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Zelda II: The Adventure of Link is one of the NES’s most daring adventures, and seeing Hyrule return with sharper art, a wider view, and a second Link is a rush. This is what makes modern game technology so exciting: dedicated fans can bring a familiar classic to today’s PCs and add possibilities the original hardware could never offer. The HD art is still a work in progress, but this early release already gives Zelda fans plenty to celebrate.
An unofficial Zelda II: The Adventure of Link remake is now playable on PC. Developer Troy, working under the Trygentic name, brings the NES game to desktop with his z2rs project, which adds optional high-resolution art, proper widescreen scenery, and two-player co-op on one machine or online. The first 0.1 build arrived September 22; a 0.2 build is already available on the official release page. (z2rs v0.2.0)
Troy has redrawn some of the original sprites and scenery for an optional HD graphics pack. It is still an early 0.1 art release: the first few areas are finished, while areas without replacement art keep their original look. The PC port and HD pack are separate downloads. Get the latest z2rs build on GitHub, then visit Trygentic’s Discord for the art pack.
What’s in the PC release?
Widescreen mode draws real scenery beside the original play area instead of stretching the NES image. Co-op adds a second Link, with local and online play supported. The port also includes save states, fast-forward, movie playback and gamepad support. The developer’s co-op guide covers setup and current limitations.
z2rs is a Rust reconstruction of Zelda II, with downloadable builds for Windows, Linux and macOS. Players can also try the browser version at z2rs.com, which offers widescreen, local and online co-op controls, and support for loading an HD graphics pack. The site says a player-supplied compatible ROM is checked locally and never leaves the browser. No Nintendo game assets come with the download: players must supply their own compatible U.S. ROM. The project README identifies the accepted dump and explains how to load it.
Watch the trailer
The unofficial remake trailer shows the new visuals in motion. This embed starts at the 1:42 mark:
For now, expect a work-in-progress art pack rather than a fully repainted game. If you want a comparison with the NES original, Retro Replay also has a Zelda II longplay.
Sources: official browser version, z2rs project and documentation, official releases, and DSOGaming’s release report.
