The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons

• The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages--two storytelling companions in the ongoing saga of everyone's favorite Hyrulia hero, Link. The games were first named The Triforce Series and Acorn of the Mystical Tree. They are a joint production of Nintendo and Capcom. In Oracle of Seasons, Link is transported to a land that is lost in turmoil. There he discovers, among many ability-granting items, the Rod of Seasons, a device that gives him control over the forces of nature. By changing summer into winter or by transforming spring into fall, Link can open new paths and forge ahead in his quest to restore order to the land (Nintendo Power, Vol. 142).

Link is set off in the land of Holodrum. The land is in a state of confusion. Din, a beautiful dancer, is kaidnapped by Gorgon. Din is the Oracle of Seasons. With Din under his control, Gorgon use her to cause mischief. Link's quest is to save Din and bring Holodrum back to normal. You'll find a number of familiar Legend of Zelda characters, along with the debut of several new friends. Moosh (polar bear), Ricky (kangaroo), and Dmitri (dodongo) will help Link go places that he couldn't, do things that he couldn't, and defeat bosses that he couldn't without them. You'll be able to call on them at any time with a collection of magical flutes. Once the Rod of Seasons is in your possesion, you can change the seasons as you please. That allows you to open up new paths where there weren't paths before. By summoning winter, for example, you are able to cross frozen lakes or walk through areas that are overgrown with foliage in other seasons. By forcing summer on the land, you can climb vines on cliffs that are normally barren. In autumn, falling leaves fill holes and magical seeds appear on the ground. In spring, you can fly to the top of cliffs with the use of a special flower. The land is so different as the seaons change, it's like four worlds to explore in one (Nintendo Power, Vol. 142). You'll find a large collection of weapons and tools to use on your quest. You'll find some of the old weapons use in Link's Awakening such as the boomerang, slingshot, shovel, and Roc's feather. You will find new items such as seeds. They can produce fire or magic that will carry you off to another place. The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons is not the only game in production. The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages is also in the making. Although the two games have a different adventure they are still linked. If you finish one game, you'll get a password. If you enter it into the second game you will be able to play the new game with the character you use in the first game. You will also get a sword and a shield to start off with. Without the password you would not normally get anything to start off with. You'll also get 4 hearts where you would usually get 3 without the password. If you beat the second game with the password you will get an additional, and very challenging, battle. (Nintendo Power, Vol. 142)