Polarizing Adventure of Link: Where Are My Items?

The Adventure of Link is not only one of my favorite Zelda titles, it is one of my favorite video games ever. Just the second game in the Zelda franchise, it is by far the most polarizing game in the series. Older fans who grew up with the NES likely have high regards for the title as it was one of the best games for the NES and was covered extensively in the golden days of Nintendo Power magazine. When there was only two Zelda games out, they were just that, two different games with the Zelda name attached to it. It wasn’t until A Link to the Past, Link’s Awakening, and subsequent Zelda titles released that Adventure of Link started to seem… different. Nowadays it sticks out as having so many unique features; some good and some bad. In this series of articles, I’m going to touch on many of my favorite and least favorite factors of Adventure of Link.

With Zelda II, we really didn’t have that many items. Sure you got the Candle, the Raft, the Glove, and other dungeon items, but they didn’t have the same gameplay experience as items from other Zelda titles. They weren’t necessarily ‘action’ items, and thus, pretty much only the sword was Link’s weapon. There was no boomerang or bow and arrow that you can use on virtually every enemy. Instead, the items were all automatically used. If you have the candle and you step into a dark cave, the cave will then be nice and bright so you are able to see. If you have the raft and you walk near the port, you’ll be able to sail across the water.

Basically, the items in Adventure of Link were ways to get from point A to point B and that’s it. Whether that be removing a River Devil, being able to break a block, cross a large ocean, see enemies with the Cross, or light up unlit caves. Is this really bad thing though? From a pure combat stand point, I really liked Adventure of Link and it was quite a difficult game to master. I loved the sword battles with Iron Knuckles and the timing needed to defeat other difficult enemies. I think this is what really polarizes Zelda fans as some absolutely hated it. For me, I think it was great.

That being said, it would have been nice to have some bombs, a boomerang, or other items that are regular items in Link’s inventory nowadays. I think it would have diversified the the gameplay and would have been good for level progression as well. Maybe an Iron Knuckle would serve as a mini-boss in an early dungeon, but later on when Link gets the boomerang, he’s just simple regular enemy that is easily stunned and defeated.

What do you guys think? Does the lack of items in Adventure of Link hurt the experience? Do you think the swordplay is what really makes the game great? Or perhaps you think the swordplay is what makes it one of the weakest in the series? Let us know by posting in the comments below.

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