What a treat! It’s not the Link’s Awakening Remake-style makeover some (read: me) were hoping for, but Nintendo just threw two all-time great Zelda games up on its Switch Online subscription service. The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages are available to play starting July 27, and the timing couldn’t be more perfect.
The Nintendo handheld hybrid’s Game Boy library was a bit barebones when it got added earlier this year. Thanks to the arrival of these 2001 companion pieces, it’s finally starting to take shape. Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages mix the best of old-school top-down Zelda adventuring with clever gimmicks that lead to some excellent puzzles and beautiful pixel art gameplay.
In the first, Link can use the Rod of Seasons to change the time of year, while in the second, the Harp of Ages lets him travel through time. Both transform parts of the world in the process, with Ages being the more puzzle-focused of the two games. Most importantly, finishing one gives you a secret code to change up the gameplay and story in the second, and vice-versa. Completing both then lets you take on the final secret boss.
Read More: The Game Boy Color Zeldas Are Still Two Of The Best Games Around
But the thing that makes the games so special and beloved is that their overworlds are simply packed with monters to fight, items to collect, and secrets to uncover. They arrived shortly after Ocarina of Time, and marked the end of the series’ classic 2D structure of exploring a dense map and fighting through individually themed dungeons—the very things some still miss in modern Zeldas like Tears of the Kingdom.
For some, Oracle of Seasons and Ages are two of the best handheld Zeldas Nintendo ever made. For others, they’re two of the best games in the series, period. It’s gonna be hot as hell out this summer (and every one after it). I can’t think of a better time to take a break from life and jump back into their charming, surreal, and nostalgia-fueled worlds.
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