The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons Review: Rises from middling to masterful

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons originally released for the Game Boy Color, stands as a notable entry in the Zelda series, part of the interconnected Oracle duology developed by Capcom. Released alongside Oracle of Ages, it explores the adventures of Link in the land of Holodrum, where the mystical Rod of Seasons grants him the power to manipulate the seasons at will. Known for its innovative gameplay mechanics and captivating dungeons, Oracle of Seasons introduces players to a world where seasons are not just a backdrop but a dynamic force integral to solving puzzles and uncovering secrets. In this review, I, Brighton Nelson, will delve into the good, the bad, and the ugly of The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons.

Combat - 5

While the boss lineup here is much less original than Oracle of Ages, its bigger emphasis on combat throughout the dungeons makes me admit they are equal in terms of combat. Capcom always does a great job of adding new ways to mix up Zelda combat, and, in this case, this game has some of the best innate abilities in the series! Rings are awesome, and I'd love to see them make some sort of comeback in the future! However, the lack of unique bosses and the necessity to constantly visit the menu for combat items makes this combat lack behind many games in the series.

Music - 4

On the one hand, I love the charming nature of the Game Boy Color's sound font and many of the game's upbeat tunes. On the other hand, the game's sound quality is inconsistent and often incredibly annoying. While I enjoy this music more than the majority of Zelda fans, it is still undeniably one of the weakest soundtracks in the series and certainly one of the least iconic.

Art & Graphics - 2

Playing this game for the first time in 2024, I found it had some of the most beautiful and charming graphics I've seen in a video game. The pixel art is gorgeous, and every screen and menu is full of life. While some Game Boy Color games are an eyesore, this game is anything but that, and it has aged timelessly like fine wine. Ultimately, this is one of my favorite looking Zelda games, and like the original, The Minish Cap, and The Wind Waker, it's utterly timeless.

Quality of Life - 9

This game had some issues, such as late-game-restricted access to fast travel on an enormous map, the awkwardness of ring appraisals, the constantly disruptive menu switching, and, sometimes, the overly cryptic next objective. However, all of these are either eventually solved, minimal, or understandable from a balancing perspective. Ultimately, this game is very well-polished in most ways, save its inconsistent sound design.

Items - 9.5

This game has one of the best item lineups in the series! With rings, seeds, the Rod of Seasons, the Roc's Cape, Magnetic Gloves, the Hyper Slingshot, the Magical Boomerang, and Bombchus? This item lineup is so phenomenal! The Rod of Seasons, while underutilized compared to the Harp of Ages, is a brilliant Zelda item that was an incredibly ingenious idea. The Roc's Cape is an enormous upgrade over the Roc's Feather that really revitalizes the game's combat and puzzle design. The Magnetic Gloves are one of the most funny and charming items in the whole series, and it was a much-needed breath of fresh air in the series. The Hyper Slingshot is fantastic and is a great innovation on the normal Slingshot, as it fires three seeds at a time. The Magical Boomerang is, again, a brilliant innovation on the basic Boomerang, with the ability to control the Boomerang to your whims. And Bombchus? They are as illustrious, unnecessary, and funny to use as always. Ultimately, you pretty much can't beat this fantastic item lineup... it is that good.

Dungeons - 9

While this game has one of the worst early dungeon line-ups in the series, the quality instantly becomes incredible in the fourth outing of the game: the Dancing Dragon Dungeon. This game strikes a perfect balance of fun combat, engaging puzzles that aren't obscure, and brilliant dungeon design! This game doesn't quite have the brilliantly satisfying dungeon design and mind-boggling puzzles of Oracle of Ages, but it still finds ways to stand out as one of the best dungeon lineups of the series. And that's incredible, considering this game is on the Game Boy Color and made by Capcom!

Sidequests - 9.5

Yeah, this is easily one of the worst lineups of Zelda game sidequests of all time. With so few Heart Containers and minigames to collect and partake in, I can't claim this game has good sidequests. It simply can't live up to any Zelda games before it or after it, and, ultimately, these sidequests are mediocre as frick.

Story - 2

Outside of the first two NES Zelda games, this game has the absolute worst story of the series. While the second world of Subrosia was compelling, it was severely underbaked, and the villain was so unthreatening that this narrative completely lacked gravitas, one of the few things that most Zelda stories nail. This story is so underwhelming compared to its sister story, Oracle of Ages (which wasn't exactly the best in the first place).

Theming - 9.5

This game has got to have the coolest idea of any Zelda game to date! The season-changing gimmick? Absolute brilliance! The only reason it doesn't score a perfect 10 is the slightly lacking execution of this mechanic, which, unfortunately, is obviously due to the limitations of the system. If we got a modern, big-budget Zelda game with season-changing mechanics in an open-world experience like Breath of the Wild? It could totally be peak Zelda. But, in the end, this game's theming is still brilliant.

The Verdict

Fun Factor: 7.5
Overall Score: 71%
Letter Rating: A

While it feels like this was the less developed game of the Oracles duology by a large margin, it still finds ways to completely stand on its own from Oracle of Ages as one of the best Zelda games of all time (in my opinion). I implore you: get Nintendo Switch Online or a Game Boy Color emulator and play this duology immediately. Put together? The Oracle games are the best game in the series for me and one of the most brilliant and creative ventures in the gaming world. I'd recommend this game to anybody and everybody who can play video games: it is that good.

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Primary Version: The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons (Game Boy Color)