The game is a significant departure from its predecessor, with a much greater emphasis on side-scrolling action and role-playing elements. Link can now level up his experience points, gain new abilities, and cast spells. The world is also much larger and more open-ended, with a greater focus on exploration.

Despite the changes, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link retains the core elements of the Zelda series, such as puzzle-solving, dungeon crawling, and boss battles. The game was a critical and commercial success.