Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
Developer: Nintendo Publisher: Nintendo Platform: NES Released in JP: January 14, 1987 Released in US: December 1, 1988 Released in EU: September 26, 1988 This game has unused areas. This game has unused graphics. This game has regional differences.

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link is commonly considered the black sheep of the Zelda series, due to it being a sidescroller, and having many RPG-style elements in its gameplay. Nevertheless, it turned out to be a very successful game.

Unused palace windows

Almost all of the palaces in the game have windows, except palaces 4 and 6. Using a glitch with the "Fairy" spell, it is possible to see them. They're both unique, and not used anywhere else.

Island Palace

Hidden Palace

Regional differences

Title Screen

FDS	NES

The Japanese title screen has a "PUSH START" notice, which was removed from the NES version.

Intro

FDS	NES
SEVERAL YEARS AFTER GANNON WAS DESTROYED,LINK LEARNS FROM IMPA ABOUT THE ANOTH- ER SLEEPING PRINCESS ZELDA. HE IS TOLD SHE CAN ONLY AWAKEN WITH THE NO.3 TRY- FORCE SEALED IN THE GREAT SANCTUARY AT DISVALLEY. TO REMOVE THE SEAL, CRYSTALS MUST BE EMBEDDED INTO A STONE STATUE STANDING IN 6 SANCTUARIS. LINK SETS OUT ON AN ADVENTUROUS QUEST.... ©1987 NINTENDO	AFTER GANON WAS DESTROYED, IMPA TOLD LINK A SLEEPING SPELL WAS CAST ON PRINCESS ZELDA. SHE WILL WAKE ONLY WITH THE POWER OF NO.3 TRIFORCE SEALED IN A PALACE IN HYRULE. TO BREAK THE SEAL,CRYSTALS MUST BE PLACED IN STATUES IN 6 WELL GUARDED PALACES. LINK SET OUT ON HIS MOST ADVENTURESOME QUEST YET… ©1987 NINTENDO

The intro in the Japanese version features some pretty severe Engrish which was somewhat corrected for the NES release. The info that this princess is a different Zelda than the one from the first game was lost in the rewrite.

Game Over

FDS	NES

A new Game Over screen featuring a laughing Ganon was created for the NES version. In the Japanese version, the Engrish message is accompanied by a roar, the same audio heard in some of the boss fights in the FDS version.

Link

FDS	NES

Link's sprite was given a mouth in the NES version.

Due to having changed the way in how you collected items in the NES version, two new sprite variations of Link were created for the NES version. A more crude version of the sprite for Link holding items exists in the game, intended primarily for the ending sequence when Link is holding up the Triforce in both the FDS and NES version - but these two in-game sprites weren't in the Japanese version, where you instead stabbed the items with your sword.

Zelda's Chamber

FDS	NES
File:TAOL JP3.png	File:AOLZeldaChamber.png

Zelda's Chamber looks vastly different in the Japanese version. The pillars continue all the way to the exit in the NES version, while they stop after the stairs as the ceiling gets lower in the Japanese version, giving this area more of a "cave" feeling. In addition, the torches beside Zelda didn't exist in the Japanese version.

Overworld Monsters

FDS	NES

In the Japanese version, the monsters which randomly appear on the overworld are just nondescript blobs of various colors. These were changed in the NES version, possibly to make the difficulty of the encounters more obvious to the player.

Goddess Statue

FDS	NES

The sprite for the stolen Goddess Statue, or Trophy as it was called in the NES version, was given a different look.

Sacred Water

FDS	NES

The sprite for the Sacred Water, or Water of Life as it was named in the NES game, is different.

Kidnapped Child

FDS	NES

The kidnapped child is tied with ropes in the Japanese version, and in order to set him free you'll need to "stab" him with the sword. In the NES version, you instead collect him more like an item, by simply touching him.

Dragon Quest reference

In the Water Town of Saria, there's a little reference to Dragon Quest in the Japanese version, not included in the NES version. On one of the graves there, it reads, "The hero, Loto, rests here." Loto, also known as Erdrick in the Dragon Warrior translation, is a longstanding hero of the games. It seems that putting characters from competing series in graves was a common gag back then; for example, the first Final Fantasy has "Here lies Erdrick" in its English version, and "Here lies Link" in its Japanese version.

Church

FDS	NES

The cross on top of the Church in Mido was changed in the NES version to have a unique appearance, instead of reusing the grave marker graphic. Also, the graphic seen above the doors is slightly different in all the towns.

King's Tomb

FDS	NES

In the Japanese version, the tomb of the King of Hyrule is a larger area with a few enemies and a red bottle of magic. This same area does exist in the NES version, but was moved to a grave south-west of the King's tomb. The King's tomb in the NES version was instead a single screen, where you could talk to an old lady.

Water movement

In the Japanese version, all the bodies of water on the world map are animated, as well as the lava at the Valley of Death. In the NES version, they remain motionless.

Raft

FDS	NES

When Link uses the raft, he automatically turns to face the screen in the Japanese version. He doesn't do this in the NES version.

River Devil

FDS	NES

The spiderlike "River Devil" that blocks the path to the sixth palace and Kasuto village is simply an ogreish monster in the Japanese version. This was probably changed due to the new random encounter sprites in the NES version.

The tall building in secret Kasuto

FDS	NES

The Japanese version of the tall building that emerges from the ground in the Hidden Village of Kasuto is slightly different, and looks a bit more plain.

Villagers

The Japanese version has very few villager sprites. These three new characters were added for the NES version to bring more variation in the population.

Magicians

The Magicians were given an animation in the NES version.

River Guards

FDS	NES

The sprite for the two River Guards looks very different in the Japanese version - it is rather similar to the bearded man sprite. It's easy to see why it was changed.

Swordsmen

FDS	NES

The two Swordsmen used the same sprite in the Japanese version with a slightly different palette than the River Guards. The NES version received two unique sprites, though it does look like the one holding a spear was meant for the River Guards, instead. He is teaching you a sword-technique after all.

Palaces

In the Japanese version, all six palaces use the very same brick graphic used for the first palace in the NES version, making them look very monotonous and repetitive. Of these, palace 1, 2 and 5 used the gray palette, while palaces 3, 4 and 6 used a blue palette which later ended up being used for the second palace in the NES version.

Enemy Properties

The FDS version did not feature monsters that drained Link's experience or could only be harmed by fire. These attributes were added to certain enemies in the NES version.

Iron Knuckle Attacks

In the FDS version, Iron Knuckles will shoot a sword beam at Link, which flashes and disappears upon shield impact (just like Link's own). In the NES version, this was changed to a throwing knife, which looks the same except it does not flash and there is a light bounce off Link's shield.

Bosses and mini-bosses

Horsehead, the boss of the first palace, returns as a mini-boss in the fifth palace in the Japanese version, just before the fake wall. In the NES version, this mini-boss were replaced with a regular enemy, a blue Iron Knuckle. In addition, Horsehead has a "roar" similar to the bosses in the original The Legend of Zelda. This roar was removed in the NES version, as well.

FDS	NES

Gooma, the boss of the fifth palace, is an addition to the NES version. He didn't exist in any form in the Japanese version, instead, you fight a stronger rendition of Helmethead from the second palace.

FDS	NES

In the fourth palace, Carrock's sprite is different. He faces the screen in the Japanese version, instead of looking to the side.

FDS	NES

Volvagia, mistranslated as Barba in the NES manual, looks quite different in the Japanese version. His attacks are somewhat faster and like Horsehead, he roars in the Japanese version.

Palace Differences

FDS	NES

The collapsing bridges in the palaces use their own palette in the Japanese version. In the NES version, they adhere to the dungeon's palette.

In Palace 2, Blue Octorocks are in the FDS version. In the NES version, these Blue Octorocks were replaced by jumping snakes.

The hallway which leads to the boss in the fourth palace has additional enemies in the Japanese version. Doomknocker/Hell Guma and the object that drips liquid and bots were removed for the NES release.

FDS	NES

The entrance to the Great Temple looks a little different between versions; the barrier and the color of the ground were changed for the NES version.

Ending

FDS	NES

The end credits are different between versions, both in colors and in animation.

The Magic Menu

FDS	NES
REFLEX	REFLECT

In the magic menu in the Japanese version, we have another case of Engrish that was corrected for the NES release.

Level system

The level system works vastly differently in the Japanese version. All upgrades (Attack, Life and Magic) are worth the same EXP values here, while in the NES version, they have different EXP requirements, with Life being the cheapest and Attack the most expensive.

Now, there's a catch to this. In the Japanese version, when you save and continue, all three levels are reduced to the lowest one you had of any of the three upgrades. So if you had Lv. 8 Attack, Lv. 5 Magic and Lv. 3 Life, they would all be reset to Level 3 when you saved and reloaded the game. This was changed in the NES version; all levels are retained upon saving and reloading.

Items

Items, like the candle or the heart container, need to be hit using the sword to pick them up in the Japanese version, just like other things such as point bags or potions. Therefore, Link won't hold the item over his head after collecting it. In the NES version, Link collects items automatically just by touching them.

Elevators

The elevators in dungeons move more slowly in the FDS version than in the NES version.

Music/sound

Due to the Famicom Disk System having better sound hardware, the FDS version of Zelda II generally sounds different than the NES version. Many sound effects are different, such as finding a fairy, unlocking a door, using a spell, etc. The title screen in the FDS version also has richer sound than the NES version.

The music when entering random encounters and dying are also entirely different between versions.

Dark Link trick

In the NES version, there is an infamous trick to beat Dark Link: Link can stand all the way to the left side of the screen, wait for Dark Link to walk to him, and attack Dark Link without getting hit at all. In the FDS version, however, Dark Link is smarter, so this trick does not work. Therefore, he is much harder to beat.

Fairy warp glitch

In the NES version, if Link is on top of the screen and uses the Fairy spell, a glitch causes Link to warp as if he is falling down a pit, which sometimes takes Link to completely random places and can even result in Link becoming trapped in the scenery. In the FDS version, nothing happens when trying to use the Fairy spell on top of the screen, so the glitch does not work.

Revision differences

Zelda II was re-released for the GameCube in 2003, the Game Boy Advance in 2004, and the Wii Virtual Console in 2007, with a few minor changes.

Intro

NES	GCN/GBA/Wii
AFTER GANON WAS DESTROYED, IMPA TOLD LINK A SLEEPING SPELL WAS CAST ON PRINCESS ZELDA. SHE WILL WAKE ONLY WITH THE POWER OF NO.3 TRIFORCE SEALED IN A PALACE IN HYRULE. TO BREAK THE SEAL,CRYSTALS MUST BE PLACED IN STATUES IN 6 WELL GUARDED PALACES. LINK SET OUT ON HIS MOST ADVENTURESOME QUEST YET… ©1987 NINTENDO	AFTER GANON WAS DESTROYED, IMPA TOLD LINK A SLEEPING SPELL WAS CAST ON PRINCESS ZELDA. SHE WILL WAKE ONLY WITH THE POWER OF THE THIRD TRIFORCE SEALED IN A PALACE IN HYRULE. TO BREAK THE SEAL,CRYSTALS MUST BE PLACED IN STATUES IN 6 WELL GUARDED PALACES. LINK SET OUT ON HIS MOST ADVENTURESOME QUEST YET... ©1987-2004 NINTENDO

Like the conversion from FDS to NES, the GCN, GBA, and Wii versions have slightly better grammar in the intro text than the NES version does. The copyright date was updated as well.

Seizure effect

When losing a life in the FDS or NES versions, the screen flashes rapidly with a rainbow of colors, potentially causing seizures. In the updated versions, the screen just flashes between similar shades of red, reducing the possibility of seizures.

PAUSE text

In the GBA, GameCube, and Wii versions, when the game is paused on the map screen, a small, black box that says "PAUSE" appears. This does not occur in the NES or FDS versions.