The Legend of Zelda: Oracle Of Ages

2025-08-02
Looking back it makes complete sense that the first Zelda I would ever truly love was the one made by Capcom devs. Of course at 10 years old I had no context of any of this[1]. I just had two bright and shiny GBC boxes, [one red and one blue](link to pic of my copies). As a child you can find a sense of wonder in just about anything but I think Nintendo is able to cultivate it with their vibrant and colorful worlds better than almost anyone. Visiting the Nintendo store in SF last week reminded me of that. Sure, walking the store and seeing big statues of Mario, Link, and Pikmin was a trip but the thing that stuck me the most was just seeing these two little girls absolutely locked the fuck in watching someone play Mario Kart World on a big screen. It's a feeling I'm always chasing and replaying the Oracles of games brought me right back.

First of all these games are gorgeous. Crispy, colorful sprite art that on an Analogue Pocket screen makes a grown man want to weep. There's charm for days with great music and ridable animal companions. (I was a Dimitri fan as a kid but now I'm Team Moosh for sure.) With all of this, even if you were to ignore all the actual gameplay exploring Holodrum and Labrynna is such a treat.

But why would you? Ages focuses on puzzles and Seasons focuses on combat but they're both exceptionally breezy and fun affairs. Compared to Link to the Past the pacing feels far, far better with smaller, denser world maps that always have you know where to go next. Pair that with the much more immediately intuitive fun of switching between Past/Present and Spring/Summer/Fall/Winter vs the boring Light/Dark World switch and it feels like a clear winner. You're spending your time doing all the right things: bouncing between dungeons, acquiring new items, and meeting new characters.

The coolest part for me is still the interconnectivity. This was the era of 2 separate copies of the same game with small changes popularized by Pokemon. Here you not only have two whole games, but playing both adds extra dialogue, characters, and a final chapter to the games. If you play Ages first people know you're the hero of Labrynna when you come to Holodrum. Ah and the extended trading sequence that goes back and forth between the two games being the only way to get the Master Sword is perfect.

There's a reason the Oracles games are my favorite 2D Zeldas and coming back 20 year later I'm happy to report it ain't just nostalgia.

1. I certainly didn't know the director would go on to direct Tears of the Kingdom 20 years later, a top 10 of all time for me.