Oracle of Ages

“Thank you, Link. You allowed me to pass through the Sacred Barrier! I've been waiting for this moment! I am Veran, Sorceress of Shadows!”

— Veran

Oracle of Ages
Developer	Capcom
Publisher	Nintendo
Genre	Action, Adventure
Platform	Game Boy Color
Release dates	February 27, 2001 May 14, 2001
Chronological Order
Previous	"Oracle of Seasons"
Next	"Four Swords"
Map

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages is the eighth installment in the The Legend of Zelda series, released in 2001 for the Game Boy Color. It is preceded by Oracle of Seasons and succeeded by Four Swords. The Hero of Legend is the main protagonist and Veran is the main antagonist. Labrynna's monsters are the villainous faction.

It is the eighth game in the series, and the third in the Downfall Timeline, set very soon after the events of A Link to the Past. It follows the same Link, called to the Triforce again to be sent on another mission, this time in the foreign kingdom of Labrynna. This game can be linked with Oracle of Seasons to fight the true final boss, which is Ganon, resurrected by the Twinrova sisters.

Chronologically this game takes place between A Link to the Past and Link's Awakening.

Synopsis

A direct sequel to A Link to the Past. We pick up with Link at the exact moment he is touching the Triforce at the end of that game, and the Triforce tells him that his journey isn't complete yet. There is another land that needs his help. Link is transported to Labrynna, where he meets the Goddess Nayru. He discovers the evil plot perpetrated by Veran to kidnap Nayru and use her power for evil. Link uses the Harp of Time to travel between the past and the present to uncover the Essences of Time and stop Veran and save Nayru.

Summary

Link, having been sent from Hyrule to Labrynna by the power of the Triforce, awoke in Labrynna, almost immediately after stumbling upon Impa, who was besieged by a group of Octoroks. Unknown to Link, Impa had fallen into the clutches of the evil Sorceress of Shadows Veran. This allowed her to trick Link into moving a sacred barrier that obstructed her goal: to possess the Oracle of Ages, Nayru. In full view of Link and Nayru's bodyguard, Ralph, Veran quickly possessed Nayru and began to utilize her newfound power of controlling time, traveling to the past and beginning her plan to bring untold sorrow to the world. Meeting with Labrynna's guardian, the Maku Tree, Link learned that to defeat Veran, he would need the Essences of Time. However, the Essences, as their names suggest, were hidden throughout time, making them very hard for one person to obtain. By taking up the Harp of Ages in Nayru's house, Link was able to traverse time and search for the Essences throughout Labrynna, all the while correcting the damage Veran had caused to the land, such as in Symmetry Village.

More than halfway into his journey, Link finally got a chance to rescue Nayru from Veran's clutches, at Ambi's Palace. However, as soon as he did, Veran possessed Queen Ambi. Using her new authority, Veran was almost successful in capturing Nayru, Link, and Ralph, but at the last second Nayru used her power to return them all to the present.

Gathering the last of the essences, Link prepared for the final showdown with Veran, but before he could go, Ralph ran off before him, so that he might slay Ambi, even knowing that with Ambi as his ancestor, her death would mean his. Veran proved too powerful for Ralph, knocking him out instead of killing him before moving on to fight Link. After freeing Ambi, and the powerful battle that followed, Link was able to best Veran once and for all. Veran laughed as she died, saying that her goal had been completed, the Flame of Sorrow lit.

As Link, Nayru and Ralph returned to their own time, a mysterious pair laughed, saying that the true evil had yet to arrive...

Characters

Hero of Legend

Zelda

Nayru

Veran

Bosses

Image	Enemy	Description	Dungeon
	Pumpkin Head	Pumpkin Head has an invulnerable jack-o'-lantern as a head and will pace around the room aimlessly, shooting groups of three fireballs when Link crosses his path. Link must attack Pumpkin Head's torso and legs with his Sword. This eventually causes his body to disappear, leaving only the jack-o'-lantern on the ground. Link can then pick up the head using his Power Bracelet and toss it aside to reveal a small spirit, which can be momentarily damaged with the Sword before it dashes back into the head, regenerating Pumpkin Head's body. After several more hits to the exposed spirit, Pumpkin Head will be defeated, leaving behind a Heart Container and opening the door to the Eternal Spirit.	Sprit's Grove
	Head Thwomp	Head Thwomp is battled in a side-view platforming section of the Wing Dungeon. It floats in the center of the room, constantly rotating between its four faces of different colors and expressions. Three small platforms that Link can jump onto with the Roc's Feather float in a circle around Head Thwomp, and ladders on the sides of the room allow Link to climb to a higher vantage point.	Wing Dungeon
	Shadow Hag	The Shadow Hag is a Poe-like creature who has the ability to transform into shadows. It begins the battle by splitting into four shadows which encircle the room, harming Link on contact. Eventually the shadows converge into one and numerous Moths arise from it, which Link can defeat for Hearts and Mystical Seeds. While Link deals with the Moths, the Shadow Hag emerges from the shadow to charge at him, but will dive back into the shadow if Link sees it coming. To hurt the Shadow Hag, Link must face away from it and use the Seed Shooter to fire a Seed that rebounds off a wall and hits the Boss as it charges. After taking enough damage, the Shadow Hag will be defeated, leaving behind a Heart Container and opening the door to the Echoing Howl.	Moonlit Grotto
	Eyesoar	Eyesoar appears as a flying eyeball with four smaller eyes that orbit around it, similar to a Patra. As Eyesoar gradually chases Link around the room, its orbiting eyes will increase and decrease their radius to cover more ground. These smaller eyes can be defeated with several strikes from Link's Sword, but will quickly regenerate. To harm this Boss, Link must use the Switch Hook so that it penetrates its defenses and hits Eyesoar directly. This will dizzy the Boss and scatter the smaller eyes briefly, allowing Link to strike Eyesoar with his Sword before they return to formation. After taking enough damage, Eyesoar will be defeated, leaving behind a Heart Container and opening the door to the Burning Flame.	Skull Dungeon
	Smog	Smog appears as a gaseous, horned face that challenges Link to a deadly game, which plays out over four rounds that combine traditional combat with puzzle-solving elements. Each round begins with an arrangement of solid blocks appearing in the room, and Smog dividing itself into several smaller Smog Parts. These pieces of Smog attach themselves to the solid blocks and move around their perimeters like Sparks, immune to harm from any of Link's weapons; instead Link must use the Cane of Somaria to create new blocks that divert the Smog Parts' paths, forcing them to collide and recombine into the original Smog. To aid in redirecting the Parts, some of the existing blocks can be pushed once, and the pieces can be momentarily slowed down by striking them with the Sword. If Link's use of the Cane of Somaria causes any of the Parts to detach from the blocks, they will vanish and reappear in their original positions. At any point, Link can step on a Floor Switch in the northwest corner of the room to reset the blocks and the Smog Parts to their original positions.	Crown Dungeon
	Octogon	Octogon is a variant of an Octorok battled in a water-filled room with a narrow strip of land in the center, on which there are two Jars that drop Scent Seeds when broken. Octogon circles the room while facing away from Link, using its large shell as a shield against Link's attacks. When Octogon turns around to spit a rock, Link can use his Sword or Seed Shooter to strike the Boss in the face. The Seed Shooter can also be used to bounce Seeds off the walls and damage Octogon while it faces away from Link.	Mermaid's Cave
	Possessed Nayru	She was initially possessed in the opening scenes of the game, where the handful of witnesses included Impa, Ralph and Link. Everyone else, aside from the nearly-omniscient Maku Tree, is unaware of the possession, and still believe she is the pure Oracle of Ages. With Nayru serving as her cloak, Veran begins to malevolently advise Queen Ambi's decisions in the past, which affect both the past age's citizens, and the present age in which Link initially resides.	Ambi's Palace
	Plasmarine	Plasmarine is a jellyfish-like creature that is battled in an underwater room, where Link is unable to attack using his Sword. Plasmarine is susceptible to the Long Hook and will alternate between its blue form and its red form each time Link uses the item on it. Plasmarine's method of attack is to swim quickly to Link's location, stopping briefly to either shoot an electric ball toward him, or try to electrocute him on the spot. The electric ball produced is always the same color as the Boss's present form; Link must use the Long Hook to both displace the Boss and switch its color, so that it gets hit by its own attack. As Plasmarine takes damage, it will begin to fire more electric balls in succession. After taking enough damage, it will be defeated, leaving behind a Heart Container and opening the door to the Rolling Sea.	Jabu-Jabu's Belly
	Ramrock	Ramrock is a levitating stone head that comes to life when Link gets near. It is battled in four distinct phases. Much of its movement consists of sweeping back and forth along the rear wall in a long, rectangular room. In the southern corners of the room are regrowable Bushes that can be cut to replenish Link's supply of Bombs and Scent Seeds.	Ancient Tomb
	Veran	Ramrock is a levitating stone head that comes to life when Link gets near. It is battled in four distinct phases. Much of its movement consists of sweeping back and forth along the rear wall in a long, rectangular room. In the southern corners of the room are regrowable Bushes that can be cut to replenish Link's supply of Bombs and Scent Seeds.	Black Tower
	Twinrova	In Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons, Kotake and Koume send Veran and General Onox to cause chaos and light two of the three flames needed to resurrect Ganon; the Flame of Sorrow and the Flame of Destruction. They appear as a disguised old lady to dissuade Link from his quest, revealing themselves when he reaches the final dungeon. In a Linked Game to either Seasons or Ages, they show up to taunt Link and his allies in Labrynna before leaving or rub the Flame of Destruction being lit in his face after he completes Unicorn's Cave. Once the flames are lit, the two kidnap Princess Zelda to light the final flame, the Flame of Despair, by sacrificing her. In a Linked Game, Link fights the sisters both individually and as Twinrova. After Link defeats Twinrova, she chooses to become the vessel for the ritual herself instead of Zelda, so that Ganon can return. Unfortunately for the pair, their sacrifice is in vain as it only allows a mindless, raging Ganon to come forth.	Room of Rites
	Ganon	In the linked ending of Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages, it is revealed that the events of the two games were started by Twinrova in an attempt to resurrect Ganon via the Dark Rites. The ritual required that three flames were lit: the Flame of Destruction, the Flame of Sorrow, and the Flame of Despair. The Flame of Destruction is lit when General Onox throws the seasons of Holodrum into chaos, while the Flame of Sorrow is lit when Veran caused great misfortune to the people of Labrynna by using the powers of Nayru the oracle. With two flames lit, the Twinrova sisters capture Princess Zelda, causing the despair of the people to light the third flame, the Flame of Despair. Twinrova intended to sacrifice Zelda for Ganon's rebirth, but Link managed to slay them before the ritual finished, and thus the Twinrova sisters were forced to sacrifice themselves to awaken Ganon. Because of this, the ritual was incomplete and Ganon became a mindless beast, although he did demonstrate limited thought just as he was defeated by Link.

Title Screen

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages

Media

Japanese

USA

Trivia

• After entering Poison Moth's Lair, revisiting the floodgate keeper and speaking to him twice causes him to start spouting some of Impa's dialogue from the prologue.
• The two games were developed by the Flagship studio within Capcom, with some of Nintendo's staff such as Shigeru Miyamoto in supervisory roles. Notably, Hidemaro Fujibayashi, a planner for the duology, would go on to leave Capcom and take increasingly important roles in the Zelda series at Nintendo, eventually becoming the director of the 3D games starting with Skyward Sword.
• Their original Japanese subtitles translate to Fruit of the Mysterious Tree: Chapter of Space-Time.
• These games were first stated to be a midquel between A Link to the Past and Link's Awakening with the same Link. This has since been modified to be an indirect sequel to both with a new Link. This wiki does not acknowledge this timeline change because it's stupid.
• The development of these two games is a rather interesting and complex one. There were going to be three games, collectively called "The Triforce Series", and would link to each other to form a complete narrative. The "Power" chapter would have gameplay focused on changing seasons using the Rod of Seasons, the "Wisdom" chapter would focus on puzzles involving color and a Magic Paintbrush item, and the "Courage" chapter would focus on time with the day changing between morning, noon, afternoon, and night. However, it was soon agreed that linking three games together in one continuous narrative, but allowing the games to be played in any order, would be too complex (indeed, you would be able to play through such a combination six different ways). Thus plans were changed to just two games, with story and gameplay recycled into the games that became Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages. As The Artifact entry on the main page explains, elements of the original trilogy intent remain in the final product when one knows them to recognize them.
• In addition to the above plan, the trilogy was meant to be preceded by a remake of the original NES The Legend of Zelda for the Game Boy Color, with both the remake and the "Trilogy" project being the result of a Capcom producer outright threatening Miyamoto that if his team wasn't given the chance to make a Zelda game, Capcom would just make their own Serial Numbers Filed Off version.
• Hyrule Historia reveals concept artwork for Ganondorf, who only appears as a mindless Ganon, meaning he was considered but cut for unknown reasons.

Continuity

• "Hyrule Historia" marks this game as a sequel to A Link to the Past, and for the most part, the games themselves suggest the same thing. However, implication suggests that the Lv. 2 sword (Noble Sword) and Lv. 3 sword (Master Sword) are one and the same, in different stages of power. It is also heavily implied of that this is the very same Master Sword seen in many other Zelda games. So... how did it get from Hyrule to Labrynna?
  • I see it in one of two ways. Either A: The Master Sword in Oracles isn't canon. or B: The Labrynna Master Sword is not the same Sword of Evil's Bane. After all the design slightly differs on the cross guard despite the Master Sword's design being concrete at that point.
  • According to the Hyrule Encyclopedia, the Master Sword as it appears in the Oracle games is apparently just an upgrade to the Noble Sword, which gives it power that's comparable to that of the true Master Sword of Hyrule but isn't meant to be the exact same blade.
  • Skyward Sword establishes that the Master Sword is sapient and can possibly move about on its own, but this still begs the question of which order of sword upgrades between the two games is canon. Namely, if the broken sword the old Zora gives to you is canonically the last upgrade, that detracts from the notion that it is the same Master Sword, since it's unlikely Fi would be able or willing to snap herself in half for no reason.
• It is possible that, due to the absence of Ocean Zora from Ocarina of Time in Hyrule in the Downfall Timeline, that they moved away from Hyrule to Labrynna, and took with them their guardian deity, Lord Jabu-Jabu.