Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

Lore & Background

The Adventure of Link is set several years after the events of The Legend of Zelda. The now-16-year-old Link notices a strange mark on the back of his left hand, exactly like the crest of Hyrule. He seeks out Impa, who takes him to the North Castle, where a door has been magically sealed for generations. Impa places the back of Link's left hand on the door, and it opens, revealing a sleeping maiden. Impa tells Link that the maiden is Zelda, the princess of Hyrule from long ago. Zelda's brother tried to force her into telling their recently deceased father's secrets concerning the Triforce. Princess Zelda refused to reveal its location, and the prince's magician friend, in anger, tried to strike her down with a spell. Zelda fell under a powerful sleeping spell, but the magician was unable to control the wildly arcing magic and was killed by it. The prince, filled with remorse and unable to reverse the spell, had his sister placed in the castle tower, hoping she would one day be awakened. He decreed that princesses born to the royal family from that point on would be named Zelda, in remembrance of this tragedy. Impa says that the mark on Link's hand means that he is the hero chosen to awaken Zelda. She gives Link a chest containing six crystals and ancient writings that only a great future king of Hyrule can read. Link finds that he can read the document, even though he has never seen the language before; it indicates that the crystals must be set into statues within six palaces scattered across Hyrule. This will open the way to the Great Palace, which contains the Triforce of Courage. Only the power of the combined Triforces can awaken Zelda. Taking the crystals, Link sets out to restore them to their palaces. Meanwhile, Ganon's followers seek to kill Link, as sprinkling his blood on Ganon's ashes will bring Ganon back to life. Ultimately, Link restores the crystals to the six palaces and enters the Great Palace.

Reader's Guide

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link is significant for introducing elements that would become commonplace in future Zelda games, such as Link's 'magic meter' and the Dark Link character. However, its role-playing elements—experience points and limited lives—have not been used since in canonical games. The game features a dual-mode dynamic of top-down view for the overworld and side-scrolling view for towns, buildings, caves, and enemy encounters. This side-scrolling gameplay and experience system are similar to features of Konami's Castlevania series, especially Castlevania II: Simon's Quest. The game incorporates a strategic combat system, a proximity continue system based on lives, an experience points system, magic spells, and more interaction with non-player characters. Apart from the non-canonical CD-i The Legend of Zelda games, no game in the series includes a lives feature. The side-scrolling perspective is used in a minor capacity in Link's Awakening and the other Game Boy entries, while the top-down perspective still takes focus. The game was a critical and commercial success. It was followed by A Link to the Past for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1991.

Did You Know?

• Zelda II was released in Japan less than a year after the Japanese release of the original The Legend of Zelda.
• The game features a lives system, which no canonical Zelda game has used since.
• Link can learn eight magic spells from wise men in eight towns across Hyrule.
• The game is set at the end of the 'Defeated Hero' timeline, an alternate reality where the Hero of Time is defeated by Ganondorf in Ocarina of Time.