The year 2002 is a great one for fans of the Zelda series. All at once they received two more Legend of Zelda games, Oracles of Ages and Oracle of Seasons, for Game Boy Color. Unlike Pokemon Red and Blue, which are two similar games with a few differences, Ages and Seasons are two different games with a few similarities. The story of the two games are related - so much so that to get the full effect you need to play both games. However, the world maps are completely different, as are the dungeons, so you truly have two separate games.

In this Review I will mark both games on a scale of 10. It's not the most exciting scoring system ever, but this is supposed to be cut and dry so you can get to the end and make your gaming decision.

Story:
Ages: 8
Seasons: 6
Together: 10

In Ages, Veran, Sorceress of Shadows, possesses Nayru, Oracle of Ages, and uses the oracle's power over time to escape into the past. As Link you must chase after Veran and stop her before she changes the past enough to bring about the Age of Shadows. Your journey will take you through both past and present; your actions in the past will change the present, while items you find in the present can often be used in the past.

In Seasons, Onox, Sorceror of Darkness, kidnaps Din, Oracle of Seasons, throwing the seasons into chaos. Again as Link you must rescue Din and restore the seasons back to normal. To do so you will use the Rod of Seasons, which allows you to change the season between Winter, Spring, Summer, and Autumn at will. The terrain changes appropriately in each season, allowing you to access areas that you wouldn't be able to under pre-existing conditions.

When you beat one game you will receive a special password that allows you to "link" your games. When you put the password into the second game it will recognize that you have already beaten the first game and change the story to accomodate. The stories are strongly linked, but I can't tell you how they come together without giving a lot away. I can tell you that if you play just one of these games, you'll be left with a major cliffhanger.

Both stories are fairly original, although the games boil down to a hero rescuing a damsel in distress, even if that damsel isn't Zelda like it usually is, so I couldn't give full marks for the individual games. I took some more points off Seasons because I couldn't quite understand what Onox's plan was. I could see Veran was trying to change the past to put herself in power in the present, but how Onox was going to help himself by messing with the seasons is still a mystery to me. Together, both games create an excellent story, one that links both together and sets up many of the other games in the series.

Graphics: 9

The Oracles have the same kind of graphics, and they're not bad for a game on an 8-bit system. Because of your vantage point it is sometimes difficult to tell how tall things are, which is important to know for when you want to jump over stuff. You'll soon learn what kind of stuff can be jumped though, and everything else is easily recognizable.

Sound:
Ages: 4
Seasons: 7

Like the graphics, the two games have similar kinds of music, and even share a few music files. Unlike the graphics, the games don't have identical music, and as it turned out I preferred the tunes placed in Seasons. Seasons has two tunes that stand out in my mind as being really good, while Ages has two tunes that stand out in my mind as being really bad, you know, as in you want to turn down the volume. In both games, many of the tunes get annoying after a few cycles, but I do appreciate the effort shown by giving each dungeon its own theme and by not giving both games all the same music. As for sound effects, most of the sounds are right on, but I took off a point from both games for the incredibly annoying beeping you hear when you're low on health, as if I wasn't aware of it already. It does a good job of making me really want to get some Hearts fast, though, so I can stop that beeping (and stay alive).

Controls: 8

The controls are pretty smooth in both games, but sometimes there is no instantaneous effect when you push a button, which can lead to falling down holes as you walk forward and don't end up jumping quite when you expect to, and stuff like that. Both Oracles require that you re-equip items frequently, which can be rather frustrating, but there is nothing that can be done about that since the Game Boy Color only has two buttons. If this were an N64 game you'd be able to equip more items at once, making the game run a bit more smoothly.

Characters:
Ages: 10
Seasons: 6

Before I explain the scores, I'll list the main characters.

Link: The main character of both games, he's called on to save some more people. With his sword, bombs, and newly acquired items in tote, he'll traverse dungeons and put an end to evil... if you can help him.

Nayru: The Oracle of Ages, who gets possessed in the game of her namesake. When she's in control of herself she also has control of time.

Din: The Oracle of Seasons, who gets kidnapped in the other game I'm reviewing. Normally she keeps the seasons in check, but not when she's encased in a magical prison.

Veran: The Sorceress of Shadows, who has the power to possess people. She uses this power to take control of Nayru and time itself.

Onox: The Sorceror of Darkness, who has the power to knock people away. Yeah, well anyway, he uses this power to kidnap Din and mess up the seasons.

Zelda: Gives the series its name. You won't find her in the first game you play, regardless of which game that is, but when you link them together...

Twinrova: You killed these two witches in Ocarina of Time, so obviously this game takes place before that one. With Veran and Onox as her (their?) servants she intends to light three special flames, which will allow her to summon the Gerudo King. If you played Ocarina of Time, you'll know who that is...

In addition to these characters are many other crazy and eccentric people, some of which are important to your quest while others get in your way or provide comic relief. You'll meet up with Zoras and Gorons, as well as some individuals from previous games. However, for whatever reason, most of the "unusual" races and reoccuring characters seem to show up in Ages. Gorons and Zoras (well, one anyway) do appear in Seasons, but their role is greatly reduced. Seasons does have that windmill guy who wants things to go around and around, which I think is funny, but overall Ages has a much better cast.

Just for the record, I noticed that the three oracles (Nayru, Din, and Farore, who appears in both games but is never bothered by baddies) have the same names as the three goddesses that were said to have created the world and the Triforce in Ocarina of Time.

Gameplay:
Ages: 7
Seasons: 8

Veterans of the Zelda series will already know what's coming to them. Much of the game takes place in dungeons, where you'll need to solve many puzzles to unlock new rooms. You'll earn keys, battle bosses, and pick up a new item in each one. Unlike in Mario 3, for example, dungeons do not immediately follow one another. You'll also spend a significant amount of time searching for the next dungeon, often picking up a new item on the way. It's standard Zelda fare, and it's probably the reason why the Zelda series is one of Nintendo's most popular.

I took off a few points because it's sometimes frustrating to get done what you need to. In dungeons or on the road you'll often need to pass an area by for the time being while you search for a new item, but then it's discouragingly difficult to try to make it back there once you think you've found the solution (and even more so if you don't actually have it yet). Gale Seeds, which let you warp to certain places, help a bit, but there aren't enough warp points and they don't help at all in dungeons. Ages, perhaps because the present and past each have fewer warp points than the single map in Seasons does, strikes me as being a bit harder to navigate, although the two games become equally frustating once you become able to jump through time at will.

Items:
Ages: 9
Seasons: 6

Since many puzzles require you to use an item or two, the quality and quantity of these items can have a powerful effect on the quality (but not quantity) of the game itself. The Oracles have just about the same number of items, but I liked the ones in Ages better. I really like the Switch Hook, which allows you to switch places with certain objects, and the Cane of Somaria, which allows you to create a block you can push around or jump on. My favorite item in Seasons is the Magnetic Glove, which you can use to attract items to you or yourself to certain points. Ages also does a really good job of making use of all the items you've found. When trying to piece together a solution in Ages, you really need to consider all your items. In Seasons, however, some of your items don't get used very much. The Magnetic Glove is used a lot, but the Boomerang is rarely needed, and you don't ever need to use the Scent Seeds, although, to be fair, that's an item that was needed only once in Ages.

Difficulty: 5
(Unlike some other reviewers, my score is how much I like the difficulty, not how hard the game actually is.)

Ocarina of Time is the only other Zelda game I've actually played, but apparently it's easier than the series' 8- and 16-bit predecessors, and now successors. This game is very difficult, both in puzzles and enemies. Although the game provides a few tips, there aren't enough of them and they're often vague. Don't be surprised if you find yourself turning to a walkthrough for a few of the puzzles, or even Gameshark for some of the enemies. If you make yourself invincible you won't have to bother with enemies as you work out solutions, at least... although I learned the hard way that a few important events that are supposed to happen when you solve some puzzles don't when you use that code.

In any case, both games are roughly equal in difficulty. I found Seasons a bit easier, but it's probably because I played it second and had already figured out how to push blocks and stuff. I took off a few points because it is possible to get trapped in a few places if you don't do what the game expects. In one place I missed a room where I would have found a key and ended up trapped between a locked door and some blocks that had reset themselves so I could not pass through them. I spent a long time trying to solve the "puzzle", and didn't know for sure that I was trapped until I turned to a walkthrough. Then I had to save and restart my game so that I was back at the start of the dungeon. Most games are smart enough to avoid this kind of trap, so I had to give a penalty.

Length:
Ages: 9
Seasons: 7

Both games are adequately long for being on Game Boy Color. Of course it would be best if the games were together on one pack, but I assume that Nintendo only separated them due to space restrictions, and not so they could get more money. Ye...ah, well anyway, I took a point off Ages because, although it's very long the first time through, it will be much shorter the second time since you know how to solve the puzzles. Much of the time spent playing is walking around, trying to figure out where you're supposed to be and how to solve those pesky puzzles. If you already know the answers the game really isn't that long at all. The same goes for Seasons, and I took off a few more points because Seasons does not seem as long as Ages. While Seasons has only one world map, Ages has two, present and past, which are significantly different from each other. Although you have four seasons as opposed to two ages, changing the seasons does not change the map, so Seasons has less areas despite its having an extra, optional dungeon... although, you could take up a lot of time hunting down a rare tree stump so you can actually change the season.

Replayability: 10

I know I missed a ton of Heart Containers and other special items in both games. While scanning walkthroughs for information I needed, I saw stuff like "Master Sword" and "Mirror Shield", both of which I'd like to have, neither of which I've found. Also, a Zelda fanatic will need to replay the first game after getting the password from the second in order to see everything that both games have to offer. In short, you still have a while to go after you've beaten the final boss, of either game.

And finally...

Fun Factor!:
Ages: 9
Seasons: 7.5

Both games were hurt a little bit by the difficulty, which made getting around and solving certain puzzles frustrating, but overall both are excellent games. I liked Ages a bit better because the story made more sense, the game seemed longer (whether or not it actually was), and finding your way to the next dungeon was more interesting than in Seasons, where you use your Rod of Seasons to access new paths, rather than to tackle two landscapes in parallel worlds.

Recommendation: Returning Zelda fans will find that both games live up the series' good name, and should be happy to come back for more. Either of these games are also a fine introduction to the series, especially since they seem to set up the others. I feel both games are worth playing, as you'll be missing out on a lot if you play just one. Probably you should buy only one to start with, to see if you like it. I liked Oracle of Ages better, so I would suggest starting there. I would not suggest renting these games because rushing through your game so you can return it in time will only frustrate you more when hard puzzles or messy terrain slow you down.

In short, these games are not for beginning players, as they are simply too difficult, but just about any player with some skill ought to find something to like.

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