THIS POST HAS PRETTY MUCH NOTHING BUT SPOILERS!!!!!! THINK ABOUT IT!!!!!!
A quick note about this game. Oracle of Seasons was released simultaneously with Oracle of Ages. The two games use an excellent password system to Link the games together; showing parts of the story that would have otherwise been unavailable to you, including a fight with Ganon! Sadly, that is not what this review is about. Later on, I will do a less in depth list for the "best Zelda experience." This list is judged mostly off of the original experiences I had on the original consoles these games came out on. Anyway! On to the magic!
11. The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons (2001 Gameboy Color)
For me, this is a very difficult game to judge. I find it very difficult to talk about this game without talking about Oracle of Ages.No matter which game you play first, at the end of the
game you receive a password to unlock an extended version of the other Oracle game. This extended game features different new temples, new enemies, new bosses (Ganon and Twinrova) and oddly enough, Princess Zelda makes her first appearance at this time. If I could mold these games into one long one, I'd certainly rank that game in the Top 5 Zelda experiences.
This was the second to last Zelda game I ever played. Having not owned a Game Boy Color when they were out, I missed a large portion of the excellent games the GBC has to offer. Thankfully, my brother (in his infinite awesomeness) got me copies of each Oracle game in excellent condition for Christmas one year (next level move, take note).
Oracle of Seasons takes place in a unique setting for the Zelda series, the land of Holodrum. Link is sent there by the Triforce in order to defeat the evil general Onox. Onox has kidnapped the Oracle of Seasons, Din, and sunk the Temple of Seasons into the ground; throwing the seasons completely out of whack. In the aftermath of this horrible tragedy, Link is taken to the Maku tree, the guardian of the Land of Holodrum, where he is charged with collecting eight essences of nature. These essences will return the Maku Tree to full strength, allow him to return power to the Temple of Seasons, and help Link to defeat the evil General Onox (pictured).
The story in this game is truly excellent. General Onox is a special kind of evil and it feels fresh having a completely different cast of characters for Link to interact with. Because it isn't Hyrule, you don't expect to see anything, you don't recognize familiar faces (ok some people look sort of like other Zelda characters) and it's nice to have surprises like that in a Zelda game. The story is complemented really well by a cast of over 40 NPC's and 40 unique areas/shops/homes/etc. This is all aided further by the rapid changing of the Seasons that takes place in this game. Not to spoil too much of the actual gameplay, but Link (pretty early on) gets access to the Rod of Seasons (Link is holding it in the box art). This magical rod allows him to stand on these magical logs, swing the sword, and cycle through the Seasons at will.
As you can see from the picture, the seasonal changes to the environment can be quite drastic in both where you can go in Holodrum and how the environment looks. I love this mechanic so much and I really hope Nintendo finds a way to work it into another Zelda game some day. It truly makes this game stay fresh the entire time. You don't ever feel like you are endlessly backtracking and in fact, many of the puzzles that involve changing seasons at the right time and place are quite challenging and enjoyable.
Speaking of how the look of the game can change, I just plain love how this game looks; I mean, just look at how bright and colorful the world map is.
I have scoured the internet for a poster of this world and I don't believe it exists, this is a travesty.
It really is hard for me think of any one part of this game that I enjoy the most, but one area that comes immediately to mind is the entire area of Subrosia. Subrosia is the world that exists under Holodrum, it is where the Temple of Seasons has sunk too, and Link will travel here often throughout the course of the game. The people who inhabit this underground world are really what make it what it is, although the lava filled environment looks excellent as well.
Down in Subrosia, Link interacts with many of the Subrosians, visiting their stores, homes, and helping them solve some problems. Subrosia is more than just a small extra area, it's practically an entire other world map! There are several different areas to explore, many of which you can't get to until you progress along equally in the overworld.
In addition to the beautiful and dynamic world, Link is able to interact with it in some pretty unique ways. One of the items that Zelda fans won't recognize from other Zelda games is the seed satchel. This satchel ends up holding four different kinds of seeds: ember (burn stuff), scent (not telling), gale (fast traveling), pegasus (increased speed), and even mystery seeds (too mysterious to say). The game also sees the introduction of a new item in the magnetic gloves. These gloves are used to defeat several enemies made of metal, to cross gaps, and to solve puzzles. Yet again, this game shows that it means nothing but business, and I haven't even gotten to the best part yet. This game features an extensive ring equipment system whereby Link can collect 64 different rings. Depending on the size of the ring box you have, Link can carry up to 5 different rings; switching between them and taking advantage of their abilities. Some of the rings raise Link's abilities, some make him change forms, some decrease his stats, it's a pretty extensive and fun system.
This game also does it right when it comes to Dungeons. One in particular that comes to mind is called Snake's Remains. I enjoy the dark and eerie looking style, I enjoy the block moving puzzles, I like the power bracelet you get inside, and I especially love the mini-boss of Snake's Remains, Facade. Facade is literally the room itself and Link must use a combination of dodging and bombs to defeat him. I think this mini-boss battle is great for how much it throws you off when you first encounter it, but I did find it rather lazy that they make you fight him again later on. They didn't develop his character at all and I didn't see any serious connection between him and General Onox. I also really enjoy the battle with the two headed dragon Gleeok. It requires a good bit of jumpy dexterity and it might take you five or six times to beat him, but darn it if it isn't an excellent battle. Apart from these battles, the rest of the are all relatively generic Zelda boss battles, you fight Gohma, Dodongo, Manhadia, and a variation of the giant eye boss. I don't dislike these battles, but with how many things that are different about this game from the average Zelda experience, you'd think that the developers would have made up some more unique boss battles as well. It just feels like they did so many distinct things with this game that they were almost afraid to take too big of a step, for shame Nintendo (you almost had it)
To the developer's complete credit, the final boss battle with General Onox is pretty damn epic (link to boss battle, don't let the video fool you, the battle is very tough if it's your first time). Onox starts off the battle with a giant swinging spike ball, swinging it violently as Link runs around the room. Link must not only slash Onox with his sword while avoiding that ball, but he also has to switch to the Rod of Seasons and use it to hit the crystal that is holding the kidnapped Din inside. Aimed properly and the crystal will bounce around and strike Onox.
After rinsing and repeating this for a bit, you will fall through the floor and Onox will transform into his true form: the Dark Dragon. I was completely thrown off the first time I saw this and I really do love how challenging this boss is. A truly excellent conclusion to a truly excellent game.
Amazingly, I really didn't even touch on everything there is too experience in this game. That's how much fun this game is. It isn't without its faults of course, but they are few and far between. Whenever we do eventually reach Oracle of Ages on this list, I'll discuss the other great parts that these games share, including the Linked game features. Spoiler alert, it's not the next one on the list.
Next time we crack the top ten. Things are getting too real. Thanks for reading.
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