YouTuber Shesez, known for his popular Boundary Break series, is back at it with a new spin-off titled Region Break, where it’s discovered how the Japanese version of Zelda II: The Adventure of Link differs from the edition released in the U.S.
The differences begin at the cartridge, where in Japan the game came on yellow disks and packaged in a jewel case (similar to music CD packaging or cassette tapes, if you remember those). For the U.S., who can forget the giant golden cartridge that was nearly the size of a book?
Obvious differences between the versions don’t stop there. Shesez dives into the game and evaluates the different music, different sound effects, reworked sprites, new enemies, and overall different mechanics used between the two versions.
One major change to the overworld map comes down to the River Devil: “It seems that in the Japanese version it was a literal devil that was blocking the player’s path…however, in the U.S. version it’s replaced with a giant spider.”
Interested in how you can play this version yourself? Shesez comments, “you can download the Japanese Famicom equivalent to the NES entertainment system online service for Nintendo Switch from any console, from any region, for free, and as a result you get a catalog of Japanese games, including the art assets and regional differences for those games.”
For more Legend of Zelda videos from Shesez, check out his Boundary Break commentary for Zelda II (U.S. version), Twilight Princess, and Breath of the Wild from the Zelda playlist.
