Though less "important" or "groundbreaking" and less of a classic, Zelda 2 belongs to that weird lineage of radically altered Nintendo sequels. Of course, in hindsight it's easy to say that Zelda should have stayed closer to formula, but like Castlevania 2, Zelda 2 predates the establishment of franchise.
All of this ignores that Zelda 2 is a really, really good game though. Combat, controls, and game mechanics are all extremely tight. Graphics are decent, but have a lot of character that helps sell the slightly darker atmosphere. Exploration is downplayed a bit (although the game is still essentially non-linear) in favor of challenging sword-play and platforming.
The bottom line is that Zelda 2 does what it does flawlessly. It's a very difficult side-scrolling exploration-platformer, with dungeons, towns, and the like tied together with an RPG style world map. The combat eventually becomes quite challenging, but controls are tight and involves a great deal of player skill. It is a very good game, but asks a lot of players.
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Re: Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
Though less "important" or "groundbreaking" and less of a classic, Zelda 2 belongs to that weird lineage of radically altered Nintendo sequels. Of course, in hindsight it's easy to say that Zelda should have stayed closer to formula, but like Castlevania 2, Zelda 2 predates the establishment of franchise.
All of this ignores that Zelda 2 is a really, really good game though. Combat, controls, and game mechanics are all extremely tight. Graphics are decent, but have a lot of character that helps sell the slightly darker atmosphere. Exploration is downplayed a bit (although the game is still essentially non-linear) in favor of challenging sword-play and platforming.
The bottom line is that Zelda 2 does what it does flawlessly. It's a very difficult side-scrolling exploration-platformer, with dungeons, towns, and the like tied together with an RPG style world map. The combat eventually becomes quite challenging, but controls are tight and involves a great deal of player skill. It is a very good game, but asks a lot of players.