The
Legend of Zelda is a classic series, and for good reason.
It has seen entries on every Nintendo platform with each of them being considered, if not
the best on the platform, one of the best.
This trend is continued with The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages.
This was released to Gameboy Color, as a sister game to Oracle of Seasons, with each of them
acting like one half of a much larger experience.
And while the game may be just part of something larger, it is still a solid entry on its own.
Link awakes in a strange land outside of Hyrule.
He quickly meets Nayru, who turns out to be the Oracle of Ages.
Nayru is then kidnapped by Veran, who is out to conquer the world.
This throws the world into chaos and it is up to Link to save it.
To do that, Link must find several Essence of Time, which are hidden throughout the land.
This starts the normal Zelda adventure, with Link traveling to different dungeons, fighting
enemies and solving puzzles.
The interesting part comes with the new items.
The game is played from the classic top-down Zelda perspective, and is brought to life
with some very impressive visuals for the Gameboy.
The colors are bright and the worlds detailed.
It is how you interact with the world that is more impressive.
Each Zelda game introduces new items that need to be learned and used to solve the puzzles.
The main theme is traveling to different ages.
You will use the Harp of Ages to traveling back and forth from the past and present,
with your actions in the past effecting the present.
If you go back in time and plant a seed, when you go to the present it will be a fully grown
tree.
This brings back good memories of A Link to the Past, where you have to think in both
worlds.
The game works as foil to Oracle of Seasons.
While the Seasons was a much more action oriented, Ages focused much more on puzzles.
Don’t think that means there is not any combat.
You will still have to frequently use your sword to deal with the game’s enemies, but
for the most part the dungeons will test more your ability to think rather than your ability
to fight.
Even though the game is suppose to be played with Oracle of Season that doesn’t mean
it does not stand on its own.
This was suppose to be the swan song for the Gameboy, and I can not think a much better
way for it to make its exit.