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The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages: 20th anniversary


The Game Boy Color games Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons launched simultaneously as interrelated sequels to Link's Awakening. The Pokéman Game Boy games came in two colors, but these are completely different games! Ages emphasizes puzzles, while Seasons focuses on combat. How amazing to receive two new Zelda games the same day!

The central gimmick of Oracle of Ages is that Link travels between past and present in the world of Labrynna (somewhat similar to the light and dark worlds in A Link to the Past). Playing the Harp of Ages allows Link to move between past and present. The threadbare plot mostly confuses me: the villain, a sorceress named Veran, has possessed an oracle named Nayru (who, I assume, can prophesy on behalf of the goddess Nayru). Under her baleful influence, Qeen Ambi is building a dark tower in the past. Fantasy stories love dark towers. Anyway, for some reason the solution to this problem, according to the great Maku Tree (not to be confused with Ocarina of Time's Deku Tree), is for Link to collect eight "essences" from dungeons. Okay.

Saruman's dark tower, Orthanc, by Alan Lee (1991)

The game's formula is the same as other Zelda games: explore, adventure, fight, solve puzzles, and collect (items, weapons, heart pieces, rupees, flutes, keys, etc.) As in Link's Awakening, there are a few side-scrolling areas in dungeons, although no Mario enemies this time (a shame). They're a bit lackluster, like they were thrown in just because of Link's Awakening. If you have played Link's Awakening or A Link to the Past, expect more of the same. This is not a bad thing, as those games are masterpieces: more is more! The graphical user interface of both games is almost indistinguishable from Link's Awakening. The overworld in that game was a grid of 16x16 screens, and these games are smaller at 14x14. A map in the sub-menu helps with navigation.

The puzzly nature of Oracle of Ages is noticeable. I struggled some in the third and sixth dungeons. I had to turn off the YouTube video I was listening to and focus on the game to figure out how to proceed! As usual, there are switches, one-way paths, and many other gimmicks to operate. The sixth dungeon exists in both past and present, and you have to move between the two to complete it. If you blow up a wall in the past, it also disappears in the present. For people who primarily like the puzzles in Zelda games, this is a real boon! The dungeon bosses in Oracle of Ages are also like puzzles. It took me a bit, for example, to realize I had to bounce a seed off a wall to hit the third boss, because he disappears as soon as Link faces him!

The game boasts some unique items in addition to returning favorites, e.g., bomb, boomerang (which must be won in a minigame), Zora's flippers, roc's feather, the cane of Somaria. The seed shooter is of special note. Five types of projectile seeds exist: ember, mystery, scent, pegasus, and gale. Ember seeds ignite things. Mystery seeds have various uses, including making owl statues give hints. Scent seeds attract enemies, even to the point they will fall into ditches. Gale seeds blow enemies away. Pegasus seeds speed Link up and can also be shot at enemies to stun them. In addition, non-projectile Gasha seeds can be planted in patches of soft soil (a la Ocarina of Time). Eventually, the seed becomes a tree, which awards a prize, such as a potion, piece of heart, or ring.

To use a ring, it must first be appraised at Vasu Jewelers.

Another gimmick is collecting rings, which can be transferred between the two games with the Game Boy link cable. There are 64 rings to find. Unfortunately, Link wears just one at a time (despite having ten fingers)! Most of them have small effects, such as protecting Link from a certain enemies or increasing his attack, defense, or throwing range. Rings are not common: after finishing the third dungeon, I had only six rings. In my opinion, the rings are mostly an underwhelming gimmick meant to promote the link-cable concept.

Like Donkey Kong Country, the game has animal buddies that help Link reach certain areas. Rocky the kangaroo leaps up ledges, Dimitri swims through deep water, and Moosh, a flying bears carries Link over gaps. The animals appear when needed to proceed in the plot, which is linear and not open-world.

These games are not as masterfully designed as Link's Awakening, but they are worthy sequels nonetheless. I would not think of them as a trilogy, but more like twin homages to a Game Boy classic. I wouldn't blame anyone for skipping them, but at the same time I recommend them for people who enjoyed Link's Awakening and A Link to the Past and want more.

Grade: A

Linked Review
"Time-traveling becomes the game's central aspect, making way for a puzzle-heavy adventure filled with colourful characters, interesting items and a plot much unlike those previously seen in the franchise."
— Patrick Elliot, Nintendo Life, 9/10


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