The game that almost ruined the franchise...
Zelda II was not a top down view game, instead it was a side scroling platform adventure featuring Link once again and his quest to free Zelda. The game still contains most of the puzzles and adventure elements and trickery of the original, however something just doesn't seem right about the game. It's definately lacking something. Maybe it's the lack of memorable characters. Ganon isn't in this title, instead Thunderbird is in his place as the evil boss character Link must stop. Link must travel through Hyrule to six palaces and restore crystals to their statues in order to awaken Zelda from an enchanted sleep. This game is the first to feature Link battling his own shadow (which occurs in OoT).
The trickery of the puzzles in LOZ is still there, however it just doesn't seem fitting enough to finish the game, it becomes more of a chore rather than fun. The graphics are quite terrible by present standards and the side scrolling game fails on many levels, it never worked. This game has been rightfully forgotten and shrugged off. It really is a disappointment and hardcore Zelda fans such as myself will remember this title as the game that "nearly ruined the franchise."