Oracle of Seasons: The Zelda Game That (Almost) Got Away

Despite being a dedicated fan of the Legend of Zelda games, occasionally an entry in the 36-year-old franchise eludes me, in some cases for decades. Recently, I played and completed The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons for the very first time, and I enjoyed nearly every minute of it. Fortunately, I managed to actually try this one out before doing so becomes extremely difficult.

What Is The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons?

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons launched for the Game Boy Color in 2001 alongside The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages. Developed by Flagship Co, Ltd., a (now defunct) studio owned by Capcom, the Oracle games released as individual standalone experiences with unique worlds and stories, while sharing the same art style, graphical fidelity, and core mechanics.

Oracle of Ages’ main gameplay twist tasked the player with using the Harp of Ages to travel through time in order to solve puzzles, while Oracle of Seasons gave players the Rod of Seasons to change between seasons in order to progress. While each game has its own story and main villain, by connecting two Game Boy Colors with each game via link cable, players could access a final dungeon that presents the “true” ending of both games. Both titles received stellar reviews and frequently end up on “Top Ten Zelda Games” lists. 

Even though I certainly owned a Game Boy Color at the time, I never got around to either of the Oracle games. For whatever reason, the young Zelda fanatic in me had completely missed these opportunities until both were available for download on the 3DS eShop. I originally purchased Oracle of Ages (allegedly the better one) in 2014, played a few dungeons, and just fell off completely, largely due to some obtuse puzzle design and the frustration of pausing to swap items constantly (an issue that has plagued many handheld Zelda releases). Still, the itch to play Oracle of Ages’ counterpart bothered me mildly for quite some time.

What Took Me So Long?

Despite my feelings surrounding Ages, I decided to pick up Oracle of Seasons on 3DS earlier this year after Nintendo announced it would close the 3DS and Wii U eShops, making the purchase of official versions of digital Game Boy Color games nearly impossible. At first, I bought Seasons purely as a “back pocket” game to play once I found myself in a slow period for new releases (or, in this case, a period where I simply had no interest in playing what was currently available to me). 

Eventually, the time came when I had a yearning to play a Zelda game all the way through (I do this at least once a year), and Seasons was right there waiting for me. What I found in this classic handheld title was a very good (though not quite essential) Zelda experience, one that just misses my personal top ten list. The action-oriented world design offered consistently engaging moments, the setting and characters were as endearing as that of any other game in the series, the dungeons offered just the right level of challenge and intrigue, and the themes of nature and inevitable change were integrated nicely into both the story and minute-to-minute gameplay.

I had some issues with the item management systems, the (at times) imprecise controls, and certain boss fights (particularly the final battle), but for the most part Oracle of Seasons delivered on the exact elements of Zelda I cherish.

Just in the Link of Time

That $6 purchase in February really paid off, and not just because I liked the game. As it stands now, I can no longer acquire a digital version of Oracle of Seasons on the 3DS eShop. I could also look to eBay or a retro game store to find a physical copy of the original GBC cartridge I suppose, though it’s possible (and even likely) that would cost a good deal more than I actually paid. Nintendo’s wanton disregard for game preservation and availability forced me to buy a game digitally I wasn’t even sure I’d enjoy all that much, and one that I didn’t have any intention of playing in any immediate sense.

My successful playthrough of Oracle of Seasons now has me wondering: Did I do enough when Nintendo announced the imminent closure of older eShops? Should I have purchased Donkey Kong Land or Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters just in case? I’m glad I had the shred of foresight necessary to realize I might want to play Seasons at some point in the future, but I can’t help but feel I’m still missing out.

Nobody knows for sure if Nintendo will put Game Boy and Game Boy Color games on Switch. We can’t even get straight-up ports of popular Zelda remakes. I shouldn’t have been put in a situation where I had to buy a game only because there was no guarantee I’d have the opportunity to later on. Still, I’m ultimately glad I avoided letting Oracle of Seasons slip away before it was too late. I nearly missed out on a certified classic.