Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link is the 1987 sequel to the highly popular The Legend of Zelda. Zelda II was a radical departure from the original and was panned by players and critics alike (except Nintendo Power, who of course raved about it). It had a better reception in Japan, but still undersold compared to its predecessor.

It wasn't that Zelda II was a bad game, it just wasn't Zelda. It incorporated many elements of traditional Japanese RPGs, including wandering monsters and a leveling system. It also was the first and only Zelda game to be primarily a side-scroller.

Story
Shortly after the events of The Legend of Zelda, near Link's 16th birthday, he notices a strange mark on the back of his left hand. He seeks out Impa, and she tells him the "Legend of Zelda." Long ago, the King of Hyrule ruled the land of Hyrule with a son and daughter. When the king died, the Triforce should have passed onto the Prince. However, he could only inherit the Triforce in part, and thus sought the remaining pieces. When he learned Zelda knew of their location, he questioned her. She refused, and so the Prince sent his wizard to question her. When he failed, he became furious and cast a sleeping spell on Princess Zelda. The wizard fell dead, but the Prince was left with the grief of what he caused. To ensure this event was never forgotten, the Prince ordered all female royal members born from that point on to be named "Zelda."

Impa tells Link this because they have found an old chest containing six crystals and an old message that claims that the restoration of the crystals to the six palaces in Hyrule will open the path to the Triforce of Courage. Taking the crystals, Link sets out to restore them to their places, defeating powerful palace guardians and learning magic spells to aid him as he seeks to break the enchantment on the sleeping Zelda.