack of skill, and part way through the third. I couldn't quite handle the horseman, and died during that fight. Completing a palace involves collecting the hidden item, defeating the boss, and placing a crystal in the statue, which brings your experience to the next level. Unfortunately, I didn't plan ahead, so this hasn't been as beneficial as it could. I've collected a candle that allows me to see in caves, the glove that lets me break blocks, and a raft to travel across the ocean.

The hammer from Death Mountain isn't gained from a palace, but it's been the most useful item so far, allowing me to quickly travel back after a game over. I've also been taught the downward thrust, which I remember fondly as my favorite move in this game. Some things can't be found without exploring though, and I don't think I got clear clues for getting the medicine to unlock the fairy spell (necessary to enter the third palace; it turns you into a fairy), nor do I believe there's a clue for getting the trophy, which is why I went out of my way to get it. Probably the most memorable character is Error (Bagu is a close second), and I was told to go speak with him about the palace, but I forgot to do this last night. Hopefully I can remember and document if his dialogue changes (I'm waiting for this to happen in a game, although I suppose "waking up" the monsters may count).

Is that really your name or are you broken?

I believe I'm near the halfway point. From memory, I know I need to find some water walking boots (I actually learned this from a town as well), I'll return some kid to get more magic, get a flute to unlock the next area, have to fight a Wizzrobe with the reflect spell, and a dragon with the upward thrust. The Great Palace is a huge maze that's going to take some luck to get through. Then there's two bosses to face at the end. I may not finish all this tomorrow, but I'll do my best for those that are unconvinced this is a CRPG and just want it to end.


"But this isn't a CRPG!" you scream? Well, let's work on the RPG scale and I ask you dear readers to please point out any flaws (I will cut the game if it falls below 10):

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link - Rating(11 RPP)
1) 3 - Character advancement: practice/experience based advancement, stat or level increases
2) 3 - Combat: character stats used for combat, additional combat options
3) 0 - Items and equipment: none
4) 2 - Story: main story at the forefront; world full of hints and lore
5) 2 - Exploration: open world from the beginning, visited locations remain open
6) 1 - Quests and Puzzles: side quests not related to the main quest

Character advancement is through experience gained from defeating enemies, collecting bags of... experience, and completing quests (placing the crystal in a palace statue). In addition to the stat increase from leveling up that raise attack power, defense, and reduce magic cost, there are life and magic increases in the form of heart and magic containers. Combat uses the attack and defense stats of Link, and allow him to deal and take more damage. Additional combat options exist, although rather loosely, with the upward and downward thrusts; also, some magic is beneficial to combat such as Shield, Reflect, Fire, and Thunder.

I would not look forward to that encounter rate...

The story remains at the forefront with hints about the palaces, and troubles in the land with Ganon's minions (some even hiding amongst townsfolk hoping to be the one to bring Link down). 'World full of hints and lore' is probably the weakest point, but with hints about hidden locations, and snippets of story relating to the people instead of the main quest, I believe it deserves the point. The world may not allow unlimited access, but there's rarely anything absolutely preventing it before completing all previous tasks; in fact, the palaces could theoretically be completed in any order, and exploration is a big part of finding hidden items. I'm leery about locations remaining open though, as palaces do lock you out if you've completed them, but towns and other areas are always open. Lastly, I'm counting hidden heart and magic containers, as well as the downward and upward thrusts, and some unnecessary spells as side quests. Yes, it'd be challenging without all these, but they're still on the other side of necessary.

If it has anything against it that makes it feel not like a CRPG, it's definitely the action parts (i.e. the game). Even without any points for the item section, if the game had a turn based battle system, I'd venture to guess there'd be no question. Are all action games not CRPGs though? I think there's too many to discount them all, so what is it about this game that makes it feel less than an RPG compared to something like Hydlide or Faxanadu. Is it the character lives? Or the lack of necessary grinding? Is an inventory really that necessary? Maybe the scale doesn't take something into account? So, let's get together and hammer at the scale to forge a better one, else I'm finishing this up and moving on soon hopefully. I beat this game before, and by gum if I can't do it again.

Game 2: Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (NES) - Introduction

The Legend of Zelda was a seminal title for the NES, so it's no surprise that its sequel sold very well. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link was released around December 1, 1988 according to Wikipedia. Development was once again led by Shigeru Miyamoto, but the bulk of the team was changed up. Takashi Tezuka also comes back to lend a hand in creating the story.

Link from the original game, now sixteen, discovers a mark on the back of his hand in the shape of the Triforce. He visits Impa, and she begins to tell him a story long forgotten. The Trifoce was once owned by a good king. On his death, it was split into three pieces. His son the prince received one, and the other two disappeared. A magician close to the king suggested to the prince (who was searching for the other pieces) that the princess received one. After confronting her, the magician cast a spell that put her into an eternal sleep where she didn't age, but the power of the spell killed the magician. Fraught with guilt, the prince decreed that all females of royal blood shall forever be named Zelda (this is the Legend of Zelda). Hoping one day his sister would wake, he locked her away on a comfy bed.

Six gems and a scroll are given to Link, and although he's never seen the strange writing, he's able to read it. Long ago, the Triforce was broken into Power, Wisdom, and Courage. The first two we saw in the first Zelda, but the last one is necessary to release the full power. Using this power should awaken the sleeping princess. The crest on Link's hand indicates he is the only person able to handle the Triforce of Courage. The scroll details it is hidden in the Great Palace, but to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands there is a binding force that is broken by placing a gem in each of six statues in the palaces around Hyrule. There are guardians to overcome, put there to protect the statues from enemies of the realm.

We also learn that even after the defeat of Ganon his minions are still causing havoc and chaos in the land. Link's blood is the key to resurrecting their leader Volde... I mean Ganon, so if Link loses all his lives, then Ganon is resurrected once more.

Scrolling text at the title screen gives a summary of the story.

Zelda II is a departure from the purely top down experience of the first. While the overland view remains this way, random monsters, caves, towns, and castles have Link exploring a side-scrolling adventure. In addition to heart containers, and now magic containers, Link will gain experience points for killing monsters and completing castles.

This level system is unique to this game and the series. With this pool of experience points you can choose to increase attack power, reduce magic cost, or add defense; attributes level individually with each one having a different experience point requirement. It's possible to customize Link in different ways if you choose to save for the most expensive level (usually attack power).

Even with good sales, many fans view it as the black sheep of the series. This reaction seems very similar to the one received by Castlevania II. It's a careful juggling act to follow a hit game; developers need to keep what makes it great, fix things that didn't work, and add new aspects that build on what did.

All set for tomorrow.

There's a debate over the Zelda games, with some counting them as RPGs, and others discounting them from the genre. Even though these claims persist, the most RPG-like of the series is often shunned. Even with dropping the experience system many aspects became staples for the series: magic, NPCs, and a detailed story. I don't expect to put this argument to rest, that's really not my goal, but I do fall on to the side that claim these are not true RPGs.

I believe the debate continues because having a game or series called an RPG has become some sort of prestige classification. Like a badge of honor, nearly every game scrambles to include inventories, experience points, and leveling, as well as storylines, exploration, and dialogue. Personally, I see parallels between claims that "games are art," and "my favorite game/series is an RPG." It dilutes the classification, and makes it meaningless when more outliers are added into a definition.

In my quick check on the RPG scale, Zelda II got 11, but that's from a fuzzy memory, so we'll see how it stands up in the end. I have beaten this game on multiple occasions when I was younger, but it's been at least 20 years since I last played it. Let's see how much I remember, and maybe I can get through it in a couple of play sessions.