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NSO Zelda: Oracle of Ages/Seasons out for NSO:GB July 27th

Mer.Saloon said:
I never could manage that myself. And it feels a bit more like exploiting mechanics than intentional design.
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Because leaving the new area you're currently still exploring in Seasons to back track for no reason is clearly intentional design and not a developer oversight. By that logic you can finish the Majora dungeons in any order because once you get the bow/fire arrows/ice arrows you can leave the dungeon and go onto the next one. Heck some MM challenge runs require you to do that so you can get Epona on your first normal cycle.
 
pQ1L7y4.jpg


Corporate wants you to find the difference between the two pictures
 
BassForever said:
Because leaving the new area you're currently still exploring in Seasons to back track for no reason is clearly intentional design and not a developer oversight. By that logic you can finish the Majora dungeons in any order because once you get the bow/fire arrows/ice arrows you can leave the dungeon and go onto the next one. Heck some MM challenge runs require you to do that so you can get Epona on your first normal cycle.
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You don't have to go off the beaten path to get to the 5th dungeon vs the 4th. If you just explore a separate part of the world the game allows you to progress to the area of subrosia that gives you access to the bomb flowers.

And they could have made this impossible just by not spawning the flower. They show in many other instances of the game they can just have arbitrary keys locking progression, whether its an NPC not being active or just in the way.

Its very much intentional that you could do the two dungeons in either order. Just as its intentional that once you get the flippers, you're allowed to explore so much more of the overworld you couldn't. Again you're only blocked by arbitrary keys at arbitrary points.
 
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Mer.Saloon said:
You do need the ice arrows to get into Ikana.

But you're right, I wasn't specific with my words. In terms if dungeons, previous titles let you do much more at points.

I was mostly referring to how much access to the overworld you get, especially once you have the flippers. Which I wasn't very clear on. The main thing that stops you from entering the dungeons in any order are arbitrary checks.
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There is a lot of nice hookshot spots in Snow Tower Temple.
 
PT Fan said:
I'd like to have a word with whoever designed this boss. That definitely took me a decent couple of tries.

In the end I just stood still on the top left platform and threw my bombs from there. I can see how this boss fight could've been a source of frustration when these games released lol.
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I've played this game upwards of a dozen times and STILL have trouble with that boss.

Good news, though: there's an even trickier boss coming up!
 
7threst said:
Sigh... anybody know what the smartest thing to do is when staring these ganes? Seasons of Ages? I really don't know lol
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Either or, it doesn't matter. One is action heavy and the other is slow puzzle heavy. It all depends on your preference.
 
7threst said:
Sigh... anybody know what the smartest thing to do is when staring these ganes? Seasons of Ages? I really don't know lol
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It doesn't really matter but most people I think regards Ages as the harder game. It at least has harder puzzles compared to Seasons.
 
I guess you could say that Seasons will kill you more and challenge your dexterity, but dying in Seasons isn't that punishing. The dungeons are very effortless to move through especially when you unlock mid level warps. Seasons is more focused on room by room challenges that you can zip through more easily if you do fail. Ages meanwhile is so focused on confusing navigation and keeping track of the larger picture. And its overworld is also more convoluted to run around (purposefully) so mistakes such as death can be a real hassle.

Seasons may be a bit more unremarkable from a storytelling and puzzle standpoint, but it is also a very very smooth in-and-out experience.
 
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Absolutely nothing teaches you to shoot diagonally in Oracle of Ages. Nothing even hints at it.

I walked for like an hour in the third dungeon without knowing what to do until I accidentally used to analog stick to move instead of the dpad. I almost felt robbed when I realized I had to shoot a seed diagonally to destroy a crystal lol.

Don't get me wrong, I'm absolutely loving my time with this game. It's challenging in many ways and I'm having much more fun than with Link's Awakening.

This is it. I'm on my way to becoming a Master of The Legend of Zelda. Now Nintendo just needs to release The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess on the Switch for the love of everything that is good and holy.
 
Having last played these games at 11 or 12 years old, the nostalgia I'm feeling here is insane.

Some of my best childhood memories were finding consolation in my Game Boy while we moved across the world every few months. That is where I had consistent friends and favorite places that I'd never have to leave. Oracle of Ages was one of those games.
 
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Forgot how sad Ages can be. All of the stuff that Veran does has some notable consequences, and entering one of those houses where people have frozen in time still feels tough.
 
I love these games so much. I think I overall prefer the 'gimmick' of the seasons from Seasons more than time in Ages, but on the whole I actually like Ages more since I'm more of a puzzle-leaning guy. That's why I think it's so difficult to talk about these games separately, they just complement each other so well as a pair. And they have some of my favorite dungeons in the entire series once you get into the back half of both games, too.
 
Link's Awakening spoiled me and I'm finding really hard to go back to having only 2 buttons in 2D Zelda :( I feel like I'm spending half my playtime opening and closing the menu.

It always bothered me, but now that I know LA worked perfectly as a modern game, I'm always wondering what it could be if the Oracles got a remake too. I hope it happens someday.
 
Leo said:
Link's Awakening spoiled me and I'm finding really hard to go back to having only 2 buttons in 2D Zelda :( I feel like I'm spending half my playtime opening and closing the menu.

It always bothered me, but now that I know LA worked perfectly as a modern game, I'm always wondering what it could be if the Oracles got a remake too. I hope it happens someday.
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Honestly that one feature alone is a huge upgrade, there is a LOT of menu tax to these games, although you kind of get used to it over time. I would love a remake if it ever happens, although not entirely sure I'd want it in the same style as Link's Awakening. I wouldn't complain, though!
 
The only menu-ing that I find annoying so far is having to equip the power bracelet. It should have been just an innate ability that Link always has equipped once he earns the item. It's been a while but I think it's something they solved in the LA's remake. Otherwise, the menus are quick and snappy. Equipping items is very fast.
 
HockeyBird said:
The only menu-ing that I find annoying so far is having to equip the power bracelet. It should have been just an innate ability that Link always has equipped once he earns the item. It's been a while but I think it's something they solved in the LA's remake. Otherwise, the menus are quick and snappy. Equipping items is very fast.
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This is definitely the worst. IIRC the upgraded sword can break pots, making it even more amazing than it already is
 
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Veran is a pretty rad villain just by virtue of the fact she's an active presence through the whole game as far as threats go. Definitely makes going to Onox a big disappointment despite me liking his design.

I also really like how their designs hint at them not being the main villains. Onox is an Iron Knuckle, and Veran is a Wizzrobe. It's just something I appreciate.
 
Cubs017 said:
I just think it’s not a great way to do things. If you’re reporting something then commit to it. Get some details. He’s basically saying this is probably what he was talking about…but maybe not, and if it’s something else he’s “right” about that too, but if nothing else appears then this is it - games that were already announced as coming to the service months ago. Come on.

IDK. It’s not a big deal, just kind of rubs me the wrong way. You tend to have people who write about games and “leakers” or rumor collectors or what have you, and most of the time those are pretty separate. Grubb tries to live in both worlds.
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All he said was that there's something zelda related that's not totk. He would say if this was it or not if he KNEW himself.
 
I've officially moved past the major roadblock I hit last time I tried to play Ages (the puzzle for the boss key in level 5), so from here on out I'm in completely "new to me" territory, which is exciting for a Zelda game.
 
PT Fan said:
Absolutely nothing teaches you to shoot diagonally in Oracle of Ages. Nothing even hints at it.

I walked for like an hour in the third dungeon without knowing what to do until I accidentally used to analog stick to move instead of the dpad. I almost felt robbed when I realized I had to shoot a seed diagonally to destroy a crystal lol.

Don't get me wrong, I'm absolutely loving my time with this game. It's challenging in many ways and I'm having much more fun than with Link's Awakening.

This is it. I'm on my way to becoming a Master of The Legend of Zelda. Now Nintendo just needs to release The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess on the Switch for the love of everything that is good and holy.
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I've been humbled by that boss that splits into smaller clouds. I've failed you all and now the dream is dead.
 
HockeyBird said:
I'm just gonna use this thread as an excuse to post this trailer of Tears of the Kingdom imagined as a GBC game again because it's awesome

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Pretty cool, although the execution bugs me

Can't stand it when people get the melody of the Main Theme wrong. It's right there, and everybody knows it... there's a very specific series of notes and intervals, and it's jarring when the wrong notes are played.

Also, there are so many aspects that wouldn't work on a Game Boy, notably the blur and color palette. I guess this isn't Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore levels of attention to detail.
 
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Ab said:
All he said was that there's something zelda related that's not totk. He would say if this was it or not if he KNEW himself.
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Do you play smash with the same username?
 
Quoted by: Ab
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Somethings that really annoys me about Capcom's Zelda game is the enemy hit detection and placement. Sometimes an enemy will just pop out of nowhere and there's nothing you can do but take the hit. But the issue is that enemies can just phase through often, getting multiple hits on you in the process. It feels awful when you're slashing your sword, the enemy or boss is taking damage but they don't get stunned so they just continue walking straight into you as if nothing is happening. This was also a problem in the Minish Cap.
 
I finished Oracle of Ages. That was an experience, to say the least. Dungeons 6 and 7 were extremely tricky and difficult to navigate. I basically had to use all my available memory to remember some rooms otherwise I'd have been stuck in those 2 dungeons for ages, no pun intended.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed my time with the game. I loved the map, the story, most of the puzzles, the items and the sprites. I'm always impressed with everything that was achieved on the GB/GBC and this game wasn't the exception.

There were some aspects I didn't like, of course. Reaching those 2 dungeons I mentioned earlier was a huge and almost obtuse task on its own which almost felt unfair and way too tedious for its own good. I swear the Goron minigames almost broke my soul. Also, constantly opening the menu to change your items can get tiring fast, but I understand it's because of the 2 buttons limitation on the GBC.

I'll take a couple of days rest before starting Oracle of Seasons. I'm actually excited to see how the story picks up from Oracle of Ages. I don't entirely know how the link system works yet, but I understand some of the events I went through in Ages will be referenced in Seasons. That's a really cool feature that shouldn't go unmentioned!
KilgoreWolfe said:
That was another boss that I abused rewind for, lol.
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Luckily, all the bosses after that one are a piece of cake. Reaching their dungeons though, that's a completely different story!

HockeyBird said:
Somethings that really annoys me about Capcom's Zelda game is the enemy hit detection and placement. Sometimes an enemy will just pop out of nowhere and there's nothing you can do but take the hit. But the issue is that enemies can just phase through often, getting multiple hits on you in the process. It feels awful when you're slashing your sword, the enemy or boss is taking damage but they don't get stunned so they just continue walking straight into you as if nothing is happening. This was also a problem in the Minish Cap.
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I also thought this was a bit too frustrating, but I got used to it for the most part. I'm convinced some enemies can read your inputs at times.
 
PT Fan said:
I finished Oracle of Ages. That was an experience, to say the least. Dungeons 6 and 7 were extremely tricky and difficult to navigate. I basically had to use all my available memory to remember some rooms otherwise I'd have been stuck in those 2 dungeons for ages, no pun intended.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed my time with the game. I loved the map, the story, most of the puzzles, the items and the sprites. I'm always impressed with everything that was achieved on the GB/GBC and this game wasn't the exception.

There were some aspects I didn't like, of course. Reaching those 2 dungeons I mentioned earlier was a huge and almost obtuse task on its own which almost felt unfair and way too tedious for its own good. I swear the Goron minigames almost broke my soul. Also, constantly opening the menu to change your items can get tiring fast, but I understand it's because of the 2 buttons limitation on the GBC.

I'll take a couple of days rest before starting Oracle of Seasons. I'm actually excited to see how the story picks up from Oracle of Ages. I don't entirely know how the link system works yet, but I understand some of the events I went through in Ages will be referenced in Seasons. That's a really cool feature that shouldn't go unmentioned!


Luckily, all the bosses after that one are a piece of cake. Reaching their dungeons though, that's a completely different story!



I also thought this was a bit too frustrating, but I got used to it for the most part. I'm convinced some enemies can read your inputs at times.
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I am starting to find the between dungeons sections to be a little tiring now. Like you said, the stuff you have to do is obtuse, and I have no shame checking a walkthrough when I get stuck, haha.

Glad to hear the bosses aren't as bad though.
 
King_Dodongo said:
Seasons is way way better than Ages. I could write a ton of things to confirm it, but Fami already know that, so no need.
Both great games just to be clear.
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Historically I had played seasons in the gameboy so now I am playing Ages.


I remember how much I liked seasons and surprisingly.... that feeling of wonder is still there after all these years!

I honestly recommended to all my friends with a switch to play these games, they are so well crafted, hold so well and are really challenging - so much so that old me now is abusing rewind cause I ain't got that much time to try again and again :p
 
I've spent about 3 hours on Seasons and have just cleared the third dungeon. Hoping to get some time on it over the next few days. I have "one more day" syndrome every time I play Pikmin 4, so I'm already up to 9 hours on that.

Enjoying Seasons, though. With that, Link's Awakening DX, Ages, and Wario Land 3 all available, some of the absolute best GB/C games are already on the service.
 
PT Fan said:
I finished Oracle of Ages. That was an experience, to say the least. Dungeons 6 and 7 were extremely tricky and difficult to navigate. I basically had to use all my available memory to remember some rooms otherwise I'd have been stuck in those 2 dungeons for ages, no pun intended.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed my time with the game. I loved the map, the story, most of the puzzles, the items and the sprites. I'm always impressed with everything that was achieved on the GB/GBC and this game wasn't the exception.

There were some aspects I didn't like, of course. Reaching those 2 dungeons I mentioned earlier was a huge and almost obtuse task on its own which almost felt unfair and way too tedious for its own good. I swear the Goron minigames almost broke my soul. Also, constantly opening the menu to change your items can get tiring fast, but I understand it's because of the 2 buttons limitation on the GBC.

I'll take a couple of days rest before starting Oracle of Seasons. I'm actually excited to see how the story picks up from Oracle of Ages. I don't entirely know how the link system works yet, but I understand some of the events I went through in Ages will be referenced in Seasons. That's a really cool feature that shouldn't go unmentioned!


Luckily, all the bosses after that one are a piece of cake. Reaching their dungeons though, that's a completely different story!



I also thought this was a bit too frustrating, but I got used to it for the most part. I'm convinced some enemies can read your inputs at times.
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Dungeons 6-7 were easily one of my favorite stretches in the entire series. It basically broke some of the monotony and solidified the game as more than simply “Zelda on the GBC”

Gameplay spoilers:

Before reaching dungeon 6 I was actually stuck on dungeon 5’s boss, some people say that Zelda boss battles are too puzzly, well that one was literally a puzzle. After I finally beat it, I noticed immediately that you didn’t go back to the city to then be lead to another area, you just had the Goron tell you that the area expanded, so you could get to the base of Rolling Ridge, which was probably the game’s most lush area (up until then I felt like the game was pretty monotonous visually). Goron dancing is no big deal, it’s just a rhythm minigame, getting to the dungeon was basically a trading quest that you figured out. The dungeon itself is basically a 2D version of the Spirit Temple, that’s very welcome considering that the game has you traveling through time. It’s arguable that the Mermaid Suit messes up swimming controls but it’s no big deal really. After that you have the whole Black Tower segment which was suprising, thought it would only be endgame. Again, the game not being formulaic in terms of what leads you to the next dungeon. Then you get the ability to switch time periods anywhere but figuring out when to change is still challenging, there’s always that puzzle element to it. So you do the Zora stuff, you dive which is always cool, you do challenging time puzzles and then you get to the dungeon which is basically the Water Temple in 2D. You had a GBC game basically doing its take on my two favorite dungeons, nothing not to love really

Seasons might have four seasons to change from on top of the Subrosia map but figuring out where and what to change is never as challenging or elaborate as anything in Ages. That’s fine as it’s the one that’s more action focused but this lack of complexity kind of made me feel like the game was more one and done, like it has four seasons instead of just two time periods, it has more lush and varied environments and it has arguably the more unique items but it never really uses all those elements as well as Ages did. Something else that didn’t help was that the map layout was kind of too similar to Link’s Awakening. Still a great game that I prefer over any other 2D Zelda except Ages, ALTTP and TMC
 
King_Dodongo said:
Seasons is way way better than Ages. I could write a ton of things to confirm it, but Fami already know that, so no need.
Both great games just to be clear.
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I like Seasons a lot too, but Ages is my favorite. The larger emphasis on puzzles is something I have wanted Zelda to do again for a while now and nothing has quite lived up to Ages on that front. Dungeon 6, 7 (yes I even love this dungeon!), and 8 are some of my favorites in the whole series, and I love how much of a puzzle it is just to get to them, even.

Seasons is way more focused on combat, and I just don't care about that as much in a Zelda game. Seasons does get MASSIVE points for having Tarm Ruins and Dungeon 6, which I also love, but I really don't care for the Sword and Shield Maze as a final dungeon.

Basically, everything that @Yoshifan31 said right before this
 
SammyJ9 said:
I like Seasons a lot too, but Ages is my favorite. The larger emphasis on puzzles is something I have wanted Zelda to do again for a while now and nothing has quite lived up to Ages on that front. Dungeon 6, 7 (yes I even love this dungeon!), and 8 are some of my favorites in the whole series, and I love how much of a puzzle it is just to get to them, even.

Seasons is way more focused on combat, and I just don't care about that as much in a Zelda game. Seasons does get MASSIVE points for having Tarm Ruins and Dungeon 6, which I also love, but I really don't care for the Sword and Shield Maze as a final dungeon.

Basically, everything that @Yoshifan31 said right before this
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People always say "seasons is more combat focused" and I don't really agree with that. Seasons still has plenty of puzzles, and ages still has tons of combat. Really the biggest differentiators imo are in the story and inspiration for the game design. Ages has a bigger story focus with a larger cast of characters who're more involved with the plot, and the game feels inspired by OoT. Seasons has less of a story focus and a much smaller cast of characters, and feels more inspired by the original LoZ.

This makes sense as we know the original plan was to do a Zelda 1 remake as part of the 3 oracle game project, and Seasons has a lot of bosses/dungeons lifted right out of Zelda 1. It's always felt to me like Seasons was the hodgepodge of their zelda 1 remake (farore's game) and the other oracle game (din's game making use of seasons). Probably why a good chunk of Seasons doesn't even make use of the season mechanic (subrosia).
 
BassForever said:
People always say "seasons is more combat focused" and I don't really agree with that. Seasons still has plenty of puzzles, and ages still has tons of combat. Really the biggest differentiators imo are in the story and inspiration for the game design. Ages has a bigger story focus with a larger cast of characters who're more involved with the plot, and the game feels inspired by OoT. Seasons has less of a story focus and a much smaller cast of characters, and feels more inspired by the original LoZ.

This makes sense as we know the original plan was to do a Zelda 1 remake as part of the 3 oracle game project, and Seasons has a lot of bosses/dungeons lifted right out of Zelda 1. It's always felt to me like Seasons was the hodgepodge of their zelda 1 remake (farore's game) and the other oracle game (din's game making use of seasons). Probably why a good chunk of Seasons doesn't even make use of the season mechanic (subrosia).
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That would make a lot of sense, and could explain why it feels a bit disconnected. The season mechanic is great when it's used well (like I said, I adore Tarm Ruins) but you're right that Subrosia is kind of an odd part of the game with that in mind. And also just not that interesting in general - every time I play Seasons I get a little annoyed when I have to go back to Subrosia, since it often feels like an area made just to give you busywork tasks between dungeons.
 
SammyJ9 said:
That would make a lot of sense, and could explain why it feels a bit disconnected. The season mechanic is great when it's used well (like I said, I adore Tarm Ruins) but you're right that Subrosia is kind of an odd part of the game with that in mind. And also just not that interesting in general - every time I play Seasons I get a little annoyed when I have to go back to Subrosia, since it often feels like an area made just to give you busywork tasks between dungeons.
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Subrosia makes a lot more sense as the new underground world that was "always hidden under the original LoZ map" then just the place the season temple disappeared to. Heck the Subrosians and their antics fit the vibe of Zelda 1's cave areas where you would sometimes get punished and have to "pay for my door" but then other times be rewarded and given "a secret to everyone".
 
I love Subrosia and its weird inhabitants and long for the day Nintendo remembers their existence, I'm sorry if the weird Lava Javas hurt you, they're good boys and girls.
 
BassForever said:
People always say "seasons is more combat focused" and I don't really agree with that. Seasons still has plenty of puzzles, and ages still has tons of combat. Really the biggest differentiators imo are in the story and inspiration for the game design. Ages has a bigger story focus with a larger cast of characters who're more involved with the plot, and the game feels inspired by OoT. Seasons has less of a story focus and a much smaller cast of characters, and feels more inspired by the original LoZ.

This makes sense as we know the original plan was to do a Zelda 1 remake as part of the 3 oracle game project, and Seasons has a lot of bosses/dungeons lifted right out of Zelda 1. It's always felt to me like Seasons was the hodgepodge of their zelda 1 remake (farore's game) and the other oracle game (din's game making use of seasons). Probably why a good chunk of Seasons doesn't even make use of the season mechanic (subrosia).
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Good points. I’ve also never bought that Seasons is more combat oriented. The 2D games don’t exactly have deep combat, you know?
 
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I'd argue Seasons is more "combat oriented" mostly by virtue of having "lighter" puzzles compared to Ages and imho the harder bosses (especially Onox compared to Veran). Also Din being the Oracle of Seasons but also the name of the Goddess of Power kinda plays into this too.

Of course, being 2D-Zelda, they both have more of a puzzle aspect compared to the 3D entries.
 
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I feel the action focus is mostly that the puzzles are based around combat challenges or items that have you moving at a quicker pace than Ages. Compare the slingshot to the seed shooter or the Roc's cape to the basic feather.
 
SammyJ9 said:
I like Seasons a lot too, but Ages is my favorite. The larger emphasis on puzzles is something I have wanted Zelda to do again for a while now and nothing has quite lived up to Ages on that front. Dungeon 6, 7 (yes I even love this dungeon!), and 8 are some of my favorites in the whole series, and I love how much of a puzzle it is just to get to them, even.

Seasons is way more focused on combat, and I just don't care about that as much in a Zelda game. Seasons does get MASSIVE points for having Tarm Ruins and Dungeon 6, which I also love, but I really don't care for the Sword and Shield Maze as a final dungeon.

Basically, everything that @Yoshifan31 said right before this
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Imo you have good points.

This I think Seasons does better:

The Seasons mechanic (however I understand it makes the game more difficult to remake due to this).
Subrosia (the region, race, currency etc etc) Gives the game more uniqueness.
The region (it has way more variety imo, tram ruins is just one of many examples)
Less annoying (I hated dungeon 5 in ages and its grating and unfun boss. Dungeon 7 wasnt as bad it was just a big map that could get a bit confusing)
More fun fights
Better OST (barely because I know its close and can be subjective)
Better villain as a fight (Liked the way an imposing iron knuckle was the villain and his twist is very cool)
Doesnt have the "#$%ing goron dance (a big plus)
Horon village (better theme and more enjoyable to visit imo) Even the tree is more charming even if simpler.
Items (rocs cape is amazing as well as the boomerang, among many others)

What I think ages does better:

The twist leading to the third dungeon and the dungeon itself (not so much the boss because that one is pathetic)
Has the zoras better respresented (their village is nice)
Some of the time mechanics
Veran and her lore (black tower) She has way more presence than Onox and we know that she is a master of deceptiveness (her fight is lame though and I always thought Vaati was more powerful and intimidating as a sorcerer)
Queen ambi and Ralph added to the game even if Ralph was just there.
 
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I played these as a kid, but I'm forgetting what some of the connection bonuses are. Are there big differences in transferrable items that make one more interesting/fun to play first? Like, can roc's cape or similar items be transferred over to ages if I play seasons first? I mostly just remember the trading quest that got some unique items across both games.
 
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