Pros: Epic Quest, Gorgeous worlds, Updated items, places.
Cons: Graphics pushed to the limit.
The bottom line: A classic.
The Legend of Zelda has a staying power like no other videogame franchise, it even outstays Mario. It’s that epic fantasy save the world thing that ultimately grabs you and the huge land it comes packaged in. So now it’s all available (again) on the Game Boy Coulor. Apologies for being a bit late on this game, but I hadn’t played it until last week because I had been too busy, and I was going to review Oracle of Seasons (which is the companion piece to this game) but that already had a number of reviews next to its name. So I’m here with this beauty. What separates this installment from the rest of Zelda games? Well, nothing and everything.

The first thing fans of the Zelda games will notice with this title, is that it bears an uncanny similarity to the Zelda games available on the N64. From the very familiar subscreen menus to the eerily recreated Game Boy music (that is as close as Game Boy is going to get to the N64) Capcom have truly delivered an inspired rendition of the Zelda Universe, and it actually works in the Zelda timelines (well, kind of).

Although Ages and Seasons are slightly different, both games follow a very similar story. Link wakes up in a strange forest, he meets a beautiful girl that takes a shine to him, and then something terrible happens to the girl. Both girls are Oracles (One of Ages and the other of Seasons), and Impa from Zelda: Ocarina of Time always appears. Naryu is the Oracle of Ages, she controls time in the land of Labrynna, and she also has a beautiful singing voice that both animals and people from all over come to hear. Soon after you meet her she is kidnapped.

If you have ever played Zelda on the SNES, or on the old Gameboy then you will be very familiar with the style of this version. If you havn’t it is quite simple, it is a top-down view of Link and you use him to explore the world to find items and defeat enemies. Along your mammoth quest, you will encounter a number of monsters and nasties you may remember from previous Zelda titles. There are zombies, ghosts, crows, wolves, blobs with attitude and more. To battle the army of beats, there will be an abundance of weapons to assist Link.

This game sets Link the task of saving the Oracle of Ages. She has been kidnapped so that her powers can be used in the ultimate evil. Like all Zelda games before, the emphasis in this game is information gathering, exploration, puzzle solving and intense real-time battle. Link will have to travel from town to town, conversing with everyone in sight. He’ll also have to remember dates, locales and paths. It all becomes familiar with characters, music and elements that have ripped straight from the N64 Zelda games. Congratulations to Capcom for delivering an experience that recreates the best elements of two of the best N64 games ever.

What pushes Oracle of Ages and Seasons to new gameplay heights is a set of powerful magic rings to collect. There are 64 to find or buy and if you take them to a special jeweler he can evaluate them for you. Each one has special powers and the jeweler must appraise them in order for you to use them. Using passwords you collect in one game, you can use on the other game to unlock events and items. Not only does this extend the life of your games, but it offers an amazing challenge as you set about finding them all.

Since you’ll be talking to the locals and traveling a lot, it pays to get to know where things are. If you know where shops or other important places are it can save you time battling enemies so you can buy items, including heart pieces and bombs. Another great addition to this game is that you’ll feel right at home as there are creatures of all shapes and sizes roam the different lands. Some creatures you can ride and offer you special abilities so you can get further on in your quest.

If you have a GBA there are some special advantages over the old GBC. If you play this game on your GBA, you get an exclusive shop were you can buy exclusive rings only on the GBA. The sound is also brilliant on the GBA through the booming speakers and of course it’s more comfortable to play. Both games can link up via the Link Cable to swap information and access hidden areas.

In graphics, the game looks a lot like the original Link’s Awakening on the Game Boy, but with more color and more detail. It has much improved artwork and a lot more features and betters colors also. It’s too bad the game wasn’t made for the GBA because the graphics and sound would have improved a lot which could have improved the experience. But the gameplay is all that matters, and that is excellent so the GBC will do just fine.

This game along with Oracle of seasons are the best games you’ll find on the Game Boy Color, they even beat most games on the Game Boy Advance. There is simply nothing more engaging than what the interaction these huge quests has to offer. I find it difficult to belive that anything could supersede these titles. As much as I would like to rave on about this game, I have more important matters to attend to, like kicking some monster-butt with Link! He still shows no sign of age. A must buy.