How some of the weirdest parts of Zelda II compare to other games in the series

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link arrives in the Nintendo eShop today — no longer exclusive to the Ambassador Program. Now’s your chance to play one of the oddest games in the series.

Trust me, Zelda II is tough. My experience with it dates back to childhood, when I swore to beat it after the Nintendo Entertainment System wiped my save file and my sisters “forgot” what happened at the end. (Dear sisters: Bite me.) This is a quest that will probably continue until my death.

But The Adventure of Link is one of my favorites, and I’ve played it on the NES, Game Boy Advance, and now the 3DS. (It’s available on the GameCube and Virtual Console, too.) Yet no matter what system I play it on, the controls remain as stubborn and unintuitive as ever, particularly when it comes to saving your game. Unless you record your progress when you die, saving midgame on the 3DS is a six-step process. Seriously, check the virtual manual.

Below is a look at how some of the weirdest parts of Zelda II compare to other games in the series.

zelda-ruto-3ds Ruto is a town in Zelda II ... and a princess in Ocarina of Time. It's not the only one like this. Nabooru, Rauru, and Saria are all Zelda II towns and members of the Seven Sages in Ocarina, too. Source: Nintendo
zelda-linktothepast-agahnim In The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, the main wizard, Agahnim, is evil and takes over Hyrule Castle. Zelda II’s wizards are friendly and live in their daughters’ basements. They teach you spells. Source: Nintendo
zelda-flute-special Instruments are a big part of any Zelda game. Zelda II features the flute, a special item with limited situational use. Link also uses flutes in A Link to the Past, Oracle of Ages and Seasons, and Spirit Tracks. Source: Nintendo
zelda-darklink Dark Link is the final boss of Zelda II. He also appears in other games, like Ocarina of Time (in the Water Temple) and Twilight Princess. Source: Nintendo
zelda-chuchus Zelda II contains red and blue slimes called Bits and Bots, and near the end of the game, you fight a Giant Bot that falls from the ceiling. They’re the cousins of ChuChus, Zols, and Gels from other games. Source: Nintendo
zelda-hearts In most Zelda games, you restore your health by collecting hearts or drinking potions. It works similarly with magic. In Zelda II, old ladies refill your magic meter, and young ladies heal you by inviting you into their houses. Source: Nintendo
zelda-deathmountain Zelda II works a lot like a role-playing game: You level up your attack, magic, or life by gaining experience from fighting monsters. Death Mountain -- a location seen in other games, like Ocarina of Time -- is a particularly good place to grind for character development, but it’s a maze. Source: Nintendo
zelda-ganon Ganon (or Gannon, as it’s often misspelled) is a boss in the first Legend of Zelda and a recurring character throughout the series. He only appears as a shadow on the game-over screen in Zelda II. Source: Nintendo
zelda-rocs-feather In games like Link’s Awakening, the Roc’s Feather allows Link to jump great heights. The hero accomplishes this with the use of the Jump spell in Zelda II. Source: Nintendo
zelda-original-bombs The Hidden Palace is located in between three triangularly oriented rocks on a beach in southeastern Hyrule. To access it, you have to play the flute. The first Zelda was cryptic as well, requiring players to bomb walls at random until they found caves. Source: Nintendo
zelda-2-map Gamers who have played the first two Zeldas will recognize the same basic arrangement of the lakes, cemetery, and Spectacle Rock on the overworld map. Here's a look at Zelda II's, near the bottom of Death Mountain. Source: Nintendo
zelda-map ... And here's the same part of the map, expanded, in The Legend of Zelda. Source: Nintendo