Note: This playthrough of Oracle of Seasons was played as the sequel to Oracle of Ages via the Linked Game feature
What strikes me most about Oracle of Seasons is how different the overall experience feels from Oracle of Ages. While both games in the duology were released on the same day in 2001 and look similar at a glance, Zelda fans of the era were treated to two unique adventures. A common refrain for these games is that Ages focuses on puzzles while Seasons focuses on combat. I personally find this view is a bit simplistic as dungeons in both games contain elements of puzzles and action. Rather, each of these games channel different modes of exploration that the Zelda series tends to draw from. And these modes of exploration can clearly be seen through the design of each game's overworld.
Oracle of Ages is a puzzle-led exploratory action game. The world of Labrynna is, as its name suggests, a labyrinth. It is confusing to navigate around and requires using your items to puzzle out the path to the next dungeon via the present and past timeline maps. There are specific routes and combinations of items that need to be used to navigate its world.
Oracle of Seasons is a discovery-led exploratory action game. While the overworld still gates specific areas until you get a specific item, you can explore much more of the overworld in a freeform manner. The map doesn't feel nearly as constrained in how you can navigate it. The featured item of the game, the Rod of Seasons, can manipulate how you traverse the overworld by changing the season while standing on a tree stump. This enables the discovery-led exploration. The flow of the game is such that you find a new area with a stump, manipulate the seasons, and explore the surrounding area to discover new changes in the overworld that will allow you to traverse forward. You are also encouraged to keep an eye out during exploration since secret caves, staircases, and portals can become available to you as the seasons change.
With an emphasis on discovery via exploration, Seasons specifically feels like a spiritual successor to the original Legend of Zelda on NES. Having just played the original Zelda, it was fun to spot all of the connections! The manner in which you navigate to Dungeon 1 and its appearance on the outside directly resembles Dungeon 1 in the original Zelda. Seasons also has a mechanic where you can burn bushes, bomb caves, and find other mysterious entrances to reveal old men that do a variety of things. Like in Zelda 1, these characters can steal your money, give you money, or other provide other fun secrets. Even some of the Zelda 1 dungeon bosses make a return!
The other notable feature of the Oracle games is the ability to link the games to each other to create a seamless story. After finishing Oracle of Ages, you are given a password that can be entered into Oracle of Seasons to continue the story. After doing this, Seasons will contain new plot events, a new endgame, and the ability to upgrade items by passing passwords you discover in Seasons back into Ages (and vice versa). Even after finishing Ages, I was constantly dipping back into it during my playthrough of Seasons to get secret items I could transfer back to Seasons. It sounds a bit confusing to type out but works well in practice. It's a cool system that makes these Zelda adventures feel like more than the sum of their parts.
Overall, I enjoyed the flow of Oracle of Ages slightly better than Seasons as my personal preferences for 2D Zelda slide towards puzzle-led exploration. I also connected more with Ages' world since it was a difficult experience to puzzle my way across it. But Oracle of Seasons is an excellent game in its own right and when linked with Ages, these two games provide an epic, handheld Zelda experience. The dungeons are excellent, the overworld exploration is satisfying, and the scenarios you come across are funny and memorable.
Favorite Music: I love the music in Oracle of Seasons so much more than Oracle of Ages. Playing Seasons puts into contrast what exactly I thought was missing in Ages. The town themes and dungeon themes are memorable and atmospheric. The songs below are all unique to Oracle of Seasons while my favorite songs in Oracle of Ages are shared between both games. That fact alone puts my feelings on both soundtracks into clearer focus.
Horon Village: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MP5BC6rgFas&list=PLD7475F03564D42CA&index=9
Dancing with Din: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VR8TCFjlfxM&list=PLD7475F03564D42CA&index=7
Dancing Dragon Dungeon (Level 4): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhGS79bPPCI&list=PLD7475F03564D42CA&index=21
Tarm Ruins: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0EumkAeEAo&list=PLD7475F03564D42CA&index=4
What strikes me most about Oracle of Seasons is how different the overall experience feels from Oracle of Ages. While both games in the duology were released on the same day in 2001 and look similar at a glance, Zelda fans of the era were treated to two unique adventures. A common refrain for these games is that Ages focuses on puzzles while Seasons focuses on combat. I personally find this view is a bit simplistic as dungeons in both games contain elements of puzzles and action. Rather, each of these games channel different modes of exploration that the Zelda series tends to draw from. And these modes of exploration can clearly be seen through the design of each game's overworld.
Oracle of Ages is a puzzle-led exploratory action game. The world of Labrynna is, as its name suggests, a labyrinth. It is confusing to navigate around and requires using your items to puzzle out the path to the next dungeon via the present and past timeline maps. There are specific routes and combinations of items that need to be used to navigate its world.
Oracle of Seasons is a discovery-led exploratory action game. While the overworld still gates specific areas until you get a specific item, you can explore much more of the overworld in a freeform manner. The map doesn't feel nearly as constrained in how you can navigate it. The featured item of the game, the Rod of Seasons, can manipulate how you traverse the overworld by changing the season while standing on a tree stump. This enables the discovery-led exploration. The flow of the game is such that you find a new area with a stump, manipulate the seasons, and explore the surrounding area to discover new changes in the overworld that will allow you to traverse forward. You are also encouraged to keep an eye out during exploration since secret caves, staircases, and portals can become available to you as the seasons change.
With an emphasis on discovery via exploration, Seasons specifically feels like a spiritual successor to the original Legend of Zelda on NES. Having just played the original Zelda, it was fun to spot all of the connections! The manner in which you navigate to Dungeon 1 and its appearance on the outside directly resembles Dungeon 1 in the original Zelda. Seasons also has a mechanic where you can burn bushes, bomb caves, and find other mysterious entrances to reveal old men that do a variety of things. Like in Zelda 1, these characters can steal your money, give you money, or other provide other fun secrets. Even some of the Zelda 1 dungeon bosses make a return!
The other notable feature of the Oracle games is the ability to link the games to each other to create a seamless story. After finishing Oracle of Ages, you are given a password that can be entered into Oracle of Seasons to continue the story. After doing this, Seasons will contain new plot events, a new endgame, and the ability to upgrade items by passing passwords you discover in Seasons back into Ages (and vice versa). Even after finishing Ages, I was constantly dipping back into it during my playthrough of Seasons to get secret items I could transfer back to Seasons. It sounds a bit confusing to type out but works well in practice. It's a cool system that makes these Zelda adventures feel like more than the sum of their parts.
Overall, I enjoyed the flow of Oracle of Ages slightly better than Seasons as my personal preferences for 2D Zelda slide towards puzzle-led exploration. I also connected more with Ages' world since it was a difficult experience to puzzle my way across it. But Oracle of Seasons is an excellent game in its own right and when linked with Ages, these two games provide an epic, handheld Zelda experience. The dungeons are excellent, the overworld exploration is satisfying, and the scenarios you come across are funny and memorable.
Favorite Music: I love the music in Oracle of Seasons so much more than Oracle of Ages. Playing Seasons puts into contrast what exactly I thought was missing in Ages. The town themes and dungeon themes are memorable and atmospheric. The songs below are all unique to Oracle of Seasons while my favorite songs in Oracle of Ages are shared between both games. That fact alone puts my feelings on both soundtracks into clearer focus.
Horon Village: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MP5BC6rgFas&list=PLD7475F03564D42CA&index=9
Dancing with Din: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VR8TCFjlfxM&list=PLD7475F03564D42CA&index=7
Dancing Dragon Dungeon (Level 4): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhGS79bPPCI&list=PLD7475F03564D42CA&index=21
Tarm Ruins: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0EumkAeEAo&list=PLD7475F03564D42CA&index=4