#16: Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (Nintendo, NES, 1987/1988)

Back in the Arkanoid entry that began our Sequel Season here, I said that the ideal sequel should build on the original in exciting and unexpected ways, and certainly, there are ways in which Zelda II is a stellar example of this. The world of Hyrule is considerably expanded, for example; no longer is the human population of the world limited to cave-dwelling hermits, now there are whole towns full of people going about their business, each with their own story to tell. Very short stories, admittedly, but still fraught with character and emotion. “I AM ERROR” is perhaps rightly the most celebrated example, though I personally am rather a fan of “IF ALL ELSE FAILS USE FIRE”.