(Game Boy Color)

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons (Game Boy Color)

Game Review

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons Review

USA USA Version

Posted by Patrick Elliot

Battle seasoned

The central combat mechanics of The Legend of Zelda series has seen several iterations over the decades. The classic top-down gameplay of the original was morphed into a faster, action heavy side-scroller in Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, only to be abandoned itself for a return to form in A Link to the Past. While the promise of 3D worlds and Z-targeting eventually led Nintendo to abandon the classic top-down approach on consoles (Four Swords aside), traditional Zelda design lived on in the handheld realm. From Link's Awakening to Minish Cap, Link's overhead adventures continued, and sandwiched between the two were the interlinked Oracle games.

If Oracle of Ages served to highlight the puzzle elements of this classic design, Oracle of Seasons zeroes in on the action. Based off the Power element of the Triforce, Seasons goes for a much more straightforward adventure, keeping puzzles light and pitting Link against tougher enemies much earlier in the game. If you play this game second out of the two, you'll notice right off the bat just how much more aggressive and durable your enemies are compared to those found in Ages.

While the battles won't really compare with the slick scuffles of Link's 3D quests, Oracle of Seasons combat certainly feels more challenging than its handheld cousins, especially when compared to the tap-and-attack gameplay of the DS entries. While the touch controls of those portable adventures felt refreshing, it's always nice to return to that classic Zelda action, with a trusty sword mapped to one button and your item of choice mapped to the other.

Yet while combat is enjoyable, the story may fail to impress, especially when compared to the tale found in Ages. Set in the town of Holodrum, Link is summoned to the land by the Triforce, where he stumbles upon a girl named Din and her group of travelling performers. Soon after, an evil General named Onox appears, revealing Din to be the Oracle of Seasons and casting Link aside as he steals her away. Din's absence plummets the land's seasons into chaos and Link is again tasked with setting the world back to normal. But after that introductory narrative ends, the game fails to really develop the story much further.

Seasons is a battle-centered game, and as such, never really captures the kind of wit and charm found in Ages' storytelling. While both share some lovable characters — such as the comically antagonistic Maple and lovable mounts Dimitri, Moosh and Ricky — Ages' yarn spun across two timelines, pitting Link with a lovesick Maku Tree, pairing him with colourful foil Ralph and intertwining the plot across the ages.

Comparatively, Seasons' story falls a little flat. The overly to-the-point Maku Tree serves mainly as a device to say "go here next," there are far fewer main characters and the folks you do meet feel less developed. If you decide to play the games as a pair, Seasons is recommended second, as the over-arching narrative between the two games will help enhance its lacklustre standalone story.

This brings us to the most unique aspects of the Oracle games: "linking." Upon completing one game, the player receives a code that can be entered when starting the other. This not only adds a final showdown with Twinrova and a resurrected Ganon, but also slightly alters each story. For instance, in a linked Seasons game, the traveling troupe is revealed to be a disguised band of Hylian Knights, sent by Zelda to protect Din. The princess also eventually enters the plot, playing a central role in Twinrova's attempts to bring Ganon back to life.

Storytelling aside, Oracle of Seasons does have an upper hand over its linked counterpart in the visual department. The world of Holodrum is far more vibrant, thanks to each screen having four distinct versions depending on the current season. From white-washed winter blues to saturated summer greenery and auburn autumn colours, the visual variety of the game is fantastic. Changing seasons causes slight environmental changes like vines that grow in summer or snow that piles up during winter, but these differences don't create as many puzzling effects as the time shifts in Ages. Still, they offer a nice visual range that gives you plenty of incentive to fully explore each area.

To gain more control over the seasons, you frequently return to Subrosia, a hidden underground land that serves as one of the more interesting aspects of Seasons' otherwise dull plot. After Onox captured Din, the Temple of Seasons disappeared — or so everyone thought; it really just sank underground into Subrosia. Here, Link powers up the central item of the game: the Rod of Seasons, meaning you'll spend a lot of time interacting with Subrosians, the comical bunch of creatures that inhabit the land. These weirdos enjoy eating and bathing in lava, find politeness to be rude and obsess over secrecy. These interspersed visits help to break up the narrative, and offer some much needed comic relief.

There are diversions aside from the main quest to explore, like ring collection and item trading, but oddly you can gain the final item from Seasons' trading sequence another way, making it an optional part of the game. However, playing a linked Seasons game will open up the opportunity to gain a very powerful ring that augments Link's attack, and allows for other weapon upgrades that help immensely against the game's harder boss fights.

The final boss battles of the game — especially the brawl with General Onox — are very tough without some sort of levelled-up equipment. You take more damage per hit, your attacks are less effective and you will likely be losing more frequently than you're used to in a Zelda game. If you don't have the patience to acquire the upgrades, expect to be challenged. The final showdown is still surmountable with ho-hum equipment, but should only be approached as such by folks seeking a genuine old-school challenge.

Conclusion

If you're looking for a straightforward Zelda adventure, this battle-heavy quest is about as straightforward as it gets. Oracle of Seasons streamlines the franchise's formula to let challenging classic combat take centre stage, but adds in enough originality to keep it from feeling monotonous. There is much incentive to play the Oracle games together, and if you do, tackle this one second. Doing so adds in interesting plot twists that enhance the barebones storytelling and allows for crucial weapon upgrades that help immensely against the challenging end boss. It may not be as engrossing as Ages, but Seasons still offers up an old-school adventure that will feel fondly familiar to long-time fans of the franchise.

User Comments (44)

komicturtle

#3

komicturtle said:

I have Ages. Tried Seasons on a friend's GBA before.. Would love for these two to be on eShop.

zezhyrule

#4

zezhyrule said:

Seasons is so much better than Ages in almost every way~
probably because I've never played Ages but hey, magnetic gloves

SnapDragon

#6

SnapDragon said:

Definitely would love to see this pair released on the eShop. Personally, I would give this one a 9, but seeing as how you seem to really enjoy a good storyline, the 8 makes sense. For those who haven't played either game, there are some spoilers in here.

Morphtorok

#7

Morphtorok said:

Wow exactly my feelings about the game!
Playing both games as a single adventure is perfect, but I do agree OoAges is better at these points you mentioned.
That last battle with Mr Dragon is hard too.

The day they release these on the eShop will be the happiest day ever, though I can still play these two on my GBA.

Mikau94

#8

Mikau94 said:

I played Season first when I was younger and therefore found it much harder and enjoyed Ages more. I need to play seasons again to se if it is really as hard as I remember. They are both excellent games though.

CanisWolfred

#9

CanisWolfred said:

I knew it, I knew they'd give this a lower score! And why? Because it's not not as confusing or convoluted as Link's Awakening or Oracles of Ages. You disappoint me, good sir.

ueI

#10

ueI said:

Can you explain what you mean by "you can gain the final item from Seasons' trading sequence another way?"

SuperNictendo

#11

SuperNictendo said:

Seasons was my first zelda game and I have fond memories of it. I wish seasons and ages would come out for eshop

LzQuackerStaff

#12

LzQuacker said:

@uel: The trading quest is actually not needed to get the item as long as you know the pattern by heart.

ueI

#17

ueI said:

@Lordlz: Ah, yes, I hated that pattern. I'm a bit surprised it was brought up in the review. I had trouble figuring it out WITH the intended items, so how anyone would correctly guess it is beyond me.

PatrickElliot

#20

PatrickElliot said:

Some will prefer action over story-telling, and if you do, than this is your Zelda game. And yes, the Magnetic Gloves rule and should exist in real life by now.

JayceJa

#21

JayceJa said:

didnt like the game as much as ages, the season changing is more of a cheap gimmick than being really utilized like the time traveling, the story was uninteresting, and the subrosia wasnt great

still, this is probably my third favorite zelda game, after ages and minish cap, top down will always be the best zeldas, and it has some really great locations and items

RevolverLink

#22

RevolverLink said:

I actually preferred Seasons to Ages, but it's been a few years since I last played them. Maybe I'll dust off my old GBA SP soon and see if that's still the case.

grumblegrumble

#24

grumblegrumble said:

This was the ONE game of the duo that I bought back in the day.... and I loved every second of it! 10/10

ShadJV

#25

ShadJV said:

These Oracle reviews make me bitter. Because I so long to have these two on my 3DS. Nintendo, y u no take my money?!?

Henmii

#26

Henmii said:

"If you're looking for a straightforward Zelda adventure, this battle-heavy quest is about as straightforward as it gets. Oracle of Seasons streamlines the franchise's formula to let challenging classic combat take centre stage"

Well, excuuuse me princess! Oracle of seasons isn't straightforward at all! At least not more straightforward then Oracle of ages, Links awakening or The minish cap. And the game is full of awesome puzzles, like it should be!

A 8 makes it feel like it is one of the weaker Zelda's, while in reality it is one of the stronger!!!

Kosmo

#28

Kosmo said:

Seasons has always been my clear favorite for its light-hearted tone and enchanting locations. Ages just feels so dark and gloomy in comparison...

phoenix1818

#29

phoenix1818 said:

One of the few Zelda games I have never played. Hopefully they release it (along with Ages) on 3DS virtual console sometime soon!

Rensch

#30

Rensch said:

I prefer seasons because it has four variations of the main overworld, as opposed to the two in Ages. On top of that, there's Subrosia, which offers a whole additional realm to explore.

SkywardLink98

#31

SkywardLink98 said:

These games really need to come to the eShop, and maybe instead of a code, the 3DS could tell the game that a correct code has been input if you have downloaded the other game. Then you don't have to beat one first before playing the second.

ueI

#33

ueI said:

@SkywardLink98: That wouldn't really work. You're supposed to start the second game with all your rings from the first game, and Nintendo has no way of knowing which ones you've obtained. Your interactions with the baby also carry over and can't be predicted ahead of time.

I would like an easier way than typing a 234 digit password, though.

Even better, I'd like Capcom to develop a new Zelda game. Nintendo has virtually ignored 2D after the N64, while Capcom has proved their worth with the Oracles of Seasons and Ages and Minish Cap.

SKTTR

#34

SKTTR said:

8/10 for the best handheld Zelda is evil. However, you really have to link this with Ages to get the full 10/10 experience.

Mitopcat

#35

Mitopcat said:

I would absolutely fall in love, if they came out with these games for the eShop/VC. However, make them available for the DSi, too. (Don't make fun of me sense I got a DSi and not the classic).

Red_Kinetic

#37

Red_Kinetic said:

I got both of these on Day 1!
I loved how the GameBoy Advance unlocked even more stuff to do and see over the GameBoy Colour!

WWammy

#39

WWammy said:

I preferred Seasons over Ages generally since its closer to the standard Zelda formula :)

Cotton

#41

Cotton said:

counting this one all i need is 3 more zelda titles to have every single zelda game(not all on original console though)

Sam_Loser2

#42

Sam_Loser2 said:

They need to have these on the eshop, and only if they make it possible to link the games on the same 3DS.

swordx

#44

swordx said:

This deserves a MUCH higher rating. I'd give this, Ages, and LA a 10/10 any day of the week. These games were absolutely perfect.

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