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A good port of the NES version of Zelda II

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: August 30, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I'm sure nearly everyone reading this review or considering buying this game has played Zelda II on the Nintendo Entertainment System. There isn't a whole lot that needs to be said about this game that hasn't been said already. What is most important is how this port holds up on the Gameboy Advance. The good news is that this version of Zelda II is just as you remember it.

There are no enhancements to the original graphics or sound. For better or worse, they are faithful to the original. The only notable difference is that the graphics are slightly scrunched on the smaller Gameboy Advance screen but it makes little difference when you are in the middle of Link's adventure. The gameplay remains unchanged. Everything is in the exact same place and this version of Zelda II is just as hard as the NES original, if not harder. Playing this on the original Gameboy Advance, not the SP, can be a slightly uncomfortable experience on the eyes due to poor lighting on that portable. The only other problem you will have is that the pad and buttons on some models of the Gameboy Advance or Nintendo DS may be smaller than those on the NES controllers you remember. This makes it slightly more difficult to jump and swing your sword at the same time, a necessity when fighting Ironknuckles. A very minor flaw and one that you will get used to quickly.

What is to like? The music inside of the Great Palace is one of the best themes in all of the Zelda games, if you survive that far. This game also contains a little more strategy than most Zelda games. With only a limited amount of magic and most of your spells requiring a lot of magic to use, the player has to put some thought into what magic spell to cast on a certain screen. Should you use Jump to try and evade the enemies? Use Shield to cut the amount of damage you take in half? Use Life to restore your health? One refreshing aspect about the palaces in Zelda II is that most of the enemies you kill do not regenerate after you've left a room for a few minutes, which is an occasional problem with other games in the Zelda canon. Once you defeat them, the majority of them stay gone unless you exit the palace completely and come back in.

What are the drawbacks? The difficulty level will drive away some Zelda fans who may grow frustrated. The number of cheap hits and deaths in this game will drive you crazy. Link is constantly being knocked into pits or off of platforms by enemies that are not always visible onscreen. Even with a character built up to high levels, lots of lesser (and stronger) enemies take a big chunk out of your life bar, requiring you to constantly recharge your health or use the Shield spell. You have no bow & arrow or bombs at your disposal. Building experience requires you to stay in some palaces longer than you'd like, or go into dead end sections just to battle more enemies, even when you already know the way to the item or the boss. Finding the four heart and magic containers in Zelda II isn't easy if you've never played the game before. You're almost sure to wander around aimlessly for long stretches to a time unless you consult a walkthrough or know some people who have completed the game.

Anyone reading this review is aware that Zelda II: The Adventure of Link has always gotten mixed reviews from critics and Zelda fans alike. The move to a side-scrolling adventure with level building and lots of platform jumping was a rude awakening for some gamers weaned on The Legend of Zelda, which came before Zelda II. These people will always have an axe to grind with this Zelda sequel. If you didn't like it on the NES back then, you probably won't like it now. Yet Zelda II has a devoted fanbase, some of whom consider this their favorite game in the series. People who have always enjoyed this game will be pretty happy with this portable conversion, allowing you to take this adventure anywhere. Gamers who are newer to the Zelda series will be given a stiff test by a game that has aged pretty well, for the most part. Given the reasonable price for used copies, there is little reason to ignore this game if you haven't tried it before. It is a pretty good sidescrolling action/adventure game with some minor strategy and RPG elements. The Gameboy Advance is a great platform to play Zelda II on and this version is a suitable substitute for your old NES cartridge in the event it has a dead save battery.

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