I’ve been determined to finally beat Zelda II and determine that I would do it without save states and without a guide.
I know Zelda II is considered a black sheep somewhat but I really think in some ways it’s more fun than the original although I’d still pick Zelda 1 over II.
I did this too, on the GameCube collector's edition. It's hard but the difficulty didn't feel unfair! It was so satisfying when I made progress. Honestly this is such an excellent game.