*The definitive way to play Adventures of Link is to:* *1.) Open the cartridge cover on your NES.* *2.) Grab your AoL/Zelda 2 cartridge.* *3.) Then throw it in the garbage. (As it is basically Dragon Warrior with a Zelda theme and not acknowledged as being part of the Zelda series).*
I just 100% completed that game, and it was one of the best games I’ve ever played. The inability to abuse save states, or look up every secret, and being forced to figure them all out by myself was just invigorating and gloriously rewarding. It’s a masterpiece.
In the original game, you could actually save by using the second controller and hitting Up and A while you were on the spell menu screen. It was on page 47 in the US release's manual.
Several NES games had functionality with the second controller in a single player game. For instance, Duck Hunt was actually a two player game. The controller controlled the ducks. Me and my sister did that for hours.
When I discovered this remake about a month, I was absolutely floored. I always held Z2 close to my heart as it was one of the first Zelda games I tried playing as a kid, and as I grew up, I got better until (lol) I finally returned to it in high school and beat it. But it always left something to be desired, like it was unfinished and too small. THIS remake however, oh my god... just perfect. Once I started playing, I binged it for two weeks straight, spending every hour after work and two full weekends just gobbling it up. I couldn't get over all the new items added and how big the world felt. And you better believe I played that 2nd quest! It was SOOOOO worth it.
Zelda 2 was my first Zelda game and will always be special for that reason. Plus, it was the first game I ever beat. No guides, no walkthroughs, just me.
I still think Zelda 1 is one of the best games I've ever played, not that I'm a big gamer these days. We didn't have a lot of games growing up because they were pretty expensive. I got _really_ good at Zelda 1, and then I got really good at Zelda 2. I'm the only person I know that beat it back then. It took time to figure things out, sure, but I never found it that hard. This Gamemaker remake is amazing, and a step harder. I struggle with the final-final boss.
This game is an absolute masterpiece. He adds so many side quests and they're so well done. The end of the second quest was fantasitc. Even added funny things like the new fairy spell.
*If Adventures of Link was a masterpiece, then Nintendo would have made another side-scroller with the minimal overhead that it had. But they went RIGHT BACK to overhead view. Then, in the late 90s, they skipped side-scroller again and went 3D 3rd person.*
@@Twitch_Moderatordo you really think after having the ability to make 3d they would make a side scroller? lmfao why do you care what homie thinks of the game so much?
I just beat the 1st quest this morning. I'm BLOWN AWAY. Playing this felt like playing Zelda II for the first time when I was 8. But the reality is it's now the giant, epic adventure and solid game kid me always imagined it was.
I was looking into Zelda 2 qol romhacks recently with the intent to give one of them a shot eventually, but I had no idea a full remake like this existed! I'll definitely give it a shot some time.
I actually played this recently and really enjoyed it, Hoverbat really added some great stuff to this game, it is not an exact copy of Zelda II, however, it feels like the best version of the game, tons of new content and items, minigames and a new palace.
This was my first Zelda game that I got along with my NES in 1989, and it will forever be etched into my Christmas memories. Every aspect of the Hoverbat rework is a massive quality of life improvement, from animated water to grass and stones, clouds, everything. It's called this in other comments, but I think it applies. This hack makes ZII a bona-fide Masterpiece. And whats best about it is that it never looks glaringly out of place, like so many other hacks. Every asset looks like it was there to begin with. It makes the game so moody and lived-in, it's just fantastic. I wish the original could have been exactly like this.
Very happy this video came across my recommendations. I also really love zelda 2, the difficulty is high and unforgiving but there's really no other game that makes me feel the exhilarating rush of a sword duel quite like fighting off one-on-one against a Darknut in this game. I was actually replaying the game while waiting for Tears of the Kingdom to come out and was curiously looking through all the fun romhacks for the game. It's a shame that zelda 2 hasn't had much of a legacy quite the way zelda 1 did. I think Zelda 2 is a genuinely great first stab at a side-scrolling combat game. It has plenty of room for improvement of course, but there's very little out there that tries to do what it does. I will definitely check out this (I'm not sure what to call it actually... fan game? fan expansion?) it looks right up my alley.
Props for showing footage of Super Adventure Island 2 and Sheep Lad(not yet released)!! I've ALWAYS been a huge fan of SAI and this is why I love it so much!
I know the game has built in ways to mess with the color palettes. It might be able to apply a CRT filter too but I normally don't mess with that stuff so I've never explored that.
@@TectonicImprov I beat it on the nes when it came out and I leveled up like they want you too life, magic, life, attack. Then youtube made me feel like the dumbest man alive.
It's nice to see this game getting so much love. It would be great to see Nintendo make new Zelda games that use the basic Zelda II gameplay structure, but with some quality of life tweaks like those seen in these remakes (much like how they continued to make old-school top-down Zelda games for the DS even after the main console games had moved onto 3D).
Don't want to spoil a lot so if anyone doesn't want to know don't read below....... There is a longer sword upgrade in the game and it even allows you to kill enemies that you normally need the "fire" spell for.
This looks great!!!! I'm in my 40s so I played and ENJOYED Zelda 2 when it came out back in the day. I'm really excited about the added content and potential added content I just saw. The facelift looks almost perfect.
I just came across this video and am BLOWN AWAY! This looks amazing! Zelda 2 is my favorite in the series, as it holds the most nostalgia for me from my childhood. Is this strictly a PC emulator game, or can this be played on our Everdrives on real hardware? I have to play this, but if it's a PC only thing, I'm SERIOUSLY, going to cry! Great job to the creator of this incredible looking remake/rom hack. 🤜🤛
I was around 8 to 10 years old when I beat this game. I still love Zelda too and I still think my mom in my thoughts that she got me this amazing game, not realizing how hard it was because it was so hard that it taught me persistence. That persistence is something that I have carried with me all my life. Like last month, I was hit by a car and badly injured while on the sidewalk. The persistence that I learned while dealing with a Zelda to as a child, kicked in, and I was determined to learn to walk again. It was painful and I am still working on walking but at least I can move around a decently without having to use my walker for short distances. Yes, it was the hardness of a game that taught me life lessons. And I still remember vividly enjoying this game every Saturday night. I had it hooked up to our 32 inch TV, you got a remember this was the mid 90s, so 32 inch was pretty big. And it was hooked into our 14 speaker surround sound stereo system. What a way to enjoy Zelda to when you’re a little kid who is done with homework and Saturday chores.
@@FigureFarter if a movie had an explosion, the walls would rumble and it felt like the ceiling would come down on us since speakers were in the walls and the ceiling. Movies, music and even video games….was like sitting in a concert arena. My favorite was, if the sounds where coded properly, whatever you heard wouldn’t fire all the speakers at once but rather, use the speakers separately according to the distance between the events on the screen or in the song or in the game. Like I first watched the movie titanic…..and when the ship was breaking, you hear the breaking of the ship coming from the back of the house and the sound came to the front and then you where surrounded by the earth shattering breakup of titanic. But it first started in the back of the house, so you barely noticed it. Once it hit the front, then the cracks went above to the ceiling and finally, all speakers were firing, creating a very haunting scene. You feel the vibrations of the breaking ship in the air. It wss….emotionsl. Video games were even more interesting but music was the greatest. Especially songs with rich instrumentals like echos from Pink Floyd.
Man, I remember pulling some late-nighters sleeping over at a friends house when the first game released. Absolutely loved everything about it, and I still hum the theme song pretty regularly even to this day. Zelda 2 released when I was about 11, and it was just too different. I remember looking at the photos in nintendo power and being so, so disappointed. With the release of this 'enhanced edition', maybe it's finally time I dove in and gave it a shot.
I still like to see a 3D remake of the game with theme palaces, some of the spells change to weapons. Jump to hookshot. The fairy spell used to get some rooms with a small hole like in Minish Cap. The reflect spell turns the shield into the mirror shield.
0:47 Oh, that's easy. "Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why'd You Steal Our Garbage?!!" for the 3DS. There's a top-down 2d overworld. Monster encounters will appear that transition to small sidescrolling segments if you bump into them. Towns and Dungeons have the same sidescrolling format. There's abilities you unlock over time that get you through certain areas. It feels very heavily inspired by The Adventure of Link from the way it's structured, although it's fairly easy (with an NG+ mode where you keep your stats, but the enemies deal double damage and have twice as much health). In terms of a successor to Zelda 2, that'd have to be "Link and Zelda: Panoply of Calatia". It's a game using the Zelda Classic engine that serves as a sequel to both Zelda 1 and 2, which combines aspects of both while expanding on the mechanics. You even get to play as Link and Zelda at the same time (the former using a sword, the latter using arrows), with certain moments where the characters have to split up to solve puzzles. I highly recommend it.
If you're looking for a good spiritual successor to zelda 2, I highly reccomend trying out phoenotppia awakening. The game's is structured with an overworld, monster battles, and vertical 2d perspective dungeons. There's also some other zelda and dark souls influence with puzzles and a stamina gauge but the combat, sense of abiltiy progression and exploration in phoenotopia got me hooked just the same way I was with zelda 2. The developer has also stated that Zelda 2 was one of his main inspirations when making the game. There's a free demo on steam so u can give just give that a shot if ur interested.
I appreciate Zelda II but always found playing it on its own terms to be an exercise in tedium. Happy to see people who love the game sharing that love with projects like this.
I recently beat the original NES Zelda II and I have to say that game wasn't as bad as I thought (the key is not trying to complete the palaces, just grab the items and keep exploring). When I played the game I thought that it would be a game that would benefit a remaster due to its initial ambition. The fan remake seems to confirm that.
no... actually the key is "grind before taking on death mountain" to get the hammer having at least level 5 for everything or you will have a bad time.
Finally beat Zelda 2 last year after 35 years. Felt so cathartic doing so. I was 4 going on 5 years old when it came out, and I was 39 going on 40 when I beat it. Thank goodness for the 3DS eShop while it was still open.
I see that you didn't have Battle of Olympus in your compilation of Zelda 2 clones, just wanted to recommend it in case you haven't tried it. Almost looks identical.
Not sure if you'll ever see this, but as a fan of Zelda 2, you owe it you yourself to play "Link and Zelda: Panoply of Calatia" if you haven't. It's a Zelda Classic quest. It's probably the only one worth playing. It really feels like Nintendo made Zelda 3 for the NES. It's probably the best Zelda fan game I've ever played. It spans the Hyrule locations from both Zelda 1 and 2. It's loaded with dungeons, new items and a story taken from Nintendo Power. I can't describe how good and impressive it is.
The Battle of Olympus for the NES is the closest game to Zelda 2 I have ever played. It starts out a little slow, but it is awesome overall. Just remember to hit "retry" and not "continue" if you don't want to lose half your money. Also, hold down when you jump and strike at the Lamia's head. It will cause your character to pull up their legs like they're ducking, making it harder for her to hit you.
I love this remake. It keeps everything I like about the game (esp. the fighting mechanics), gets rid of what I didn’t like, and adds things to this game that I love generally about the Zelda franchise. This is absolutely wild, thank you for spreading the word about this!
I did that pogo game probably 30 times before winning it. By far my least favorite part of the game. But then I found out after you get the upgraded chicken spell you have a ridiculous amount of control over the pogo compared to link's form and you can do it every single time in about 15 to 20 seconds. Just wait until you have that spell and there's zero challenge to it at all. This game was great. I've already completed it 2 more times with the randomizer. If you randomize keys and p-bags though, you're probably going to want to lower the amount of crystals you need for the last palace because good luck finding all of them otherwise.
WoW, I havent played Zelda II since I was a child. When I was a child, I begged for Zelda game to my nes and I got Zelda II Christmas 1989. I never told grandma that it was wrong Zelda game. But I grew to love that game. The combat, the giant map and all the hidden secrets! But I sold my NES to by my SNES. This video have made me download Game. Thanks.
I love Zelda 2. I've beaten all Zelda games to date, except those on the Philips CD-i system. While Zelda 2 is by far the easiest Zelda and one of the simplest NES games, it has always given me the most enjoyment. It was also the first game I ever completed back in 1988 when I was 9 years old.
I would level up a bit in the first dungeon on bubbles for 50 exp each. I would grind up and then take advantage of the automatic jewel level ups. You can be op early if you spend a little time
Download page is blank for a reason: if heavily advertised, this game is a very easy target for takedown. That's why the word Zelda isn't even mentioned there.
I owned and played this game very soon after it was released. I had also played the The Legend of Zelda before that, and it's actually one of my favorite games of all time. I never really had this disappointment in the sequel everyone goes on about. I loved it for what it was. This is an awesome mod that really makes going back to this game very nostalgic and fun. Thanks TectonicImprov for sharing this and Hoverbat for this great reimagining.
Question: Did you get a background that was all black except where the foreground sprites were, and if so, how did you fix it? I can't find a way to report bugs for this, even on Itch.
Holy crap! This looks amazing. I play Zelda II (along with a dozen other games) on my emulator every year or so. I need to get my hands on this new version!
I remember beating this game as a kid... both myself and my sister were playing, I got softlocked in that dungeon in the lake in the 2nd continent (it was quite annoying that one could mess up their key allocation that bad) and my sister kept handing me the controller when bosses and such got too hard for her (I'm ashamed to admit I started encouraging her, especially after I got softlocked and didn't want to replay the earlier bits) so I ended up basically beating it on her game, even strategically using the mana recharge from level-up while at max level to restore just before the final boss.
I submit that Ocarina of Time takes as many cues from The Adventure of Link as it does from the original game (if not more), and furthermore, even A Link to the Past has a good deal of influence from Adventure of Link.
There's just one thing "lost" in the Gamemaker version: there's seems to be a bug in the original Z2 where, once you get the glove, you can stab up right when changing screens in palaces and it sounds like you're breaking a block. I miss that. The Gamemaker version is amazing, really.
I've played the fangame and its quite good, it does ramp up the difficulty quickly though so it is intended for the Zelda 2 enthusiast. If you're looking for something that runs on original hardware (with flash cart, everdrive, or powerpak) then I would highly recommend the Amida's Curse romhack. It has many of the quality of life features of the fan remake and some of its own. For example it has the maximum life increase that saves between sessions, but it also actually removes random encounters entirely by replacing them with areas you want to explore to seek out enemies. It also features entirely custom music and original graphics based on the original.
Despite a lot of people talking smack about Zelda 2, I remember getting it when it came out as a kid. I loved it at the time and I have replayed it multiple times as an adult. This remake looks sick.
Oh this looks pretty cool. I also didn’t like how the extra lives worked so it’s cool they changed that here. Especially with all the new content I might have to try this out.
I honestly hope Hoverbat gets to work on an indie release in the future, much like how Doctor M64 ended up working on Ori 2 after finishing AM2R. As for ZALIA, if I could change one thing, I would add an _option_ to make it so that after initiating a downward stab, Link remains in that state without needing to hold down until he lands or swings his sword. Yes, I would specifically only use this option once, and yes it would be for that damn pogo minigame!
For me, the hardest part of the game was the platforming to get the slime in the North Castle. Those short disappearing platforms are really really difficult for me to get the jumps just right.
I adore Zelda II, and always have. Hmm, you know instead of losing only some experience on death, what about this? The story here is Ganon's minions want to kill Link and use his blood to resurrect Ganon in a ritual. Alright, so how about when Link dies, he leaves a blood stain behind, and all you need to do is get back to it and you get your experience lost back? I think I saw that in another game at some point... it was probably Punch Out.
There certainly is a way to save in Zelda II without dying. Press start on controller 1, then press up and start on controller 2. The save screen will appear, and you can save your game.
It'd be super neat if you could make a video about "Metroid Planets", a PC port of the original NES/Famicom Metroid game. It got lots of quality of life improvements, new game modes, multiplayer etc. It has parallels to this Zelda II project.
Seems interesting. Last time I played Metroid 1 was via an enhanced hack that added a map function into the game. But that was over a decade ago, maybe it's time I replay it.
@@TectonicImprov Planets adds lots of things from rom hacks such as map functions, beam combination, respawning with full health (if I remember correctly). Best thing is that it maintains the retro look of it, with just a few additional sprite animations.
Thanks for this video, Zelda 2 has always been one of my favorite Zelda games. I loved the idea of leveling up and getting experience points to get stronger. It just needed a few tweaks for it to be a better game, however I do hope that nintendo does make a remake of the game, kinda like what they did with Links awakening.
Idk is it cuz of my nostalgia for smbc and Mari0 but Zelda 2 has to most beautiful Nes visuals in my opinion so seeing it in widescreen is just Amazing should definitely play this remake!
Just wanted to update that YES this can be played on Steam Deck! An awesome person made a guide for me to get it going and I'm playing it now. It is so good!
Did he say at the end this requires steam garbage? It looks like it would be great to play, if my USB controller works and if no steam garbage or fee of any kind is required.
It's running as a dedicated program so it doesn't require an emulator to play. Should be as simple as following the link in the description and opening the file.
Thanks for the video promoting this. I'll download it, but i think i had better play it somewhat vanilla first... Well, with some use of save states. I dont have time or need to prove myself to play it as a kid back in the day would have had to, because it was their only game.
When I was a kid, I was always disappointed that they didn't make a 16 bit, updated version of Zelda 1 & 2, like Nintendo did of the first 4 Super Mario games in 1993's "Super Mario All-Stars." Why wasn't there a "Zelda All-Stars"? Seemed like an obvious thing to me, but unfortunately it never happened.
I hope more NES game will be getting a similar treatment. Imagine if already great games like Duck Tales, Metroid 1 or the Castlevanias and got similar games.
I always knew i was playing it wrong, for some reason after starting a new game, i went straight to the palace on the north east, i guess i just enjoyed the palace theme that much. 😅
The game only has one issue imo, the abyssmal reach of the sword, if it was just slightly longer (battle of olympus esque) it would be up there as one of the greats imo.
![Jack Harlow - Hello Miss Johnson [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Q86_nlRoIGw/mqdefault.jpg)
The game at 0:53 is Sheep Lad
*The definitive way to play Adventures of Link is to:*
*1.) Open the cartridge cover on your NES.*
*2.) Grab your AoL/Zelda 2 cartridge.*
*3.) Then throw it in the garbage. (As it is basically Dragon Warrior with a Zelda theme and not acknowledged as being part of the Zelda series).*
@@Twitch_Moderatorsince when?
@@Twitch_Moderator not acknowledged as part of the series (other than the massive, overwhelming influence it had on every game in the series)
Was about to ask, then saw this pinned. Thanks to both of you
What was the game at 0:56? The sprite work is kind of gorgeous.
I just 100% completed that game, and it was one of the best games I’ve ever played. The inability to abuse save states, or look up every secret, and being forced to figure them all out by myself was just invigorating and gloriously rewarding. It’s a masterpiece.
@user-uc4yp6oc8nthanks for adding to the conversation
Cosign!
did you complete the ultimate last boss too?
by completing the game 2 times?
@@ActionRan yeah, I did everything in the game and it was fantastic! The ultimate final ending sequence was so rewarding and fun.
@@ozmaphase2 nice man!
In the original game, you could actually save by using the second controller and hitting Up and A while you were on the spell menu screen. It was on page 47 in the US release's manual.
😯
Well, technically you could save. What it did was to effectively kill your character.
That works in Zelda 1 and in Metroid for that matter! Well it brings up Metroid's password anyway.
BS way since you needed the 2nd controller.
Several NES games had functionality with the second controller in a single player game. For instance, Duck Hunt was actually a two player game. The controller controlled the ducks. Me and my sister did that for hours.
It's not perfect, but the first 3DS Adventure Time game "Hey Ice King! Why'd You Steal Our Garbage?" is a surprisingly okay homage to Zelda II
I've heard good things about it.
It was really pretty fun. I enjoyed it enough to finish it, and while it's no Zelda II, it gets the formula mostly right.
I liked this game too!
Yes! Glad to see someone else say this!
Good to know. I thought La-Mulana is the only game that makes a good job out of the Zelda II formula.
When I discovered this remake about a month, I was absolutely floored. I always held Z2 close to my heart as it was one of the first Zelda games I tried playing as a kid, and as I grew up, I got better until (lol) I finally returned to it in high school and beat it. But it always left something to be desired, like it was unfinished and too small. THIS remake however, oh my god... just perfect. Once I started playing, I binged it for two weeks straight, spending every hour after work and two full weekends just gobbling it up. I couldn't get over all the new items added and how big the world felt. And you better believe I played that 2nd quest! It was SOOOOO worth it.
Can you get it on steam deck ?
Zelda 2 was my first Zelda game and will always be special for that reason. Plus, it was the first game I ever beat. No guides, no walkthroughs, just me.
You RULE!
Mad impressive
I still think Zelda 1 is one of the best games I've ever played, not that I'm a big gamer these days. We didn't have a lot of games growing up because they were pretty expensive. I got _really_ good at Zelda 1, and then I got really good at Zelda 2. I'm the only person I know that beat it back then. It took time to figure things out, sure, but I never found it that hard. This Gamemaker remake is amazing, and a step harder. I struggle with the final-final boss.
Same here
This game is an absolute masterpiece. He adds so many side quests and they're so well done. The end of the second quest was fantasitc. Even added funny things like the new fairy spell.
*If Adventures of Link was a masterpiece, then Nintendo would have made another side-scroller with the minimal overhead that it had. But they went RIGHT BACK to overhead view. Then, in the late 90s, they skipped side-scroller again and went 3D 3rd person.*
@@Twitch_Moderatordo you really think after having the ability to make 3d they would make a side scroller? lmfao why do you care what homie thinks of the game so much?
I just beat the 1st quest this morning. I'm BLOWN AWAY. Playing this felt like playing Zelda II for the first time when I was 8. But the reality is it's now the giant, epic adventure and solid game kid me always imagined it was.
I was looking into Zelda 2 qol romhacks recently with the intent to give one of them a shot eventually, but I had no idea a full remake like this existed! I'll definitely give it a shot some time.
If you just want QOL Zelda II redux has you covered
There's several remakes. I remember there being a Night, a Day, and I think a Winter one.
I actually played this recently and really enjoyed it, Hoverbat really added some great stuff to this game, it is not an exact copy of Zelda II, however, it feels like the best version of the game, tons of new content and items, minigames and a new palace.
This was my first Zelda game that I got along with my NES in 1989, and it will forever be etched into my Christmas memories. Every aspect of the Hoverbat rework is a massive quality of life improvement, from animated water to grass and stones, clouds, everything. It's called this in other comments, but I think it applies. This hack makes ZII a bona-fide Masterpiece. And whats best about it is that it never looks glaringly out of place, like so many other hacks. Every asset looks like it was there to begin with. It makes the game so moody and lived-in, it's just fantastic. I wish the original could have been exactly like this.
Very happy this video came across my recommendations. I also really love zelda 2, the difficulty is high and unforgiving but there's really no other game that makes me feel the exhilarating rush of a sword duel quite like fighting off one-on-one against a Darknut in this game. I was actually replaying the game while waiting for Tears of the Kingdom to come out and was curiously looking through all the fun romhacks for the game. It's a shame that zelda 2 hasn't had much of a legacy quite the way zelda 1 did. I think Zelda 2 is a genuinely great first stab at a side-scrolling combat game. It has plenty of room for improvement of course, but there's very little out there that tries to do what it does. I will definitely check out this (I'm not sure what to call it actually... fan game? fan expansion?) it looks right up my alley.
I never got to beating this game but it's nice to see this much effort put into reworking it!
I played this game so much but never beat it because of the crappy save system. I loved this game and always regretted not beating it
Props for showing footage of Super Adventure Island 2 and Sheep Lad(not yet released)!! I've ALWAYS been a huge fan of SAI and this is why I love it so much!
It was my first Zelda game, and I love it, even more than the original. I wish they’d do a full remake of it.
Only thing it's missing is a CRT filter to bring out the artstyle to its fullest.
I know the game has built in ways to mess with the color palettes. It might be able to apply a CRT filter too but I normally don't mess with that stuff so I've never explored that.
Friends don't let friends put points into magic or life until attack is at level 4 or so. lol
lol, I think it aligned a certain way with my palace level ups to get magic up when I did.
@@TectonicImprov I beat it on the nes when it came out and I leveled up like they want you too life, magic, life, attack. Then youtube made me feel like the dumbest man alive.
@@DaveFu We didn't have RUclips in 1988 😏
It's nice to see this game getting so much love. It would be great to see Nintendo make new Zelda games that use the basic Zelda II gameplay structure, but with some quality of life tweaks like those seen in these remakes (much like how they continued to make old-school top-down Zelda games for the DS even after the main console games had moved onto 3D).
They really should've given Link a bigger sword in this game. For the whole adventure and not just when he goes to that lady's house.
He just needed more deprivation, like in Demon Sword. That guy's sword kept growing as the goalposts kept moving after every big tussle!
@grimfang4 that game rocked! I had it and Legend of Kage on NES.
Don't want to spoil a lot so if anyone doesn't want to know don't read below.......
There is a longer sword upgrade in the game and it even allows you to kill enemies that you normally need the "fire" spell for.
I've only experienced this game 2nd hand from watching videos and being told about it, but this looks like I can finally fix that.
This looks great!!!! I'm in my 40s so I played and ENJOYED Zelda 2 when it came out back in the day. I'm really excited about the added content and potential added content I just saw. The facelift looks almost perfect.
It cannot be a small feat to go about recreating even an NES game. If I ever get the itch to play Z2 again, I'll be sure to try this version out.
I just came across this video and am BLOWN AWAY! This looks amazing! Zelda 2 is my favorite in the series, as it holds the most nostalgia for me from my childhood. Is this strictly a PC emulator game, or can this be played on our Everdrives on real hardware? I have to play this, but if it's a PC only thing, I'm SERIOUSLY, going to cry! Great job to the creator of this incredible looking remake/rom hack. 🤜🤛
It made with GameMaker and appears to be distributed only in Windows format. This project will never be playable on NES hardware.
I'm only up to the raft but I'm enjoying it so far. The water well mini dungeon mentioned in the video is a great example of extra content done right.
I was around 8 to 10 years old when I beat this game. I still love Zelda too and I still think my mom in my thoughts that she got me this amazing game, not realizing how hard it was because it was so hard that it taught me persistence. That persistence is something that I have carried with me all my life. Like last month, I was hit by a car and badly injured while on the sidewalk. The persistence that I learned while dealing with a Zelda to as a child, kicked in, and I was determined to learn to walk again. It was painful and I am still working on walking but at least I can move around a decently without having to use my walker for short distances. Yes, it was the hardness of a game that taught me life lessons. And I still remember vividly enjoying this game every Saturday night. I had it hooked up to our 32 inch TV, you got a remember this was the mid 90s, so 32 inch was pretty big. And it was hooked into our 14 speaker surround sound stereo system. What a way to enjoy Zelda to when you’re a little kid who is done with homework and Saturday chores.
14 speaker surround? Man movie nights must've been the best
@@FigureFarter if a movie had an explosion, the walls would rumble and it felt like the ceiling would come down on us since speakers were in the walls and the ceiling. Movies, music and even video games….was like sitting in a concert arena. My favorite was, if the sounds where coded properly, whatever you heard wouldn’t fire all the speakers at once but rather, use the speakers separately according to the distance between the events on the screen or in the song or in the game. Like I first watched the movie titanic…..and when the ship was breaking, you hear the breaking of the ship coming from the back of the house and the sound came to the front and then you where surrounded by the earth shattering breakup of titanic. But it first started in the back of the house, so you barely noticed it. Once it hit the front, then the cracks went above to the ceiling and finally, all speakers were firing, creating a very haunting scene. You feel the vibrations of the breaking ship in the air. It wss….emotionsl. Video games were even more interesting but music was the greatest. Especially songs with rich instrumentals like echos from Pink Floyd.
Hey thanks for the background assets for Steam! Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy
I added this in the Game Suggestions section of ProJared’s Discord. Hopefully he’ll give it a try.
He's playing it now on his newest let's play series. Thanks for suggesting it to him.
"Yes, there is a randomizer." LOL that got me! How did you know that was relevant to my interests?
Man, I remember pulling some late-nighters sleeping over at a friends house when the first game released. Absolutely loved everything about it, and I still hum the theme song pretty regularly even to this day. Zelda 2 released when I was about 11, and it was just too different. I remember looking at the photos in nintendo power and being so, so disappointed. With the release of this 'enhanced edition', maybe it's finally time I dove in and gave it a shot.
I still like to see a 3D remake of the game with theme palaces, some of the spells change to weapons. Jump to hookshot. The fairy spell used to get some rooms with a small hole like in Minish Cap. The reflect spell turns the shield into the mirror shield.
0:47 Oh, that's easy. "Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why'd You Steal Our Garbage?!!" for the 3DS. There's a top-down 2d overworld. Monster encounters will appear that transition to small sidescrolling segments if you bump into them. Towns and Dungeons have the same sidescrolling format. There's abilities you unlock over time that get you through certain areas.
It feels very heavily inspired by The Adventure of Link from the way it's structured, although it's fairly easy (with an NG+ mode where you keep your stats, but the enemies deal double damage and have twice as much health).
In terms of a successor to Zelda 2, that'd have to be "Link and Zelda: Panoply of Calatia". It's a game using the Zelda Classic engine that serves as a sequel to both Zelda 1 and 2, which combines aspects of both while expanding on the mechanics. You even get to play as Link and Zelda at the same time (the former using a sword, the latter using arrows), with certain moments where the characters have to split up to solve puzzles. I highly recommend it.
If you're looking for a good spiritual successor to zelda 2, I highly reccomend trying out phoenotppia awakening.
The game's is structured with an overworld, monster battles, and vertical 2d perspective dungeons. There's also some other zelda and dark souls influence with puzzles and a stamina gauge but the combat, sense of abiltiy progression and exploration in phoenotopia got me hooked just the same way I was with zelda 2. The developer has also stated that Zelda 2 was one of his main inspirations when making the game.
There's a free demo on steam so u can give just give that a shot if ur interested.
I appreciate Zelda II but always found playing it on its own terms to be an exercise in tedium. Happy to see people who love the game sharing that love with projects like this.
I recently beat the original NES Zelda II and I have to say that game wasn't as bad as I thought (the key is not trying to complete the palaces, just grab the items and keep exploring). When I played the game I thought that it would be a game that would benefit a remaster due to its initial ambition. The fan remake seems to confirm that.
no... actually the key is "grind before taking on death mountain" to get the hammer having at least level 5 for everything or you will have a bad time.
Surprised to see this not being taken down by Nintendo. Grabbed it while I still can
Finally beat Zelda 2 last year after 35 years. Felt so cathartic doing so. I was 4 going on 5 years old when it came out, and I was 39 going on 40 when I beat it. Thank goodness for the 3DS eShop while it was still open.
Now play this!
Also, this game is amazing, most fun I've had with Zelda 2 outside of Amida's Curse.
You could actually save by using the second controller and hitting Up and A while you were on the spell menu screen
I see that you didn't have Battle of Olympus in your compilation of Zelda 2 clones, just wanted to recommend it in case you haven't tried it. Almost looks identical.
Not sure if you'll ever see this, but as a fan of Zelda 2, you owe it you yourself to play "Link and Zelda: Panoply of Calatia" if you haven't. It's a Zelda Classic quest. It's probably the only one worth playing. It really feels like Nintendo made Zelda 3 for the NES. It's probably the best Zelda fan game I've ever played. It spans the Hyrule locations from both Zelda 1 and 2. It's loaded with dungeons, new items and a story taken from Nintendo Power. I can't describe how good and impressive it is.
You are seen.
The Battle of Olympus for the NES is the closest game to Zelda 2 I have ever played. It starts out a little slow, but it is awesome overall. Just remember to hit "retry" and not "continue" if you don't want to lose half your money. Also, hold down when you jump and strike at the Lamia's head. It will cause your character to pull up their legs like they're ducking, making it harder for her to hit you.
Dude. Agreed. Might be my favorite zelda. And the remake is so sick
I love this remake. It keeps everything I like about the game (esp. the fighting mechanics), gets rid of what I didn’t like, and adds things to this game that I love generally about the Zelda franchise. This is absolutely wild, thank you for spreading the word about this!
A real modern remake of Zelda 2 is potentially the greatest metroidvania of all time
I did that pogo game probably 30 times before winning it. By far my least favorite part of the game. But then I found out after you get the upgraded chicken spell you have a ridiculous amount of control over the pogo compared to link's form and you can do it every single time in about 15 to 20 seconds. Just wait until you have that spell and there's zero challenge to it at all. This game was great. I've already completed it 2 more times with the randomizer. If you randomize keys and p-bags though, you're probably going to want to lower the amount of crystals you need for the last palace because good luck finding all of them otherwise.
WoW, I havent played Zelda II since I was a child.
When I was a child, I begged for Zelda game to my nes and I got Zelda II Christmas 1989.
I never told grandma that it was wrong Zelda game. But I grew to love that game. The combat, the giant map and all the hidden secrets! But I sold my NES to by my SNES. This video have made me download Game.
Thanks.
I love Zelda 2. I've beaten all Zelda games to date, except those on the Philips CD-i system. While Zelda 2 is by far the easiest Zelda and one of the simplest NES games, it has always given me the most enjoyment. It was also the first game I ever completed back in 1988 when I was 9 years old.
0:53 Ooo, What game is that? It looks like a Gameboy-style indie game with Zelda 2 style game play.
Sheep Lad. You can follow progress of it through a link in the description.
@@TectonicImprov Oh, thanks. ;D
I would level up a bit in the first dungeon on bubbles for 50 exp each. I would grind up and then take advantage of the automatic jewel level ups. You can be op early if you spend a little time
If Nintendo developed a Zelda II remake, i would absolutely be down for it
I would also play an remake of A Link to the Past.
100% Id pay a full $60-70 USD day one for a physical copy of a Nintendo-made remake of Zelda II
Download page is blank for a reason: if heavily advertised, this game is a very easy target for takedown. That's why the word Zelda isn't even mentioned there.
This looks insane! I will need to check it out.
"You're playing the game wrong."
Really? I guess shoving it in my mouth and plugging my head into the outlet WASN'T the way to go...
I owned and played this game very soon after it was released. I had also played the The Legend of Zelda before that, and it's actually one of my favorite games of all time. I never really had this disappointment in the sequel everyone goes on about. I loved it for what it was. This is an awesome mod that really makes going back to this game very nostalgic and fun. Thanks TectonicImprov for sharing this and Hoverbat for this great reimagining.
The very minute I start thinking "I want to play Zelda II again", this video shows up. Perfect timing.
Question: Did you get a background that was all black except where the foreground sprites were, and if so, how did you fix it? I can't find a way to report bugs for this, even on Itch.
Holy crap! This looks amazing. I play Zelda II (along with a dozen other games) on my emulator every year or so. I need to get my hands on this new version!
I remember beating this game as a kid... both myself and my sister were playing, I got softlocked in that dungeon in the lake in the 2nd continent (it was quite annoying that one could mess up their key allocation that bad) and my sister kept handing me the controller when bosses and such got too hard for her (I'm ashamed to admit I started encouraging her, especially after I got softlocked and didn't want to replay the earlier bits) so I ended up basically beating it on her game, even strategically using the mana recharge from level-up while at max level to restore just before the final boss.
I submit that Ocarina of Time takes as many cues from The Adventure of Link as it does from the original game (if not more), and furthermore, even A Link to the Past has a good deal of influence from Adventure of Link.
I'm playing Zelda 2 as we speak. Love it.!!
Me too.
This expansion made this one of my favorite game so of all time
I can’t wait to play this! Thanks so much for sharing! One of my favorite Zelda games.
So far, this is the best thing I've played for a while. Zelda 2 was my favorite game for decades.
There's just one thing "lost" in the Gamemaker version: there's seems to be a bug in the original Z2 where, once you get the glove, you can stab up right when changing screens in palaces and it sounds like you're breaking a block. I miss that.
The Gamemaker version is amazing, really.
I've played the fangame and its quite good, it does ramp up the difficulty quickly though so it is intended for the Zelda 2 enthusiast. If you're looking for something that runs on original hardware (with flash cart, everdrive, or powerpak) then I would highly recommend the Amida's Curse romhack. It has many of the quality of life features of the fan remake and some of its own. For example it has the maximum life increase that saves between sessions, but it also actually removes random encounters entirely by replacing them with areas you want to explore to seek out enemies. It also features entirely custom music and original graphics based on the original.
Despite a lot of people talking smack about Zelda 2, I remember getting it when it came out as a kid. I loved it at the time and I have replayed it multiple times as an adult. This remake looks sick.
This remake is mind-blowlingly fantastic. Played it through yet?
@@jovetj yes it is great. Playing second quest now
Wow, as someone very fond of Zelda 2, this one looks ace! The added sections have definitely captured the Nintendo charm!
Oh this looks pretty cool. I also didn’t like how the extra lives worked so it’s cool they changed that here. Especially with all the new content I might have to try this out.
0:47 Have you played swordigo?
The Zelda 2 Game Over Screen still scared me a little 😂.
I honestly hope Hoverbat gets to work on an indie release in the future, much like how Doctor M64 ended up working on Ori 2 after finishing AM2R.
As for ZALIA, if I could change one thing, I would add an _option_ to make it so that after initiating a downward stab, Link remains in that state without needing to hold down until he lands or swings his sword. Yes, I would specifically only use this option once, and yes it would be for that damn pogo minigame!
For me, the hardest part of the game was the platforming to get the slime in the North Castle. Those short disappearing platforms are really really difficult for me to get the jumps just right.
Happy to see Robin Poe's new game advertised here in the beginning. :)
Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why’d You Steal Our Garbage is a pretty good Zelda II clone.
I adore Zelda II, and always have. Hmm, you know instead of losing only some experience on death, what about this? The story here is Ganon's minions want to kill Link and use his blood to resurrect Ganon in a ritual. Alright, so how about when Link dies, he leaves a blood stain behind, and all you need to do is get back to it and you get your experience lost back? I think I saw that in another game at some point... it was probably Punch Out.
There are 2 kinds of people in this world.
Those who love Zelda II, and those who are wrong.
There certainly is a way to save in Zelda II without dying. Press start on controller 1, then press up and start on controller 2. The save screen will appear, and you can save your game.
Still counts as a death, though
It'd be super neat if you could make a video about "Metroid Planets", a PC port of the original NES/Famicom Metroid game.
It got lots of quality of life improvements, new game modes, multiplayer etc. It has parallels to this Zelda II project.
Seems interesting. Last time I played Metroid 1 was via an enhanced hack that added a map function into the game. But that was over a decade ago, maybe it's time I replay it.
@@TectonicImprov Planets adds lots of things from rom hacks such as map functions, beam combination, respawning with full health (if I remember correctly). Best thing is that it maintains the retro look of it, with just a few additional sprite animations.
The black sheep not because it was bad, but because it played so much more like Castlevania. So good.
Stumbled upon this after looking up Skellux Minus Worlds for Zelda 1, then led to HoverBat... So thanks TectonicImprov.
Thanks for this video, Zelda 2 has always been one of my favorite Zelda games. I loved the idea of leveling up and getting experience points to get stronger. It just needed a few tweaks for it to be a better game, however I do hope that nintendo does make a remake of the game, kinda like what they did with Links awakening.
Amazing, thanks for the info on this version!
Idk is it cuz of my nostalgia for smbc and Mari0
but Zelda 2 has to most beautiful Nes visuals in my opinion so seeing it in widescreen is just Amazing
should definitely play this remake!
Thanks bro, now I need to play Zelda 2 again.
Zelda II is an incredible game!!! One of thr best games as a kid and i beat it again last weekend
I throughly enjoyed this remake. It was very well designed and really feels like they upgraded the original game
still got a knife in that version too, don't know one knows a Sword is longer then that?
Unless you're slapping the controller with your balls while pooping on the couch, you're never playing the game wrong.
This looks awesome! Can this be played on the Steam Deck?
I think there's instructions on how to do that in hoverbat's discord. I don't have a steam deck so I personally wouldn't know.
@@TectonicImprov cool thanks for the reply! I'll look into it. And ty for the video. Subscribed
Just wanted to update that YES this can be played on Steam Deck! An awesome person made a guide for me to get it going and I'm playing it now. It is so good!
Downloading now, and subscribed to his Patreon!
Did he say at the end this requires steam garbage? It looks like it would be great to play, if my USB controller works and if no steam garbage or fee of any kind is required.
Steam is not required, or at least it wasn't for me...
this looks awesome!!! I know next to nothing about "non traditional (read; non console) gaming"- does this work with ROM players/emulators??
It's running as a dedicated program so it doesn't require an emulator to play. Should be as simple as following the link in the description and opening the file.
Thanks for the video promoting this. I'll download it, but i think i had better play it somewhat vanilla first... Well, with some use of save states. I dont have time or need to prove myself to play it as a kid back in the day would have had to, because it was their only game.
finally I found someone that doesnt just hate on zelda 2
Bro, gonna give this a shot. This looks fantastic.
damn he got rid of the flash death, that alone is worth it.
When I was a kid, I was always disappointed that they didn't make a 16 bit, updated version of Zelda 1 & 2, like Nintendo did of the first 4 Super Mario games in 1993's "Super Mario All-Stars." Why wasn't there a "Zelda All-Stars"? Seemed like an obvious thing to me, but unfortunately it never happened.
I hope more NES game will be getting a similar treatment. Imagine if already great games like Duck Tales, Metroid 1 or the Castlevanias and got similar games.
I always knew i was playing it wrong, for some reason after starting a new game, i went straight to the palace on the north east, i guess i just enjoyed the palace theme that much. 😅
I definitely gotta check this out, thanks for the recommendation!!
I've only played the first 4 Zelda games so I can't comment on the others, but I can say the first 4 were all fantastic.
The game only has one issue imo, the abyssmal reach of the sword, if it was just slightly longer (battle of olympus esque) it would be up there as one of the greats imo.
@@aZ1d You should look into some of the new secrets in this version of the game. You might be surprised with what you find.
@@TectonicImprov Ooh cool, i just started this version coming from the nes version. Thanks for the tips.