Play Legend of Zelda 2 Online

Link runs, jumps, and stabs his way through side-scrolling dungeons this time, leveling up stats between brutal fights with floating heads that steal your XP. The magic actually matters—shield spells block attacks, jump spells reach new areas—but good luck surviving long enough to use them.

Developer: Nintendo

Genre: Action-adventure

Released: 1987

File size: 240 bytes

Game Overview

Zelda II is the black sheep of the series—it ditches the top-down view for side-scrolling action and throws in some weird RPG mechanics. You still play as Link, but now you’re grinding for XP to boost your attack, magic, or health. It’s a strange mix: one minute you’re platforming through palaces, the next you’re getting wrecked by those floating heads that steal your hard-earned experience points.

The overworld map feels like an old-school JRPG, but the second you step into a town or dungeon, it switches to this stiff-but-charming sidescroller. The magic system’s neat—you’ve got spells like Shield and Jump that actually matter in combat, not just for puzzles. And yeah, Heart Containers are back, but good luck finding them without getting mobbed by those respawning enemies.

It’s janky, punishing, and nothing like the first Zelda—but there’s something weirdly satisfying about finally beating that one knight who keeps wrecking you in Death Mountain.