Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
Zelda II The Adventure of Link box.jpg
North American box art
Developer(s) Nintendo EAD
Publisher(s) Nintendo
Designer(s) Shigeru Miyamoto
Composer(s) Akito Nakatsuka
Series The Legend of Zelda
Platform(s) Family Computer Disk System, Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo GameCube, Game Boy Advance, Virtual Console
Release date(s)
Genre(s) Action-adventure
Mode(s) Single-player
Rating(s)
Media Disk Card, Game Pak, Game Disc

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, released as The Legend of Zelda 2: Link no Bōken (THE LEGEND OF ZELDA 2 リンクの冒険 Zeruda no Densetsu Pāto Tsū: Rinku no Bōken?) in Japan, is an action adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System, and it is the second installment in The Legend of Zelda video game series. It was originally released in Japan on the Family Computer Disk System less than a year after the release of the original The Legend of Zelda. Nintendo released Zelda II in Japan on January 14, 1987, seven months before the United States saw the release of the first Zelda title. Nintendo released Zelda II in North America in 1988, one year after its initial release in Japan, converting the game from its initial Disk System format to the NES cartridge.

The Adventure of Link is a direct sequel to the original The Legend of Zelda, again involving the protagonist, Link, on a quest to save Princess Zelda, who has fallen under a sleeping spell. The Adventure of Link's emphasis on side-scrolling and RPG-style elements, however, was a significant departure from its predecessor. The game was highly successful at the time and introduced elements that would become commonplace in future Zelda games. It was followed in 1992 by The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past for the Super NES.

Contents

Gameplay

The Adventure of Link bears little resemblance to the first game in the series. The Adventure of Link features side-scrolling areas within a larger world map rather than the bird's eye view of the previous title. The game incorporates a strategic combat system and more RPG elements, including an experience points (EXP) system, magic spells, and more interaction with non-player characters (NPCs). Link has extra lives; no other game in the series includes this feature.[1]

Experience levels

In this installment, Link gains experience points to upgrade his attack, magic, and life by defeating enemies.[2] He can raise each of these attributes to a maximum of eight levels. Raising a life level will decrease the damage Link receives when hit, raising a magic level will decrease the magic points (MP) cost of spells, and raising an attack level will strengthen his offensive power. Each statistic requires a different amount of experience to level up, with the life level requiring the least number of points to level and attack requiring the most.[2] When enough points are acquired to raise a statistic, the player may choose to level up that statistic or to cancel and continue gaining experience points towards the next level in another statistic. Once Link has raised a statistic to the maximum level of eight, further advances in that statistic will earn Link an extra life, without advancing the statistic itself.[2] Link can acquire up to four Heart Containers and up to four Magic Containers that permanently increase his life points and magic points. Other games in The Legend of Zelda series only allow Link to increase his strength through new weapons, items, and Heart Containers. Certain enemies drain Link's experience when they attack, but he will never lose a level once raised.[1] The game however only saves the level at which the player's experience is at and how much experience he needs for the next level, not how many experience points he currently has. So if the player has 750 experience points and the next level is 800, if the player saves and resets the console or loses all his lives, he will begin with 0 experience points and 800 for the next level.

Overworld map and side-scrolling

The overworld

The Adventure of Link plays out in a two-mode dynamic. The overworld, the area where the majority of the action occurs in other The Legend of Zelda games, is still from a top-down perspective, but it now serves as a hub to the other areas. Whenever Link enters a new area such as a town, the game switches to a side-scrolling view. This mode is where most of the action takes place, and, with the exception of traveling across lava, it is the only mode in which Link can take damage and be killed.[1]

Link also enters this mode when attacked by wandering monsters. Whenever the player traverses the various environments of Hyrule, enemy silhouettes appear and pursue him. Of the three random creatures that appear, there are three types which correspond to the relative difficulty of the monsters in battle mode: a small, weak blob denoting easy enemies, a large, strong biped denoting harder enemies, and a Fairy, which will put Link on a single screen with a free Fairy to refill his health. This separate method of traveling and entering combat is one of many aspects adapted from the role-playing genre.[1]

Combat system

The Adventure of Link makes use of simplified controls and mechanics for Link's battles. Armed with a sword and shield, Link must alternate between standing and crouching positions in order to attack enemies and defend himself; for example, the Iron Knuckle enemy changes the height of its attack and its shield depending on Link's current stance, forcing Link to change stances until he has a chance to attack safely. Link has the ability to jump, which can be used for attacking tall or airborne enemies, and can be used for evasion. Eventually, he can learn techniques for downward and upward stabs in midair.[1]

Magic

In place of actively-used items, The Adventure of Link features spells for Link to use during action scenes. Each spell is learned from a different wise man in towns. Link often has to complete side-quests, such as retrieving lost items, before they will teach him their spells. Some spells are necessary for advancing beyond certain points in the game; both the Jump and Fairy spells allow Link to reach the top of ledges that are otherwise too high.[1]

Plot

Link by the sleeping Princess Zelda

Several years after the events of The Legend of Zelda,[3][4] the now sixteen year old Link notices a strange mark on the back of his left hand, exactly like the crest of Hyrule. He seeks out Impa, who responds by taking Link to the North Castle, where a door has been magically sealed for generations. Impa places the back of Link's left hand on the door, and it opens, revealing a sleeping maiden. Impa tells Link that the maiden is Zelda, the princess of Hyrule from long ago, and the origin of the "Legend of Zelda." Zelda's brother had tried to force her into telling their recently deceased father's secrets concerning the last of three sacred golden triangle treasures of his kingdom, known collectively as the Triforce. Princess Zelda refused to reveal its location, and the prince's wizard friend, in anger, tried to strike her down with a spell. Zelda fell under a powerful sleeping spell, but it also resulted in the wizard's own death. The prince, unable to reverse the spell, had his sister placed in the castle tower, in the hope that she would one day be awakened. He decreed that princesses born to the royal family from that point on would be named Zelda, in remembrance of this tragedy.[2]

Impa says that the mark on Link's hand means that he is the hero chosen to awaken Zelda. She gives Link a chest containing six crystals and ancient writings that only a great future king of Hyrule can read. Link can read it and it indicates that each crystal needs to be placed in a different palace in Hyrule. This will open the way to the Great Palace, which contains the Triforce of Courage. This, combined with the other two parts, has the power to awaken the enchanted Zelda. Taking the crystals, Link sets out to restore them to their palaces. Meanwhile, the followers of Ganon are seeking to kill Link; sprinkling his blood on Ganon’s ashes would bring Ganon back to life.[2]

Ultimately, Link restores the crystals to the six palaces, and with the crystals in place, the entrance to the Great Palace is opened. After venturing deep inside, Link is made to battle a shadowy doppelgänger of himself known as Link's Shadow. Link then claims the Triforce of Courage and returns to Zelda. The three triangles unite into the collective Triforce, and Link's wish awakens Zelda.[1]And the game ends as they kiss under a falling curtain.

Development

Like The Legend of Zelda, The Adventure of Link was based on Shigeru Miyamoto's concepts.[5] However, the game was developed by a separate team from that of The Legend of Zelda, and key members from The Legend of Zelda's design team, such as Takashi Tezuka and Koji Kondo, were not involved in The Adventure of Link's production.[6]

Music

The score of The Adventure of Link, unlike that of The Legend of Zelda, was composed by Akito Nakatsuka ("Tsukasan" in the credits) rather than Koji Kondo. Almost none of the music from the previous game was integrated, save for the introductory notes of the overworld theme, which were quoted at the start of the new overworld theme.[7] The music in this game has generally not been incorporated into later games in the Zelda series, with the exception of the Japanese battle theme used in Minish Cap. Many other aspects of the game also did not return later, most likely because it was such a significant departure from the direction that the series ultimately took. However, a newly orchestrated version (arranged by Shogo Sakai) of the composition "Temple" is featured in Super Smash Bros. Melee, played during the Hyrule Temple stage and the Underground Maze level. A variation of the track also appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.[6]

Versions

The Adventure of Link was originally released on the Family Computer Disk System ("FDS") before its worldwide release. Like its predecessor, the FDS version appears to be an earlier version of the game, with a few obvious differences. In the English release, the dungeons each have different colors, whereas in the FDS version they are all gray. Also, the two dungeon bosses Carrok and Volvagia (the latter being initially named Barba in the NES release) have different graphical appearances.[8] The game over screen in the English version features the silhouette of Ganon from the chest up, with the text saying "Game Over/Return of Ganon", whereas the FDS game over screen is a plain black screen with the text saying "Return of Ganon/The End" [9]. There are some slight additions to the dungeons, as well as a handful of differences on the dungeons themselves. Due to an additional soundchip that the Disk System has, when Nintendo ported Zelda II over to the NES they had to eliminate some musical elements, especially from the title screen. On the main map, the icons denoting attacking monsters look different, but the most significant change is the spending of experience points, as Link's three attributes cost the same, unlike the worldwide release. Further, the game is designed to promote balanced leveling, as the saved game on the disk will only let the levels for the attributes go as high as whatever is set the lowest (e.g. if Life is at 5 and Strength is at 4, but Magic is at 1, then the saved game will reflect all as level 1), while still saving the data regarding crystals that have been placed and items that have been collected. These differences make leveling up in the game very different.[10]

The Adventure of Link was re-released in 2003 on the The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition disc for the Nintendo GameCube,[11] and again in 2004 as part of the “Classic NES Series” for Game Boy Advance,[12] with changes. The intro text has been changed to read "third Triforce" rather than "No.3 Triforce" and the copyright date has been altered to read "1987- 2004". The death animation removed flashing colors in an effort to prevent seizures, replacing it with a solid red color. There were also various graphical and audio tweaks. It was released as the 100th title on the Wii's Virtual Console in Japan on January 23, 2007,[13][14] in Europe and Australia on February 9, 2007 and was released in North America on June 4, 2007.[15] The text changes weren't made in this version, but it does feature the solid red color in the death animations from the Game Boy Advance version.

Reception

 Reception
Aggregate scores
Aggregator Score
GameRankings 69%[16]
Metacritic 73%[17]
Review scores
Publication Score
1UP.com 65 / 100[18]
GameSpot 69/100[19]
IGN 70 / 100[20]
Nintendo Power 72 / 100[21]
Play Magazine 91 / 100[22]

Original reviews

4.38 million copies of Zelda II have been sold worldwide since its release.[23] Zelda II was rated the 110th best game made on a Nintendo System in Nintendo Power's Top 200 Games list.[24] In August of 2008, Nintendo Power listed it as the 12th best Nintendo Entertainment System video game, describing it as a radical and refreshing departure from its predecessor.[25] Play magazine commented on the gameplay, saying that "it's this combination of unique elements that creates an action-RPG experience unlike any other".[22] Nintendo Power said that the game was "an entertaining and natural step in the franchise's evolution,"[21] and awarded it the Nintendo Power Game of the Year Award for 1988.

Link was reviewed in 1993 in Dragon #198 by Sandy Petersen in the "Eye of the Monitor" column. Petersen gave the game 3 out of 5 stars.[26]

GBA and Virtual Console version reviews

IGN said that the game is a "recommended and playable adventure" but also said "don't expect the same gameplay from the truly classic Zelda titles."[20] 1UP.com praised the game's length, citing that "you can certainly find plenty here to keep you busy for some time."[18] The game also received some criticism. Cheat Code Central cited the game's length as being a "long adventure".[27] GameSpot said that while the game is "decent enough to make it worth the $5 price [on the Wii's Virtual Console]", it features "questionable design decision[s]" and can get confusing if players don't have the help of walkthroughs.[19]

The GBA version of the game had an aggregated score of 73 on Metacritic.[17]

Legacy

Many elements first introduced in this game have remained in the series. For instance, non-player characters (NPCs) were present in The Legend of Zelda, but their role was rather limited. Starting with The Adventure of Link, Zelda games have prominently featured a variety of NPCs who play pivotal roles in Link's quests.[28] The use of metered magic and spells has also carried over into other Zelda games. The Triforce of Courage makes its first appearance in The Adventure of Link and plays an important role in later Zelda games, as it is strongly associated with Link. Dark Link is a version of Link's Shadow which appears in Ocarina of Time, and a similar Link clone called Shadow Link appears in Four Swords Adventures.[29]

Additionally, The Adventure of Link was one of the first games to combine RPG and platforming elements to a considerable degree.[30] Over the next few years, a number of Japanese-made games appeared with a similar format; major titles such as Cadash (1989) closely resemble The Adventure of Link, with side-scrolling platform stages supplemented by RPG-like statistical systems, weapons, armor, magic spells, and so forth.

Most of the sages in Ocarina of Time bear the same names as towns from The Adventure of Link (Rauru, Ruto, Saria, Nabooru, and Darunia; excluding Impa). Another town, Mido, is also the name of a character in Kokiri Forest. The Adventure of Link is also the only Zelda game of the main English releases not to use "The Legend of Zelda" in its title, the only Zelda game to feature "lives" counting down, and therefore the only game in the series to include 1-up dolls.[31] The next Zelda game after The Adventure of Link was The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past for the Super Famicom in 1991, which follows new Link and Zelda characters and returns to the top-down style of the original. The series broke away from the top-down style again in 1998 when Ocarina of Time was released on the Nintendo 64, with 3D graphics.[32]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Nintendo. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. (Nintendo). NES. (1 December 1988)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Zelda II: The Adventure of Link instruction manual. Nintendo. 1 December 1988. 
  3. ↑ Nintendo EAD. The Legend of Zelda 2: Link no Bōken. (Nintendo Co., Ltd.). Famicom Disk System. (14 January 1987) "Several years after Gannon was destroyed, Link learns from Impa about the another sleeping Princess Zelda."
  4. ↑ Nintendo EAD. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. (Nintendo of America, Inc.). Nintendo Entertainment System. (December 1988) "After Ganon was destroyed, Impa told Link a sleeping spell was cast on Princess Zelda."
  5. ↑ "Shigeru Miyamoto Interview" (in Swedish). Super PLAY (Medströms Dataförlag AB) (04/03). March 2003. http://www.miyamotoshrine.com/theman/interviews/230403.shtml. Retrieved 19 Jan 2007. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Zelda II: The Adventure of Link". MobyGames. http://www.mobygames.com/game/zelda-ii-the-adventure-of-link. Retrieved 2008-04-06. 
  7. ↑ "Zelda: The Music". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006GAZOO/. Retrieved 2008-04-06. 
  8. ↑ "NES Review: Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. The hero returns in 8-bits, this time to tackle side-scrolling!". Video Games Blogger. 10 September 2006. http://www.videogamesblogger.com/2006/09/10/classic-review-zelda-ii-the-adventure-of-link.htm. Retrieved 2008-04-06. 
  9. ↑ http://www.gamefaqs.com/nes/563487-zelda-ii-the-adventure-of-link/faqs/27747
  10. ↑ "New Famicom Mini Series to see legendary Disc System titles reborn". Spong. 6 July 2004. http://news.spong.com/article/7085. Retrieved 2008-04-06. 
  11. ↑ "The Legend of Zelda Collector’s Edition". GameSpot. http://uk.gamespot.com/gamecube/action/zeldacollectors/index.html. Retrieved 2007-01-15. 
  12. ↑ "Classic NES Series: The Legend of Zelda". GameSpot. http://uk.gamespot.com/gba/rpg/famicomminithelegendofzelda/index.html. Retrieved 2007-01-15. 
  13. ↑ "Zelda II to be 100th Nintendo Wii VC Title". Video Game Generation. http://wii.vggen.com/news/news.php?id=5231. Retrieved 2007-06-01. 
  14. ↑ "Japan Gets New Wii VC Titles For January". Gamasutra. http://www.gamasutra.pair.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=12205. Retrieved 2007-01-15. 
  15. ↑ "Wii-Kly Update: Four New Classic Games Mark Wii Shop Channel Milestone". MCV. 4 June 2007. http://www.mcvuk.com/press-releases/29369/Wii-Kly-Update-Four-New-Classic-Games-Mark-Wii-Shop-Channel-Milestone. Retrieved 2008-04-01. 
  16. ↑ "Classic NES Series: Zelda II - GBA". Game Rankings. 1 January 2008. http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/921925.asp?q=Zelda%20II. Retrieved 2008-04-06. 
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 "Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (Classic NES Series)". MetaCritic. http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/gba/zelda2theadventureoflinkclassicnesseries?q=zelda%20ii. Retrieved 2008-04-01. 
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Parish, Jeremy. "Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (Classic NES Series) (Game Boy Advance)". 1UP.com. http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3136133&did=1. Retrieved 2008-04-01. 
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Alex Navarro (5 June 2007). "Zelda II: The Adventure of Link". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/wii/rpg/linknobouken/review.html. Retrieved 2008-04-06. 
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Harris, Craig (26 October 2004). "Zelda II: The Adventure of Link". IGN. http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/560/560627p1.html. Retrieved 2008-04-01. 
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 "Zelda II: The Adventure of Link review". Nintendo Power: 150. 
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 "Zelda II: The Adventure of Link review". Play Magazine: 100. 
  23. ↑ Parton, Rob (31 March 2004). "Xenogears vs. Tetris". RPGamer. http://www.rpgamer.com/news/japan/rp033104.html. Retrieved 2008-04-06. 
  24. ↑ "NP Top 200". Nintendo Power 200: pp. 58–66. February 2006 
  25. ↑ (Magazine) Nintendo Power - The 20th Anniversary Issue!. Nintendo Power. 231. San Francisco, California: Future US. August 2008. p. 71. 
  26. ↑ Petersen, Sandy (October 1993). "Eye of the Monitor". Dragon (198): 57–60. 
  27. ↑ "Zelda II: The Adventure of Link review". Cheat Code Central. 
  28. ↑ "Retrospective: Zelda II: The Adventure of Link". IGN. 14 April 2006. http://blogs.ign.com/Hyrule-Times/2006/04/14/11880/. Retrieved 2008-04-06. 
  29. ↑ "Mega Mirror: Help your elf". Daily Mirror. 6 February 1999. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-60392684.html. Retrieved 2008-04-01. 
  30. ↑ Thomas, Lucas M. (4 June 2007). "Zelda II: The Adventure of Link Review". IGN. http://wii.ign.com/articles/793/793966p1.html. Retrieved 2008-04-06. 
  31. ↑ Scalzo, John (28 June 2007). "Zelda II: The Adventure of Link". Gaming Target. http://www.gamingtarget.com/article.php?artid=7148. Retrieved 2008-04-01. 
  32. ↑ Thomas, Lucas M. (22 January 2007). "The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past VC Review". IGN. http://wii.ign.com/articles/757/757573p1.html. Retrieved 2008-04-01. 

External links

The Legend of Zelda series
Main games
The Legend of Zelda · The Adventure of Link · A Link to the Past · Link's Awakening · Ocarina of Time (soundtrack) · Majora's Mask (soundtrack) · Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages · A Link to the Past & Four Swords · The Wind Waker · Four Swords Adventures · The Minish Cap · Twilight Princess · Phantom Hourglass · Spirit Tracks · Skyward Sword
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Spin-off games
LCD games · CD-i games · Satellaview games · Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland · Link's Crossbow Training · Irozuki Tincle no Koi no Balloon Trip
Other media
TV series · Comics · Gamebooks
Universe
Characters (Link · Princess Zelda · Ganon · Epona · Midna · Tingle) · Recurring enemies
Related articles
List of The Legend of Zelda media
Wikipedia book Book:The Legend of Zelda series  · Category Category:The Legend of Zelda series  · Portal Portal:The Legend of Zelda