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[Afrocious]

Every time I tried it, I put it down in like 30 minutes. I'm asking now because I kind of have an interest in playing all the mainline Zelda games in release order as I've never completed the original Legend of Zelda, Zelda II, and I've never played Link's Awakening.

Given that Zelda II plays differently from the other Zelda games, I'm debating if I should skip it or not.

EDIT: Should I even include Minish Cap, Four Swords Adventures, Phantom Hourglass, and Spirit Tracks in a potential playthrough?

 

[ReyVGM]

I love Zelda 2. I'd rather play that one than Zelda 1. However, if you need to 'force' yourself to play it, then you won't enjoy it.

Link's Awakening is awesome. The music is one of the best in the entire Zelda series.

 

[JediLink]

I like it, but if you're not really interested in it I don't think you'd miss much by skipping it.

 

[Professor Beef]

It's notorious for being ridiculously hard and convoluted, so I don't blame you for dropping it.

 

[Chinbo37]

Good question lol.

When it was coming out for Nintendo everyone was so excited for it I am not sure that we could objectively see it any other way.

But yes the side scrolling areas are fun. I love teh RPG elements and leveling up, getting new abilities.

I think it is a fun game.


PS - Its also hard as balls. I wasnt able to beat it until I came back as an adult and tried again.

 

[bounchfx]

i wouldn't know, ive only played it forty times and stopped each time i hit the god damn overworld past the first dungeon

bah

link's awakening however is incredible

 

[Bjoern the Smexy]

I think it's fun.
The problem it has is that it simply doesn't play like a Zelda game. At all.
I mean, you have health bars, magic bars, you have different spells you need to use to progress, you have the 2D sidescrolling platforming mechanic.
It's just not a Zelda game. It's not even a good Zelda game.
But if you don't look at it as a Zelda game then you'll still have a very good platformer RPG.

Look at it like it's...Battle of Olympus or something.

 

[Nere]

My suggestion is play Link's Awakening and the Minish Cap ignore Zelda II, Spirit Tracks, Phantom Hourglass.

 

[Neoleo2143]

It's one of the best Action RPGs on the NES so yeah I guess.

 

[Transistor]

It's very fun, but it can be disappointing if you're going in looking for a traditional top down Zelda game

 

[tkscz]

Zelda II is difficult to the point of throwing your controller at times, but it's not cheap. So if you like things like Dark Souls, Zelda II is fun, if not, skip it. Again, not bad, just expects a lot from you difficulty wise.

Minish Cap is damn good, especially all the trade side quest. It's definitely worth a play. Can't speak for the DS titles, never played them.

 

[Skeletos311]

Definitely play Minish Cap and Link's Awakening. Those are some of the best Zeldas.

Zelda 2 is good, but it's hard. I think you need some kind of love for the old school 2D action adventure game to enjoy that game. Before Super Metroid, things were different.

 

[Sgt. Kabukiman]

Every time I tried it, I put it down in like 30 minutes. I'm asking now because I kind of have an interest in playing all the mainline Zelda games in release order as I've never completed the original Legend of Zelda, Zelda II, and I've never played Link's Awakening.

Given that Zelda II plays differently from the other Zelda games, I'm debating if I should skip it or not.

EDIT: Should I even include Minish Cap, Four Swords Adventures, Phantom Hourglass, and Spirit Tracks in a potential playthrough?

This should be your priority. Best 2D Zelda with Link Between Worlds.

Zelda II is really good and worth playing but I don't know how I ever managed to finish it. I find that game impossible nowadays. You should try it but don't hesitate to use save states. It's more of a proto Metroidvania than a classic Zelda game.

Minish Cap, Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks are fun but relatively minor. Spirit Tracks is the best of the three imo.

 

[Frumix]

I wouldn't say it doesn't play like a Zelda game. It was an attempt to give Zelda combat depth before Zelda could actually become 3D. It's obviously a little bit less conventional in hindsight but at the time, what was there to compare it to?

Oh yeah, Spirit Tracks, Spirit Tracks is underrated.

 

[Jimrpg]

Zelda II is an amazing side scrolling adventure.

 

[DontBeThatGuy]

I enjoy it.

 

[7threst]

It's my most favourite Zelda and I wish Nintendo would give it to Falcom to remake it.

 

[Renekton]

I think it was the first game that introduced many console gamers to old-fashioned RPG grinding.

Welcome to the treadmill, bish.

 

[DXB-KNIGHT]

It was a hectic experience

 

[Tizoc]

Are there any noteworthy fanhacks or fan edits of zelda 2?

 

[GlamFM]

It's great.

It's also very hard.

 

[Linkstrikesback]

I've never played Link's Awakening.

The thread is about this now. Fix that ASAP. Make sure you play the DX version, it's the same game, but in colour and with a few other small extras.

EDIT: Should I even include Minish Cap, Four Swords Adventures, Phantom Hourglass, and Spirit Tracks in a potential playthrough?

Minish cap definitely. FSA maybe not, unless you can somehow get a multiplayer game going. It's not bad on your own, but it's better with friends.

One playthrough of PH and ST won't kill you, but I'd only do those if I'd exhausted every other zelda game first.

 

[KittenMaster]

It has very fluid movement and tight controls, it is indeed very fun.

 

[joker3782]

I definitely prefer it over zelda 1 (hate that game. I know thats probably an unpopular opinion). Makes me kinda wish they would go back to the experience points system for current zelda games. Thought it worked quite well in zelda 2.

 

[Morfeo]

Zelda 2 is amazingly fun imo, so you should definitely play that. The handheld games you mention are cool too!

 

[zallaaa]

I have just finished it again on the Classic and it was a joy to play.

 

[Why would you do that?]

I think it's great with a guide. I actually had a lot of fun with it, even though I used a guide when I got stuck.

As a Zelda fan, I love a lot of little Zelda related things in the game, like how the town names are the same as the sages' names in Ocarina of Time, or the hidden village very similar to the Twilight Princess one, and that really cool final boss battle... But I also like the gameplay, the powers, using them effectively to progress, etc.

I think it's totally worth playing, but I would totally understand if someone skipped it.


Zelda Phantom Hourglass, though, I liked it, but don't think of it as a classic or anything, and while it had good points (such as the freaking awesome bosses), I wouldn't say it's AS worth playing. Same with Spirit Tracks, which I liked much more than Phantom Hourglass. But Zelda II on the other hand is a very unique and classic game.

 

[PKrockin]

Absolutely. The combat and controls are super tight and polished. It's challenging without being unfair. It's much less obtuse than Zelda 1. It still has exploration, some nonlinearity, and finding secrets, making it feel like an adventure game. It doesn't suffer from crippling slowdown or horrible flickering like you'd see in some other beloved NES action games like Mega Man. It has aged remarkably well in my opinion.

 

[PSFan]

I loved Zelda II. And I've never felt prouder about beating a game than I did when I beat Zelda II. It was one of the toughest final boss battles in a game back in those days.

Now I feel like firing it up on my Wii U or 3DS, lol.

 

[LeleSocho]

The only real problem i have with it is the fact that you return to the castle when you lose all your lives, it can be frustrating when you are deep into a dungeon or palace.
It isn't even unusual for games of that time mind you but sadly not having the patience of a child anymore i find it being a big problem.

Aside that it's very enjoyable, great game.

 

[Pat_DC]

You have never played Links Awakening and you are wasting time to trying to slog through Zelda 2.

Zelda 2 is ok but to me Links Awakening is one of my fav Zelda experiences ever. Got my auntie from the states to get it for me as it wasn't for sale in Oz at the time.
Game blew my mind, hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

 

[Sir_Crocodile]

The absolute most fun zelda games for me are Zelda 2, 3, Links Awakening and ALBW.

With Zelda 2, you just need to get used to the combat system. A lot of people tend to not have enough patience to learn enemy patterns, get killed easily, and complain online that the game is "too hard", so it gets a bad rap, but it's a very fun game imo.

Link's Awakening has Eagle's Tower, the best dungeon in any zelda game, and an awesome surreal feel, and ties with 3 as the best of the traditional zeldas. It's highly recommended.

 

[Skux]

Before the days of GameFAQs, I found out you can cheese the final boss by

Spoiler

standing at the side of the room and spamming attack

.

Apart from that it's a fantastic game.

 

[1upsuper]

I beat it a couple summers ago. It's decent I guess. The overworld gameplay is a bore and not nearly as expansive as you might think/hope. The dungeons range from kinda interesting to terribly uninspired. Good music though. Also Ganon's game over laugh reminds me of Soda Popinski.

Overall, there are better games that play similarly. Check out Faxanadu.

Also definitely don't skip Four Swords Adventure. Play it with friends.

 

[Blackpuppy]

Use savestates, especially for the last part of the game.

Learn enemy patterns.

Grind, grind grind...

I bought it as one of the nes classics on the gba and I loved grinding on the go. So if you have a 3ds, you should think about purchasing and playing it there.

 

[MaverickHunterAsh]

Every time I tried it, I put it down in like 30 minutes. I'm asking now because I kind of have an interest in playing all the mainline Zelda games in release order as I've never completed the original Legend of Zelda, Zelda II, and I've never played Link's Awakening.

Given that Zelda II plays differently from the other Zelda games, I'm debating if I should skip it or not.

EDIT: Should I even include Minish Cap, Four Swords Adventures, Phantom Hourglass, and Spirit Tracks in a potential playthrough?

Zelda II - Yes, but use a FAQ/guide and abuse suspend points/save states. No need to suffer through it aimlessly - it's really only fun if you know what you're doing and where you're going IMO.

Link's Awakening - Absolutely yes, in fact go play this right the hell now, before anything else on this list. And if you only end up playing one game on this list, make it this.

The Minish Cap - Yes. It's weirdly short and uneven, but it's still great.

Four Swords Adventures - Yes, but with friends if possible. Still worth playing it solo, though.

Phantom Hourglass - No. It's got one of the worst dungeons in the series and you have to replay it from the beginning like four times, going a little further each time. The rest of the game isn't particularly memorable, either. Pass.

Spirit Tracks - Yes. It's so much more than it's usually given credit for, and it's like night and day from Phantom Hourglass. It's vastly superior in every way, and secretly has one of the best soundtracks, story, and incarnations of Zelda in the whole series. Don't miss this one.

 

[Nessus]

Link's Awakening is tied with Link To The Past for my favorite Zelda game.

 

[Sir_Crocodile]

Use savestates, especially for the last part of the game.

Learn enemy patterns.

Grind, grind grind...

I bought it as one of the nes classics on the gba and I loved grinding on the go. So if you have a 3ds, you should think about purchasing and playing it there.

If you work out how to time your dungeon-end automatic level-ups to attack right, you only have to grind for about 30 mins at the beginning of the game.

Then you have attack 8 around the time you go to the eastern continent

 

[PSFan]

Use savestates, especially for the last part of the game.

Learn enemy patterns.

Grind, grind grind...

I bought it as one of the nes classics on the gba and I loved grinding on the go. So if you have a 3ds, you should think about purchasing and playing it there.

Zelda II - Yes, but use a FAQ/guide and abuse suspend points/save states. No need to suffer through it aimlessly - it's really only fun if you know what you're doing and where you're going IMO.

Savestate? Bah!! It's so satisfying to say I beat the game back in the day on my NES. Way before savestates were a thing.

 

[Starsunder]

It's currently (haven't played BotW, obviously) my fav Zelda.

It's hard, doesn't hold your hand, and expects you to "git gud". But once it clicks? Fantastic action RPG gameplay in a very non-linear, large world.

Amazing combat, btw, once you get used to it.

 

[Deadpool_X]

Zelda II is such a satisaying game. I converted my old roommate back in the day. He would always bag on the game, and one day I just asked him, "Have you ever even played the game?" He looked at me like I was stupid and said, "No, everyone always talks about how badly is sucks. Why would I even try something that bad?" I challenged him to give it a shot and form his own opinion. After 2 weeks of playing it until he beat it, he came back and thanked me, because he realized just what a gem the game is.

Is it different than most other Zelda games? Definitely. Does it suck because of that, or is it a lesser game? Absolutely not. OP, play the game until you beat it. You won't regret it.

 

[120v]

if you're going through the oldschool zelda's for the sake of playing a "zelda game" then zelda 2 is something you'll probably want to skip.

it's one of my favorite games and all but i wouldn't play it unless you want to scratch that classic NES itch in the vein of castlevania, ninja gaiden, ect... it's an action adventure with light RPG mechanics, virtually nothing like a modern zelda unless you really want to split hairs

 

[Yoshi]

It is OK, but all these games you listed: Minish Cap, Four Swords Adventures, Phantom Hourglass, and Spirit Tracks are considerably better, so if they are up for discussion, then first include them in your playthrough before considering the "black sheep".

 

[woopWOOP]

It's the only Zelda I enjoyed enough to play through until the final dungeon (but never beat it).

Tho that probably says more about me than the quality of the game.

 

[Afrocious]

if you're going through the oldschool zelda's for the sake of playing a "zelda game" then zelda 2 is something you'll probably want to skip.

it's one of my favorite games and all but i wouldn't play it unless you want to scratch that classic NES itch in the vein of castlevania, ninja gaiden, ect... it's an action adventure with light RPG mechanics, virtually nothing like a modern zelda unless you really want to split hairs

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking.

Looks like the list will be for now:

Legend of Zelda
Link to the Past
Link's Awakening DX
Ocarina of Time
Majora's Mask
Wind Waker
maybe Phantom Hourglass
maybe Spirit Tracks
Skyward Sword (ugh)

 

[Blackpuppy]

Savestate? Bah!! It's so satisfying to say I beat the game back in the day on my NES. Way before savestates were a thing.

I tip my hat to you sir. Unfortunately, now as an adult with a daughter and a full time teaching job, my time is very limited and I want to experience these games but I don't have the time or inclination to "git gud".

Besides, I'm a firm believer in using them sparingly enough to alleviate the most obtuse design choices (one savestate at the beginning of a temple for example and no more until it's finished) but keeping it difficult enough to make it fun.

 

[MaverickHunterAsh]

Savestate? Bah!! It's so satisfying to say I beat the game back in the day on my NES. Way before savestates were a thing.

I'm sure it is, and props to you for your achievement! I don't have anywhere near that kind of patience, though (especially as an adult with little free time), and could never have enjoyed the game like that. Awesome job!

 

[Thud]

If you don't like it, skip it.

Maybe you can appreciate it later.

 

[Sir_Crocodile]

It is OK, but all these games you listed: Minish Cap, Four Swords Adventures, Phantom Hourglass, and Spirit Tracks are considerably better, so if they are up for discussion, then first include them in your playthrough before considering the "black sheep".

Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks are considerably worse then zelda 2 imo

they're the true black sheeps of the zelda family, excluding the cdi stuff.

 

[Chinbo37]

Savestate? Bah!! It's so satisfying to say I beat the game back in the day on my NES. Way before savestates were a thing.

I beat it on a NES without save states and I recommend save states for those who are playing this game.