Zelda II...

[Jasoco]

Okay, in the past I said this game sucked because it wasn't a real Zelda game.

Well, I'm sorry. I was wrong. It's not teh suck. It's actually very fun. And it took the GBA Classic version to get me to actually spend enough time with it. It's a dream on my Famicom Micro. I love it.

(I hope this topic isn't a dupe. The search is broken on the forum.)

Anyways, as fun as it is, it's REALLY hard. Extremely hard. Well, not impossible, but frustratingly hard. I've already beaten level 1. That took me a long time until I figured out the secret. But it's still hard. Now I'm trying to get to Level 2. But dammit, fucking hell, since the rocks are in the way, I have to go the HARD WAY EVERY DAMN TIME I RESTART. This path is impossible and I always lose a life the first run through the cave leaving two more for the level. Of course by the time I get there through the swamps and everything and get down far enough into the level I lose everything and am dead again leaving me to have to go through that damn cave again..

So, is it possible to get the hammer BEFORE you beat level 2? I mean, I will NEVER beat this if I can't get through the Level 2 palace so I need that damn hammer for my sanity. (BTW, Bridges suck ass. Who puts monsters on BRIDGES?) So I want to head south to Death Mountain and make my way through to get the Hammer so I can live my life in sanity.

But I have a feeling they put something in Death Mountain that will require me to use the Handy Glove that I supposedly get when I beat Level 2. Because of course, that's just how Nintendo would work, isn't it?

Any tips? Tips? Must beat game!

[Truffle]

Obsessive leveling up! :D
That always made shit easier for me :/ But My game died on me awhile back so I cant really remember anything to heip you really!
Sorry.

[XYXZYZ]

Okay, in the beginning it's good to level up; spend the time it takes to kill the Bubbles (skulls) in Parapa palace, and I think it pays off to put a few levels in attack. It costs the most and easily lags behind life and magic. And remember, you get a free level when you put the crystal in the statue, so wait to do that until after you raise a level manually. In Parapa palace, try to earn enough points so that the Mazola (the boss) gives you enough points to level up. Then put the crystal in the statue for another level!

Ironknuckles-
Learn the jump/attack/block techniques to defeat the Ironknuckles. When you attack on the way up or down from a jump, it's more likely to hit an enemy with a shield. But if you're careless you'll take a hit. Learn to keep your eye on Ironknuckle's sword, and be ready to block high or low. My favorite techniques are to hold down, jump (straight up) and attack in one little maneuver. I also just randomly attack one high and low, watch his sword and block accordingly.

It's possible to get the hammer before level two, in fact I reccomend it. Spend time powering up in Parapa palace, and in Death Mountain until you get 4-4-4 or so, and the LIFE spell. The biggest problems in Death Mountain are the Darias. You can easily defeat them by watching the rhythem they swing their axes in, and attack low between each swing. Walk towards them a bit after each strike, or it'll mess up the timing. With red Darias, wait for them to throw an axe, jump it, and strike them on the way down. Wait, and do it again. After you get the hammer, you sould head over to Midoro and get the downthrust, an incredibly handy technique. (Jump on the church)

I don't have time to say much, so I'll post more tips at a later time. Good luck!

[kevin_psx]

So, is it possible to get the hammer BEFORE you beat level 2? I mean, I will NEVER beat this if I can't get through the Level 2 palace? Any tips? Tips? Must beat game!

Watch this

http://speeddemosarchive.com/Zelda2.html

[Jasoco]

Holy shneikies! This game is hard! Is he playing the Japanese version and maybe the US one is easier? Because even Level 2 looks impossible. And he did get the hammer beforehand but it took him a long difficult trek! My god, I don't know how I'm gonna do it!

Any real tips on leveling up? By the time he got to Level 2 he already had the fairy spell and the downward thrust!

And how is he doing the Save and Quit thing? I can't figure out how to pull that off if it's even possible on the GBA version.

I'm still watching. He's only up to Level 3 and is still kicking ass. I wish I could be that good.

[Blitzwing256]

the japanese version is very differnt (very very very differnt level up structure)

what you might want to do is once you get out of the cave is to go south to the town thats down there and get the life spell (go into the second section of town and get the mirror in one of the houses and trade it to the lady who lost it for the life spell) that will make your job alot easier.

other then that, lots of leveling up will help you.

on a side note, are you playing the us or jap version?

[Jasoco]

the japanese version is very differnt (very very very differnt level up structure)

what you might want to do is once you get out of the cave is to go south to the town thats down there and get the life spell (go into the second section of town and get the mirror in one of the houses and trade it to the lady who lost it for the life spell) that will make your job alot easier.

other then that, lots of leveling up will help you.

on a side note, are you playing the us or jap version?The US NES Classic GBA version. I assume it's the US version on the cart.

[stuffedmonkey]

Bizarre - I myself picked up the same GBA version a few days ago and have been getting killed at the same point. I think I'll get my levels up a bit before trying again.... I know it's a common game but still - small world.

I assume you at least have the extra block of life, the extra magic and the Life spell...?

[evildead2099]

Okay, in the past I said this game sucked because it wasn't a real Zelda game.

That's absurd. 'Hey, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night doesn't play like Castlevania 1. It must therefore suck!' :roll:

Zelda II is not hard, by the way. Harder than Zelda 1, definately, but the game is very easy once you get the hang of combat (specifically, how to beat the armored knights).

[smokehouse]

I used to be obsessed with this game (granted it was 1989). I still like to pop it in from time to time (NES version, I don’t have the GBA copy). I think this game is very hard. I can beat it but the later levels are really hard. Just keep plugging away at it and you’ll get the hang of it.

[evil_genius]

My cart still has the same game save from when I was a young gamer. And I still haven't beaten it. I don;t wanna play it since I might end up losing the save.

[smokehouse]

My cart still has the same game save from when I was a young gamer. And I still haven't beaten it. I don;t wanna play it since I might end up losing the save.

I have the same thing on my Zelda cart. I have a maxed out game from way back.

[Jasoco]

My cart still has the same game save from when I was a young gamer. And I still haven't beaten it. I don;t wanna play it since I might end up losing the save.

I have the same thing on my Zelda cart. I have a maxed out game from way back.The same reason I don't want to load up my Dragon Warrior save because I'm paranoid my NES will lose my "At the final castle" save and piss me off. So I'm saving it for when I'm 100% certain I have a way to plug it in and not worry. (Wishes SquEnix would rererelease the original as an NES Classic unchanged from the original.)

[rbudrick]

I've never figured out why everyone says this game is so much harder than part 1. When I was in 4th or 5th grade when this game came out I made it to the last palace the first night. Took me months to do so in Zelda 1.

-Rob

[kevin_psx]

(whispers) They are old

LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL I have the same reaction when people say "Pitfall 2 is too hard" or "Junior Pacman is too hard" in their reviews. Neither is hard! You just need steady hands & patience.

[prismra]

So what's the deal with the little dungeon-monkey at the end who shakes his staff at you?

When he comes on the screen you have to do a voice over for him in a 1940's Humphrey Bogart-esque vocie:

"So you want the triforce eh?? Well you can't have it easy see, you'll have to fight ya shadow first..."

I can make an audio file if anyone is intersted. LOL

[NE146]

Zelda II is classic NES-era Miyamoto. :)

I dont know how you're having such problems getting to the 2nd dungeon.. I don't remember the path being all that hard at all. But then again, maybe you didn't level up in the 1st dungeon? That's the best place to get up a good number of levels before even leaving. Just keep going through it and never put the jewel in place (jump over that area) and you can keep entering and killing skeletons and knights to your hearts content until you reach level 5 or so :)

[Jasoco]

Yeah, I didn't level up in the first dungeon and now it's closed. I can't go back in I suppose? It's a rock now. :( Stupid me. Should I just start over since I'm hardly anywhere into it?

[NE146]

Sure I suppose it wouldn't hurt to start over... because you're right, you are barely even into the game really. There are other good levelling up areas in the game, but I forget where they are by this point.

What I tend to do in the beginning is go to the forest on the top to get my 1st 50 pts and get my life level up. Then i go to the cave on the bottom (even though it's dark.. it's still doable if you know what to expect) and get the extra magic bottle right away. Of course get your magic's in the 2 towns (or just Shield)... then go level up in dungeon 1! :)

Oh and one big tip.. When you put the jewel in it totally fills up your experience to the point of your next level-up... so if you're smart, you'd maximize that in the best way possible. I don't know if that makes any sense at the moment.. but you'll figure it out ;)

[evil_genius]

Get the NES Game Atlas from eBay. It has walkthroughs for a bunch of NES games.

[exit]

I always went on suicide missions in the beginning to get the stuff in the caves. I would just run in the dark caves and hope for the best to get whatever was in them. I was never able to beat it without cheating, but it was still fun meeting my repeated deaths.

I also remember trying to beat the game in one sitting, because my game didn't save anymore. Let's just say that it didn't end pretty. I was able to find the Zelda collection for $14 at Gamestop a year ago, so I won't have to deal with that anymore.

[Kim Possible]

Death Mt. is very very hard. I recommend staying out of there until you hit at least a 4 Attack and 4 Life. (By the way, when levelling up, focus on Attack first, Life second, and Magic Last)

You can be at 3 Attack 1 Magic 3 Life by the time you get to the second Palace, easily, if you fight EVERYTHING in the first palace and pick up all the XP bags in the forest, etc in the opening area. Be sure you get the Heart Container south of the first palace and the Magic Container south of the Hyrule Castle. There is no real need for mindless levelling-up if you just fight everything you encouter along your normal questing.

I say, don't get the hammer before Palace 2. Death Mt is just a bitch to try and muddle through. When you get to the swamp area, be sure to pick up the extra life near the boulder blocking the cave. There is also a red potion bottle on part of the broken path heading toward the second palace (perfect for filling up your LIFE meter with the LIFE spell before heading into the palace). The second palace isn't too tough, and should be enough to get your stats high enough to take on Death Mt.

[kainemaxwell]

I always had a rough time with Zelda 2 back in the day also. Getting to the Grand Temple is usually hard enough then at the end you have the Thunderbird which is a pain then your shadow. Never did beat the Thunderbird either...

[Kim Possible]

The big guardian just before Ganon is actually pretty easy. Before the fight cast SHEILD, REFLECT, and JUMP on yourself. Then when the guardian appears, immediately cast THUNDER. This will expose the guardian's weak spot (face) and then you can just stand on the platform in the center and stab his face as he floats by.

Ganon is pretty easy as well, once you learn the pattern.

[The Manimal]

control kinda sucks until you can jump higher and do the downstab and upstab. After that, things are smooth sailing and controls are much better. No more jumping over enemies only to land on them and get hurt.


Great game. It was my first NES game (other than SMB/DH pack-in, of course).

[MegaDrive20XX]

Zelda 2 was the first Zelda game I ever played and still holds alot of memories for me. Such a unique and brilliant game for it's time.

Still offers one of the best challenges that an NES game could offer I'd say. Especially the Final Palace...phew man those EAGLE KNIGHTS are a bitch!