Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
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Switch (Special Edition) | ||
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January 14, 
September 26, 
December 1, 
January 16, 
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In-depth guide:
The Adventure of Link Walkthrough |
A little under a year after the international first installment of the series, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System, taking the series in a different direction with this side-scrolling adventure. There were many changes in this new adventure; most notable being the side scrolling perspective for all of the battle sequences, towns, caves, dungeons, and temples, while only the overworld exploration used the overhead perspective which was prominent in the The Legend of Zelda. This new gameplay mechanic introduced jumping, along with intense sword battles to the series, with a much heavier reliance on using Link's shield as well as introducing the use of magic and certain spells.
Upon release, The Adventure of Link was a critical and financial success, although it is considered by many fans to be one of their least favorites in the series due to its high difficulty. One of the game's challenges is its life mechanic, which respawns the player at the North Castle after they run out of lives, forcing them to make the journey back to the dungeon where they fell.
The Adventure of Link has been released multiple times for various other Nintendo consoles such as the Game Boy Advance, the Nintendo GameCube's Collector's Edition disc, the Wii Virtual Console and the Wii U Virtual Console. It is also available as a part of the Nintendo Switch Online service, where it can be played through a piece of software available as part of the Nintendo Switch Online subscription. A special version is also included, where Link begins the game with Level 8 Attack, Life and Magic.
Story
- Main article: The Adventure of Link Story
Hyrule was on the road to ruin; though Ganon had been defeated, his evil influence remained, and his underlings now sought the blood of Link, the hero who had defeated Ganon, so they could use it to revive him.
Link lent his hand to the kingdom's restoration, but one day near his 16th birthday, he discovered a mark on the back of his hand that was identical to the kingdom's crest. Worried, he visited the reigning Zelda's nursemaid, Impa, who was shocked by the mark and took Link to North Castle, where Link opened a door that only he could open, and found a sleeping woman. The woman was another Princess Zelda. Impa then told Link the legend of Zelda handed down in Hyrule:
Long ago a great ruler of Hyrule maintained peace using the Triforce, but once he died the Prince took over but only inherited the Triforce in part. A magician told him that before dying, the king told the Prince's sister, Princess Zelda, something about the Triforce. The Prince and the magician inquired about this, but she would say nothing. Against the Prince's orders, the magician put Zelda into a sleep from which she was not supposed to awake. In his grief, the Prince placed Zelda in the room where Link and Impa now stood and ordered that all female children of the royal household were to be named Zelda.
In a scroll only he could read, Link read of the three types of Triforce: Power, Wisdom, and Courage. The Triforce will show its true power when the three are brought together. Power and Wisdom were left in the kingdom, but Courage was hidden away until such a time as someone with extremely noble character appears. It is hidden in the Great Palace in the Valley of Death on Hyrule's largest island. Link must defeat the guardians and place the crystals in all of the palaces, then defeat the final guardian to reclaim the Triforce of Courage, thereby wake Zelda from her slumber and restoring peace to Hyrule.
Characters
- Main article: The Adventure of Link Characters
- Major Characters
- Minor Characters
RPG Elements
- Main article: Attack Level
- Main article: Magic Level
- Main article: Life Level
In stark contrast to other games in the series, Adventure of Link incorporates an RPG-esque leveling system by which Link improves his skills via gaining Experience Points instead of equipment upgrades.
Experience Requirements
| Level | Attack | Magic | Life |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | - | - | - |
| 2 | 200 | 100 | 50 |
| 3 | 500 | 300 | 150 |
| 4 | 1000 | 700 | 400 |
| 5 | 2000 | 1000 | 800 |
| 6 | 3000 | 2000 | 1500 |
| 7 | 5000 | 3000 | 2500 |
| 8 | 8000 | 5000 | 4000 |
| 91 | 9000 | 9000 | 9000 |
1 Increasing Attack Level past level 8 results in Link being awarded an extra life instead of a stat increase.
Upgradeable skills
Gaining Experience
By gaining experience points through defeating enemies or finding Point Bags Link is able to upgrade his three principle stats: Attack, Magic, and Life. This system stands in place of equipment upgrades that increase Link's attack and defense found in The Legend of Zelda like the Blue Ring or Magical Sword.
Upgrading Stats
Upon reaching specific experience thresholds (represented by the NEXT number in the upper right corner of the screen), Link is given the option to "buy" an upgrade where a stat's level is raised by one and that quantity of experience is deducted from the total earned. Each stat can be upgraded to a maximum level of eight. Once a skill has reached the maximum level, its next level up becomes 9000 experience points and selecting that upgrade will give Link one extra life.
Order of Upgrades
Link is not required to upgrade in any specific order and can pass up an opportunity to raise a stat until later by selecting CANCEL. At that point, the experience points required to level up is raised to the next threshold.
Consequences of Death
If Link loses all of his lives and the game ends, all earned upgrades are kept, but his current experience is reset to zero.
Hit Points and Magic Points
The Adventure of Link stands as the only game in the series where both the life of Link and monsters, as well as Link's magic power, are calculated more like HP and MP in RPGs. Rather than the basic Heart Container accounting of 1/4, 1/2, and whole damage, each container in The Adventure of Link represents 16 points, with a maximum of 128 points. How much damage Link receives from enemies and spell costs are affected by his Life Level and Magic Level respectively.
Races
Enemies
- Main article: The Adventure of Link Enemies
- Main article: Gallery of The Adventure of Link Enemies
- List of enemies that appear in Zelda II: The Adventure of Link.
- Overworld Enemies
- Palace Enemies
Palaces
Bosses
Items and Magic
- Main article: The Adventure of Link Items
- Inventory
- Spells
- Attacks
- Pick-Ups
- Sidequest Items
Locations
- Main article: The Adventure of Link Locations
- Western Hyrule
- Eastern Hyrule
- Palaces
Merchandise
- In 1989, Nintendo of America released a Link Figurine as part of a 12-piece set consisting of characters from other Nintendo franchises.
- In 1989, a licensed Zelda II: The Adventure of Link Assorted Real Fruit Snacks was marketed by Thomas J. Lipton Co. as part of Nintendo's Assorted Real Fruit Snacks.
Gallery
- Main article: Gallery:The Adventure of Link
- See also: Gallery:The Adventure of Link Bosses, Gallery:The Adventure of Link Characters, Gallery:The Adventure of Link Enemies, and Gallery:The Adventure of Link Items
Link in front of North Castle
Impa examining the Triforce symbol on Link's hand
Link and Impa, looking into Zelda's room
The King of Hyrule looking over the town
Prince of Hyrule with Zelda and the Magician
Impa telling the story of Princess Zelda and the Magician
Link waving a white flag.
Screenshots
- Main article: Category:The Adventure of Link Screenshot Files
Videos
Game Intro
Zelda Dungeon Video Walkthrough