The Story of the Legend of Zelda & Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

Celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, the Legend of Zelda series has been played by millions of gamers over the years. But where did the series get it start and who were the people behind it? In the first episode of this year long celebration, we're taking a look at the story behind two classic NES titles: The Legend of Zelda and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link.

[@ivans5154]

Some games you play..a few you get to live. I WAS link riding through Hyrule field on epona trying to stop ganondorf. I cried when I realized what waking the wind fish meant... and was heart broken when I first saw Hyrule under the waves....this is what gaming used to be. I will always be in love with the legend of Zelda.

[@chodicuss1889]

Now they release the first half and make you pay for the rest... Very very slowly.

[@archonicmakes]

it's what gaming can STILL be. :) we just don't get a lot of games with the same emotion from the AAA sector, save for some of Nintendo's games.

[@We_Are_Borg_478]

I cried when I couldn't beat Ganon's castle in the first game as a kid. If memory serves, my first swear words were uttered at that game. My first broken controller, however, went to Driver on PS1 . 😂💸💸💸

[@gektoast4968]

It still is. But not every game is one of those, and you may never find the perfect experiences for you.

[@ChaoticHoly]

Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one on the planet who loves The Adventure of Link just as much today as I did as a young ragamuffin in 1988...

[@Bonesph]

If they ever make Zelda movie I hope Adventures of Link will be it's inspiration. It's so dark.

[@Legofromthelowerlands020]

I loved it too! I have over 1000 minutes also now on it on the NSO edition lol

[@Gatordile2]

I've always had a love/hate relationship with Zelda 2. I've always wanted to like it but it's difficulty held it back. The older I get the more I highly appreciate this game. It seems better aged. Google Z2TAOL_M02. Hoverbat made something quite nice.

[@maddosshmillore]

History on all of Zelda? Yes please :)

[@thesolucian4]

I enjoyed Zelda II: Adventure of Link. I'd say the real black sheep of the Zelda games are those on the CD-I. Zelda's Adventure, Link: The Faces of Evil, and Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon.

[@nathanrussell2158]

I actually like 2 better than 1. It’s just so unique. First time I tried it it just didn’t click but once it did I fell in love.

[@retrogameroom9019]

0:25 "for me, including myself" let that one slide by huh lol

[@8thLife]

I'm always learning a few new things with your videos. Thanks for putting them together :)

[@robinhakansson7517]

How the f... Do you only have 11k subs?! Makes no sense. Awesome content man.

[@Legofromthelowerlands020]

Watching your video, at 4:14 you mention the story which was told in the manual. I remember this. I always used to read the manuals when my ‘gametime’ was over. I somehow feel like Nintendo needs to upload the manuals to the NSO so we can go through it.

[@shoolima7131]

Once again another amazing premier! The trailer was hilarious! Great work on your video!

[@theblowupdollsmusic]

Great video. Thank you! I am excited about your link to the past video!

[@artvandelay4485]

I'll never forget the first time I played this. That sense of exploring is not the same as it was back then.

[@bartsimpson83]

Zelda 2 is my favorite in the series and one of my all time favorite games period. As a kid I played it way more than the first game and I still go back to it occasionally.

[@Krappadizzle]

I'm the only person in the world who named their character Zelda as a kid thinking I was slick.

[@retrogameroom195]

4:23 sound like your doing construction in background. Hear a stapler it sounds like

[@Zazzaro703]

Great video. I was born 1980 so I started with Coleco, intellivision, Atari and Commodore 64. My favorite game before NES was Adventure for Atari. I got my NES for my 7th birthday December 1987 and then for Christmas got Zelda, Metroid and some other games. The Legend of Zelda was like Adventure x 100 for me and I bombed every wall and burned every bush. I liked games before NES but it was really Zelda, Mario, Metroid, Kid Icarus, Rygar that really got me into them but especially Zelda. To this day I still get Nintendo Hardware and play their first party titles, especially every Zelda game. It’s amazing how many other people have a very similar story with the different Zelda releases truly one of the best series of all time. I don’t really collect games other than the ones I want, but I’d love to have a sealed original Legend of Zelda one day.

[@righty-o3585]

I had that game cube Zelda. It had the full version of every Zelda game up until then plus the new Wind Waker

[@chrispork1443]

I guess he meant A Link to the Past is a true sequel in gameplay rather than narrative to Zelda 1, because A Link to the Past is actually a prequel, story wise.

[@franksblends2516]

Great idea for a series. Its gonna be awesome. I just know.

[@deadpoinsettia]

I've been to Japan and it was an amazing experience. And we hiked through some wilderness areas and there were these huge black spiders everywhere! ....I see where those jumping spider looking dudes come from now. ....also...my having an irrational fear of spiders made those hiking trips very difficult with a couple panic attacks, HA! Also...I remember getting the original Zelda when I was 8 or 9 years old, I believe. It was like nothing we had ever played before. My brothers and I were fascinated with it. So much fun and exploration to be had. I have so many fond memories of that game. Still love to play it today. ....pretty cool that Breath of the Wild brought me back to that age again when I played it too.

[@chiefin31]

Zelda II is still the best imo, the immersion is unmatched. I was completely lost in the game and it took me forever to beat without help.

[@willlauzon3744]

I loved the Zelda NES era. It doesn't really fit in with the "timelines" but is in my opinion my favourite era of Zelda. It was much more mysterious and streamlined.

[@MrCromocrunch]

Would love to see a remake of Zelda 2.

[@geminimex1]

They should remake this game for adults, scarier and intense. Make it like botw open world, but have link go to dungeons "palaces" fighting stalfos, iron knuckles, bots, bubbles, etc. When he uses his master sword, have it shoot out projectiles and sound like the original. It would make a great tribute to all! Come on shigeru! ,

[@Progvo]

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.

[@mcorleonep]

I was in college when this game (Zelda 1) came out. There was about 8 of us taking turns playing a game file. However my roommate’s buddy came along and beat the game on our file and the game autosaved. Boy were those other guys pissed!

[@B33FY2011]

I would love to see you do a The Story of Castlevania.

[@retropalooza]

Will u be adding info to your old video once the new Zelda launches

[@bobbleton6517]

I've been saying Zelda II was a Souls game before there were Souls game for a while now - finally someone sees the world like I do xD

[@rkmugen]

"Zelda 2: Adventure of Link" was the "Elden Ring" of its day.

[@Dug88]

I had both of these growing up on the NES. At the time, i liked them both the same. When I got bored of one, I'd play the other. Zelda 2 holds a bit of a special place for me. It alongside Faxanadu the game that first introduced me to the style of game that would be come metroidvania games. I never had metroid on NES and didn't play it until later on GameCube in prime. The first time I played Super Metroid though, it brought me nostalgia for Adventure of Link and Faxanadu.

[@mickael486]

I've never seen a "live" countdown for a new pre-recorded video before.

[@willlauzon3744]

Also lol. Guide. Back in my day we didn't have no guides. We had to find caves by bombing every wall and burning every bush. Map in the manual? What manual? Oh the times.

[@ogeidnomar4601]

In Japan, Zelda II came out before Final Fantasy 1.

[@dsan558]

How did u know myamoto though Zelda 2 was a failure? Is there a source? Nice work

[@KBXband]

I love the first one. It's on my top five NES list. It's sequel is... Well, I could stand it up until the third palace. I beat the game once, on the GBA without using a walkthrough and it took eons. Zelda 1 Ive beaten twice from the beginning and never beaten the second quest as I found it too hard. I do like Links moveset in Adventure tho particularly the down thrust.

[@Kymus]

I never owned Zelda 1 or 2; I only ever played them at friends houses, for whatever reason. The first Zelda I owned was Zelda 3, which holds a lot of special nostalgia for me. There's a part of me that wishes I owned Zelda 1, just so that that one would hold the same amount of nostalgia for me as Zelda 3, but I also think I was just too young to really have fully enjoyed and understood it.

[@renemioskowski6017]

Double Dog does, what Ninten don't🎊...this is the right praise for the Best Adventure-Series in Gaming History👍 My Favorites: NES Zelda I, SNES Zelda & Windwaker.

[@shiningphantasy1393]

I know that the label of "black sheep" gets attached to Zelda II commonly in hindsight however at the time of release it was just looked at as an evolution of the game-play since there was only the original Legend of Zelda to compare it with, and the game was for the most part considered to be a rock solid follow-up. I kind of feel both ways about it; I didn't take an issue with the game mechanics being reworked and enjoyed the quest quite a bit, even with the stiff difficulty. That being said I liked it when Zelda: A Link to the Past went back to the form and perspective of the original. Zelda II did at least inspire and set a template for future NES games though such as The Battle of Olympus. Had they also made a Zelda game in the style of Zelda II for SNES I certainly wouldn't have complained; I'm sure that it would have turned out excellent.

[@720zone]

Your overview of Zelda 1 was great, but you lost me by calling Zelda 2 a "black sheep" - Its my favorite NES game.

[@MI3am]

This deserves more views wtf .

[@ryanjamestelles8816]

Man great review. Much better than the usual "this game sucks" because it's different. I enjoyed the game. I remember it being pretty difficult as a kid but as an adult it was much more fun. Thanks!

[@retropalooza]

Am i seeing things or did u have to blur out tetris in your game stack

[@seanm.9832]

How good is Zeldas WAP and link hasn't retired.

[@krisfrederick5001]

When you title your game "The Legend..." you better live up to it. They certainly did.

[@captaindeep5946]

I LOVE Zelda 2

[@looneyburgmusic]

"... bla bla bla, owing their existence to this First Zelda" And Zelda owes it's exsistence to computer games such as Akalabeth: World of Doom, first released in 1979, years before the NES was even an idea The Legend of Zelda, while a good game, was not as innovative as it might have seemed to be

[@aurathedraak7909]

Technically nintendo was a playing card company BEFORE toys and video games, so you got your history wrong there.

[@quebirt]

This is the only game in the series that I haven't beaten. More than a few on multiple consoles, thanks to rereleases and remasters etc. However, the only drive I have to beat it is so that I can say I have beaten them all. That's not enough to make me trough through the terrible and punishing mechanics. The comparison to Dark Souls makes some sense, but Dark Souls (another searies I have beaten all of) is always "fair" and, typically, if you get hit, or if you die, in a Dark Souls game, you earned it. This game feels like it's tuned for Bull***t to me. Maybe if I gave it more of a chance. Maybe some day. I even decided a few years back to play on an emulator with cheats, just to see it to completion, and it still felt overly tuned for BS. For example, how many hours does the average person play before they find the hidden house of the guy that gets you across the bridge? I googled it after spending about an hour trying to find some new area I hadn't been to, thinking I needed to "do something" to become "townsfolk." I guess that last part isn't fair though, since I love the first game, where I tried to blow up every rock and burn every bush and "no spoiler" some of that was required to find several required areas, including at least one major dungeon. I guess the difference is that it was fun to do in that game and feels like a chore in the second. I dunno.

[@Alianger]

Zelda 1 was also inspired by Ultima and The Black Onyx. /watch?v=sVMCaflcwSI&t=3017s

[@tomatotomatoe7253]

Hey one video is hidden ...what gives

[@Ravangers]

its not poh-KEE-mon dawg. It's poh-keh-mon

[@DaDrunkGamer]

👍🍺

[@tomatotomatoe7253]

I got a cdi and two Zelda's you can borrow

[@DoubleDog]

Thanks for the offer, but no CDi in this series!

[@tomatotomatoe7253]

@@DoubleDog well that just makes my day....glad to hear

[@DoubleDog]

@@tomatotomatoe7253 of course. CDi would deserve it's own series. Maybe someday. Always wanted a CDi and YT gives me an excuse to buy one. 😂 Don't tell my partner tho. 🤣

[@tomatotomatoe7253]

@@DoubleDog secret Is safe with me. Happy to lend u mine for review if ever needed one. Now take the day off and talk to u tomorow

[@SOJZ927]

Aight I'm now done with watching a good part of your videos, and I have no idea how you have less than 10k subs. Your shit is really fucking high quality. Keep that up. KZbin needs more of this and less shitty Jimmy Kimmel re-uploads

[@artisticautistic9664]

I think zelda 2 is the best zelda.

[@Greygoose0-_-0]

If only they stayed loyal to this non jumpy link. I miss this type of zelda kill them all style no race or tribes making them incorporate this just takes story away from link to past ideal this frustrating truth disappoints the blur effect Zelda makes now scattered essential temples into fragment puzzles idk it seems lost to it's cause of the idea 💡 B4 now it's lost in mine craft scenic ideals but I guess if u wanna get lost go to the lost woods. I'm just trying to figure why make enemy races matter now as characters I remember zora being evil in this older story. 😢 I used to like Zelda when it was golden era instead of the blinding tablet baby blue age it's stuck in.

[@chrispork1443]

The Japanese title for Zelda 1 was always “The Hyrule Fantasy: The Legend of Zelda.” The Famicom cartridge version was called “The Hyrule Fantasy: The Legend of Zelda 1” because Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link was already released.

[@t.h.2906]

I like this video can we be friends?