Product Description

Simultaneously released with Oracle of Seasons, this second Capcom-developed Zelda game is widely regarded as the more difficult of the two adventures, Oracle of Ages sees Link embark on a similar quest to that in Oracle of Seasons, in that he must rescue a beautiful woman from the clutches of an unspeakable evil. Link's adventure begins when he awakens in a strange forest deep within the land of Labrynna. By using the Harp of Ages, Link is able to transcend the very fabric of time, allowing him to jump between the past and present as the need arises. Complete the adventure to receive a password that can be used in Oracle of Seasons

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3428 in Video Games
• Brand: Nintendo
• ESRB Rating: Everyone
• Platform: Game Boy Color
• Subtitled in: German

Features

• Classic characters
• all-new story
• hidden levels
• password exchange with Oracle of Seasons
• Amazon RPG Story line

Amazon.com Review
One of two new Zelda games for the Game Boy Color, The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages is geared towards the cerebral gamer, with its heavy focus on puzzle solving. The Triforce has alerted Link to trouble in the land of Labrynna, where the evil sorceress Veran has possessed Nayru, the Oracle of Ages. Veran travels back in time, setting up events that lead to a world where evil dominates. It's up to you to help Link stop Veran and set things straight.

Game mechanics and menus are similar to those found in Link's Awakening, also for the Game Boy. As in almost every Zelda game, you have to traverse eight dungeons and find eight key items. The harp of time is vital to your quest--it's required to manipulate events and stop Veran's rewriting of history.

Although this game is extremely enjoyable on its own, you'll want to use it in conjunction with its sister title: Oracle of Seasons. After you complete one game, you'll be given a password that lets you begin with all your items, statistics, and progress intact in the other. Certain characters will appear only by playing both games. By using a link cable, players can trade items. Game Boy Advance users will find a store that's exclusive to them.

While this is an excellent game, it might be too complicated for younger gamers or those looking for mindless fun. --Raymond M. Padilla

Pros:

• Dozens of crafty puzzles
• Great as a standalone; outstanding in conjunction with its sister game
• Nice bonuses for Game Boy Advance owners

• Lots of reused sound effects from previous Zelda games
• Longtime gamers might find the story and level design contrived
• Be prepared for many puzzle-induced headaches

Amazon.com Product Description
One of the most highly esteemed digital adventures is back on your Game Boy Color console in two new games: Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons. Both are independent games, but when they're linked between two Game Boy Color consoles via the separately sold Game Link cable, players can share items, uncover story elements, and unlock hidden areas in each game.

Using the Harp of Ages, Link must travel through time and space to save Nayru, the eponymous prophet in Oracle of Ages, who's been kidnapped by the evil sorceress Veran. By learning new melodies to play on the harp, players will travel to the past and affect changes in the present to solve the game's varied puzzles.

In Oracle of Seasons, players help Link embark on a quest to recover the Essences of Nature. To do so, he must first find the Rod of Seasons, a magical item that lets Link transform the landscape into the season of his choice, helping him overcome obstacles and solve puzzles. Ricky the kangaroo, Moosh the winged bear, and Dimitri the dodongo accompany Link on this adventure.

DailyRadar Review
We could be cynical and snort on about how Nintendo's just trying to double their buck, but we have to admit we're pretty excited about Link's pair of upcoming adventures Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages. After all, the Zelda line up has almost always offered us it's very best, regardless of console.

In Oracle of Seasons, it's up to Link to rescue perennial Damsel in Distress Princess Zelda by making use of the Rod of the Four Seasons. By using the rod to alter the seasons, Link can open up new areas and secrets. Similarly, in Oracle of Ages, players will make use of a harp to enable Link to travel back and forth through time, to similar effect.

The really interesting news, of course, is that while each game is a completely separate adventure, certain areas in one game can only be opened by means of a password acquired from the other. It's a novel idea, and sure to incur the wraith of many a cowed parent come May 14, but nonetheless, we're just glad to see Link looking good and back in action.

Customer Reviews

Oracle of Ages...Ages of gamers
I've been a Zelda fan for the past 13 or 14 years. This game (along with it's counterpart Oracle of Seasons) makes for a very good old school feel of gameplay. I fell in love with it and I've yet to beat it (due to lack of knowledge of ...), but I have a very enjoyable time playing the game. Most of the dungons remind me of the good 'ole days where Keese flew around freely, Likelike's took your shield, Octorock's throwing rocks, Moblin's shooting you with arrows, dragons spiting fireballs, Dodongo's eating bombs, multiheaded drangons flying around trying to kill you. And the music grabs you once again. The land of Hyrule is under attack. Old school gameplay, incredible music, familiar characters and enemies...it dosn't get any better than this. Buy it, I know I will!

The best GB game ever made.
I bought this game because I love the Zelda series and figured it would be a fun portable game but not as good as the other Zelda games for more advanced systems. Wow. I liked "Link's Awakening" for game boy but this absolutely blows it out of the water. It has a very interesting story line that Link's Awakening definitly lacked. Also, it is not just a huge series of "dungeon diving". It has tons of interesting sequences between dongeons and a much larger and better layed out world. Many people (including myself) consider "A link to the past" for snes the best Zelda game ever made even though it is not as well known as its n64 brothers. Well, for those of you who have played "A link to the past", oracle of ages has basically all those great aspects you loved and many new ones. For example, instead of warping inbetween the dark and light world, you warp inbetween the past and present, which is just as fun. (and yes, it has that great "magic mirror" aspect so you can warp back to the present any time and leave your own little warp hole where you came in) Also, symilar to the bird in A Link to the past, you can utilize "gail seeds" (and 4 other types for different effects)to intantly travel to differant points on the map. The 3 animals you will encounter to help you through your journey are another really fun and unexpected thing. Depending on how you choose to do a certain sequence, you will get a flute that you can use to instantly call one of them with. Although the flute will only call the animal that you chose by the way you did the sequence, you will get to use the other animals occasionaly. One more thing that i'll mention are the rings- over 60 of them and each with a different power. That's alot of fun. To conclude, even though this is a gameboy game, it is one of the best Zelda games ever made and THE ABSOLUTE BEST GAMEBOY GAME YOU CAN BUY. I can only wait and wonder what Zelda Advance will be like. O ya.

The best series' best Game Boy game
I pity anyone who owns a game boy and never experiences this: the mind racking, rewarding world of Hyrule, i weep for those who never taste the joy of stabbing various enemies with their level 2 swords, i can not endorse those who miss the sheer.....ecstasy of finding your way through the dungeons, worlds, and puzzles: It all adds up to a wonderful Zelda experience. Perhaps your life would be more complete if you bought and mastered this. Also, STAY AWAY FROM STRATEGY GUIDES! These games are better if you do them on your own. All in all, the best way to kill time til the GB Advance comes to save us all. (Although, i do have one qualm with the game, i'm getting sick of Zelda's absence in these-i mean, the series is named after her)