Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

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( January 2026 ) ( Learn how and when to remove this message ) Zelda II: The Adventure of Link is an action role-playing game that bears little resemblance to the first or later entries in the Legend of Zelda series. It features side-scrolling areas within a larger top-down world map, unlike the exclusively top-down perspective of the first game. The side-scrolling gameplay and experience system are similar to features of Konami 's Castlevania series, especially Castlevania II: Simon's Quest . The game incorporates a strategic combat system, a proximity continue system based on lives , an experience points system, magic spells , and more interaction with non-player characters .

Apart from the non-canonical CD-i The Legend of Zelda games , Link: The Faces of Evil and Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon , no other game in the series includes a lives feature. The side-scrolling perspective is used in a minor capacity in Link's Awakening and the other Game Boy entries, while the top-down perspective still takes focus. Experience levels In this installment, Link gains experience points to upgrade his Attack, Magic, and Life attributes by defeating enemies. He can raise each of these attributes a maximum of seven levels above their starting point.

A level increase for Attack, Magic, or Life will respectively increase the sword's offensive power, decrease the amount of magic needed to cast spells, and reduce the damage Link takes from enemy attacks. In the Western version of the game, each attribute requires a different amount of experience to level up, with Life requiring the fewest points to level and Attack requiring the most. When enough points are acquired to raise an attribute, the player may choose to level up that attribute or to cancel and continue gaining experience points towards the next level in another attribute. In the original Japanese version, all attributes require the same number of experience points to level up, and the required number is lower; however, if the player loses all lives, the levels of all attributes will be reset to the lowest of the three (while level upgrades in the Western version are permanent).

Once Link has raised an attribute to the maximum level of eight, further advances in that attribute will earn Link an extra life, without advancing the attribute itself. Link begins the game with four Heart Containers and four Magic Containers and can acquire up to four more of each, permanently increasing his life points and magic points respectively. Other games in The Legend of Zelda series only allow Link to increase his strength through new weapons, items, and Heart Containers. Certain enemies drain Link's experience when they attack, but he will never lose a level once raised.

When a game ends or is saved, the cartridge records Link's current ability levels and the number of experience points required for the next increase but resets his accumulated points to zero.