A fantastic journey when paired with Seasons
GAMEPLAY ~ This is the Puzzle Game!
It's basic LoZ fanfare. Both Oracle games are modeled after the original GB LoZ release as well as it's re-vamped GBC game DX. Both games aren't as large, but together they overpower. Oracle of Ages main difference, as it's name implies, is Time. You use the Harp of Ages to warp between the past an present an solve different objective using time. This was almost an EXACT replica of what was used in Link to the Past. There was only one level which involved you moving back an forth through time to solve the dungeon (Level 6). Everything else is as listed. But time lets vines grow and water decline, so it was used accordingly to advance the adventure. There is a choice between which tune you want to play, an there is only 3 tunes in all. The last tune warps you back an forth, the other two are either one or the other. But there is a nice choosing menu for the harp, so it’s easy to use.
The basic menu (press start button) is broken down into three parts. Tools on the first ring, Scenario items second ring and Essences and Heart collection on the third ring. That third ring also contains the save state area as well. To cycle between each menu press select. The Tools menu is the only one you can pick and chose from an each item can either be equipped on the A or B buttons respectfully. But the Tools menu does get rather cluttered with no actual holding place for anything, not too confusing, but quite chaotic if you ask me. There is also rings, which can be equipped on the Second menu on the bottom left, don’t forget to equip them!
This game gave you all different tools to finish the puzzles placed before you, and trust me, there were some real mind-blowing puzzles, some of the bosses even felt like puzzles! Though some tools seemed to be pulled off terribly, like my least favorite tool of all time, the switch-hook and the overall mobility of the mermaid suit was horrendous. Other things like the seed shooter were very cool. It gave you an angle shot to solve some very nasty puzzles!
STORY ~
Link is transported to a new area (named Labrynna or something) an is found by the local animal singer Nayru. Whilst listening to Nayru sing she is captured an taken to the black tower. She is than possessed by an evil force an is now the confidant of the Queen Herself. Can you... and some guy named Ralph... save both the land (Labrynna?) and Nayru from completing the Black Tower and decimating life as they know it!
If you played this as a link game, more is added.
GRAPHICS ~
Very top notch! The GBC was a higher grade in graphics than the NES, but many of it's game didn't look or feel as expressive as the LoZ series did. I guess when CAPCOM stepped up to help alot of things were upgraded. Link has many motions, an expresses a good portion of them in dance! Yes, Link dances... but with that aside, everything was beautiful! The landscape was vibrant and the dungeons were dark... some even watery. Than comes what we all feared in a GB "COLOR" title... color-coated-puzzles. Most noticeably the titled floor color changing area, so frustrating. But there was hardly any slowdowns and with two different maps to explore, both past and present it gave you alot to look at an to fully experience.
SOUND ~
Eh, it's just LoZ, I won't really go into it, because nothing was really memorable. You had the Zelda them playing as you transverse the world, both regular, than a slower one for the past. The dungeons had the regular animosity to them and the underwater them was alright. The SFX were good. From sword swings and octorock blast everything was fine. The one thing I can say was there was hardly any voice-overs for Link (except when he fell in a hole) which was great, because mostly he sounds like a girl.
REPLAYABILITY ~
This game is no cake walk! If you are not usto puzzles or aren’t a veteran of such classic layouts you’ll be dead in the water, or at least searching out a useful FAQ to make it through, an half the time, they don’t help much. A lot of the puzzles are trial an error. Impossibly hard dungeons like Jabu-Jabu’s Belly (Level 7) took me a good 3+ hours just to navigate through. This game is puzzle galore! There is also an item trading game (originally featured in Link’s Awakening) ring collecting and a few lousy mini-games to waste rupees on if you are bored. But that isn’t the extent of the replay, there is a “linked game” feature. If you own both Ages AND Seasons you can continue your journey once the game is completed.
But whatever title you choose to completed first will make the second title a lot easier. There is a password system which transfers different items and accessories to the new game, sometimes the passwords are given automatically without hassle, other times you gotta earn it! So you will be jumping between the two a lot! Both games depend on the password system to acquire the best weapons, including the Master Sword and the Mirror Shield. Thought with a puzzle game, I would think the mirror shield would have been implemented into a level an used for refraction puzzles, but the shield doesn’t really work like that anyway. Also with the linked game is the extended story line and the chance to battle the ultimate Moblin himself!
With Ages and Seasons work hand-in-hand both bring the replay to a powerful 10+!
But if not played together, it would only garner a 7 or an 8 respectively.
OVERALL ~
The LoZ series always shined with originality, thought there has been some blemishes along the way all of the portable titles have been some of the most outstanding adventures I’ve ever had. When linked with it’s kin title Seasons, expect to be playing both these games well over the 20 hour mark! An outstanding addition to any collectors collection!