After the success of The Legend of Zelda, fans began to wonder if a sequel might be coming their way. This was in the early days of the Nintendo system so a sequel was not guaranteed. Mario had gotten one, even if the games was not released originally outside of Japan, but he was the mascot of the company. Would Link get another shot? The answer would be yes in 1987 as Zelda II: The Adventure of Link was released. If the public was looking for a retread of the first game, they were in for a surprise.
Many years have passed since the first adventure, and Link learns that the original princess Zelda, not the one he rescued in the first game, is under a magic spell. He is tasked with returning six crystals around the land of Hyrule. This will allow him to gain access to a Great Temple where the Triforce of Courage will be able to awaken the princess.
The game play was a major switch from the previous game. You had a top down perspective as you wandered the land, When entering a town or a temple, the action switched to a side scrolling view. This would also occur if an enemy ran into on the upper world. The magic and sword fighting was still there, but in an entirely different format.
Story wise, the developers made some strange decisions. Zelda, the original, is not present nor is the villain Ganon. There is a mention that Ganon’s followers want to kill Link to resurrect their master, but the mean pig never makes an appearance. Some choices would be expended on in later games. This is the first game that mentions that there is more then one triforce. Also, this is one of the few direct sequels in the Zelda franchise. This Link is the same one from the previous game. The most lasting legacy is that Link can use his sword in a downward motion to attack enemies. This move would be replicated years later in Shovel Knight.
While I am a huge Zelda fan, this game is not one of my favorites. It was such a switch from the previous game that it was hard to get into. The absence of a strong villain also hurt the game. The one positive thing I can say is that this showed that the developers were not afraid to change the formula. Future games in the series would go off in different directions. The Adventure of Link sent a message that games in the series would never be the same thing twice.
