Zelda II: The Adventure of Link was released for the Famicom Disk System in Japan on 14 January 1987. The NES version followed in Europe on 26 September 1988 and in North America on 1 December 1988. It is one of the first games to combine role-playing and platforming elements. Its combat was influenced by Irem's Kung-Fu Master and its role-playing mechanics by Chunsoft's Dragon Quest.
Zelda II introduced the magic meter and the Dark Link character to the series, and it is the only Zelda game with a lives counter and 1-up dolls. Five of the sages in Ocarina of Time share their names with towns from this game. The game sold 4.38 million copies worldwide.
It was later re-released on the GameCube in The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition, on the Game Boy Advance, on the Virtual Console for Wii, 3DS and Wii U, on the NES Classic Edition, on Nintendo Switch Online and on the Game & Watch: The Legend of Zelda handheld.1
Names and releases
| Region | Title on the box | Platform | Date | Publisher | Src |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA | Zelda II: The Adventure of Link | NES | Dec 1, 1988 | Nintendo | 1 |
| JP | リンクの冒険Link no Bōken | Famicom Disk System | Jan 14, 1987 | Nintendo | 1 |
| EU | Zelda II: The Adventure of Link | NES | Sep 26, 1988 | Nintendo | 1 |
| WW | The Legend of Zelda: Collector's EditionGameCube compilation; PAL 2003-11-14, NA 2003-11-17, JP 2004-04-01 | Other | November 2003 | Nintendo | 1 |
| JP | リンクの冒険Famicom Mini / Classic NES Series; NA 2004-10-25, EU 2005-01-07 | Game Boy Advance | Aug 10, 2004 | Nintendo | 1 |
| JP | リンクの冒険Virtual Console; EU/AU 2007-02-09, NA 2007-06-04 | Wii | Jan 23, 2007 | Nintendo | 1 |
| JP | リンクの冒険Virtual Console; EU 2012-09-13, NA 2012-11-22 | Nintendo 3DS | Jun 6, 2012 | Nintendo | 1 |
| WW | Zelda II: The Adventure of LinkVirtual Console | Wii U | September 2013 | Nintendo | 1 |
| WW | NES Classic EditionBuilt-in game (Australia and Japan; NA and EU a day later) | Other | Nov 10, 2016 | Nintendo | 1 |
| WW | Zelda II: The Adventure of LinkNES – Nintendo Switch Online; an 'SP' save-state version followed on 2019-03-13 | Switch | Jan 16, 2019 | Nintendo | 2 |
| WW | Game & Watch: The Legend of ZeldaDedicated handheld with the game built in | Other | Nov 12, 2021 | Nintendo | 1 |
Also known as: Link no Bōken JP1The Legend of Zelda 2: リンクの冒険 JP2ゼルダの伝説パート2 リンクの冒険 JP2Zelda II: La Aventura de Link ES3
Box art by region
NA Zelda II: The Adventure of Link 
EU Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
Box art © its publishers, shown to identify each release. Scans: libretro-thumbnails.
Version differences
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AudioNES
The opening theme and the regular battle theme were changed in the NES version.2
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GameplayNES
On the Disk System all three attributes cost the same amount of experience, and saving keeps every attribute only at the level of the lowest one; the NES version gives each attribute its own cost and drops that rule.1
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GraphicsNES
On the Disk System palaces are only gray or green; on the NES each palace has its own color, and the overworld enemy icons were redrawn.1
Where to play legally today
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Nintendo Switch Online Subscription
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (NES – Nintendo Switch Online)
NES version
Checked: 2026-10-134gameinformer.com
Reception
Zelda II sold 4.38 million copies worldwide and won Nintendo Power's 1988 Game of the Year award. Critics praised its length and darker tone but criticized its difficulty and some confusing design.1
In lists
Sources
Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13
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