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Zelda II: Paracosm

Original game : Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

Platform : NES

Author : Feistygandhi

Release date : 30 July 2024

Category : Complete

Patch version : 1.6

Modifications : G, L, T, P

Downloads : 971

ROM Information

Database match: Zelda II - The Adventure of Link (USA)
Database: No-Intro: Nintendo Entertainment System (v. 20210216-231042)
File SHA-1: 353489A57F24A429572E76BD455BC51D821F7036
File CRC32: E3C788B0
ROM SHA-1: 11333ADB723A5975E0ECCA3AEE8F4747AA8D2D26
ROM CRC32: BA322865

Hack description

This is a rom hack designed out of love for Zelda II. It has always had a dreamlike atmosphere to it, and this new adventure really leans into that aspect. Work on this hack started in summer of 2021 with the intention of only making a slightly dreamier variant of the original, but it slowly became its own distinct project. It features new overworlds, towns, dungeons, graphics, and text. There is custom music in progress, but that will be implemented in a future update!

Screenshots

Contributions

ContributorType of contributionDescription
FeistygandhiHacking
CF207Original HackingZ2Edit
TraxOriginal HackingOriginal dash spell

Reviews

A Potential Project That Needs Improvement.Chaotician2024-02-25Version 1.4

TL;DR: Based on the current state of this ROM Hack, I do not recommend playing it due to several flaws in map design, game story, and inconsistency with the premise (an adventure within Zelda's dreams, where her lucidity is at stake).

Issues that I disliked / break the game / need improvement:

  • The general color palette looks very lazy and causes eye strain.
  • Link's color palette needs improvement.
  • The color palette needs better contrast and should switch to warmer and more relevant tones. It's a dream, not a psychedelic trip.
  • Enemies that share Link's color palette needs a change. That behavior is not appropiate.
  • Some enemy sprites need better consistency with others to appear in the same art style.
  • The dialogues and town names contain unnecessary text and terms that are not only outside the theme or Zelda's thoughts (since it's her dreams, it's her mind and thoughts the vast majority), but also lean towards subjective satire with incoherent slangs that intend to be funny but only cause cringe.
  • The "Dash" spell that replaces "Fire" glitches very often. It also creates a bug that blocks Link's ranged attack when he has full health. The code needs to be reviewed.
  • In the end, the Triforce Keeper is replaced by a generic enemy that makes the ending bland and poor.
  • I encountered some parts where you simply softlock yourself if you have insufficient mana.

I would like to clarify that I played version 1.4, and apparently "Feistygandhi" has plans to add new audio that he has been working on in conjunction with someone else. I am unaware if there are plans to add improvements or change content (I hope so), since the premise of this Hack is interesting, plus it is the first to have different variants of the same enemy, which makes it a potential project.

A Dream Come True!Mother Kojiro2023-12-25Version 1.3

This hack aims to make Zelda 2 more dreamlike, and it absolutely nails that! Of course, that means things are weird, but there's a lot more thought put into it than that. You'll have some surreal encounters, like how the townspeople look, but some of the text is just funny, and isn't that just like a dream? Every palace looks different, and so do its denizens, along with everything else right down to the fairies, and that alone is impressive; I don't even know how they did that. I'm also a big fan of the palette; the shift of the orange enemies, explosions, and everything else to a seafoam creates a great aesthetic. Townspeople generally give very good hints, too, but I may have missed one, because my only real negative was the sixth palace, where I had no idea what I was supposed to do, but that might also be on me, because I was so overwhelmed by how it looked, and I mean that in a good way. The items and some of the terrain were changed, too, and a lot of thought and creativity went into that, as well. If the description sounds good to you, then give it a shot!

One of the best Zelda II hacksRascar2023-12-10Version 1.3

Amazing work. I'm a big Zelda II fan and I have tried out pretty much all of the hacks for it. This is 1 of 3 hacks that I actually liked enough to beat. It does a few really cool and unique things. For instance there is a brand new magic spell in the game and you have to get creative with it a few times in order to progress. It also has unique sprites for enemies in each of the palaces and all of the palaces have their own unique cohesive theme. Great work all around and highly recommended!