The Oracle games are some of my favorite games, and it’s mainly due to how well they were planned out. The games are connected, but at the same time they are two very different games. What makes these games even greater though is the fact that linking between the two games is also different pending on which game you played first. It really gives a different feel of the quest you just played or are about to play differ from someone that started on Ages or Seasons first. Seasons is very much a combat centered game, focusing more on tough boss fights throughout as well as placing you in a lot of situations where it’s easy to lose hearts like tricky platforming. Now Seasons isn’t too challenging compared to most video games, but when pairing it against Ages, it’s harder combat wise. The same can be said for Seasons when it comes to puzzles, as Ages excels at those, while Seasons is considerably simpler. It’s not really that Ages is super easy or Seasons is either, they just excel at different things, and when pairing the two games together, as you would by linking both games, you get the best of both worlds. In essence the Oracle games are too big of an adventure to be contained in one title.

Don’t let the above statements fool you though, as both Seasons and Ages work very much like any other Zelda game out there. Seasons still has many puzzles in typical Zelda fanfare fashion. Go through the dungeons, find the item, get the boss key, beat the boss, repeat. What makes Seasons stand out over ages though is the newer and more interesting weapons you get throughout your adventure. A few of these items have never been seen in any other Zelda game before, and make for a lot of interesting puzzle solving. The biggest of which is the magnet gloves, taking an interesting spin off of the hookshot. These newer items make Seasons have a newer puzzle vibe to them compared to other Zelda handhelds, and while they may be simpler, it’s different. Seasons also has more of an area to explore compared to Ages as it’s map is about 1.5 times bigger than Ages along with the underworld that adds about another half of a map to seasons making it about 2 times more areas to explore compared to Ages. However when it comes to story I have to give it to Ages, as Seasons story is rather simple compared to Ages. The Seasons simply go into chaos when Din gets captured; so you have to safe her, it’s typical damsel in distress storyline. Seasons simply doesn’t add much to that plot in comparison to Ages, with it sticking more to action rather than words.

Of course, both Seasons and Ages add more to the series as well by giving the handheld games a more crisp look in the graphics department by adding more detailed sprites and color to Link’s Awakening format. Both the soundtracks are wonderful to listen to in all their chip tune glory. And the extra things like the gasha seeds and the rings give the Zelda series more things to collect and complete. It’s kinda sad how the rings aren’t present anymore considering all the neat power ups and abilities it gives throughout the game. The addition of animal friends also makes the game a bit more personal, and unique throughout each playthrough as the animals each have their own paths and will change the map pending on which animal you get. Overall, Oracle of Seasons is highly replayable and makes for quite a handhelded experience.

Final Thoughts:

Seasons can be considered the brawn of the Oracle games, but don’t let the label fool you. Seasons still has a lot of the same puzzle fanfare Zelda fans have come to know and love, as well as a lot of interesting new puzzles thanks to the game’s newer items. If you’re looking for a Zelda game with a newer feel to it, Seasons would be a game worth looking into.

Oracle of Ages is the partner game to Oracle of Seasons. However, and somewhat surprisingly, they're pretty different. While Seasons feels more like Zelda 1, Ages is like a 2D take on Ocarina of Time, with a bigger focus on plot and NPC interactions (it even has time travel!). Generally, I enjoyed Oracle of Ages more, but both games are of pretty similar quality. Recommended.

Since I played Ages after Seasons, I can talk about the "linked game experience" here. Using the password obtained after beating Seasons, I started a "linked game" in Ages, which meant I got some additional story content (like the true final boss of the Oracle duo) and some fun returning NPCs in the map. There's also a whole "secrets" system to get better items but it was a bit tedious. Overall, the linked experience isn't particularly impressive but the extra plot and boss fights were a nice addition.

You can clearly see this is Capcom's first Zelda. Almost every standard from previous games stayed, but some of Capcom options to make the game their own led to frustating gameplay. For example, the dungeons (which are good!) are filled with monsters, and sometimes you die or have to backtrack long ways, and, as a result, you have to do your way back from the start.

Also, the game did a couple of stupid decisions. Making obligatory to progress a rhythm minigame that cost rupees —TWO TIMES— is one of them, and it's no surprise many players give up in this part.

This is Capcom's first take on Zelda, and they did a average job, with some frustating decisions, but good dungeon and item design.

Probably the weakest 2D zelda I've played. The dungeons are decent but more complicated than the ones in Seasons in an annoying way. The time travel gimmick, while interesting, is tedious and overused to the point where the novelty wears off and you are just frequently warping back and forth to try and figure out where to go in either time. The mermaid tail and jabu jabu's belly were a serious drag since they change the simple and perfectly fine swimming controls to requiring hectic tapping in whatever direction you want to go which was a real pain for my thumb. The story is more compelling than in seasons but is still nothing remarkable. The switch hook and solomon's cane were interesting items but the cane didn't get nearly enough use. A big complement I can give to this and Seasons is how different the two games are despite being released at the same time and that they're both decently long games without the padding of minish cap. They share the same assets and a chunk of the items but in terms of the dungeons and areas they're completely different. The way they link together so you get the true ending in the second game is also very cool.