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CNET editors' rating:
4.5 stars
Outstanding
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Product summary
Ages is a wonderful game in its own right, and as a set with Seasons, it comes as highly recommended as a game can be.
Specifications: ESRB: Everyone; Genre: Adventure See full specs
Price range: $74.99
Gamespot editors' review
- Reviewed on: 06/04/2001
- Updated on:05/17/2006
- Released on: 05/13/2001
Ah, The Legend of Zelda, the most hallowed of game franchises. Nothing beats the feeling of sitting down with a new Zelda game and all the impeccable hours of gameplay that it entails. Our friends at Nintendo have found a way to one-up that excitement, however, by releasing two Zelda games simultaneously for the Game Boy Color. The two newest games in the series, Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons, deliver on every essential element of the classic Zelda formula--dungeons, puzzles, and items galore are all here. Though the games were actually created by Flagship, a Capcom developer, they fit so well with previous Zelda titles that they might as well be Nintendo games.
In graphics, sound, and gameplay terms, the Oracle games are almost identical. Of course, they differ in settings, characters, and storylines, but the two games are in many ways a continuation of the previous Game Boy Zelda game, Link's Awakening. Veterans of that game will feel completely at home in either Oracle game, because the controls and interface are virtually identical, as are many of the graphics and sounds. If you haven't played any of the Game Boy Zelda games, don't worry, because they're very similar to the overhead Zelda games of yore.
Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons find further distinction in their emphasis on different aspects of Zelda gameplay. Seasons is billed as an action game, while Ages focuses on more difficult puzzles. Make no mistake, though; each has a healthy dose of both action and puzzles. The difference is definitely noticeable, however; even the first dungeon of Ages contains a couple of puzzles that may leave you scratching your head, and it gets more difficult from there. You'll still get an appropriate amount of hack and slash, though.
Oracle of Ages sets itself up much like Oracle of Seasons--Link encounters the Triforce and is informed that there's a new quest he needs to complete. Never one to shirk his duties as the hero of Hyrule, Link silently accepts and is whisked away to the land of Labrynna, where he meets a songstress named Nayru. She's not just a singer, though; she also controls the flow of time as the Oracle of Ages. Veran, the Sorcerer of Shadows, wastes no time in kidnapping Nayru, unfortunately, and then uses her power to wreak havoc across past and present. Link must team up with Nayru's allies to travel back and forth in time and stop Veran from rewriting history.
Longtime Zelda fans can probably already guess how Link will go about saving Labrynna--yes, there are eight dungeons to solve and eight mystical items, called the essences of time, that Link has to collect before he can set everything right. In keeping with Ages' puzzle theme, these dungeons can be devilishly challenging, if not outright frustrating, at times. As in all Zelda games, however, there's a tremendous sense of accomplishment when you finally work through the switches, trapdoors, and interconnected rooms of the maze and kill the boss at the end.
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Where to buy
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages (Game Boy Color):
$74.99
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