Zelda Wiki

Want to contribute to this wiki?
Sign up for an account, and get started!

Come join the Zelda Wiki community Discord server!

READ MORE

Zelda Wiki
Register
Advertisement

Template:GameNav

Quick Links
Gasha Tree
Locations
This article is about the game. For other uses, see Oracle of Ages (Disambiguation).

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages is one of two The Legend of Zelda titles released for the Game Boy Color, the other being Oracle of Seasons, both representing the seventh and eighth main installments of the series. Released near the end of the system's lifespan, Oracle of Ages and its counterpart were said to "send the Game Boy Color out with a bang."[4] In anticipation of the upcoming release of the Game Boy Color's successor, 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.[5] The game is named after its central character, Nayru, Oracle of Ages, and the element that is manipulated by Link in the game—the Ages.

It was released for the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console in Japan on February 27, 2013,[2] in North America, Europe and Australia on May 30, 2013,[6][7][8] and in South Korea on April 20, 2016.[9]

Story

OoA Link Artwork
OoA Ending Sequence

The story is far from over...

Link, having been sent from Hyrule to Labrynna by the power of the Triforce, awoke in Labrynna, almost immediately after stumbling upon Impa, who was besieged by a group of Octoroks. Unknown to Link, Impa had fallen into the clutches of the evil Sorceress of Shadows Veran. This allowed her to trick Link into moving a sacred barrier that obstructed her goal: to possess the Oracle of Ages, Nayru. In full view of Link and Nayru's bodyguard, Ralph, Veran quickly possessed Nayru and began to utilize her newfound power of controlling time, traveling to the past and beginning her plan to bring untold sorrow to the world. Meeting with Labrynna's guardian, the Maku Tree, Link learned that to defeat Veran, he would need the Essences of Time. However, the Essences, as their names suggest, were hidden throughout time, making them very hard for one person to obtain. By taking up the Harp of Ages in Nayru's house, Link was able to traverse time and search for the Essences throughout Labrynna, all the while correcting the damage Veran had caused to the land, such as in Symmetry Village.

More than halfway into his journey, Link finally got a chance to rescue Nayru from Veran's clutches, at Ambi's Palace. However, as soon as he did, Veran possessed Queen Ambi. Using her new authority, Veran was almost successful in capturing Nayru, Link, and Ralph, but at the last second Nayru used her power to return them all to the present.

Gathering the last of the essences, Link prepared for the final showdown with Veran, but before he could go, Ralph ran off before him, so that he might slay Ambi, even knowing that with Ambi as his ancestor, her death would mean his. Veran proved too powerful for Ralph, knocking him out instead of killing him before moving on to fight Link. After freeing Ambi, and the powerful battle that followed, Link was able to best Veran once and for all. Veran laughed as she died, saying that her goal had been completed, the Flame of Sorrow lit.

As Link, Nayru and Ralph returned to their own time, a mysterious pair laughed, saying that the true evil had yet to arrive...

Gameplay

General Mechanics

Oracle of Ages (and its counterpart, Oracle of Seasons) 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 Ages, 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, who will direct Link to the next dungeon, among other things. Oracle of Ages, like many games in The Legend of Zelda series, features a Trading Sequence.

One particular feature of Oracle of Ages (and Oracle of Seasons, 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 Bipsom. These choices affect the passwords obtained for a Linked Game (see below).

Where Oracle of Seasons is said to center its gameplay on the action, Oracle of Ages is said to be more puzzle-oriented;[10] both of which are key gameplay elements in The Legend of Zelda series.

The Harp of Ages

The Harp of Ages

The central item of the game is the Harp of Ages. It is used by Link to travel through time. Time Travel is the defining gameplay element of Oracle of Ages. On his quest, Link travels between the past and the present as he explores Labrynna twice over. Throughout the game, Link must act in the past to manipulate the future to progress on his adventure. Link may also take advantage of differences in terrain in the past and the present to reach areas that would otherwise be inaccessible. For example, a decrepit entrance to a dungeon that has long since collapsed in the present is still sturdy in the past; a tree that is a mere sapling grows to its full height in the present.

The past-present dichotomy is easily comparable to the Light and Dark World dichotomy of A Link to the Past, an important gameplay feature of that game.

Linked Game

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

An unappraised ring.

Also, a unique feature of Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages 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 Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages. They can be planted in patches of Soft Soil scattered across Labrynna (or Holodrum in Oracle of Seasons). 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

Zeldacourage

The cancelled Mystical Seed of Courage logo

Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons were the first 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 development of the Oracle games began with the scenarios (i.e. story and characters) rather than with gameplay. This caused design difficulties later on. The scenarios were written by Flagship, a now-defunct Capcom subsidiary.[11]

This game was originally part of what was called the "Triforce Series", a trilogy of games where each installment focused on a different gameplay element. Each title was associated with a piece of the Triforce, which would represent the focus of gameplay for that title. Oracle of Ages was thusly named Mystical Seed of Wisdom, hence the puzzle-based gameplay. The three games would be able to interact with each other for additional gameplay via a game-linking system. However, the complexity of coordinating three games caused the cancellation of the third title, Mystical Seed of Courage. Thus, the series was reduced to only two titles: Oracle of Ages (adapted from the Mystical Seed of Wisdom) and Oracle of Seasons (adapted from the Mystical Seed of Power).[12]

Timeline Placement

Oracles Limited Edition Interior

The limited edition adventure set

According to Encyclopedia, Oracle of Ages takes place after Oracle of Seasons, which directly follows A Link to the Past and Link's Awakening. Prior to Encyclopedia, Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons were situated between A Link to the Past and Link's Awakening. All four games feature the same incarnation of Link.

In both the noncanon chapter book and the Oracle of Ages manga by Akira Himekawa adaptations of Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages games, Oracle of Ages is the second game in the sequence.

Limited Editions

In North America, the first print of the game featured a foil effect on the tree's silhouette on the box and manual. In Europe, a limited edition was released on May 21, 2001. Limited to 500 copies, it included a copy of both Oracle games, a Boomerang, a shirt, two pins, and two skins for both the Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance.

Speedrun Records

Main article: Speedrun Records
Time Performer Date Notes
Category Runner Time Date
Any% TGH 1h 21m 48s October 23, 2021
All Essences Sagaz 2h 17m 20s May 22, 2020

Listings

Characters

Bosses

Enemies

Places

Dungeons

Equipment and upgrades

Translations

Credits

Glitches

Reception

Sales

Oracle of Ages was commercially successful, selling a near 4 million copies (3.96 million to be exact).[13]

Reviews

Oracle of Ages in general, was very well received by critics and received mostly positive reviews. Both games received 9.2/10 ratings at Gamespot,[14][15] and a 10 out of 10 rating of "Masterpiece" at IGN.[16][17] 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 Ages and Oracle of Seasons were ranked by Nintendo Power as being the fifth and fourth-best games for Game Boy/Game Boy Color, respectively.[18]

Oracle of Ages specifically was praised by IGN and Gamespot for its difficulty in terms of its challenging, "head-scratching" puzzles. Gamespot also praised it for its superb use of the time-travel aspect in the flow of the game. Gaming Target praised the game for its meticulous attention to detail in terms of graphics, creating "one of the most beautiful and creative game worlds Link has ever had the pleasure to traverse."[19]

Fan Reception

As can be seen by its user rating scores on IGN and Gamespot, Oracle of Ages was equally praised by fans as well as critics. It received a score of 9.1 at Gamespot and IGN alike,[14][16] although the latter scores Oracle of Seasons slightly higher at 9.2.[17]

Nomenclature

TMC Forest Minish Artwork Names in Other Regions TMC Jabber Nut Sprite
Language Name Meaning
Japan Japanese ゼルダの伝説 ふしぎの木の実 時空の章 (Zeruda no Densetsu Fushigi no Ki no Mi Jikū no Shō) The Legend of Zelda: The Mystical Fruit: Chapter of Space-Time
People's Republic of China ChineseSI 塞尔达传说 不可思议的果实 时空之章
ERROR: You must enter a country code. ChineseTR 薩爾達傳說 神祕果實 時空之章
Federal Republic of Germany German The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages

Gallery

External links

References

  1. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named E 7
  2. 2.0 2.1 Template:Cite web
  3. Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 10
  4. Template:Cite web
  5. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass — Prima Official Game Guide, Prima Games, pg. 5
  6. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named nintendodirectna
  7. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named nintendodirecteu
  8. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named au release
  9. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Korean VC
  10. Template:Cite web
  11. Template:Cite person
  12. IGN Article on The Third Oracle
  13. RPGamer - Japandemonium - Xenogears vs. Tetris
  14. 14.0 14.1 Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages Review - Gamespot
  15. Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages Review - Gamespot
  16. 16.0 16.1 The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages Review - IGN
  17. 17.0 17.1 The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages Review - IGN
  18. Nintendo Power Magazine - Issue 231
  19. Gaming Target - The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages Review
Games

TLoZ Link Kneeling Artwork Zelda Logo BoTW Era BotW Link Shooting Artwork

Main SeriesSpin-OffOther
Advertisement