The Legend Of Zelda saga has established its privileged status through timeless and essential games. Some experiences, like Ocarina of Time, have even transcended excellence and made history, so their influence is prevalent in today’s games. Which does not imply, on the other hand, that the not so remembered Zeldas are less brave and fascinating. Like, for example, the twin installments The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages.
What’s more, the context from which both games emerged, released simultaneously for the Game Boy Color , is already something truly exceptional: Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages were, together, the next great title of The Legend of Zelda after the launch of Majora’s. Mask on N64, Link’s second and third foray into laptops (respectively) and also the first transitional installment between Nintendo systems. A triple responsibility with an exceptional nuance: The Big N will delegate the development of both games to Capcom.
To this day, that Nintendo gives the opportunity to use the Hero of Hyrule is something relatively frequent that continues to surprise, but not as much as in the second half of the 90s: the transfer of characters to Phillips and his CD-i and the three spinoff titles remain an ugly stain outside the series, and most collaborations, such as Cadence of Hyrule or Hyrule Warriors, are -in essence- a spin-off not connected to the main Legend of Zelda series.
That said, while the trust in Capcom was total , what ultimately led to a sensational double installment and a prolific alliance – which will span several more titles – began as a very different project: updating The Legend of Zelda experience from NES for the Game Boy Color.
The premise was, in essence, that Yoshiki Okamoto (from Capcom) proposed to the legendary Shigeru Miyamoto (creator of The Legend of Zelda) a remake of the Nintendo 8-bit classic for the Game Boy Color and, depending on the success of this first title, dare with a new, more ambitious and totally original Zelda.
And although it might seem like a simple and safe bet, that development did not turn out as expected, according to Okamoto himself later.
My idea was to produce a remake of the first Zelda game (released for the NES in the US) for the Game Boy Color. Then, if it went well, we could move on to the next stage and play a more ambitious game. But my team wanted to skip that first phase and create their own Zelda game from scratch.
So, after an initial investment of time and resources, Capcom moved from the preliminaries to the highlight: the challenge of creating a new Zelda . A new entry in the main saga, big words. And despite the fact that the result was outstanding, as we will see, the development ended up being chaos in which – according to Okamoto – a lot of money was lost.
The problem? Well, viewed from the outside, the titles aren’t much different aesthetically and playable from The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, Link’s Game Boy debut. But Capcom learned the hard way that the process of creating a title in the Zelda saga begins with the gaming experience and, from there, extends to other aspects.
Normally, Mr. Miyamoto creates the game’s setting (story and characters) after the playable skins are designed. If the action and mechanics of the game are solid, the scenario can develop from there.
Flagship, the Capcom division responsible for the game, created the scenario first. Then we create maps and start developing the game. That did not work. Using that system, the team had to remake both the scenery and the maps multiple times to get all the elements to fit.
During that process, we realized that since the Game Boy Color screen is narrower than a television screen, the player must scroll the screen left and right to see the entire scene. That created some difficulties in game development.
That is, if the player sees a crack in a wall, they know they need to use a bomb to break it. But, if you can’t see the crack, because all the walls in the room aren’t visible at once, you might miss it. That made it more difficult to develop the maps.
With the above ahead, what makes The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages so special compared to the rest of the saga?
That we have put them together in this new retrospective of the saga is no coincidence: at Miyamoto’s suggestion , Capcom developed a concept that the Japanese genius had been around for a long time: create a Zelda trilogy in which each installment focuses on one of the Powers of the Triforce: Power, Wisdom and Courage.
In this way, the work that was originally destined to be the remake of The Legend of Zelda on NES ended up becoming The Legend of Zelda: Mystical Seed of Power (the call to be the chapter of Power) the first of the three installments of the Triforce Series that were being developed in parallel to be released simultaneously. A new trilogy established in its own right in the Zelda saga.
Three titles that, by the way, would be connected to each other . But not in a similar way to the Pokémon, Inazuma Eleven, or Yo-kai Watch games – each of the experiences was a complete game. With its own dungeons, its own story, and its own game philosophy. A triple challenge that Capcom passed with flying colors.
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons, the Zelda that put our skills to the test
A young pointed-eared horseman crosses the horizon on the back of his steed. Link, the hero of valor, hears the call of the Triforce and rushes to Hyrule Castle. Without weapons, without a plan, but with the determination to save the world from any possible threat.
Inside the fortress, Link discovers that the three pieces that make up the arcane power begin to emit a singular glow that results in the creation of a dark portal that absorbs our protagonist and leaves him unconscious.
To his surprise, when he opens his eyes, Link finds himself in the vicinity of a unique camp of wandering artists established in the land of Holodrum , standing out above the rest his talented dancer: the young Din.
Link’s arrival in Holodrum is not the product of chance, but of fate: not long after befriending Din and his fellow travelers, the dancer is kidnapped at the will of General Onox, revealing that she is actually the Oracle. of the Stations. The world is in danger and, of course, we will not sit idly by .
Originally titled Mystical Seed of Power , The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons is an experience that draws directly from Link’s Awakening in the playable, but takes note of everything that worked in Ocarina of Time through travel and puzzles that we must solve transforming the world around us.
In this regard, both visually and with regard to the Oracle of Season ‘s game scheme, we can see that Capcom takes the Game Boy classic as a starting point, but also takes advantage of the hardware -and color- advantage of the Nintendo laptop to introduce an original mechanic: once we obtain the Scepter of the Seasons we can alternate at will the different biomes of Holodrum to reflect Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.
Thus, the lakes will become frozen, the trees will bloom or we will see how mushrooms sprout from the ground, for example. Each little element being a way to access new places and solve puzzles when moving forward. A totally characteristic aspect of the adventure, of course. However, what really makes Oracle of Seasons special is its approach to action.
From the beginning, Capcom wanted each of the games to focus on one of the qualities of the Triforce, and in the case of Oracle of Seasons, the sense of adventure so associated with the saga ends up by placing the right emphasis on the nuances of dexterity and skill with the sword or any of the weapons and tools that we will find throughout our quest.
It’s not that Oracle of Seasons lacks challenges that require us to rethink what we’ve done or where we want to go. In fact, it is not an action-focused experience, but a game totally faithful to the defining aspects of The Legend of Zelda saga. With its eight dungeons, its corresponding artifacts (in this case Essences) and its plot.
But the gameplay sensations, as a whole, versus his twin delivery are brilliantly different.
In this way, Oracle of Seasons knows how to give the most zeldero fan better excuses to unsheathe the sword and, in essence, gives them reason to improve their inventory and their offensive ability. making the confrontations with small creatures and big bosses have a special role.
Thus, the title focused on the Triforce of Power does not neglect the essential elements of any experience of the main Zelda saga, but it rightly reinforces its adventurous character to leave us a great feeling of challenge at the controls.
And, despite being half of a great story, at no time does it feel like half a game: it is, in its own right, a complete installment of The Legend of Zelda saga that gains new nuances and character when compared to her twin sister : The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages.
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages: or why Link’s most powerful weapon is not his sword
Link opens his eyes and slowly gets up in the vicinity of a lush forest. You just woke up and you don’t know where you are or understand what happened. The last thing our hero remembers is that he responded to the call of the Triforce and was sucked into a mysterious portal.
As soon as he has started walking and into the forest, Link hears a call for help. The elderly Impa, Princess Zelda’s nurse , is in trouble: a small band of Octoroks, evil and dangerous wild creatures, have surrounded her.
The mere presence of the hero of Hyrule causes the Octoroks to retreat, and Impa requests Link to accompany her through the forest to meet Nayru, a young singer blessed with one of the most beautiful voices in all the land of Labrynna. .
What Link did not suspect is that Impa’s escort through the forest was not the result of chance: before their encounter, the defenseless nurse had been possessed by Veran, a Shadow Sorceress , allowing her to pass through the forest seals. and kidnap Nayru herself, who turns out to be the Oracle of Ages.
Through Naryu, Veran initiates a disastrous succession of events with which to alter the course of time at his will and convenience. Luckily, all is not lost: if Link manages to recover the eight Essences of Time distributed by Labrynna, he will be able to restore normality. Delicate work will require us to master the sword, of course, but also to have an even sharper mind.
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages is the final name of the project originally titled Mystical Seed of Wisdom and as follows from this it focuses the core of its adventurous experience on solving dungeons and challenges through ingenuity and solving of puzzles. A complete and exquisitely successful contrast to what was seen in Oracle of Seasons.
In fact, if the use of the color palette of the Nintendera laptop in the installment dedicated to the Triforce of Power served to distinguish between the four seasons, in Oracle of Ages we are not only placed between the different timelines that we ourselves must alternate when using the Harp of the Times , but is also an essential part of certain puzzles.
What’s more, it can be said that The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages itself is a huge one that we are solving as we progress and following the structure of eight traditional dungeons of the saga. Delving a little more and better into the concept of time travel seen in Ocarina of Time until it becomes its central theme.
In this sense, despite the fact that the action elements are not affected as much as in Oracle of Seasons , solving each new challenge that will be put before us in Labrynna will require having the right weapons and skills. Being another equally successful way to test our skills as players.
At this point it is essential to have a concept in mind: the design of The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages and The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons makes them two different adventures with their own content, challenges and dungeons, but with common elements. .
Throughout both games we will come across characters in common and we will even be guided by Maku Tree , a recurring element in the Zelda saga itself. Although, as you will see just below, each title has its own version of the tree.
In this regard, and despite the visual similarities compared to its twin installment , The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages retains its own identity in the way it challenges the player in new ways. From his way of solving the dungeons, more focused on puzzles, to the way of solving the recurring and always welcome sequence of exchanges taking advantage of time travel.
Allowing us, in the process, to meet the personalities of Labrynna at different times and interact with them in different ways. Being aware at all times that the scene of the game itself includes notable changes when traveling from the past to the future.
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages is a complete game . As much as Oracle of Ages Seasons and any installment of the previous or later saga. But it’s also half of an even bigger experience that comes from combining the two titles. And the best part is the way Capcom brings the two together.
An unforgettable adventure in two parts
We mentioned above that the original idea of Miyamoto and Capcom, after discarding the remake of the original Zelda , was to create the Triforce Series trilogy of games: three adventures through which the player would explore the concepts of Power, Wisdom and Courage, both separately and together.
Initially, a third title began to take shape, The Legend of Zelda: Mystical Seed of Courage , focused on the experience of courage. However, to the game design problems already mentioned, a greater one was added: how to connect the three games with each other?
Consequently, Capcom chose to round out the experience by taking a drastic decision: to discontinue development of the third game (focused on the concept of Valor) and simultaneously launch two main titles of The Legend of Zelda saga that, in addition, could be played. in any order.
And what is more interesting and innovative: once any of them have been completed, make – for the player – the joint experience of both titles become the same adventure that converges in the true end of both.
Logically, Game Boy Color did not offer current data transfer systems. So Capcom threw ingenuity: once Zelda Oracle of Ages or Zelda Oracle of Seasons is finished, after the end of the game, we are given an alphanumeric code that we can enter in its corresponding twin delivery .
By doing this, we will begin the second game ( Zelda Oracle of Ages or Zelda Oracle of Seasons ) with some advantages -including an extra health heart- characters that appeared in the delivery from which we started and an interesting battery of novelties among which stand out final enemies that were not there before.
And, on top of the above, the true final act of both games. A last test of courage in which Link must save Princess Zelda herself and prevent the return of a powerful arcane evil.
The brooch experience Zelda Oracle of Ages or Zelda Oracle of Seasons implies that, completing both adventures one linked once, a new dungeon in which we will witness the grand plan of the Birova twins appear in either of the two versions: resurrection of Ganon himself.
Which will lead to the inevitable confrontation with the true final enemy of both games and the ultimate test of prowess of the Hero of Hyrule.
Logically, when completing the second game we are also given a code that we can use in the delivery with which we embarked on the adventure and, in the process, receive extra bonuses and access to the true end of the other cartridge. However, there are especially interesting extra details:
- At the beginning, we can exchange objects between the two games through an exotic vendor.
- In addition, we will meet again with characters and events derived from the game with which we started. Many of them will keep our previous adventures in mind.
- On the other hand, only by playing the two Game Boy Color games we will close some subplots that were left open in each installment, including the unexpected resolution of the story of Queen Ambi and the true past of the Captain of the pirate skeletons.
- Finally, and given the imminent arrival of the Game Boy Advance , Capcom included a specific store with exclusive items that only appeared if we played from Nintendo’s 32-bit laptops.
The content expansion that was added to Zelda Oracle of Ages and Zelda Oracle of Seasons did not amount to a third installment, but it did provide a satisfying reward for passing the skill and wisdom tests of both games. A sensational finishing touch to an exquisitely sensational delivery.
Oracle of Seasons y Oracle of Ages, dos aventuras imprescindibles
It’s obvious that Capcom recycled many elements from The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening for the twin Game Boy Color installments. However, his way of dividing the essence of the Zelda saga into two adventures and bringing them together into a much larger one remains masterful.
Nintendo was absolutely right in trusting the Osaka people , and although the development of the Triforce Series project had its own challenges, the result remains outstanding. Enough that Miyamoto and the Big N trusted Capcom to shape two new installments in the main series.
With Game Boy Advance already on the shelves, Capcom continued to experiment with the series by introducing the first major Zelda installment with multiplayer component The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords . And, not long after, we will be gifted one of the most beautiful pixelated installments ever made: The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap.
Irrefutable evidence that made it clear that the Osaka company had perfectly internalized the essence of adventure and the constant sensations of challenge and discovery that make the initials of The Legend of Zelda great. And, at the same time, dare to shape some of the most experimental adventures of the Hero of Hyrule.
It would be unfair to say that all the credit goes to Capcom: Nintendo collaborated very closely in the production of all the titles and they also knew how to channel the best and most interesting of the maximum references of the saga. Including Link’s Awakening, Ocarina of Time, and Wind Waker.
But, it must be said, they also knew how to introduce new elements and fascinating characters to a cult saga.
Both Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages have aged exceptionally well and continue to be, decades later, two adventures as essential as they are exceptional in a saga that sits a chair in the adventure genre.
Which does not mean, logically, that we have every reason to sigh for a double remake in tune with that of The Legend of Zelda: Links Awakening for Nintendo Switch. Because being a timeless jewel (or two, in this case) is not incompatible with an update with extra pampering.
Perhaps Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages are not a visual wonder. Neither are they fan-favorite Zeldas or are often cited among Game Boy Color jewels with the same forcefulness as A Link to the Past on SNES or Zelda: Ocarina of Time for N64. But both individually and collectively they are sensational exponents of the greatness that radiates a cult series like The Legend of Zelda.
