I’ve misplaced rely of what number of instances I let Ganon return

[Note: This piece was originally published in 2021. We’re bumping it now, as part of our Zelda Week coverage in May 2023, in the lead-up to Tears of the Kingdom. Enjoy!]

Thirty-one years in the past, The Legend of Zelda grew to become the primary online game I ever beat. A 12 months later, Zelda II: The Journey of Hyperlink grew to become the primary online game I ever stop.
To be truthful, I didn’t end too many video games in my elementary college days. We owned perhaps 5 titles whole for our NES, and the whole lot else was rented. So most video games I performed within the early ’90s have been returned earlier than I acquired the prospect to see the credit roll.

However that’s not what occurred with Zelda II. Positive, it was a rental to maintain me occupied for one more stormy Western Washington weekend, however I gave up on it lengthy earlier than we needed to take it again to the rental store. As captivated as I used to be with the whole lot Zelda following my victory over Ganon within the first recreation, trying to play by The Journey of Hyperlink made me wish to cry just like the little sissy boy I used to be and principally nonetheless am.
Maybe the sport isn’t designed to be crushed by six-year-olds, however I additionally couldn’t beat it once I was 18 and it re-released on The Legend of Zelda: Collector’s Version bonus disc, once I was 22 and acquired it for the Wii’s Digital Console, once I was 26 and acquired it at no cost as part of the 3DS Ambassador’s Program, once I was 31 and tried to beat it in time for the franchise’s 30 anniversary, and 4 years in the past once I got down to conquer it on my NES Basic Version. This recreation has been destroying me my total life, however this 12 months, I lastly discovered a strategy to see it by to the top.

I cheated my ass off.

To be clear, I attempted for years to beat Zelda II legitimately. I by no means made it previous the second dungeon again on the NES, however on my GameCube, I gave it the previous school attempt. With out having to fret about returning the sport to the rental store, I knew I may take my time with it and totally dedicate myself to mastering it the identical method I’d mastered the unique and A Hyperlink to the Previous. I even printed up a information from GameFAQs to level me in the correct path. And whereas it helped me get additional than ever earlier than, one factor it couldn’t do was get me previous Rebonack.
For the unfamiliar, Rebonack is the dungeon boss of the Island Palace. On paper, it seems like a fairly straightforward struggle. He begins out mounted on floating horse armor, charging at you from left and proper. You might want to bounce over him with a downward thrust as he passes by to whittle away his power. Nonetheless, midway by the struggle, he’ll bounce off his horse, get well all his well being, and are available at you as a Blue Iron Knuckle. That is half that has given me hassle all through my life.

As a lot as I love Nintendo for not resting on its laurels when making a sequel to The Legend of Zelda, the transfer to side-scrolling motion fight launched a number of points prevalent to NES video games of the period that the unique was in a position to keep away from. Anybody who’s performed Ninja Gaiden has in all probability misplaced a life or twenty to a chicken that appeared out of nowhere to hit you mid-jump over a pit.
That’s one thing Hyperlink needed to take care of on his second outing, although in his case, it’s the flying eyeball Moas darting out of the left or proper aspect of the display to knock him into lava. It’s low cost, irritating nonsense. It’s a must to have superb reflexes and hand-eye coordination to make it by The Journey of Hyperlink as a result of the enemies you’ll face are nearly supernatural of their responses to your actions. Your foes can activate a dime to hit you, and Iron Knuckles and their ilk are so adept at blocking your assaults that it could be comical if it weren’t so exacerbating.

This is the reason I may by no means beat Rebonack. As quickly as he switched to his second type, I needed to take care of an enemy who may simply block all my assaults, who may assault me nearly nonstop, and who may very well be pushed off the display the place I couldn’t attain them, however they might nonetheless hit me. Common Iron Knuckles and the lizard Gerus are irritating sufficient after they have partitions or pits you may knock them into. However one that may merely depart the display whereas nonetheless dealing out injury will flip your hair grey.

So yeah, once I was 18, I stated fuck it and stop at Rebonack. Once I performed it once more on Digital Console, I stated fuck it and stop at Rebonack. On the 3DS? You guessed it. I stated fuck it and stop at Rebonack. Then on my NES Basic, I made it previous the Island Palace, and hea—I’m simply kidding. I stated fuck it and stop at Rebonack.
For greater than 15 years, that bastard was the bane of my existence. I’m certain, had I caught it out, I’d have finally made it previous him and realized the issue of bosses is all downhill from there. However after combating so many Iron Knuckles all through my quest and understanding the journey forward of me can be dotted with much more, having to problem one as a boss battle instantly exhausted me, as if my soul threw its fingers up and exclaimed, “Not this shit once more.”

For years, that’s been my prevalent opinion of Zelda II: The Journey of Hyperlink. It’s an exhausting recreation, one seemingly designed to make sure gamers spend dozens of hours making an attempt to make their method by it by pitting them in opposition to frustratingly quick and robust enemies. I didn’t hate the sport. I didn’t even assume it was a nasty recreation, it was simply extra of a problem than I’d have preferred it to be, like taking part in by EarthBound Beginnings.

I imply, do you know you lose XP when sure enemies hit you, they usually take away way over they offer once you kill them? It’s like the sport is making an attempt to be as a lot of a dick towards gamers as potential. If not for the actual fact you retain the instruments and ranges you unlock all through your quite a few makes an attempt, it is likely to be essentially the most antagonistic recreation Nintendo has ever created.
With some alterations, I don’t assume The Journey of Hyperlink can be the black sheep of the collection it’s right this moment. However after 30-some-odd years, the one noticeable change has been the elimination of the blinking display when Ganon returns upon your demise. It’s simply as troublesome right this moment as once I nonetheless wore Velcro sneakers as a result of shoelaces intimidated me. The one distinction is right this moment, I’ve the rewind function of the Nintendo Leisure System – Nintendo Change On-line.

I in all probability may have cheated my method by it again on the NES as we did have a purposeful Sport Genie. The one drawback is we didn’t have a e-book of working codes, and actually, I didn’t actually like the concept of breaking a recreation so I may beat it. Hints have been tremendous as I wanted a number of assist to search out my method round Hyrule within the first recreation, and we did have just a few NES Max controllers mendacity round, however Sport Genie codes at all times got here throughout as a curio to me relatively than a reliable means to an finish. It’s one factor to allow Moon Bounce in Tremendous Mario Bros, it’s one other to provide your self everlasting star energy.
However that was dumb, six-year-old me. Quickly-to-be 36-year-old me is okay with dishonest, or on the very least, cheesing the system to my benefit. And there’s no higher strategy to cheese your method by The Journey of Hyperlink than abusing Change On-line’s rewind function.

To be trustworthy, I didn’t even notice it had a rewind function once I first began it up. I set a aim for myself to beat the sport for the anniversary so I may write this submit, and at first, I went by it simply as I had earlier than. I beat the primary dungeon with ease, died loads reaching the second dungeon, died loads discovering the hammer, and at last beginning to kick ass after I unlocked the downward thrust. Then I hit Rebonack and the sport instantly began to grate my nerves.

Simply as I readied myself to stop, it dawned on me I had utterly ignored the Change On-line interface thus far. That’s once I noticed the rewind function. I figured I would as effectively give it a shot, so I rewound my struggle with Rebonack and challenged him once more.
He beat me, however I did higher this time. So I rewound once more and did even higher. On my fourth rewind, I almost beat him. Then I began rewinding each time he hit me, and shortly sufficient, just like the samurai from Katana Zero, I had rewound my method into an ideal run in opposition to my arch-nemesis. A number of hours later, I managed an ideal run to revive the sleeping Princess Zelda. An awesome huge smile stretched throughout my face as I watched the credit roll. I had lastly beat a recreation that had been giving me grief all my life, even when I wanted slightly assist to do it.

In hindsight, I notice the rewind function is an alternative choice to what I’ve actually been lacking all these years: endurance. I’m merely not a affected person sufficient particular person to take care of this recreation’s bullshit.

In the event you’re somebody who beat Zelda II: The Journey of Hyperlink with none technological help, I tip my hat to you. You’re a greater gamer than I. However in the event you’re like me, an individual who has wished for years to cross this title off their backlog, don’t really feel dangerous utilizing all the assistance you will get. Rewind the sport, go together with the SP model that maxes Hyperlink out firstly of his journey, do no matter it takes as a result of Zelda II is a bitch of a recreation, however one with vital concepts that have been method forward of its time.

And when you do beat it, you may sleep straightforward understanding that now that you simply’ve conquered it, you by no means need to fucking give it some thought once more.