Released in Japan on February 14th, 1987 for the NES, the direct and only Zelda sequel was significantly different from its predecessor. All other Zelda games are considered prequels or part of another timeline whereas Zelda II takes place right after the events of the first Zelda game.
The origin of “The Legend of Zelda” revealed
The first princess Zelda was put into a deep sleep after her brother tried to force secrets from her about the Triforce of Courage. Filled with remorse, after accidentally putting her into the deep sleep he decreed that all princesses from then on would be named Zelda.
The Triforce defined
The Triforce has been fully defined in this game, there are three main pieces, Wisdom, Power, and Courage. In the first game, Zelda divided her Triforce of Wisdom into 8 pieces to hide them from Ganon. Link needed to collect all 8 pieces to defeat Ganon, who had the Wisdom of Power. After defeating Ganon, Link needed to find the hidden Triforce of Courage to awaken the sleeping Zelda.
Interesting Facts about Zelda II
-Introduced new mechanics and themes that are used in later games of the series such as a magic meter and the arch enemy Dark Link.
-The only game in the series to use an experience point system for leveling up.
-Introduced the unique side-scrolling combat areas. Only a few games used similar side scrolling instances such as in Link’s Awakening.
–Zelda II was the 5th best selling NES game, behind Super Mario Bros. and the original Zelda.
-Sold 4.38 million copies leaving many stores sold out throughout the year.
-The sages in Ocarina of Time were named after the towns in Zelda II.
Zelda II: The Adventure of LInk on Wikipedia
Gameplay by World of Longplays via Youtube
