Which Legend of Zelda: Oracle Game Should You Play First?
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- Опубликовано: 2 окт 2024
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Ages Ring Guide: www.linkshidea...
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Video Credit: World of Longplays ( / @worldoflongplays_
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Nintendo just announced the imminent release of Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons on the Nintendo Switch Online service! These are real classics of 2D Zelda, and are up there with the likes of A Link to the Past and Link's Awakening. But which OoX game should you play first? In this video I will answer the question, of whether OoS or OoA make a better starting point.
For folks who don’t know, the Oracle games were the first Zelda games done by Hidemaro Fujibayashi, who directed Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.
kind of weird because the Oracle games actually have a fairly solid story, right?
@@carnage0685he also directed Skyward Sword (and I believe Minish Cap) so not really
@@carnage0685 Yeah but BotW/TotK having somewhat of a minimalist story feels like a deliberate choice so I wouldn't count it as an indicator of his (or the staff's) true capabilities.
@@Gabo2oo BotW's story wasn't even that good, but somehow it was better than TotK. It didn't have anything that felt downright amazing but it fleshed out the Champions, had some cool moments with Link defending Zelda from the Yiga Clan as well as the army of Guardians, as well as Zelda confronting the Calamity all on her own.
TotK had some good stuff too- Both of the scenes that involved Ganondorf killing Sonia and upgrading himself with her stone were great, as well as the chilling opening cutscene, but then you have dumb shit like the Ancient Sages telling you nearly the exact same story 4 different times (5 if you count Mineru although she told you something different too), the obvious and unbearably long drawn out reveal of the new Zelda being a puppet of Ganondorf, and the ending undoing a lot of the meaning behind Zelda's sacrifice, not to mention getting rid of Mineru for little to no reason. If they fixed the things wrong with it it could have very well been a noticeable step up from BotW, but with all the flaws it had it just stands below it for me.
@@carnage0685 I haven't finished TotK so I'll have to read your full comment later, but I WILL say I'm hating how inconsistent the worldbuilding is about which BotW events happened and which didn't, more than anything. (Worst part so far is Hudson and Rhondson greeting Link while the other Tarrey Town neighbors treat him like an outsider).
Koei Tecmo couldn't commit to make a real prequel to BotW and now the Zelda team is proving they can't commit to a sequel either.
My overall favorite of the Oracle games is Oracle of Seasons. Ages was a fine game, but I had a lot more memories of Seasons, and like you said, it's easier to play than Ages.
Jesus loves you so much he died for you! So turn to him before its too late!
@@sakuparkkonen2959 That's a fictional character.
@@tiporossoActually, historical records do indicate Jesus as a real human who lived during the Roman occupation of the Judaea region of the Middle East. How far you go outside of those records in terms of religious belief is up to you though.
The “person” you’re replying to, however, is a bot, and so is actually fictional, so that’s also something to consider in the future.
@@Dyundu The only thing that there is consensus about is that "there might have been some guy called Jesus". Jesus Christ is to Jesus what Santa Claus is to Saint Nick, Jesus without the unproven miracles is essentially a normal person and that bot is using as a way of threatening others "before it's too late".
For the Bread pirate he is so much more fun than your face Nauru
Imo it depends on what you're good at as a player. Personally, I love the dungeon and puzzle solving aspects of Zelda (Water temple is one of my favorite dungeons), so starting off with Ages was fantastic for me. It also helps that I kinda suck at 2D zelda combat, so carrying over some of the stronger gear into Seasons was nice for me.
Certainly! I've just experienced that even people who like puzzles in Zelda tend to be caught offguard by how staggeringly confusing some of the Ages dungeons can be, so I think Seasons makes a good warmup
But yeah if you are a puzzle fiend, no reason you can't start with Ages!
Absolutely! I can definitely see why you’d recommend Seasons first for a casual audience that may have never played a 2D Zelda before
Same here, I'd also consider Ages to Seasons the easier path.
It's combat/dungeon-focused and therefore that extra heart container will make things easier.
@@NayruYT The only thing that counts against both games is that they have an early game wall that's not linked to the 'zelda playstyle' for the most, with the 'kindest take of Simon' I've ever seen in a video game (always 3 inputs, so no long chains to bank into your short term memory) in Seasons and the passing mini game in Ages. Though, I'd say that the passing mini game 'between dungeons 2 and 3' in Ages is much more rough than the Simon game in Seasons as it's easier to mess up and you're forced to pay 10 rupees per go (Granted, that's also been mitigated by the rewind system and load state system, but you can also save and continue on original hardware as well, but that has a longer 'get back into the game time'), whereas it's free to do the progression blocking minigame for free in Seasons
Guess a new generation of fans are gonna start thirsting for Veran.
Absolutely
@@NayruYT will she beat Purah though lol
As an og fan of the oracle games I can confirm Veran is uwu mommy
@@DjDeadpigIs it wrong I was still thirsting even when she became a spider?
@@TheRedBaron1917 I mean people simp for muffet from UT.
Ages makes it feel like the stakes are higher than they were in seasons. Onyx feels like the meat head general you have to get past in order to fight the crafty Veran. It especially adds a whole new level of story when you get to the end of a linked game.
Finally, can't wait to revisit both of these!
What are you playing first?
Probably going to go with seasons, like you recommended. Interestingly enough when I was a kid I actually started with ages because that's the only one that I had. Now we just need the third game in the collection starring Farore
Ages also has a more complex story and world, as well as a way more challenging final boss, so it really does work well as the second game, and this is coming from someone who played Ages way before even getting Seasons.
Subrosian's and Tokay's need to come back in a future Zelda game. Hell, Moosh and Ricky's species need to come back as well.
I actually prefer to do Ages first. I agree with most of your points (Ages being a bit harder), but I find fighting Ganon much easier with the cape.
I just want to support the creator by arguing with you in the comments and telling you: nuh-uh
Fym nuh uh
@@BuskingAndChessI’m starting with ages first lol idc
Lol on my first play through last year I did Ages first and then Seasons, because I had heard that the story elements that carried forward were more neatly wrapped up in that order. That said, I definitely noticed the disparity in challenge between games that you point out here. The end result wasn't me being turned off form the games necessarily, but what it did cause was for me to greatly prefer Ages over Seasons. Then again, I am already someone who loves challenging puzzles in Zelda dungeons, and in general am a bit of a video game masochist, so maybe that played a part in it lmaooo
No that makes total sense, the stark contrast in gameplay philosophy between the two means it is very easy to have a favourite!
Ever considered doing a count down of how tough the puzzles are in dungeons for 2D and 3D?
A great idea!
@@NayruYTCause I always wondered how difficult these puzzles were to an adult compared to what a kid would "assume" is hard.
Like the Eagle Tower in Awakening is definitely on the harder side and like you said Lord Jabu as well
Love that you give people the choice to pick the short or detailed answer, everyone can appreciate that
I typically don't like combat, so I bought Ages on the 3DS a while ago, but then realized that puzzles weren't really for me either. Unfortunately 2D zelda isn't suuuuper my jam, but I'm too stubborn and invested in the lore to NOT at least make attempts every once in a while. Definitely noted to mess around with Seasons on the switch first!
I'd always wanted to see if I could get a reproduction GBC cartridge and see if it worked cross-platform for passwords though 🤔
I can feel that, 2D and 3D Zelda are fairly different beasts
In my mind i always think that the difficulty in dungeons should be more like ages since its a temple/dungeon etc. That was sealed for a reason so why would it be just empty rooms with no riddles trying to keep the person who got inside from getting the treasure? And the more i think about it the more sense it would make that its this messy labyrinth
Of rooms/enemies trying to keep me from succeeding in my quest.
Unlike games like totk that have temples holding huge powerfull stones that any and i mean any noob that knows how to climb could just reach! Just look at the fire temple for example in totk it might be the worst 3d zelda dungeon i have ever seen and the water temple might be even worse.
I played through these on the 3DS and I did it Seasons -> Ages. Glad I did that route since I found I prefer Ages.
It is a great game!
first time i played these two i bout each for 8 bucks on the 3ds. i played oracles of seasons first and it quickly became one of my favorites if not my absolute favorite Zelda game. after i best that i played ages and liked it a lot too. but you’re definitely right about Ages dungeons. i remember almost on the brink of tears and spending 3 whole hours trying to do it. but it was all worth it, i just finished seasons on the switch today time to relive the pain of ages dungeons 10 years later 😅
I generally play Ages first. By doing so, you get a conclusion to Ambi's and the Pirate Capt's story. However, no extra side story by playing Seasons first.
Finally found someone who knows this. Storywise Ages to Seasons make more sense.
I think the side story of playing Seasons then Ages is supposed to be where the Subrosian dance comes from. Though personally I’d agree that resolving the couple’s love story is more interesting. (Funnily enough I was actually able to piece together who Queen Ambi’s lover was when playing Seasons first.)
By playing Ages first, Onox mentions how you defeated Veran. But Veran doesn’t acknowledge Onox’s defeat.
I only owned Ages. My buddy owned both but I never got around to playing seasons despite this. But the reason I still have such an appreciation for ages is because my buddy was a legend at these games and he beat a large portion of the game for me. So I got to explore a lot of things I normally wouldn't have.
A weird thing while its worse in a gameplay sense, a lot of the small storylines make more sense in the reverse order like Queen Ambi renuinting Cap'n, a zora in holodrum that traveled to labrynna, a goron finding the history people and Onox metions Veran but Veran never metions Onox in the linked games. And I know Seasons starts first in the manga but the mangas aren't canon even by Aonuma's own admission.
Edit: I originally meant Seasons to Ages was better in a gameplay sense and the opposite in reverse and story being slightly better as well to point out the diffrences on what order you play in my unedited comment and edited it to reflect that sorry for any confusion I might have caused.
Edit 2: I agree with playing Seasons first then Ages for the same reasons just wanted to point out this for those who want to know the both games are connected
Edit 3: apparently I accidentally mixed up it was where and when zelda and impa was when you first meet them in those games and conflating it with how link arrives in both countries and deleted that statement to reflect that, it's been a while since a I properly played the orcale games since I lost the cartridges and had to go from memory and walk-throughs statements from people who played the oracle games
Yeah you are absolutely correct that the story flows better between the two, and I probably should have mentioned that. But to me the brutal difficulty differential offsets what is ultimately some pretty minor story threads.
@@NayruYT I agree with you just wanted point it out just case especially since I recommend for alot of people after you play Seasons -> Ages first for the gameplay and getting taste how fun these two games can be then after that for those who want to dive deep in the story and lore like with all other Zelda games I reccomend playing with Ages -> Seasons at least once on a subsequent playthrough to get a general gist of what's going and how they are connected but that's my personal opinion
Wait what? I am pretty sure that in both games he teleports to the respective country. He uses a boat in the end of a linked game.
@@id-f8679 My bad apparently it was where and when zelda and impa was when you first meet them in those games I got mixed up with when trying to gather info ( like translations and Japanese interviews) for these games and it has been a while since a I properly played the orcale games I lost the cartridges and had to go from memory and walk-throughs statements from people who played the oracle games
@@DeltaNovo You can use an emulator to play them
I never really analyzed it by dungeon difficulty, good advice, next time I replay both back to back I'll go this order
Great video! I think I started with Ages my first playthrough as a kid and then went to Seasons (only due to Seasons not being readily available). I wish I had this information at the time. Yeah, I never was strong with puzzle-solving, so Ages was quite tough to get through my first time. Many of the dungeons are very tricky (much harder to solve than anything in Seasons or Link's Awakening). Seasons was actually a breath of fresh air afterwards. Years later I replayed Seasons to Ages and the progression felt more natural (though, Ages still was challenging)
This is fantastic advice for all Zelda fans! I just hope the release of these games on NSO doesn't eliminate the possibility of remakes of the Oracle games (similar to Link's Awakening).
I never knew about the difficulty spike on Ages, but even without that I tend to do the manga order (seasons then ages) and even without the manga order I did Seasons first because of the Red Ring which makes the Ages games utterly broken...
I always played Ages first, but that's largely because I didn't buy Seasons until a few months after I got Ages.
Sweet vid, I have never played either and while I am looking for rom hacks to make them more palpable as the games are old, I will play vanilla first and take your advice to play seasons then ages, though I would have no issue with zelda games puzzles.
I think the games have aged pretty well, but there are definitely some aspects I'd love to see touched up on in a remake
Jabu jabu in Ages is legit the only dungeon in Zelda history that forced me to use a walk-through. Absolutely brutal.
As a long time Zelda fan even from the NES days, my parents didn’t quite see the point of getting me a game boy system when I already had the main consoles. It wasn’t until GBA that they finally caved and got me a one. At that point, I virtually missed out on a lot of great Zelda games on game boy that were not easy to get in my area. I’ve been putting off playing ages and seasons but am looking forward to diving in this time around. Thanks for the tip. Cheers!
I only had ages as a kid. Because I found it at a garage sale . I remember it being difficult , but I didn’t know it was considered so difficult . but that’s why I loved it so much. And beating Veran felt like such an accomplishment.
Edit: these are my favourite 2d Zelda games too . I LOVE games with cool mounts . So Moosh alone makes these games awesome
Got ages back in 2003 and i grew up playing it, ive played ir so much i have the entire game memorized every item ever cave every chest every dugeon every puzzle etc. Ages is tied with majoras mask as my 2nd fav game of all time, ages is a masterpiece
Edit: ages version of jabu Jabus belly and mermaids cave are 2 of the greatest dungeons in all of Zelda masterfully designed
Season’s intro cutscene takes place during the daytime. Ages intro cutscene takes place during sunset. I have since childhood assumed that means seasons first ages second. And Verin is a way better boss fight IMO
I played Ages first as a child, and it is my favorite, but on new playthroughs, I do start with Seasons for the reasons you've said. I also think there is one square of the map on Ages you can't get to if you play it first, and it is only available if you play Seasons first. It is one of the Sea area squares. That is the other reason I play Seasons first, because while it wasn't an important area on the map, having one square left unexplored really bothered me as a child.
Your recommended order is interesting, because I would've gone opposite. My reasoning for that is because the "2nd quest" is the one where you gain access to the level 3 sword and Biggoron's Sword, which are more useful for Season's focus on harder combat.
Ages-to-Seasons provides lore accuracy. While Seasons-to-Ages has its loopholes.
Queen Ambi’s given plenty of character development, but Rosa is likely a throwaway.
I played Oracle of Ages first my first time and I loved it. I prefer it over Oracle of Seasons. These games are really underrated.
I played Oracle of Ages first time too years ago in Gameboy Color. Ah the good old days.
Seasons was the first one I was able to get so every time start over with a brand new play play through I continue that tradition despite Ages being my favorite of the two. This play through I’m working on I will FINALLY get all the rings for the first time.
I grew up on Ages, and it’s my personal favorite 2D Zelda game. I guess I’m so used to it now that I never considered how difficult it might be for first time players. I loved the puzzles in that game and the fact that you get such a large map to travel around in and underwater areas to explore. It’s very much a game that punches above its weight!
Poor Minish Cap and Link to the Past :3
Jabu-Jabu is hard because one of the key is not shown with the compas. You're like in front of a locked door, no key, look at the map, no chest x)
i prefer two play ages before seasons
originally they were supposed to be released at different times, when it was still 3 games, with Seasons being first, they only changed that and released at the same time when they cut the third one, so starting with Seasons makes completely sense.
They have a great story too!!! Just awesome seeing these again.
I'm abit conflicted with this since I really would have loved those games to get a remake
Ages was my first Zelda game ever- the one that hooked me!
My seasons cartridge hasn’t worked in a long time so I have played ages more but I still went ahead and beat both on the switch library. I definitely think ages is a superior game (especially in the story aspect) but both are great games! I know them like the back of my hand but I still enjoy every play through I’ve done. My only slight complaint is that the secret system can be pretty confusing, especially to people that have never used it. And the internet honestly doesn’t have the best explanations on it from what I’ve researched. But regardless, I’d Recommend these to anybody that likes Zelda, even if you haven’t tried 2d Zelda games yet.
I actually had Oracle of Seasons as a kid along with LADX but never had Ages so I'm more experienced with Seasons than Ages and yeah Ages is really brutal compared to Seasons but it does have a better story I feel. Seasons is very barebones in the plot department with its world feeling more very rural while Ages felt more Urban with a Kingdoms and everything.
I had LADX and Seasons too! I did eventually play Ages as I borrowed it from my cousin. I really liked the rings in this game. There were lots of secrets and postgame stuff.
I was twelve when I played Oracle of Ages and my Twinbrother played Seasons.
He told me he had a much easier time. I think the Oracle games are fantastic
Ages first and then Seasons entirely because it makes one particular scene in Seasons extremely good.
Also Ages is a smaller game that the plot much more heavily guides you through, so I felt it's the better introduction and first impression.
I'm up for a challenge. I started to playing Ages today. Loved it. :) Since I'm a puzzle loving guy and I love story also. Just hate the wall masters in general. Lol. I got Ages and Seasons on my 3DS. Glad I got it when I did. Kinda prefer to play them on the 3DS tbh. Would be cool if they remade this particular game in 2D/HD with Minishcap graphics. Would be dope imo. ^^.
On a journey this summer to beat every Zelda on the Switch. Nearing the end of SS. I've only skipped Zelda 2. Also played WW on Gamecube and TP on Wii. These games in at a perfect time. After them I only have BoTW and ToTK left (will do all dungeons on a existing file where I have the Master Sword already in BoTW and do DLC Part 2 before fighting Calamety Ganon).
Hey, wishing you an easy journey through the rest of your playthrough!
Missing out on Zelda 2
@@LuigiXHero Tried it, but got lost after the first dungeon. Didn't like the fighting style.
I played Season first and then Ages.
Ages has so many obnoxius minigames and puzzles like Gorons Dance Hall and the Librarian invisible floor that you needs to do twice, is not the dungeons and it puzzles (that i found the colored dice and the colored statues pretty neat puzzles) but thouse 2 minigames/puzzles that demotivated me alot so much that i resorted to Save States.
Seasons is also my favorite of both due it seasons gimmick, the Roc Cape, the Magnet Glove, Subrosia and the Subrosians as well the better Rosa(Not that i hates Waifu Tree).
Not that Ages don't haves it value despite all thouse issuses, like for example explorable underwater sections and the time travel mechanic realy expands the amount of places to explores a felling that i could not have whit the season changing gimmick nor Subrosia offers that much exploration expansion.
I've been revisiting the oracle games. Honestly, I've always liked seasons better than ages. I like the rod of seasons more as a gimick than the harp of ages.
The rod allows you to constantly unlock new abilities and new ways to affect the terrain. When it comes to the harp, by the time i get to getting the 3rd song, I just always think it should have been available from the start, and that the other 2 songs are completely useless. I always find myself wishing i had just been given the final song from the beginning, so i wouldn't have to hassle with reselecting the song when i equip the harp.
I would have liked it if ages had incorporated a future world, though i suppose coming up with an entirely new map and trying to feed that into the story would have been very difficult from both a story writing perspective and given the limitations of the gameboy color.
Going back and forth between holodrum and subrosia in seasons was always so much fun, especially later in the game when you get to the pirate ship part of the game and realize that subrosia is an underworld of sorts. Changing between times can feel tedious at times, especially when it comes to the part right before jabu jabu's belly.
I would agree with you that playing seasons then ages usually offers a better play through all around.
Well i never played a zelda game before, i saw these on gameboy color for switch, and will start as you said with oracle of seasons
I started with seasons emulated on my phone and I honestly had a very difficult time with the action and I never finished it.
I'd have a tumor playing ages next....
so nah.
I’m still hoping for an eventual 3d remake of these games!
I always liked the Ages first and then Seasons.
There were GBC games that pushed the graphics to its limit, like Perfect Dark. But the Zelda Oracle games truly pushed the GBC way beyond what people thought was possible in gameplay depth and world building.
Seasons first if you follow the canon (OoS is ALWAYS listed before OoA in ANY official publications [guides, manuals, mangas], except this trailer) and love Donkey Kong references, Ages first if you want to see a good NPC story.
I had to use a guide for Jabu-Jabu's because I got lost, that was the first time in the game, just to make it though, and I've been playing Zelda games for decades.
I liked the Mario type reference they had in the game, like Donkey Kong.
Yeah Jabu-Jabu is kind of insane
I never knew the differences in difficulty or focus of the 2 games, I think I played them both at the same time progressing slowly through each, boy I sure wish I had this video before my first play throughs but I’ll definitely play them in your suggested order this go round.
Playing them at the same time can be fun, but then you miss out on all the awesome linked game content, unless you replay them both at the same time again!
@@NayruYT yes, sadly I never got to experience the true ending by linking the games. I did play them on 3DS and am not sure if it worked that way. However, I did recently got both games physically, so I’m planning on replaying them on my gameboy SP
That would be great advice how _not_ to play these games. Don't play them at the same time. One by one in whichever order, but never simultaneously.
Would be cool though if the game was that advanced where the player could update either game with a code from the other game at certain checkpoints.
@@altairicgaming7108 I think you should be able to link them on 3ds since the game just uses passwords instead of a link cable.
What the hell?? You can hook shot the mask guys!! I wish I knew that 20 years ago .
I hear the love for these games - but they aren't as good as link's awakening or link to the past. They fall short in some areas - music for one..with both suffering from poor scores for almost the entire playthrough. The story in both also just doesnt quite have as much imagination as the Nintendo made games. They are great games tho - just not the best 2D games for me.
Dang I strongly disagree both counts haha, I'd listen to the Dancing Dragon Dungeon theme from Seasons or the Skull Dungeon theme from Ages over just about anything in ALTTP.
I do agree that LA has a better story, but ALTTP basically doesn't have a story outside of the manual and a trace amount of cutscenes, so I'll disagree there too.
In terms of game design, I think the Oracle games very obviously have lots of imagination. The intricacy of the dungeons in Ages blow anything in ALTTP out of the water, and Holodrum is significantly more interesting to explore than Hyrule or Koholint. The game's have extremely diverse and creative bosses whereas most of the ALTTP bosses are floating eyeballs and worms.
We'll definitely need to agree to disagree on this one haha
@@NayruYT I really enjoyed both games - played through and completed them in lockdown. Am a massive Zelda fan and love the entire series so it just comes down to personal preference when talking about rankings. I hope they get a remake alongside LA - as they deserve it.
I've played Seasons first in my last two playthroughs but I might try Ages first time time, not sure yet.
Seasons, most definitely. Ages has a more obtusely designed overworld and is worse overall.
An argument in favor of Ages then Seasons is that Seasons' combat focus is eased by the extra rings you can carry over from the other game. I don't know what benefits carry overfrom Seasons that can help you that much in Ages. Then again it's been like 2- years since I last played them.
Ages first, just because a Linked Seasons game finishes a hanging plot thread about Queen Ambi.
It's been long enough since I played them on the original cartridges that I will be 100% lost regardless of what order I play in! 😂😂😂
Hahaha fair!
How refreshing it is to have a short answer in the first 2 minutes of the video, thank you for that.
Just finished Oracle of Ages and yeah. I can see the difficulty of these puzzles. Jabu-Jabu is killing me. It took me 2 days to complete it (with breaks since I was on a trip).
Let's hope that Seasons won't ruin my playthrough. I'm enjoying it, while I had a rough time with the 2nd dungeon.
I like Seasons more than Ages but I'd say newbies should go Ages first just so they have the Master Sword for Onox. (I forget his name now.) You need to spin attack him with the lvl 2 sword to do any damage and that always throws people off.
Yea, Zelda veteran, Seasons was one of the last ones I needed to finally get through. I dabbled on a copy of Ages but didn't really play both until the 3DS. After the complete blindside of needing to use Pagasus Seeds in a previously never used way for the 2nd to last boss, and then having to do spin attacks for Onox, I just raged quit. Ages is hard, but at least it's possible to figure it out. Seasons is cryptid for no reason despite being easier.
I got Ages as a christmas present when i was 6 or 7 years old. It took me Years to get to Jabu Jabu and was completely lost and we didn't have stable internet at the time so i couldn't look up a guide or similar. And then i lost the card and never finished it. so now i am just happy to be able to play it again and finally beat both games.
I wish you best of luck conquering Jabu Jabu this go around!
@@NayruYTthat dungeon was ridiculously difficult.
I would say play Ages first, since I got Ages before I got Seasons back in the day.
I like to alternate between the two games whenever I play them. The only consistent thing I will do in the games is name the baby It for humorous dialogue from Blossom. My favorite lines are “I hope It grows up to be big and strong!” and “It looks sick….”
A fun idea as well!
I played seasons first because that was how the manga followed the linked order of games.
I'm stoked they're finally on the Switch! I cannot wait to play these again. I generally agree with your game order when talking about dungeon difficulty. However, I think it's a different difficulty curve for bosses and minibosses. In my opinion, Seasons has a much steeper curve in this regard. Unfortunately though, this rising difficulty in bosses doesn't continue if a player ends with Seasons. They'll go from harder and harder bosses only to fight a Twinrova and Ganon that are too easy. The Seasons gear is all based around combat and it makes a huge difference against those combined game bosses. So, if I want a harder dungeon experience and a harder Twinrova and Ganon fight, I'll end on Ages. If I want a rising difficulty in bosses and minibosses (minus Twinrova and Ganon), I'll end on Seasons.
Personally, I have a huge bias towards Seasons! It's my favorite 2D Zelda and 4th favorite Zelda game overall. I just love the combat focus so much! It also has a world that's easy to navigate, vibrant visuals, a cool central game mechanic, and the amazing subworld of Subrosia. I don't like Ages as much, but each time I play it, I like it a bit more. It's a very solid 2D experience. I just don't dig the puzzle focus as much.
Omg I literally just started OOA today just missed the video lol 😂
Haha wishing you the best of luck!
I randomly picked Seasons which after watching this video, I'm glad I did.
When is he gonna do the other goddess analysis videos? Also, which one next, Din or Nayru.
If it makes you feel better I started with ages and uhh I like it hahah.
Thanks! Never had a gameboy color so should be a good time
I played ages first, and seasons second, so I have the secret advantage for combat.
I see people say Ages is the better game a lot, but I genuinely disagree. Seasons is more fun and has a more unique concept imo. Maybe it's because I don't really like puzzles.. but I'm excited to play Seasons again, but I don't know if I can bring myself to play ages again. The goron dancing alone made me almost give up on Ages my first time :l
Subrosian dancing 🔛 🔝
This guys voice is pretty relaxing.
the magnet gloves are the goat item
I’m surprised people think ages is difficult??? I beat it when I was like 11. It was definitely tedious, everything took forever to do but it wasn’t difficult
If you look at the layout of Jabu Jabu and can't see how some people would struggle with it, I don't know what to tell you
Both but i will ALWAYS say ages over seasons. By a pretty far margin. Also ages hes skull dungeon and that theme goes HARD
These games aged like fine wine and still play awesome. I agree, start with Seasons and do Ages second, even if you’re a seasoned player who’s already completed these games back in the day and it’s been a while.
I always wanted to play these games but Nintendo decided not fully implement the Gameboy Player (SNES) so I couldn't get these games due to the small screen of the Gameboy Color and butt-tons of batteries to chew through to play them (not all retailer sell the AC adapters).
When i binged on the series for most of 2018, I played Seasons linked into Ages first, then Ages linked into Seasons. Given that they were developed by Capcom, it's really not all that surprising that they work on the same principle as Resident Evil 2, down to things that happen when you play them one way that don't the other way. It's for this reason that I've previously pitched hacks of the games that replace Link as the protagonist in Seasons with Leon S. Kennedy and in Ages with Claire Redfield.
I still need to sit down and replay them on switch but I just wanted to come here to say
WE WON!!
Hell yeah we did!!!
What about those of us who already started playing Zelda: Oracle of Ages, It's not that complicated to finish, right?
You'll be fine, some of the dungeons are real tough but you can always just bust out a walkthrough if you get totally stumped
As a fellow Oracle's game addict who played both game as 1st and 2nd multiple times I agree with the order entirely. One thing I think is important along side dungeon difficulty is that the use of the key item is far more straight forward to understand when navigating the overworld in Seasons than Ages, another reason for Seasons first!
I've played both games in both orders once given the opportunity.
I feel like I've had an easier time with Ages than I did Seasons (despite playing Seasons 1st) once I got the hang of both.
If you look at the linked ending in both games, Onox is replaced with Knox in the Ages ending while in Seasons, it's still Onox, so I often do Ages 1st & then Seasons 2nd.
Just a minor nitpick & goof I noticed.
I have another question for you...
Do you think it is better to play Link's Awakening before or after the Oracle games?
I ask because timelines like Hyrule Historia in addition to some other theory videos I've watched, Link's Awakening came shortly after the Oracles (all 3 pretty much always happened after A Link to the Past) while other timelines place Link's Awakening before the Oracle games.
I'm part of the side that thinks it goes A Link to the Past->Oracles->Link's Awakening.
Ages is more puzzle based and Seasons is more combat. Play both games twice. So good.
I prefer playing Ages first because Roc’s Cape is so much better for the true final bosses especially to avoid the earthquake stun, and the Hyper Slingshot is faster than the Seed Shooter so it’s easier to hit Twinrova with it twice when stunned. I didn’t find that big a difficulty difference between the games.
What order? I personally started with ages. And in all honesty, I think it ages is the better of the two games, but that's just my personal opinion.
It's amazing how different these two games feel despite being on identical engines and graphic styles. Seasons has a lighter adventuring tone and is definately way easier, but I prefer Ages for the feel of its more darker and foreboding world.. which is nicely reflected in Veran who I think is the better villain compared to Ornox. Also love the main town in Ages, it's way more nostalgic for some reason.
And ha it's nice to see Jabu Jabu's Belly mentioned, the amount of running all over the dungeon trying to deduce what the one thing you didn't do correctly, or wondering what the one vital thing or place you missed was is a crazy experience. So satisfying to figure out though.
The oracle games set up my childhood.
I had both games back when the Game Boy Color was brand new and loved them! Then got them on my 3DS through the arcade thing (can’t remember what it’s called now) and now I’m playing them on my Switch starting with Ages and I’m loving it!
I had already started the beginning of Seasons before seeing this video. I am having a little trouble figuring out where to go. I keep backtracking to try and figure it out.
If you care about 100% play Ages first. You can’t get 100% on a first playthrough because you’ll lack a heart, but an ages playthrough that isn’t linked also leaves a map square that can’t be entered. So you want to start with Ages > linked Seasons > hero secret Seasons > linked Ages. This keeps both those flaws in one game of the 4.
I think it makes sense to do Ages first and have the final battle in Seasons, Seasons can feel much shorter than ages so no reason not to extend it this way.
My thoughts exactly.
Honestly, whatever one you want to play through three times for a 500% run of the Oracle games. If you want the full experience, you're gonna end up playing Normal OoA/OoS > Linked OoS/OoA > Hero OoS/OoA > Linked OoA/OoS, plus potentially a final Hero run of whatever you picked first.
Both are amazing ... I prefer Seasons ... i really love how changing seasons specially the winter !!
I agree with this order for newcomers, this is my experience: I first tried Ages in emulator a decade or so ago. It was HARD, and that is not an understatement. But not cheap hard like NES games, hard because of puzzles, overworld progression, unique items to the game, etc. I actually couldn't complete a certain Dungeon and stopped playing!
After some years, I finally tried Seasons and then Ages when they were released for the 3DS and I actually beat them! Very satisfying but the difficulty was still no joke