The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages
released on Feb 27, 2001
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages is one of two Zelda titles released for the Game Boy Color, the other being Oracle of Seasons. The game retain many gameplay elements from Link's Awakening such as the graphics, audio and top-view perspective. It also features eight dungeons and a large overworld to explore like in the previous games. Oracle of Ages is said to be more puzzle-oriented than its counterpart being more action-oriented. After completing one of the two games, both can be linked to form a single linear plot with an alternate ending. Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons were often credited as being two of the top games for the Game Boy Color.
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I have a fair amount of nostalgia for the Zelda Oracle games; I'll just admit that right away. But even so, Ages is a well-crafted adventure. Perfect to play in bitesize chunks while taking your GBC wherever you go. The story is simple but effective & gameplay keeps you engaged with all its puzzles. Throw in some nice chiptunes to boot & you've got a nice handheld Zelda classic.
Beating every Zelda in timeline order 13/20:
Honestly, I'm pretty torn on Oracle of Ages. There's a lot I love about the game. I think the dungeons and bosses are spectacular from a puzzle-focused Zelda game. For my tastes, nothing was overly obtuse or difficult, but it was all perfectly challenging. I really really enjoyed these as they made me think far more than a typical Zelda dungeon would. Veran is a fun villain as well, I quite enjoyed the story, simple as it may be. The overworld and the time spent between the dungeons is a bit of a mixed bag, however. The Harp of Ages iterates and improves on the light world/dark world concept from A Link to the Past. I love how it's used to progress through the world. What I don't really enjoy is the sequences of going to a place and tediously walking back and forth between screens to trade items or play goron minigames or solve the fairies' forest maze. These all vaguely annoyed me and felt like they were wasting my time instead of making me think outside the box. The overworld isn't exactly packed with interesting things to discover this time around either. I love the weird and wacky items in this game, but dear lord I hate the mermaid controls so much.
I can't imagine Oracle of Ages being for everybody, but for me this is a super fun puzzle game that made me feel like a genius- with a good amount of tedium thrown in for good measure.
Honestly, I'm pretty torn on Oracle of Ages. There's a lot I love about the game. I think the dungeons and bosses are spectacular from a puzzle-focused Zelda game. For my tastes, nothing was overly obtuse or difficult, but it was all perfectly challenging. I really really enjoyed these as they made me think far more than a typical Zelda dungeon would. Veran is a fun villain as well, I quite enjoyed the story, simple as it may be. The overworld and the time spent between the dungeons is a bit of a mixed bag, however. The Harp of Ages iterates and improves on the light world/dark world concept from A Link to the Past. I love how it's used to progress through the world. What I don't really enjoy is the sequences of going to a place and tediously walking back and forth between screens to trade items or play goron minigames or solve the fairies' forest maze. These all vaguely annoyed me and felt like they were wasting my time instead of making me think outside the box. The overworld isn't exactly packed with interesting things to discover this time around either. I love the weird and wacky items in this game, but dear lord I hate the mermaid controls so much.
I can't imagine Oracle of Ages being for everybody, but for me this is a super fun puzzle game that made me feel like a genius- with a good amount of tedium thrown in for good measure.