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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.

Old school gamers review

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: February 14, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This is an exact remake of the nintendo classic. The grafics are poor compared to todays standards, and the game is hard but you have to take into consideration when this game was origonaly released, by those standards it was of the highest quality.

Dispite its age and substandard grafics the game is challanging and fun and different from all of the other common Zelda games in the navigation of the world and the view of the game. You navigate useing a map and view the game from the side in a standard side scrolling manner.

Very Hard! Cool Sound Effects!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 4
Date: July 14, 2006
Author: Amazon User

VIDEO GAMERS BEWARE THIS GAME IS THE HARDEST GAME IVE EVER PLAYED! I FINALLY BEAT THE FIRST DUNGEON ON THE COLLECTORS EDITION. GREAT MUSIC! SETS UP THE STAGE FOR A LINK TO THE PAST!
FRUSTERATING! FUN! COOL SOUNDS WHEN YOU DIE! GANONS LAUGH IS FUNNY!

P.S. LINKS SHADOW IS COOL FROM WHAT IVE HEARD!

probably the most difficult Zelda game in the entire series

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: April 06, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I played this on nes 12 years ago and still havent finished it....it is easily one of the most difficult Zelda games I've ever played. your sword is too short, some of the enemies are cheap (the blue knights! those B@stards!) and the most frustrating of all, when you lose all your lives, you will start all the way over again in Zelda's castle with your exp set back to zero. I remember playing this game, getting to the 5th or 6th palace, and the boss was really difficlut..took me 35 tries before i finished the little c0cksucker off! you had to jump in, hit his stomach with your sword and jump back before he hit you with his mace....that was seriously tough.

I did recently finish it without a game genie, but with an emulator that allowed me to save anywhere. the only way to play this game
get Zelda 3 instead!

UPDATE: WOOHOO, JUST FINISHED IT LAST WEEK!! VICTORY!!!......LOL

Retro Zelda is HARD

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: February 24, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This is definetly for hard core zelda fans who want a challenge. This game is HARD.

Underrated Zelda sequel, deserving of any fan's attention

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: February 06, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This particular Zelda sequel has gotten the short end of the stick for far too long, it's time to set the record straight!

The first thing to remark about this installment is that, for the most part, it is a side-scrolling platformer-esque title. It's OK, its differen't, doesn't mean it's bad, don't be afraid!
Truth is I love jumping around, landing on baddies and all that good stuff.

This is the first zelda to have a world map. The first one was essentially one large outdoor dungeon. It's the first zelda to make you interact with characters to get things done. Honestly I think the music is quite well done as well. All the attention seems to go to the original, Link to the Past or Ocarina.

Adventures of Link is the middle child of the zelda franchise, but it has a lot to offer, if you can stick with it. It can be frustratingly hard as any good retro game can be, but stick with it and you too will learn the upward thrust, the downward thrust, a spell to turn you into a fairy (not that there's anything wrong with that) and how to use a simple hammer to break huge daunting roadblocks.

Not so great after all

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 11
Date: February 01, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This game is just okay. I had heard good things about it, but the graphics aren't very good at all.

The greatest Zelda Adventure is the original sequel

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 2
Date: January 27, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I wasted many an afternoon in my youth playing this game, running from the blue knights, building up experience so I could max out my stats and trying to finish the Great Palace of course.
This is still considered by many to be the most difficult game ever made for a console, but while that may imply that it is quite frustrating at times (yes. . . it is. . .) it has to be noted that this game is more addicting to fans of action and RPGs than Tetris ever was to anyone else.
I had so much fun playing this game as a kid and this GBA cart and the original Zelda on GBA are the only reasons that I would own a GameBoyAdvance. So great being able to play a game from your childhood while you are on your lunchbreak at work.
The Zelda Carts for GBA are the "must-buys" of the system in my opinion as well as Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. Buy this guy and get a feel for where it all began.

Stuck On It...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 2
Date: January 22, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I love this game, especially since my brother never let me play our NES way back when I was five. Now I get to experience it with my GBA. But I'm stuck in the game, on the last two castles (the purple one and the green one.) I can't figure out how to kill that red ghost boss, or that blue one with the big mallet with spikes. I love this game to death, but I can't play it the way I used to because of my being stuck. I do think these graphics look better than the normal GBA ones for some reason. Maybe cause you can actually see Link's face, and not just a big blur like when they try making the graphics good. I really like the "Classic NES Series" for Gameboy Advance. It's pure fun.

The only Zelda game that I didn't finish

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 7
Date: October 30, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I have been a fan of Zelda from day one. All the games and all the platforms. But I found this one to be intensely irritating and that is not something I look for in a game. It can be ridiculously difficult to get to some of the palaces and with only three lives and few if any fairys or towns to recharge at it gets real old real fast. The so called Vally of Death to get to the final palace was the last straw for me. If you like repetition, then this is the game for you but I can find better things to do with my time.

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