Zelda 2 NES Review

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Zelda 2 is a true original, a sequel that actually surpasses the original while managing to establish itself as a completely new idea.

The story concerns Link, who must save Princess Zelda from an eternal sleep by restoring eight crystals to their proper places in the ancient palaces around Hyrule. Link, while poessessing the Triforce (from the original Legend of Zelda), must learn new tricks like magical spells and advanced sword techniques in order to restore the Princess to her throne and save the land. Oh yeah, and of course there's one more thing: while Zelda sleeps, Ganon's minions are attempting to resurrect him. The quest begins with this suspenseful premise, and everything is nicely explained at length in the instruction booklet, complete with some killer pictures. The whole game reeks of excellent production values such as this.

The game's visuals were a pleasant surprise after playing the first Zelda game exhaustively. While travelling, Link is a tiny figure in a huge and dangerous land, and natural landmarks and features are represented by simple but colorful icons. When in a town or fighting monsters, however, the action changes to a side scrolling perspective and Link is much more detailed. No longer the squat elfling from the original game, Link is now a lean, mean, intrepid adventurer. He wears a greenish leather armor and has a brown belt and pair of brown boots- compared to the original, this level of detail is a vast improvement. The animation and visuals really make Link more of a personalized hero to the player, and Nintendo must be commended for this move. The environments are excellent, and the game's numerous backgrounds and settings are at times haunting or serene, dangerous or beautiful. There are pitch black caves, arid deserts with bright blue skies, and crumbling castles made of stern gray stone and deep red and blue statues. Hyrule is much more immersive in this game; it is laid out just like one would imagine it on a map. This creates the feeling that you are indeed travelling a vast expanse, a fantasy world that is all its own. When you consider that the original Legend of Zelda was just a grid of screens with the occasional one-room cave or Labyrinth, this is a vast improvement. The inclusion of famous landmarks and enemies (like the Wizzrobe-like Magicians) promotes a real continuity to the series, even though Zelda 2 plays differently than its predecessor.

The soundtrack destroys the original Legend of Zelda. This game has it all: creepy dirges in the castles, bright and sunny music for the overworld, and driving, primal beats for the caves. The sound effects, including the clinking sound of when Link shoots sword projectiles at full health are charming and well done. If you should fail in your quest and lose all of your lives, you see a shadowy sillouhette of Ganon complemented by his evil chuckle- it makes you want to go right back to the game and attack your quest with a greater sense of urgency. Link even takes a page from Simon Belmont's book when he is hit by a monster; recoils and makes a grunting noise that reminds one of Castlevania.

The controls are simple and responsive. The subscreen is accessed with the Select button, and it allows for you to select a magic spell or item to use while minimally hampering the speed of the action. This is essential in any action/adventure game. Link has translated well to a side-scrolling format, and he can jump with ease now. He even learns new techniques with his sword, including an upward thrust and a downward thrust. The fact that these moves are easy to do is impressive considering that the controller has only two buttons for action and a crosspad. Everything is tightened, and the only reason that you may get frustrated by the control is the way Link falls if he is hit in the air. If a monster connects with you when you are leaping over a dangerous pit, the way you fall will most likely cause you to die. This little quirk, however, is hardly irritating; it is more challenging than anything else.

The gameplay is varied, engaging and just plain great to experience. Link travels the overworld of Hyrule, and if he steps off any of the roads that crisscross the land, he may be attacked by a group of enemies that appear. If he is attacked, then the action switches to a side-scrolling perspective and Link must fight his way out of the situation. While destroying enemies, he may earn experience points denoted by a small white number that floats from the monster's remains. Once Link earns enough points, he may choose to ''level up'' in one of three categories: Life, Magic, and Attack (with a maximum level of eight in each category). Levelling up in Life increases the number of hits you may take before dying, increasing your magic level makes your magic use more efficient, and attack makes you stronger. This adds an excellent RPG element to the series, making the gameplay deeper. Link also now has access to magic spells, which he must discover and work for throughout Hyrule's many towns. They have various cool effects, ranging from making your sword shoot fireballs to turning into a magical fairy to fly to previously inaccessable areas! These spells add a new level of depth to the Zelda series, giving Link a new strategic dimension with which to combat evil beasties. The castles and caves are where the main action occurs, and they play like a cross between the original labyrinths from Legend of Zelda and the action scenes from the sequel. There is plenty to do here and you will enjoy doing it, and even the Boss monsters, while challenging are hardly frustratingly unbalanced. Everything is well thought out and stimulating, satisying even the most demanding players.

The story seems like a boring one (save the damsel in distress), but for the Zelda series it expanded the original tale. Now armed with the Triforce (from the first game), Link must learn new tricks in order to tranform himself into the Warrior necessary to prevent the resurrection of Ganon. The whole thing plays like a sequel to an action movie, and I liked that Nintendo let Ganon stay dead for this chapter of the series. There is the looming, constant threat of his resurrection hanging over your head, but the enemies are fresh and the Bosses aren't the same-old, same-old rehashes you find in other series like the Mario Bros. It is well done.

This game is TOUGH...especially the final two castles. This is a game that is engaging the first time around and there are enough secret areas tucked into the corner of Hyrule to make you come back a second or third time. Maxing out your Attack, Magic, and Life levels is also a necessity, and this adds to the length and enduring value of Zelda 2.

This is the best of the Zelda series; it broke the boudaries of the original and none of the subsequent games matched it in its sense of scope and story. Hyrule never seemed so large and dangerous, and this achievement in and of itself is momentous.