The Legend of Zelda series celebrate 40 years in 2026, with Nintendo releasing countless sequels, spin-offs, and remakes over the decades. But if asked which Zelda game feels least like Zelda, most players would immediately point to Zelda II: The Adventure of Link.
Released in 1987, this game switched to a side-scrolling format and added extensive RPG elements and a leveling system — a drastic departure from the Zelda formula that players had come to know.
And according to an interview rediscovered in 2003, even Shigeru Miyamoto himself wasn’t particularly satisfied with this title.
Miyamoto Called Zelda II “a Failure to Some Degree”
In an interview with Swedish Superplay Magazine, Miyamoto discussed the development of Zelda II, noting that while the original concept was his idea, the actual development was handled by a different team at Nintendo.
Miyamoto stated at the time:
“Games I work on typically improve during development as we keep adding new ideas, but Zelda II barely had that kind of evolution — it was a failure to some degree.”
What surprised players even more was that Miyamoto directly claimed that The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past was what Nintendo considered the true official sequel.
He viewed Zelda II more as a side story following the events of the original Legend of Zelda.
Miyamoto Revisited This Point Later
This wasn’t a sentiment Miyamoto expressed only once.
In a 2013 interview with Stephen Totilo, he revisited a similar viewpoint.
He specifically mentioned the Famicom Disk System version’s loading issues, noting that compared to the Western cartridge release, the disk version had significantly longer load times that impacted the overall experience.
To some degree, Zelda II has always been the black sheep of the series.
But Zelda II Has Become One of the Most Unique Entries
Although Miyamoto’s personal assessment of Zelda II wasn’t high, the game has gradually started regaining appreciation from players in recent years.
Especially after the rise of FromSoftware-style difficulty-focused games, many players returning to Zelda II have started appreciating its more hardcore, action-RPG gameplay approach as a distinctive feature.
Quite a few people now consider it the most un-Zelda, yet most unique entry in the entire Legend of Zelda series.