The piece cites a resurfaced 2003 interview in Sweden's Superplay, shared via Retro Gamer and GamesRadar, in which Shigeru Miyamoto called the 1987 sequel "sort of a failure."
While playing Zelda 2 for the first time on Nintendo Switch Online, the writer says its clunky combat, obscurity and punishing deaths remain frustrating, but still admires its mystery and exploratory feel.
The article argues the game's poor long-term reputation reflects Nintendo's later choices for Zelda more than player rejection, and frames it against uncertainty over the franchise's next mainline direction after recent hits.
Its creator called it a 'failure,' so why is 1987's Zelda 2 now being compared to the modern Souls series?
After Tears of the Kingdom, will Nintendo risk another fan-dividing 'failure' to reinvent the Zelda series again?
When creators disown a game, who truly defines its legacy: the company's vision or the evolving fan community?