Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (NES)

Best: Points for boldness…

After establishing what would become the Zelda formula with the first game, Nintendo made a hard pivot in Zelda II with side-scrolling combat and RPG-style leveling. It’s bold, especially for being so early in a series figuring out what it wanted to be. The combat’s jumping and high / low strikes add depth that wasn’t possible in the original game’s overhead format, and after all these years, there’s no other game quite like it in the series.

Worst: …but your mileage may vary

All that being said, whether or not you’ll actually dig those things after the first game is another question entirely. There’s an argument to be made that Zelda II is clunky, with close-quarters combat feeling somewhat stiff and some of the side-scrolling traversal never feeling quite as robust as in full-fledged platformers. You might also think it doesn’t spend enough time building upon what made the original Zelda compelling. The Adventure of Link is an exercise in your tolerance for things being different than you might prefer. I applaud its willingness to swing for the fences, but get why some players might feel less enthused.

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