 In 1987 , Famicom Tsūshin ( now Famitsu ) gave it a score of 36 out of 40 , based on a panel of four reviewers giving it ratings of 8 , 10 , 9 and 9 out of 10 . This made it their second highest @-@ rated game of 1987 , behind only Dragon Quest II . These were also the only two games to have received a Famitsu score of 35 / 40 or above up until 1987 . Play magazine praised the unique gameplay , saying that " it 's this combination of unique elements that creates an action @-@ RPG experience unlike any other " . Nintendo Power said that the game was " an entertaining and natural step in the franchise 's evolution , " and awarded it their Game of the Year Award for 1988 . Zelda II was reviewed in 1992 by issue # 2 of Total ! magazine , where it received an 82 % rating , due in great part to mediocre sub @-@ scores for music and graphics . A 1993 review of the game was printed in issue # 198 of Dragon by Sandy Petersen , in the " Eye of the Monitor " column . Petersen gave the game 3 out of 5 stars . 
