The Legend of Zelda 2: Link no Bouken

The Legend of Zelda 2: Link no Bouken is the second installment in The Legend of Zelda series, published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was originally released in Japan on the Famicom Disk System less than a year after the release of The Legend of Zelda.

The Adventure of Link is a direct sequel to the original The Legend of Zelda, and again involves the protagonist Link on a quest to save Princess Zelda — who is not the same Princess from the first game, but another member of the royal family by the same name, who was placed under a sleeping spell a long time ago. The Adventure of Link’s emphasis on side-scrolling and RPG-style elements, however, was a significant departure from its predecessor and has given it a reputation as the “black sheep” of the Zelda series. It is arguably the hardest Zelda game. Despite this reputation, the game was highly successful and introduced many elements that would become commonplace in future Zelda games.