I recently beat Zelda II: The Adventure of Link on a 100%, no save states run and I loved it. I realized there’s a trick to enjoying the game that a lot of people seem to miss. Almost everyone complains about this game’s difficulty. And, they’re not wrong. It’s hard, even when compared to other NES titles of the same era. This ruins the experience for a lot of gamers. They get frustrated trying to whiteknuckle through or just quit and end up robbing themselves of the ability to truly appreciate this underrated masterpiece.

The method I came up with to make the game easier and up your enjoyment is simple: 

Treat AoL like it’s MM.

Now, I know what you’re thinking, “uh, people hate MM and constantly complain about that game too.” Agreed. It’s a shame, but those gamers often also fall victim to a flawed approach. With a small tweak in mindset they’d really enjoy MM, and then taking the same tack, they can get the most from AoL. Two Guays with one arrow and all that.

Biggest Complaint Against Majora’s Mask

Easily the most often repeated complaint against MM is the time mechanic. People say, “It makes the game too stressful. I hate being deep in a dungeon with not enough time left and then I have to reset to Day 1, losing all my progress, and have to do everything over.”

Well, there’s your problem right there. If a cycle reset causes you to lose meaningful progress, and that upsets you, then you are doing it wrong. The good news is a small shift in mindset can help big time. 

The Trick to MM

The secret to enjoying MM is to think of time as an item. That’s right, it’s not just an anagram. The same way you'd think about rupees, bombs, magic, or any consumable in another Zelda game is how time itself works in Majora’s Mask.

It’s a natural instinct in most games to keep track of consumable items and make sure you have enough for a given task. People seldom enter dungeons short on bombs, arrows, and magic. Instead they tend to farm up their inventory before taking on a big challenge. But in MM, the same cautious players will YOLO into quests, dungeons, and bosses while being depleted of the most important resource in the game: time.

Short on time? Better stock up. This approach causes you to think more strategically about the game and plan what you are going to do in each 3 day cycle. Maybe you take a full cycle just to explore. Then, when you know where stuff is, reset and spend a cycle getting said stuff. 

Find yourself on Day 3 having finally figured out how to get to the Great Bay Temple and about to hookshot the turtle’s back? 

Yeah, don’t do that. For the love of Hylia reset. Play the song of time. Then do it backwards. And then start the temple. Once inside, work the same process. Go in knowing you’ll spend a full cycle just to explore. Then reset. Then get the dungeon item (which carries over from cycle to cycle). Then reset. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. 

Treat time like a consumable and you’ll find the game less stressful and more enjoyable.

Back to Zelda II

What’s this have to do with Adventure of Link? There’s no time mechanic there. This is true, but you do have a resource in the game that functions in a similar way: lives. (And coincidentally, you get 3 of them just like days in MM.)

Most people get rattled when they die in AoL. And I mean, who wouldn't? Being hit with a flashing red screen and Ganon laughing at you like Soda Popinski riding out a Mt. Dew sugar crash is no fun. But there is a way to snap out of it. Treat those deaths like days and the game's difficulty plummets.

The Trick to AoL

It’s the same secret. Lives are a consumable item. Just like rupees. Just like time. Use a set of lives to learn. Then use a set to progress. Down to 1 life and starting a palace? Might not be a good idea. Instead, reset and roll up to the palace fully stocked.

Now, I know what you are thinking. “I can’t play the song of time on my Zelda II warp whistle. How do I just reset and get 3 lives again?” 

That’s simple. Die on purpose. 

If you are up against a tough challenge like death mountain while short on lives, just kill your character, and continue before you take it on. Thankfully, in Zelda II there are many shortcuts that get you back to any location quickly from the starting palace. If you stock up on lives before starting a new section, then you’ll find the game much easier, less stressful, and more enjoyable.

From time to time you may find yourself with 1 life, but full health, and you really don’t want to put in all the effort to die. 

Well, thankfully there are many convenient locations that will instantly red screen you. No need to waste your time ramming your shins into a proto-chu trying to chip your health down. Just go jump into any available gap in the floor. And, if you find it difficult to maneuver into these gaps, then you can use these helpful little bubbles that’ll gently navigate you directly into the shadowy depths thus causing you to be reborn at ancient Zelda’s side with 3 fresh lives ready to slap some Dairas in the face with a jumping crouch stab.

TL;DR: Enjoy MM by spending days like rupees. Enjoy AoL the same way. But with lives. Murder Link often, and you just might find, "Your face is beaming!"