Zelda II The Adventure of Link: Link Strikes Back (Nintendo W/O)
Written: Aug 20 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: magic system, visit different towns, enemies translate well
Cons: the game is hard, multiple lives
The Bottom Line: It's a change of pace from the other top down Zeldas, but was it for the better?
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| kjell1979's Full Review: Zelda II: The Adventure of Link for Nintendo |
If you asked me back around 1990 which one of the golden Zelda Nintendo cartridges I liked better, I would have said the first without hesitation. Not that I felt the sequel was a bad game, I just thought the first game was so much better. In fact I just preferred to play other games instead. Now that I've had a chance to mature on the subject and also because The Legend of Zelda Collector's Edition has been released for the GameCube, I have warmed up to this game. However I still think the original Legend of Zelda was a better game though.
The Story
The evil Gannon has been vanquished, but there is still peril in the land of Hyrule. Gannon's minions are trying to bring back Gannon from beyond the grave. In the process they have put Princess Zelda into a deep sleep that she is unable to awake from. You're job is to venture out into the land and try and solve the mystery of Zelda's trance as well as thwart Gannon's henchmen.
The Gameplay
As I alluded to earlier, this game isn't like all the other top town Zelda games. This is a side scrolling adventure game that's a lot like Battle of Olympus for the original Nintendo. You're goal is set out and collect items and fight bosses held up in fortresses scattered across the land. Items open up new areas of the map as well as let you cross certain barriers set up in the different fortresses.
There are two main views of the game. The first is a sky-high view as you traverse the overworld. You can see the general surroundings and terrain from palaces to caves to towns. Actions are limited in this view to moving, removing boulders, and using your flute. Once you stray off the path shadows will appear where if you touch one of them, you'll be transferred into an action sequence.
The other view is the side-scrolling screen. This is where you'll be spending the majority of your time. These side-scrolling sequences start whenever you enter a cave, town, or palace. They also appear when you run into a shadow creature on the overworld and other squares on the overworld can lead to a side scrolling action sequence. Actions in this mode are a lot more diverse. You can jump, jab your sword, use magic, or perform one of your special moves. Unlike the overworld view, enemies in this mode can seriously hurt you. In addition there are also pits you can fall into that will instantly kill you.
Zelda II is much more of a roleplaying game than any other Zelda game before of after this installment. You gain experience by fighting monsters scattered across the land. Eventually, you'll level up and your attack, life, and magic power will grow. This game is also unique in that Link is somewhat of a mage. He is able to cast different forms of magic in battle that can either attack an enemy, strengthen his defense, or help him get past an obstacle. Also Link can learn new fighting abilities as well. He has learn how to attack from above or from below as you progress through the game.
Towns play a major role in Zelda II. They remind me a lot of the towns in Castlevania II: Simon's quest in that they are a place to slightly upgrade your character, and talk with the locals for some more insight as to where to go and what's going on. Towns allow you to heal your life and magic meters as well as gain new abilities and powers.
Enemies in Zelda II are translated from the previous Zelda, but take on different characteristics and pose different threats. You'll find enemies like Armos Knights, Keese, and Wizzrobes but this time you'll also have to worry about getting knocked into pits, making sure you're blocking with your shield correctly, or have to strategize a new attack pattern to defeat these old but also new enemies. Despite being a new type of game, Zelda II is able to maintain the diversity of enemies it enjoyed from its previous NES installment. The only difference is that the strategy to defeat each enemy isn't as diverse as in other Zelda games. Typically, you'll have to learn how to use your sword and shield in an efficient manner to avoid getting hit a lot.
As expected, bosses are much more formidable than your average enemy. The biggest challenge of the bosses is finding their weakness. However, unlike other Zelda games, finding that weakness doesn't require much creativity rather than a form of creative brute force in order to find and hit the boss's weak spot while avoid getting hit. Like most other enemies, your main tool to dispose of the boss is your sword and shield. Though other weapons and tools can aid you as well.
Graphics
As this is an old Nintendo game, it goes without saying that the graphics are primitive. However, my biggest complaint isn't so much the primitive graphics, but how the game can flicker and suffer from slowdowns. This is caused in large part to a great number of moving objects at once during moments of your quest. This can become an issue as Zelda II has some platforming aspect to it and slowdowns can cause you to send Link into a pit or into an enemy's grasp. Zelda II isn't alone in that many other Nintendo games suffer from the same problem.
Character models are relatively large and easy to see. There are several pallet swaps for both the enemies and townsfolk, but the bosses seem to have a relatively unique appearance. The side scrolling scenes are rendered very well despite their lack of diversity. Each fortress seems to lack its own unique personality and feels like once you've seen one; you've seen them all. Overall, this game isn't bad graphically, but it's not groundbreaking either.
Sound
Both the music and sounds are unique to the Zelda series, but they are also very well done. I won't say that the music is the best out of all the Zelda series, since that would do an injustice to many other great Zelda titles, but despite being known as the black sheep of the series, especially with regards to the gameplay, the music also shows an uniqueness. The biggest difference is that it also strangely maintains the music quality of the series as well. There are many themes in this game that are timeless. The music conveys a sense of urgency, yet it's also complex, dynamic, and full of life.
The sound effects are equally as magnificent. Whether it's a sword clanging off an opponent's shield to the mild hum of a fortress elevator, the sound effects have a platformer type quality to them. My biggest complaint is that the volume of a small variety of effects is sometimes too loud for the music. In a heated battle, the music channels can disappear all the way down to one where the volume of the sound is drowning out the last music channel. Despite that, the game maintains a high level of sound quality.
Controls
There isn't much to say about the controls other than they are simple and effective. Zelda II follows a basic 3-button format. The A button jumps, the B button attacks with your sword, and the Select button implements your magic. The Start button brings you to the sub menu where you can select the magic spell to assign to the select button as well as view your level statistics. The directional pad is used for movement, placement of your shield, as well as used in performing certain techniques like the up thrust or down thrust actions. The controls are also very responsive. Typically, you won't see a thrown controller because you thought you had jumped, or swung your sword. Instead most frustration is cast upon enemy difficulty and placement.
The simple design is primarily because the old Nintendo simply didn't have very many buttons. I get the feeling that the game could have been much more dynamic if there had been 2 more buttons on the NES. It certainly isn't a knock against Zelda II because it implemented the control scheme smartly and correctly.
Replay Value
Unlike other Zelda games there isn't that much to do. There are hidden areas to find, but they don't yield anything spectacular other than giving you an item like a heart container or a bag of experience points. Those items help you in your quest but don't contribute much to another go around of action. You really only go through the game one-way. You get the same techniques and spells each time. The enemies are exactly where you left them. The biggest value to the game is its challenge. With only 3 lives before the game sends you back to the sleeping Zelda, the game takes a lot of discipline to simply make it to the final fortress, let alone traverse it and defeat the final boss. The refined gameplay does make it a joy to play, however it's still more of a one sitting type ordeal. It's a game that every video game fan should play at least once in their life, but just not one to spend all your time on.
Recommended:
No
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kjell1979
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Location: Oxford, Mass
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