Grandfathers, Games, and Nostalgia: Why I Keep Coming Back to Zelda II

August 19, 2026 - 23:21

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link is often called the black sheep of the series. It is a side-scrolling action game with RPG elements, a harsh difficulty curve, and a combat system that punishes impatience. It is not the best Zelda game, not by a long shot. But it is the one I keep returning to, and that has everything to do with my grandfather.

I was maybe eight years old when he pulled out the gray NES and blew into the cartridge. He had already beaten the game twice. He knew every enemy pattern, every hidden fairy, every trick to survive the Great Palace. He did not hand me the controller and let me struggle. He sat beside me, reading the map from a worn notebook, telling me when to block and when to strike. He called the game "a real challenge," not like the easy stuff kids played today.

What I remember most is not the gameplay itself, but the rhythm of those afternoons. The smell of coffee and old wood. The sound of the TV warming up. His patient voice counting down before a boss fight. He never got frustrated when I died, which happened constantly. He would just say, "Alright, let's try that again. You got it this time."

Years later, after he passed, I found that same cartridge in a box. I plugged it in, and the music hit me like a wave. I was not just playing a game. I was sitting next to him again. The game is still hard. I still die. But now I understand why he loved it. It was not about winning. It was about the time we spent trying. And that is why I will never stop coming back to Zelda II.