Oracle of Ages excels as an authentic Zelda adventure as well as a swansong for the Game Boy Colour.
Our hero Link has been summoned by the mystical Triforce and teleported to the land of Labrynna. After rescuing Impa, Princess Zelda's nurse, from a gang of monsters, Link and his new companion travel on to meet with Nayru, the enchanting Oracle of Ages. Nayru has a hunch that something terrible is about to happen. Naturally, it does. Turns out Veran, the evil Sorceress of Shadows, has been possessing Impa throughout proceedings and promptly swaps her host for Nayru. With the power of time itself at her fingertips, Veran begins to wreck havoc throughout the past and present. With Labrynna descending into chaos, Link seeks an audience with the Maku Tree, the guardian of the land. After travelling to the past to save the wise but dim-witted willow from near death, Link receives his quest. He must seek out the eight Essences of Time, scattered throughout eight dungeons, before Veran can poison the mind of Labrynna's Queen Ambi and finish work on her sinister Dark Tower. The story continues to evolve throughout the game. After the completion of each level, the Maku Tree will contact you with new information regarding the location of the next Essence. Talking between characters displays mainly in the form of text. There is a touch of JDS (Japanese Dialogue Syndrome) every now and then, occasionally forcing the odd "get on with it!" cry, but much of it is humorous and provides character to the hundreds of NPCs you will encounter on your journey.
At first glance, OOA displays a striking similarity to its predecessor title, Link's Awakening. True, the HUD remains largely unchanged, but this is hardly a bad thing. The overhead perspective is also kept intact. Occasionally, the view switches to a 2-D platformer perspective, usually used in certain parts of dungeons. Some boss fights also take place in this view. The player can assign the use of one object (at a time) to each of the A and B buttons and uses the D-Pad to move Link around. Many of the items have also been ripped from Zelda lore, including the iconic Wooden Sword, Roc's Feather and Power Bracelet. These items allow Link to perform certain actions like jumping, fighting, lifting objects, swimming and so forth. The game world is quite expansive, about 200 screens in size, and it literally doubles in girth once you realise you can explore it in the past realm as well. As in previous Zelda handheld games, there are eight main levels (or dungeons) located around the game world, with various side areas and missions you will need to undertake along the way. Some of the dungeons exist in the present, some in the past, and some in both. Each dungeon contains numerous puzzles and monsters, both of which increase in difficulty as you advance, as well as two bosses. The bosses in general are nicely varied and fun, some are quite tough to take down. The side quests and areas usually involve tasks required to reach the next dungeon, find a new item or upgrade your equipment. The odd mini-game is thrown in (particularly through the middle part of the game) to keep things fresh. All of this is fairly standard fare for Zelda fans, but thankfully OOA has some new tricks up its sleeve.
The most prevalent of these is the concept of time travel. Fairly early in the game, Link receives the Harp of Ages, an instrument with a magical ability to transport its player between the past and present. Several tunes are learnt throughout the game, which give the Harp different abilities. Although it may seem like an "I Win" button, it is used cleverly and extensively as a means of solving puzzles. As it turns out, what you do in the past can affect the situation in the present. Admittedly, it could have been used in more interesting ways, but the GBC's capabilities hold it back. Secondly, Link will interact with three different creatures throughout the game that act as "steeds". Eventually, you will be able to keep one of these steeds to help in combat and navigation. Once again, this feature probably isn't used enough, and your steed sometimes refuses to go to certain areas, but it's still cool. Thirdly, OOA introduces "rings". Rings are found throughout the game world and (once appraised) can be worn to provide benefits and tweaks to Links' skills. Collecting the whole set of rings will appeal to some, though admittedly some rings are more novelty than others. Then there are the new objects, like the Cane of Somaria which creates blocks and the Switch Hook which switches an objects' position with Links' (please correct me if these have appeared in previous titles). You can also collect different types of seeds from trees which can make you move faster, teleport around the map or light dark places. OOA does well to keep the gameplay fresh all the way through. It often accomplishes this by throwing new situations at you. For example, at one point you are washed ashore on an island and all your items go missing, forcing you to explore the island and barter with its inhabitants to get them back. There are nice little touches too, like the random encounters with the irritable witch Maple (which always results in a rush for loot) and the way that small avenues of the game world slowly open up as you gain new abilities. It's worth noting that although OOA contains a healthy dose of combat, it is a far more puzzle-oriented affair than past titles. These puzzles can become tedious and frustrating in the game's later stages, but are also very satisfying. If you are after a bit more action, try the sister title Oracle of Seasons.
Now to the game's aesthetics; of which OOA doesn't disappoint. It is undoubtedly one of the best looking games made on the GBC. Its environments flourish with colour, the sprites and characters are detailed. Flame and particle effects also look nice. Overall, the game looks almost as good as some of the screenshots we've seen for the GBA. In the sound department, things are not as solid. It's not that the sound is bad, there's a good mix of traditional Zelda music and sounds along with new tracks for each region of the land. It's just that the GBC doesn't have the audio grunt to do it justice. These are small criticisms, I know, and you will probably be enjoying yourself too much to notice. The game runs very smoothly, I didn't come across one bug or clipping problem. All up, it's a feast for the eyes.
Being a Zelda adventure, OOA piles up a more than respectable 15+ hours in the game time stakes, not including the various things you can do and places you can explore once the main quest is complete. Now here's where it gets really neat. For the uninformed, OOA will be released with another title Oracle of Seasons. I have not tried the following feature, but once you have completed one game you can use a password system and/or a Game Link Cable to continue your adventure in the next. This means that you will have access to bonus items, areas and an extended ending in the second game you play. You can also transfer rings you have collected from game to game. Given this feature works smoothly, it should open up a new dimension in story-telling and provide a lot more value for the two games.
Oracle of Ages does everything a Zelda game should. It looks great, plays smoothly and is full of adventure, humour and a lively game world. If anything, the GBC almost holds it back from achieving perfection. Luckily, another Zelda title is currently in the works for the GBA. For those who appreciate a good story, oodles of exploration and near-flawless game design, this fits the bill perfectly. It's inventive yet exciting, subtle yet epic, and manages to show off some things we've never seen before. So, my thumb-savvy companions, it's time to give the old Game Boy Colour one last hurrah!