The Legend Of Zelda: Oracle Of Seasons & Oracle Of Ages - Which Should I Play First?

The real question should be „If I want to play only one of them, which should I choose?“ And the answer is clearly Ages.

Rings! I appreciated the rings I was able to carry over from Seasons into Ages. It gave me an attack advantage, allowing me to focus more directly on the puzzles. They are quite a fun challenge in Ages.

I cant quite put my finger on it, but to me Seasons always felt like the one you were supposed to play first. Playing the more complex Ages first and then finishing off the overarching story with the far simpler Seasons just feels off to me but obviously people can play in whichever order.

Can you link both games on one Switch system?

When they came to 3DS VC, I did Seasons then Ages so I'll probably go the opposite this time around. When I get around to them.

Both of these need the “Link’s Awakening” treatment.

@xmkbest yes. Could do it on one GameBoy back in the day as well.

@Seraphmoon but not separate. In a Duo Box with linking via the save file rather the cumbersome password.

I am so excited and undecided on which one to play first! This only muddied the waters. Thanks.

Oracle of Ages is a superior game to Seasons, to be honest. If you only play one, play Ages. Always enjoyed it as (loosely speaking) a de-make of Ocarina of Time.

I recently looked this up, and the article I found pointed out that playing Season second results in more connections to the story of Ages than the other way around. To the point of which General Onox mentions hearing about Link, but Veran will not.

I have no proof of this, and cannot even figure out where I read that, so there's no reason to believe me.

@Seraphmoon Really hope this happens (both games in one though, don’t want to see a split release). Always wanted to play these but I’m not so bothered about playing them with the GBC aesthetic.

Just play whichever one you like the look of more first.

In 2001 I bought Seasons and then got Ages in 02.

I played Ages on 3DS. I got very close to finishing it. I think the only dungeon left was the final dungeon. I've also played half of Seasons back in the day. I think I'll play Seasons first whenever I decide to play them. Maybe I'll actually finish them this time.

For those talking about choosing one, know that this isn't a Pokemon Red/Blue situation. The two games are completely different. If you want to play all the Zelda, you need to play both.

I was never able to finish ages so seasons.

Either or is fine, but apparently I've heard that the events of Seasons are referenced in Ages, so it may be wise to play Seasons first.

Either way, these two games deserve much more credit than they've been given. They were the first two Zelda games to introduce text speeds and text skipping, a crucial feature which its absence in previous entries is why I still openly refuse to play the original versions of A Link to the Past, Link's Awakening (and DX), Ocarina of Time, or Majora's Mask.

@xmkbest Yes. The link system has a password option for people who didn't have a Link Cable. Just write down your passwords from Game #1 and you're good to go. (If you forget or make a mistake, the green oracle Farore has a special book that keeps track of them.)

@Seraphmoon I hope not, personally. LA is the most disappointing remake I've experienced in a while.

I would say Seasons first just because it's easier than Ages

@Seraphmoon
Yes!, using the same engine as Link's Awakening. But sold as a bundle.

Don't start with Ages. Although it's regarded as the "best" out of the two, its main gimmick is underutilized and may leave you bored if you jump in expecting time travels like Chrono Trigger.

Oracle of Seasons was my first Zelda game ever so if I ever decide to replay them for the millionth time I'd probably start with Seasons for nostalgia reasons, but honestly it doesn't matter. I never found any of them to be significantly harder than the other.

I love to see these games on Switch so more people can experience them. Truly underrated gems.

Overall I think Ages is the better start, but Ages second provide a bit more challenge for the linked finale as you will have weaker items to use.

Thanks for the guide I’ll definitely be giving seasons I try since i like more combat focused games though I also like puzzles too.

Seasons…it’s the one I started with when it first came out and it’s the one I’m starting with again.

I also own these two games on my 3DS but sadly never got around to finishing them 😔

Start with ages and switch back and forth.

Ages is first because A is the first letter and S is way down the line, at least that's my reason for starting with ages first

All recommendations point to playing Seasons first

I prefer Ages first because it has more story bits between dungeons. Seasons can feel a little empty, but the added content in a linked game alleviates that. It just feels better balanced overall.

Plus, if you're a true completionist, playing both ways ends with a linked Ages playthrough and a complete Labrynna map, since there is one tile you cannot access unlinked.

@Seraphmoon with the 3rd part that was never made. (It was supposed to be Farore and the Oracle of Color)

I’ll just go alphabetical.

Anyone who hasn't played these, but is not chill with BotW/TotK's change to a less puzzle-driven dungeons adventure, these are quite possibly some of the best dungeons in the series. I would venture to say Ages is even superior to MM in dungeon design, despite that MM is my goat.

Really, Nintendo? Right before BG3, you bring this evil into my home?!?

Wow… 22 years old.

I remember, vividly, when these games came out on Game Boy. The ads were awesome. When I was younger, I bet I would have wanted Ages.

I could only imagine the nonsense we would say at school. Like traveling through time over years is much cooler than seasons within the year. LOL.

Anyway, I never played them and if I were to start, I would go with Seasons. That gameplay concept sounds funner to me. Freezing lakes, seeing the trees during autumn, fresh flowers in the spring. Obviously the Gameboy doesn’t have the juice to realize those effects to today’s standards but still, my mind goes in that direction. Sounds pleasant AF.

I start with Ages first for one simple reason: afterwards, you get to start seasons with 4 hearts instead of 3, and you get to bring the Blue Ring from Ages. That alone makes the first dungeon in seasons a lot easier. Fighting the double Goriyas and Aquamentus with 3 hearts and no rings is risking death. Seasons has much tougher dungeons. Ages is a cakewalk in repeated playthroughs once you know all the puzzles, but combat always retains its challenge. And aside from Dodongo, every dungeon boss in seasons is a brutal challenge of its own. The only dungeon in Ages capable of draining Link's hearts is the Skull Dungeon.

Of course, since we get another Hero's password upon competing the linked game, I then do the seasons->ages order so I can experience the story both ways (as well as getting all the upgrades, and all 64 rings - you pretty much have to play both ways in order to achieve 100% completion).

Seasons then Ages for me back in the day. I doubt I do it again (time is a fleeting thing...), but if I did, I'd do Ages then Seasons.

I used https://github.com/JerryTo/Zelda-Oracle-Password-Generator not long ago for replay number like 5 or whatever. every few years I replay these but I generate codes to just have all the rings and such to start. Basically the whole New game plus thing you get after beating both, where your save has tryforce and secrets are enabled even though it's part 1 of 2 again. So it is fresh, just fresh with all the rings