The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons

aka: Zelda no Densetsu: Fushigi no Ki no Mi ~Daichi no Shō~
Moby ID: 4269
Game Boy Color Specs
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Description official descriptions

The land of Holodrum is dying and Onox, the General of Darkness, has imprisoned the Oracle of Seasons and is destroying the land. So link must master the changing of the seasons to help him restore Holodrum to prosperity.

Link the game with The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages. Friends and enemies will travel between the 2 games; passwords can upgrade and transport items!

Spellings

  • ゼルダの伝説 ふしぎの木の実 〜大地の章〜 - Japanese spelling

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Credits (Game Boy Color version)

47 People (41 developers, 6 thanks) · View all

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  • Flagship
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[ full credits ]

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 89% (based on 31 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.9 out of 5 (based on 49 ratings with 1 reviews)

Link sees off the GBC in style...

The Good
In recent years I've become a fan of the Zelda franchise. Sadly I missed the early years at first, though I've since caught up. These days I'm all over the series that began with a little green and brown icon slashing away. Besides the obvious Ocarina of Time, it was Oracle of Seasons that caught my eye and educated me on Zelda's true roots.

The Oracle titles, both, are the last adventures for Link on the Game Boy/Game Boy Colour hardware. While the limitations of the console are clear, it doesn't hamper the game from evolving the franchise from its black and white roots, providing a wonderful experience.

The general gist of all the Zelda titles is the 'take Link from humble beginnings to saving Hyrule, etc.' formula, and that doesn't change much here. The obvious difference is the use of powerful magic that adds an extra level of strategy. For Oracle of Seasons, the rod in question allows you to modify the surrounding landscape via the four different weather seasons. So where one path may be obstructed by a large snowball, a quick use of the seasons rod to spring will clear the path for Link to continue.

There are a number of other additions to the design, such as animal friends who aid Link in a number of different ways, but at its core, it's still the classic dungeon puzzle/hack and slash adventure of old. The fact that it's still as fun as ever just goes to prove how good Zelda really is.

A secondary challenge also interested me, whereby you can connect two GBC consoles with Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages together, and complete both quests as well as the final outcome of both titles, but only when connected. Nintendo are good at making the most out of its 'two in one' designs, as Pokemon proves, and there's no faulting it here.

The Bad
As much as I can't fault the design, I'm not always a fan of developers making two of every title, especially if it means missing out on certain elements to the game. We don't always have friends who buy all the titles, so it can become annoying, knowing you can't find all those hidden items or see the proper conclusion. That's the one major fault, something I always have trouble with. Perhaps in the modern age, where wireless multiplayer and online gaming is a major element to game development, an idea such as this could be far better handled and appreciated.

The Oracles duo were eventually overshadowed by the release of the Game Boy Advance, which took a bite out of the possible market once it was released. It's a shame, really, since both titles are wonderful adventures at heart.

The Bottom Line
Besides perhaps the Pokemon franchise itself, Oracle of Seasons (and its brother, Oracle of Ages) was the jewel in the crown of the Game Boy Colour's existence. A fun and engaging Zelda title always comes with its fair share of rewards to the player, and this is no exception.

In the end, it's another one of those games I have to recommend you hunt down and try. I'm sure most of you still have an old GBC somewhere, and it'll be worth taking it out again to give this adventure of Link a shot.

Game Boy Color · by Kartanym (12418) · 2006

Trivia

1001 Video Games

The Game Boy Color version of The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.

Dungeons

The first dungeon in Oracle of Seasons is based on the first dungeon (simply called Level 1, or the "Eagle") in the first Legend of Zelda. They also share the same boss, a fire-breathing dragon called Aquamentus.

GBA content

Although it does say that its a Game Boy Color game, there are areas of the game that can only be entered if you are playing on a Game Boy Advance. The only confirmed area in Seasons that I can find are the houses with two doors in them. On the GBC only door can be entered, but on the GBA you can enter the second door and find hidden shops.

Awards

Information also contributed by Mark Ennis

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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Matthew Bailey.

Nintendo 3DS added by Michael Cassidy.

Additional contributors: Kartanym, Jeanne, gamewarrior, Patrick Bregger, FatherJack.

Game added June 10, 2001. Last modified March 17, 2024.