The Adventure of Link

Development and release

Shigeru Miyamoto, co-creator of the original Zelda, intended Zelda II to be fundamentally different from its predecessor. A new team was assembled for development, with Miyamoto (credited as 'Miyahon') as producer and Takashi Tezuka as story- and scriptwriter. The game had two directors: Tadashi Sugiyama (credited as 'Sugiyan') and Yasuhisa Yamamura (credited as 'Yamahen'). Music composer Akito Nakatsuka is credited as 'Tsukasan'.

The combat system was influenced by Irem's arcade game Kung-Fu Master (1984), which Miyamoto's team ported to the NES in 1985, while role-playing mechanics were influenced by Chunsoft's Dragon Quest (1986). The Adventure of Link was first released for the Japan-only Famicom Disk System on January 14, 1987, followed by the NES in PAL regions on September 26, 1988, and in North America on December 1, 1988. A 1988 ROM chip shortage delayed several Nintendo releases, including this game.

The FDS version differs from the NES release: dungeons are all gray or green in the FDS version, while each dungeon has a unique color in the English NES release. Bosses Carrok and Volvagia (named Barba in the NES release) have different graphics. The game over screen in the English version shows Ganon's silhouette with 'Game Over/Return of Ganon', whereas the FDS version has a plain black screen with 'Return of Ganon/The End'.

Reception

When the Famicom Disk System version of Zelda II hit Japan, magazines like Famicom Hisshoubon and Famicom Tsūshin had good things to say. One reviewer called it a perfect blend of puzzles and action, twice as fun as the original Zelda. Another saw it as a big leap forward in game design that would influence future titles. But not everyone was thrilled: a critic disliked how scarce items were and how dying wiped out all experience points, calling the game hard to quit but less satisfying than its predecessor.

Worldwide, it sold 4.38 million copies. In North America, Computer Entertainer praised it as a worthy follow-up, tough but packed with play value that could keep players busy for weeks. Power Play liked the graphics and music, with one reviewer noting it was "very difficult, but always fair." Based on its overall score, it ranked second among Famicom Tsūshin's 1987 games, just behind Dragon Quest II.

Nintendo Power gave it their 1988 Game of the Year award, and in 1990 their Pak Source rated it 4/5 for graphics and sound, 3.5/5 for play control, 4.5/5 for challenge, and 4/5 for theme fun. Total! magazine scored it 82% in 1992, partly due to so-so music and graphics. Sandy Petersen's 1993 Dragon review gave it 3 out of 5 stars. Nintendo Power called it an entertaining, natural step for the series, while Play magazine highlighted its unique mix of elements that made for an action-RPG experience unlike any other.

Legacy

The Adventure of Link brought in several lasting features for the Zelda series. Non-player characters became more important to Link’s journey, and the game introduced a magic meter and spells that later titles kept. The Triforce of Courage first appeared here and became closely tied to Link. Dark Link from Ocarina of Time and similar shadowy versions in Four Swords Adventures, Spirit Tracks, and A Link Between Worlds all trace back to this game. It was among the earliest to blend role-playing stats with side-scrolling platforming, a style later seen in games like Cadash. Five towns in The Adventure of Link—Rauru, Ruto, Saria, Nabooru, and Darunia—share names with sages in Ocarina of Time, while the town Mido matches a character from Kokiri Forest. This is the only main English Zelda release without “The Legend of Zelda” in its title and the only one with lives and 1-up dolls.