Zelda II is one those rare games in the series that dared to be different. Like Majora's Mask, it is reviled by those who believe 'you should never mess with a good formula'. But lets be realistic here. At the time of Zelda II, little if any formula had been established yet. Secondly, lack of creativity is the sworn enemy of intelligence. Those who deride a game like this based solely on it being different ('But mooom... I wanted to eat only bologna sandwhiches forever!!! Don't toast it! Don't add bannanas! Noooo... *sarcasm*)... well, I feel really sorry for them. because their lives must be BORING.

...But let's get to the meat of the review shall we? If this is your first time playing Zelda II, be aware this game plays more like an RPG than what you may have come to expect as a Zelda game. Yes the whole 'wander the world and collect items, slay ganon, and save princess Zelda' thing is there but... there's a lot of running around and killing things for experience points to make Link stronger too, a lot interacting with non-hostile NPCs, and yes magic. REAL magic... not the 'Nayru's Love' kind of magic from OOT.

This game is also BALLS hard. From the very start of the game, expect to get killed many times over by enemies you cannot even see and fireball spam. It's like going two hundred miles an hour down a stretch of highway and suddenly having to slam your foot down on the brakes due to a brick wall that manifested from out of nowhere

It is, however, loads of addictive fun. I just finished playing this game for two and a half hours at a stretch and if I didn't have homework soon, I'd play it again. The graphics are as good as you'd expect for an NES game, and the sound is as good as any I've ever heard in a Zelda game especially considering the NES's limitations. It doesn't get boring quick. My only caveat is the sheer difficult, especially upfront and the sheer grind of leveling personally.

So what are you waiting for? Give it a go!

Personally, I haven't tried Zelda II, but I heard it was really hard. I don't criticize the game for being different, just difficult. A bit of easing up on the enemy spam probably would've helped.

Of course, who can forget the plethora of quotes that come from this game? Best of all, the famous "I AM ERROR."

That and the vague (and possibly unintentional) reference to prostitution. There is a woman in a red dress and a little old lady in this game will fill up your health and magic respectively by inviting you into their house and closing the door. . They are the only two NPCs who invite you into their house, and you can only enter their houses during these 'helping' cutscenes. LOL.

You know, this was a really good review for a "brief review". And trust me, I know, because I'm the one who has to clean up the trash.

Thanks for contributing something nice to the community.

I'll say that you've put forth more literacy than the general reviews that are submitted by members here. Good 'brief' review.

Thanks, both of you. It's called a brief review because, frankly, if I ever do an in-depth review it'd probably be several pages long lol. I like to write, and am fairly good at it so when I am really into what I am writing it gets wordy. I'm working on that though.

Nice review. I really love this game and I have been trying to play through it again so I can write my own review on it. The game is hard though and I really do mean hard as balls. This game kills you like no ones business and thus it is not very well received in the eyes of many.

That its not. It takes a very special breed of person (possibly partially-retarded) to persist at playing a game this hard. I am definitely one of them. If you like hard zelda games, give Zelda: Parallel Worlds hack for SNES a try. One of the most complete and beautiful hacks I have ever had the pleasure of playing. It has graphics overhauls, level re-designs, a new story, and a bunch of other stuff. But it is absurdly hard. It makes Zelda II look like a paper tiger. For the first  two hours roughly of the game, you are left swordless and itemless (thus unable to save) and have to make your way through a veritable fortress of a guardhouse filled to the brim with strong guards and hazards  (spikes mostly). to get the sword and shield. The only weapon you will be provided with is an occasional pot. .. Save states are your best friend with that game because you will die a LOT. The difficulty runs a lot of people off needless to say - which is a shame because some parts of the game are beautifully redesigned and well worth a play.