The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons (ゼルダの伝説 ふしぎの木の実 大地の章, ) is one of two Legend of Zelda titles released for the Game Boy Color as part of Capcom's Oracle Series, the other being Oracle of Ages. Released near the end of the system's lifespan, Oracle of Seasons and its counterpart were said to "send the Game Boy Color out with a bang". In anticipation of the upcoming release of the Game Boy Color's sucessor, the Game Boy Advance, the games exhibited special features (such as the Advance Shop) when played on the new handheld system.

After completing one of the two games, they can be linked to form a single, linear plot (as opposed to two parallel ones) with an alternate ending. Game-linking also unlocks extra content, such as new items. The game is named after its central character, Din, Oracle of Seasons, and the element that is manipulated by Link in the game—the four seasons.

Story
Oracle of Seasons opens up the same as Oracle of Ages, with Link riding a horse. Spying a castle on the horizon, he goes inside and is sent by the Triforce to help a land being ravaged by the ruthless General Onox. Link is teleported to the land of Holodrum and after a bit of exploring discovers a traveling troupe. After hanging around and dancing with the troupe's main attraction, Din, the sky becomes dark and General Onox strikes. In the ensuing chaos, Din, revealed to be the Oracle of Seasons, gets kidnapped, taken to Onox's mountain fortress, and imprisoned inside of a crystal. As a result, the Temple of Seasons falls into the earth and the seasons of the land begin to become erratic.

Link embarks on a quest to save Din and restore order. The young hero learns from the Maku Tree that in order to penetrate to the center of Onox's fortress, he needs to collect eight Essences of Nature.

While in the process of visiting the dungeons, Link spies a shady character moving in the weeds. He sneaks by her and the girl disappears. After some exploration, he uncovers a strange looking portal. Stepping on it, he is teleported to the lava-hot underground land of Subrosia. Looking to his left, he sees the missing Temple of Seasons. Taking the Rod of Seasons that he borrowed from the Temple itself, he learns seasons from the temple that become useful in his quest to retrieve the eight Essences of Nature.

After finishing the last of the dungeons and destroying Onox and his evil dragon alter-ego, Din is released and the seasons become regular once again. However, the adventure is far from over. The Flame of Sorrow is already lit by the destruction Onox caused. Observing Link from afar, a mysterious pair laughs, saying the true evil had yet to arrive...

The adventure carries on in a Linked Game of Oracle of Ages (or a linked game of Seasons if Ages played first).

For the complete story revealed in the Linked Game, see Oracle Series: Resurrection of Ganon.

General Mechanics
The two games of the Oracle Series retain many gameplay elements from Link's Awakening (especially the DX version), such as the graphics (many sprites in Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons are reused from Link's Awakening), audio and top-view perspective. As in Link's Awakening, items (including the sword and shield) are assigned to the A and B buttons via an Inventory. Unlike certain games of the series, items are not assigned a specific place in the inventory. Collected Rupees, health, and the two equipped items are shown on an interface which consists of a yellow bar running across the top of the screen (similar to the one in Link's Awakening, which was located at the bottom of the screen).

Oracle of Seasons, like the great majority of Zelda games, features eight regular dungeons and a large overworld to explore in between. This is done with the help of an overworld map, which is composed of a 14 x 14 grid of squares, where each square represents a single screen. As Link explores the overworld, the "squares" that he's visited will be colored in. Link is guided by the Maku Tree, an important character in both games of the Oracle Series, who will direct Link to the next dungeon, among other things. The Oracle Series, like many games in The Legend of Zelda series, features a Trading Sequence.

One particular feature of Oracle of Seasons (and Oracle of Ages, for that matter) is the fact that certain choices made on the adventure will affect an outcome later on, making for various possible scenarios in a single play-through. Among these are the animal companions that will accompany Link on his adventure (either Moosh, Dimitri, or Ricky), and the growth Bipin and Blossom's son. These choices affect the passwords obtained for a Linked Game (see below).

Where Oracle of Ages is said to be puzzle-based, Oracle of Seasons centers its gameplay on action; both of which are key gamplay elements in The Legend of Zelda series.

The Rod of Seasons
The Rod of Seasons is the central item of Oracle of Seasons. With it, Link can manipulate the four seasons, allowing him to solve various puzzles on his quest. For example, a path that may be blocked by a large deciduous tree can be bypassed in the winter when the leaves have fallen. When Link obtains the rod, he only has the power to change the season to winter. The rest of the seasons (which allow him to reach new locations in the Overworld) are acquired from the Temple of Seasons as the game progresses.

Linked Game


An important element of gameplay in Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons is their unique ability to be linked together to form one linear plot, as opposed to two parallel ones. After one game is completed, the other can be linked to it using passwords provided by the game, or a Game Link Cable. Linked Games unlock additional content not seen in the separate games. Among the most notable changes in a Linked Game is the extended ending (the "true ending") where Twinrova and Ganon are encountered.

In a Linked Game of Oracle of Seasons, new characters appear in Holodrum. These characters will tell Link secrets in the form of passwords, which can be relayed to characters on a completed file of Oracle of Ages. By doing so, Link can obtain new items not seen in a non-linked game. The reverse occurs if Oracle of Seasons is played first and Oracle of Ages second.

Passwords obtained in a Linked Game vary depending on the choices Link made on his adventure. Therefore, passwords identify a specific play-through, assuring that Link will have the same animal partner in the Linked Game as in the completed game, among other things.

Magic Rings
Also a unique feature of the Oracle series is the appearance of Magic Rings to be collected by Link on his quest. These rings, when worn, provide Link with a variety of bonuses and abilities, giving an almost RPG-like twist to the game. Some rings augment his strength and defense; others increase his swimming abilities; yet another prevents Link from sliding on frozen floors. Some, like the Cursed Ring, even decrease Link's abilities, making the game more challenging. Other rings simply change Link's appearance. A total of 64 rings can be collected throughout Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons, some requiring the use of Linked Games to obtain, or even the use of a Game Boy Advance.

Gasha Seeds
Gasha Seeds appear exclusively in the Oracle series. They can be planted in patches of Soft Soil scattered across Holodrum (or Labrynna in Oracle of Ages). After a while, the tree will mature and Link can collect the single Gasha Nut that the tree will produce. Inside the nut, Link may find various goods, such as Rupees or Magic Rings.

Development
Oracle of Seasons, along with Oracle of Ages, were the first Legend of Zelda titles to be developed outside of Nintendo. They were developed by Capcom, who later went on to develop two more titles for the Legend of Zelda series on the Game Boy Advance (Four Swords and The Minish Cap).

The beginning of the development of Oracle of Seasons dates back to the very first proposal for a Zelda title made by Yoshiki Okamoto, then head of Flagship (a screenwriting subsidiary of Capcom) to Shigeru Miyamoto. The proposition consisted of a remake the original The Legend of Zelda for the Game Boy Color. After some deliberations, an agreement was reached, and it was later decided that, depending on the success of this first title, Capcom would go on to develop a "more ambitious" sequel, which would be a completely new and original Zelda title built from the ground up. However, the members of the development team, contrarily to what Okamoto's agenda, wanted to skip the remake and begin creating a new Zelda title right away. The opinion to abandon the original project was incited further by a number of complications that came up during the port: the scenario and the maps had to be reworked several times to make all the elements fit. Development was further hindered by the Game Boy Color's narrower screen, which would force players to scroll to the right or left to see the entire room, potentially causing them to overlook certain elements inside it.

Eventually, Miyamoto proposed the creation of the "Triforce Series", a trilogy, to replace the current projects. Each title was to focus on a different gameplay element, each relating to one of the three powers of the Triforce (i.e., Wisdom, Power, and Courage). What was originally meant to be the remake of The Legend of Zelda became the Chapter of Power (later known as Mystical Seed of Power), which was action-based. The Tale of Power was demonstrated at the Nintendo Space World trade show in 1999; it was the only title of the three to be presented. The demo of the game had Princess Zelda, keeper of the seasons, captured by Ganon, who stole the Rod of Seasons to throw the four seasons of Hyrule into disarray, while sending Hyrule Castle and the rod to another realm - a precursor to the plot of Oracle of Seasons. In the demo, Link uses the Rod of Seasons to manipulate the seasons of winter, spring, summer, and autumn in order to solve puzzles. Several characters of Oracle of Seasons also make an apperance, such as the "Mystery Tree" (Maku Tree), "Rikki" (Ricky), "Mable" (Maple), and the "Ulra Tribe" (Subrosians).

The three games of the series would interact with each other for additional gameplay via game-linking system. However, the overcomplexity of coordinating the three games caused for the cancellation of Mystical Seed of Courage. Thus the series was reduced to two titles and became the Oracle Series as it is known today: Oracle of Ages was adapted from Mystical Seed of Wisdom and Oracle of Seasons was adapted from Mystical Seed of Power.

Throughout all its transformations, from The Legend of Zelda remake to Mystical Seed of Power, and finally to the Oracle of Seasons as it is known today, elements from the original NES title, such as dungeon layouts, bosses, and even parts of the overworld, can be observed to this day in Oracle of Seasons.

Setting
Oracle of Seasons is the first and only title to take place in the land of Holodrum. Holodrum, once calm and peaceful, is thrown into chaos and destruction when Onox captures Din, the Oracle of Seasons, and buries the Temple of Seasons where the Season Spirits lie, throwing the four seasons into disarray and causing them to change erratically.

Holodrum is unique in that it is the only land to feature the four seasons: winter, spring, summer, and autumn. The world changes with the seasons: lakes freeze in winter, flowers bloom in spring, creeks and lakes dry up in summer, and Mushrooms are ready to be picked in autumn. With the four seasons out of order, Holodrum experiences all four seasons at once, making for a colorful world where all at once Link can observe the whiteness of the snow in winter, the blooming flowers in spring, the lush green vegetation in summer, and the changing colors of the leaves in autumn.

The populations of Holodrum are scattered all across the map. To the south is Horon Village, the home of the guardian spirit Maku Tree and the majority of Holodrum's population. To the east and west of the village lies the southern shores that border Holodrum. To the east is the sand-swept Samasa Desert; to the west, the Western Coast, and the eerie Graveyard. Holodrum's northern border consists of tall peaks and mountain ranges ranging from east to west. In the west lies the Tarm Ruins, where stands the tall tower of the Ancient Ruins, the highest point in all the land. This is followed by the dark Northern Peak, where Onox has built his stronghold. East of the Northern Peak are the Temple Ruins, where the Temple of Seasons once stood. This is overlapped by Goron Mountain, where the Goron race of Holodrum reside in their homes delved into the rock. Finally, in the northeast corner, connected to Goron Mountain, lies Mt. Cucco, from whence all the fresh water of the land flows. Incidentally, to the south of Mt. Cucco is the permanently flooded village of Sunken City. The water from Mt. Cucco flows down the river into the swamplands of Spool Swamp. Central Holodrum is dominated by plains—such as the Holodrum Plain and the Natzu Prairie—and the Woods of Winter to the east.

However, within this one world exists another: the hidden subterranean, lava-filled world of Subrosia. Here, the strange, hooded creatures known as Subrosians live unbeknownst to the people of the world above. Subrosia is in fact the new location of the Temple of Seasons, which sunk from Holodrum into Subrosia. Like Holodrum, Subrosia has mountain ranges to the north and a southern coastline. The two worlds can be traveled back and forth via portals scattered across the land.

Link is sent to Holodrum via the powers of the Triforce. However, certain characters in Oracle of Seasons will travel between Holodrum and the sister-land of Labrynna via physical means; Princess Zelda (in a Linked Game only) and her nurse Impa even travel from Hyrule. Therefore, Labrynna, Holodrum, and Hyrule all exist within the same universe.

Timeline Placement
Since the plot lines of Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages are parallel, it is impossible to place one before the other in a timeline, even in a Linked Game when the two plots are linked together, as it is up to the player to decide which game to place first. Besides this, the Oracle Series are a direct sequel to A Link to the Past in the "Downfall" timeline split and a prequel to Link's Awakening, all of which feature the same Link.

Completion Records
According to the Speed Demos Archive, the fastest completion time for Oracle of Seasons is 2 hours, 6 minutes and 40 seconds by Tomas 'Tompa' Abrahamsson on November 19th, 2005.

Reception

 * See also: Reception of the Oracle Series

Sales
Oracle of Seasons was commercially successful, selling a near 4 million copies (3.96 million to be exact).

Reviews
Oracle of Seasons, or quite simply the Oracle Series in general, was very well received by critics and received mostly positive reviews. Both games received 9.2/10 ratings at Gamespot, and a 10 out of 10 rating of "Masterpiece" at IGN. The games were often credited as being two of the top (if not the best) games for the Game Boy Color. In fact, Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages were ranked by Nintendo Power as being the fourth and fifth best games for Game Boy/Game Boy Color, respectively.

Oracle of Seasons especially was praised for its vibrant graphics, due to the wide panoply of hues caused by the changing seasons. As such, it is considered to be the more graphically impressive of the two Oracle titles. Gaming Target praised the gameplay aspect of the game, highlighting the use of its "new and fun" items and challenging dungeons.

Fan Reception
Oracle of Seasons was equally praised by fans as well as critics. Both Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons maintain a 9.1 user score at Gamespot. . However, at IGN, Seasons scored slightly higher at 9.2.

Oracle of Seasons is usually rated equal or higher than Oracle of Ages by critics and fans, which would appear to make it the more well-received of the two titles.

Trivia

 * In both the chapter book and manga adaptations of the Oracle series games, Oracle of Seasons is the first game in the sequence.