hortly after Majora's Mask for the Nintendo 64, there were rumors of three games for the Game Boy Color. Originally titled Fruit of the Mysterious Tree, the trio would be Zelda games as players had never before, as Nintendo wasn't the official creators of games. Rather, Nintendo allowed Capcom to create the games instead, sparking both interest and controversy at the same time. However, Capcom wasn't about to disappoint the Zelda world as it announced that the series of games would be linkable to each other, so that doing something in one quest would affect how your quest went in the other game as well. Eventually, one of the three games in the series was dropped due to difficulties in the password system, and after a renaming, the now two games became the Oracle series.

Link, curious as to how the powers of the Triforce worked, decided to tinker around with the magnificent force to learn about how the Triforce's Golden Power ruled the land. Though it sounded like a good idea at the time, the Triforce decides instead to send Link on a quest off to a land across the Great Sea called Holodrum. The story begins as Din, a famous dancer, finds Link passed out in a field. She nurses you back to health, and you wake to find yourself with a troupe of travellers accompanying Din. However, good times are not to be had for long, as a whirlwind comes by, kidnapping Din and sending the travellers flying. It's the work of General Onox, a big, stout, and fierce-looking man. He imprisons Din, the Oracle of Seasons, within a crystal, and with her powers sealed, he sends the sacred Temple of Seasons into the ground, throwing Holodrum's seasons into utter chaos. Link's goal is to find the now-missing Temple of Seasons and learn the powers within the temple. Otherwise, Holodrum will never be the same again.

The Game:

As a spinoff of the masks in Majora's Mask for the Nintendo 64, Oracle of Seasons has a wide variety of rings to collect. In fact, there are a total of 64 unique rings within the game! (Interesting how they arrived at that number... ) Many of the rings are rather useful, giving you more powerful attacks, doubling the amount of rupees and hearts you can pick up, and even transforming you into various creatures in the game. Unlike Oracle of Seasons' predecessor, many of the rings, including the transformation rings, are merely for play. In fact, some of the rings don't do anything useful at all! Primarily, the rings are for the replay value of the game, giving it the classic "Gotta collect 'em all" attitude that everyone has seen in Pokémon.

Many items from the past are brought back in the Oracle of Seasons. We once again revive the ever-classic slingshot back from the grave. Roc's Feather, from Link's Awakening, and bombs, found in almost every Zelda game, make their appearances as well. Even the Master Sword and the Biggoron Sword magically pop up after you link the two games together. But there are new items as well. The Magnetic Gloves, which can assume both a north and a south polarity of magnetism, and the use of various types of seeds are introduced for the first time. However, we sadly say goodbye to the Bow and Arrow, as it is missing from the series.

As the name would suggest, the time of year plays a crucial element in Oracle of Seasons. Once Link obtains the Rod of Seasons, he is continually having to change the season to another one to advance forward in the game. Many times, Link will change the season to advance forward, only to jump two steps back, having to change the season again. However, at first, Link only gains the power of winter, limiting his use of the Rod of Seasons. However, over time, Link will eventually obtain the powers of summer, spring, and autumn in turn, making more and more places available each time. As if that isn't adventuresome enough, they include a hidden underground world called Subrosia to explore, and it is said that, somehow, the two worlds are linked together...

Oracle of Seasons is the easier of the two games, as it is much more action- and fighting-based than its sister, Ages. However, you are much more free to roam around in Ages, being able to explore most of the map after just four or five dungeons. Seasons is also more non-stop, and the veteran to Zelda will find it fun, but unfortunately, rather easy. Ages takes a lot from previous games, so veterans will enjoy the numerous parallels it brings with it. However, newcomers are sure to like it just as much, as it still has that famous Zelda spirit in it.