BATTLE SYSTEM INTERACTION ORIGINALITY STORY MUSIC & SOUND VISUALS CHALLENGE Easy to Medium COMPLETION TIME 8-15 Hours OVERALL 3.5/5.0 Rating definitions

   In 2001, Nintendo joined with Flagship, a division of Capcom, to produce a pair of Zelda titles for the Gameboy Color, with players able to play either game and transfer data to the other with a password, and added bonuses for the second game played. I just so happened to play The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons second, which, even without taking the data transfer into consideration, is perhaps the stronger of the two titles.

   The battle system is more or less the same as in Link's Awakening, and by extent Oracle of Ages, though with a few different tools assignable to the A and B buttons such as a slingshot and double jump. Link, thankfully, still has his nifty charge-and-swirl sword attack, with most battles, save for those in tight places, going smoothly, and most bosses requiring some sort of strategy other than button mashing. Oh, and I should warn that if you transfer data from Oracle of Ages, you'll have to fight a couple of extra boss battles, which can easily catch players off guard.

Poor kitty...

   Interaction is smooth for the most part, with the ability to save your game anywhere always being welcome, though clues on how to advance the game can be a bit too cryptic at times, and solutions for many puzzles aren't always obvious. One unique feature to Oracle of Seasons, I should mention, is the ability to change seasons with a special rod, necessary to advance across the world at points.

   The season system is the game's main innovation, though elements such as the two-tool battle system present in Link's Awakening play a significant part in the game, not to mention many traditional series elements.

   The plot, as usual, takes a backseat to all the dungeon exploration and wandering of the game's environs, with no significant development, although transferring data from Oracle of Ages seems to add more scenes. Again, there seem to be some links to Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, but when will we ever get an official Zelda timeline?

   The composers, as with before, did a fine job scoring Oracle of Seasons' soundtrack, with a nice diversity of dungeon music and sound effects, even if some of the music, chiefly the overworld theme, is rehashed from Link's Awakening.

"Now who will help me rake these leaves?"

   Judging the Gameboy Color's visual standards, as usual, is a real pain, although those in Oracle of Seasons certainly fit the game's mood, with fitting and diverse colors for each season, dungeon, and so forth, and well-designed environments, although the sprites could've clearly used more detail.

   Finally, even with the extras gained by importing data from Oracle of Ages, Oracle of Seasons is shorter than its cousin, taking anywhere from eight to fifteen hours to complete, and is easy if you're playing it without data transfer, although the extra bosses gained with data transfer can make it tougher.

   Ultimately, Oracle of Seasons, despite its flaws, is worthy of the Zelda name, and a decent companion to Oracle of Ages, to boot. Both games have unfortunately fallen off the mainstream video game market, although if you happen to stumble upon them, they'll make a worthwhile, though admittedly brief, gaming experience.