Oh man, this game. Got it Christmas '88 together with SMB2, which were some of my very first games ever. I absolutely loved it and I still do when I come back to it ever other year for a quick playthrough. It's still a blast every single time. I'm just sharing a few screenshots for nostalgia-porn here, hope you don't mind.
For some reason I do have a soft spot for some of the odd ones, such as SMB2, Zelda II, Castlevania II... idk, it's probably because all of those were my introductions to the respective series, coincidentally.
I noticed on Reddit that in particular Castlevania II and Zelda II get a lot of hate in their respective communities, which I think they don't deserve. While Castlevania II does have serious issues, this is especially the case for Zelda II, which was just epic for its time, but I may be sliiightly biased. The argument is often that the game would be too cryptic or too difficult in terms of combat, but idk, relative to other NES games, I think this is not applicable at all. Take The Battle of Olympus, or Faxanadu, or Legacy of the Wizard, etc., they're all tough as hell in both departments. Idk, I think the game is quite fair. Like many other adventure titles of the time it demands considerable exploration but there are always hints for the critical secrets and the control are masterly balanced, for example when compared to the other games I stated. You still have to master them, but when you do, you're in charge and the game is not pulling are cheap tricks on you.
Anyways, since I know this game inside out, I am way beyond the ability to judge. Would love to hear some thoughts on this here in the NES community, since I suspect r/zelda is home to a younger audience which is used to more modern (and therefore more accessible) games.