Another AoL Review

[PrinceofDarkness]

I read the other one and it inspired me to write up my own review of this game as it seems to be good for educating those wary of this title for it's differences from the traditional zelda standard.

Overview:
A lot of people consider this game to be a black sheep and I've heard some people outright refuse to accept it as part of the zelda game canon. Hopefully noone here has done so drastic a measure as it does have it's flaws but it is a truly gratifiying experience if one sticks with it and finishes the game and left me with a real feeling of accomplishment that I've only felt from ALTTP and The Minish Cap.

Gameplay: 7/10

The gameplay of this game is the one area where most people seem to have issues and I have rated it the lowest only because if you don't know the tricks to winning some of the fights or leveling up it can be a tad bit random and the shortened sword can take a little while to get used to, but this is no diff. than many other great nes titles and don't let my average gameplay rating steer you away, it's still a great zelda title worthy of it's place in the zelda canon.

Story: 10/10

The story was fantastic and very innovative for the time finally letting us know what the mysterious third triforce was, where it was located and why you never see it in the first game. It also explained why every game has a princess zelda which I thought was really cool.

Graphics: 9/10
The graphics for The Adventure of Link were fantastic and really stressed the nes's/famicom's capabilities at the time. The new enemy sprites and bosses just look fantastic and it's hard to believe an 8-bit machine is rendering such detailed magnificent sprites, especially the thunderbird. Only game I can think of in the 8-bit era with better graphics was Mario 3.

Sound: 10/10
The music and sound effects for the game were just amazing with some of the catchiest tunes I've ever heard from a zelda title. They all rank up there with all the classic tunes from the first title. Especially the palace them which I love so much I put on my ipod.

Fun/Replay Value: 10/10

The adventure of link just gets better and better everytime you go through it. It's so much fun to go back through it with maxed out stats and just kick the snot out of everything. I can remember playing it a second time as soon as I beat it and being up all night cuz I wanted to take thunderbird down at level 8 attack.

Overall Score:
9/10

Closing Comments:
Although many people have put the adventure of link down for it's differences from the other oldschool titles and zelda series as a whole it is these differences which really make it so appealling. Getting to explore 2 whole continents really was a blast and the addition of magic spells and the magic meter in generally was a really innovative and great idea that many titles now share. It is harder than your average zelda title but I wouldn't say it's any harder than MC and it's cool cuz if your stuck somewhere you can just kill stuff until you become and beast and just blaze through it. The adventure of link is a true classic in every sense of the word and if you haven't played it and are looking for a new zelda title to play check it out.

[Mases]

Pretty good review and I agree for the most part.

The music was stand out in my opinion. The title screen, the overworld, and the temple themes were all magnificent. One thing you didn't tough on that was one of my biggest complaints is the items. Sure there are spells and sword techniques which were pretty cool, but I would have loved to have been able to get some weapons like the classic boomerang, bow & arrow, bombs, etc...

I wouldn't give it a 10/10 for story though. While the story was great, you needed to have the manual and look indepth to find out really what the heck is going on. Very few games actually had story in the game. Ninja Guiden stands out to me in this field... that game set the standard for cut-scenes.

[linkman8]

Agreed with Mases, I probably would've given it something other than a 10 for story. Although it was present, the story was unclear for most of the game. Besides the "Zelda is asleep, beat the dungeons to wake her up," they didn't say much of anything about it.

[PrinceofDarkness]

Agreed with Mases, I probably would've given it something other than a 10 for story. Although it was present, the story was unclear for most of the game. Besides the "Zelda is asleep, beat the dungeons to wake her up," they didn't say much of anything about it.

I took the manual and what the game tells you as a whole. I agree they should have made at least some references to the overall story in the game but lots of nes games did this to save space even mario. I don't know if it's in the manual I really consider it in the game. The story really built on what little we were told in the first title and considering what little they told us in LoZ about anything in the manual or the game besides ganon invades restore the triforce and beat him, I really considered it an awesome accomplishment.

[Alder Dragon]

I'd have to agree with Mases. I loved the music, especially the temple theme (which made it's way to SSBM - so that was a nice suprise). Like he said, my only true complaints are lack of "Zelda-esque" items, no in-game storyline, etc. If I had to add a few complaints, it would be limited amount of things people can tell you, making them sound like a caveman. It wouldn't have been hard to change that - think of the Pokemon games, or any other Zelda game. Usually you click "A" or something to continue and see the rest of the message, it would have been much better that way. I guess most people don't talk to the villagers when they play anymore, since they have walkthroughs to go by - but when you are trying to beat the game without any help, every bit of information is useful. More text would have been very helpful.

Though, the aspect of AoL that most people hate (side scrolling), I actually enjoy. It's a bit hard to get used to at first, but I mastered it (sorta) quickly. The only other things I can think of that I would have liked to have seen added were more levels (above 8, maybe up to 15-20 or so, but easier to level), and I would have liked to have seen shops. When you think about it, Castlevania 2 and Zelda 2 are pretty similar, besides the fact that Castlevania 2 is 100% side-scrolling. If you've ever played Castlevania 2, you know how the hearts work as cash, and you can find people who will sell you items. If enemies would have dropped rupees in Zelda 2, it would have been great to buy items, potions, fairies in bottles, etc.

[Y2K3]

I have to agree with pretty much everything in this review.
The music is deffinately my favorite aspect of the game. :P
But as Alder Dragon said about the side-scrolling, most people hate it, but I love it. I actually find it easier than the top-down view.

[El Bagu]

Nice review and it makes me happy to see that a lot of people seem to love this wonderful and best nes game ever :) I would give it a higher rating regarding the gameplay though!!!