Finished alongside Oracle of Ages as first GOTM for September 2022. This is part of a duo of Capcom-created GBC games in the Legend of Zelda series. The games could be played separately, and then "linked" together via secret code provided upon beating one of the games to extend the story and provide additional upgrades and story beats.

Seasons provides a mechanic where the player alters the environment amongst the four seasons, and is the more action-centric of the two, with focus on shorter and spicier overworld sequences and more kinetic, fast-paced bosses and dungeons focused on action sequences and platforming. The pacing in Seasons is great, and there were multiple instances where the gameplay felt frenetic and exciting. The nature of changing the environment potentially four different ways can lead to some backtracking, but the differences between each season were enough to keep even the same areas feeling fresh and exciting.

While I played the standalone version as a child, I played this time as a "Linked" game after beating Ages, and the additional story segments, upgraded items/weapons, and two additional bosses were a blast. Highly recommended!

First GOTM finished for September 2022. This is part of a duo of Capcom-created GBC games in the Legend of Zelda series. The games could be played separately, and then "linked" together via secret code provided upon beating one of the games to extend the story and provide additional upgrades and story beats.

Ages provides a mechanic where the player moves in time between the past and present, and is the more puzzle-centric of the two, with focus on longer and more elaborate overworld sequences and more deliberate, slow-paced bosses and dungeons focused on solving puzzles. The purposefulness of slowing the game down to accomplish more intricate puzzles can sometimes leave the game feeling sluggish, though the gameplay is still good and the music is great. Played this one as a child, and it was great to revisit. Recommended!

First GOTM finished for May 2023. I'm conflicted on this game. This game has no desire to teach you any of its mechanics, and can be painfully obtuse at times. The crafting/affinity/elemental system is a complicated barrier to entry, the menu system is convoluted and has to be accessed constantly to change weapons, and the act of storing and removing items from the chest is painfully slow (as is saving in general). Obtaining and casting spells through the Grimoire mechanic feels unnecessarily complicated, and offensive magic as a whole feels unwieldy and unpleasant to use. However, I felt incredibly satisfied once I got the weapon and affinity system down, and once I figured out how to chain combos the combat really opened up. The menu was still clunky, and I'm still not sure what happened with that story even after finishing the game, but it felt good to wail on enemies and bosses using the full weight of the affinity and crafting system behind me. Despite Vagrant Story often actively trying to change my mind, I left feeling like I had an overall pleasant experience with this one.

Second GOTM finished for January 2023. I'm not sure how I really feel about this game. There were parts that were astounding, like the artwork and the combat abilities. There were parts that were odd, like movement and character progression. Then there were parts that were frustrating, like the platforming and hitboxes. Felt like a combination of a top-down ARPG like Terranigma, with a side-scrolling brawler like Streets of Rage (intentional, so they nailed it). This is a unique game that didn't take too much time to beat, but also didn't stir anything within me.

This was a really solid game. The music was of course excellent as always. The combat, while simplistic, felt much more frenetic and the game practically begged you to be as aggressive as possible. This made for a clunky and rather useless-feeling guard mechanic, but luckily fit in with the kind of playstyle I prefer. The highlight was how each world managed to (for the most part) feel distinctly different from one another. It wasn't just "same fight, new costume", but there were vastly different gameplay sequences and types that made each one feel fresh. I enjoyed the gameplay of this one far more than the others, and while the story sometimes felt like it was trying to be a little too bombastic in places, it was a good continuation to those before. Great game!