Contrary to popular belief, this was NOT the only Zelda game to feature side-scrolling sequences. Zeruda no densetsu: Yume o miru shima (1993) also included several of these.
As of 2023, this is the only main Zelda game that does not utilize currency or trade to acquire items. It is also the only one that doesn't use "The Legend of Zelda" in the international title, even though the Japanese version does ('The Legend of Zelda 2: Rinku no bôken').
The names of many of the towns in The Adventure of Link were later used in the game The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998) as character names. Among the names used were Rauru, Saria, Mido, and Darunia.
Link's Shadow, the final boss in this game, later reappeared as a mini-boss in Ocarina of Time's Water Temple.
Although this is a direct sequel to The Hyrule fantasy: Zeruda no densetsu (1986), the map of Hyrule may seem completely different from the one in the first game. However, if you look closely, you can see an area in the lower left corner of the Zelda II map (below Death mountain) that is a simplified representation of the map of the first game, complete with the characteristic coast line, lakes, forest and cemetery.