5 reasons why Nintendo should remake Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons

The time between mainstream Legend of Zelda game releases has continued to lengthen in the past decades, and it seems that it is due to Nintendo’s need for more time to develop their games than in the past.

Plenty of fans are willing to wait as long as Nintendo needs for new games if they continue to have the same quality and charm that they have had since we first started playing. Over five years have passed since the release of Breath of the Wild, and its sequel, Tears of the Kingdom, has seen many delays. Needless to say that many of us need some new Zelda content to keep us entertained until the next entry in the series.

With Nintendo running out of games to rerelease and remake, now would be a perfect time for them to begin development for a remaster of the Oracle games. Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons are arguably two of the most underrated games in the entire Zelda series, so let’s look at why fans should get an Oracle remake.

1. A DISTINCT ZELDA EXPERIENCE

At first glance, the Oracle games may remind you of how the Pokémon franchise releases games. However, unlike that gimmick, each game in this dual release is a unique experience. Both games utilize a creative core mechanic alongside eight dungeons for Link to venture through, but otherwise have completely different settings, items, dungeons, and secrets to uncover.

Oracle of Seasons is focused around the Rod of Seasons, which alters the seasons, and Oracle of Ages gives Link the Harp of Ages that enables Link to travel through different time periods. 

The other most notable feature is how the games are connected. The player will get a password that can be used in the other title to get new items. If they finish either game, they will get another password that will make the other game a direct sequel to the first one (for example, if the player completes Oracle of Ages, their playthrough of Oracle of Seasons will be a direct sequel). In addition, in this sequel version of either game, there is an extended ending that is accompanied by new character behavior and other changes that is based on the player’s first playthrough. It is safe to say there is tons of replay value here.

2. 21 YEARS SINCE ITS INITIAL RELEASE

Excluding the two NES Zelda titles, Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons are the oldest games to have not seen a remake or remaster since their release. The pair was released on the Game Boy Color on February 27th, 2001 in Japan before being released worldwide several months later. 

Nintendo has not entirely forgotten about these games, as they appeared on the 3DS Virtual Console back in 2013. Despite this, a significant number of fans have likely missed out on what is one of the most unique Zelda experiences. A remake could reach a new demographic of Zelda fans and gamers and should sell tons of copies if developed correctly.

3. THE FIRST ZELDA GAMES TO NOT BE DEVELOPED BY NINTENDO IN-HOUSE

The Oracle games were the first Zelda games to be developed by a third-party and are some of the best in that category compared to all of the Zelda spin-offs that have since come out. They were developed by Flagship, a now-defunct subsidiary of Capcom, and directed by Hidemaro Fujibayashi.

Fujibayashi’s Zelda debut as a director was very successful, and he would return for games such as The Minish Cap and Skyward Sword before eventually directing Breath of the Wild. Fujibayashi has become a figure comparable to Shigeru Miyamoto and Eiji Aonuma within the Zelda development team and would be a perfect fit to oversee a potential remake for the Oracle games.

4. A FOLLOW UP TO LINK’S AWAKENING ON THE SWITCH

Nintendo remastered Link’s Awakening for the Switch back in 2019 and its developers, GREZZO, decided to introduce a 3D art style that modernized the Game Boy Color’s pixel art since they could not reuse any of the original assets. Although fans have been divided in whether they like artstyle, I found the remake’s gameplay more enjoyable than in the GBC version. 

GREZZO would be the perfect partner for Nintendo to adapt the game to the Switch and ensure they can still provide resources for other mainstream projects. The two companies have worked side by side for a decade and have most notably handled the 3DS remakes of Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask. All I ask is for them to create an artstyle closest to A Link Between Worlds for this potential remake.

5. ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT & NEW ADDITIONS

Just as Link’s Awakening on Switch made plenty of improvements to the original, an Oracles remake could fix some of the major issues while keeping the core gameplay intact. Nintendo could modernize the games’ maps, controls, and graphics and address issues surrounding the soundtrack, difficulty with mini games, and confusion with the passwords.

I strongly think the best way to avoid confusion with the passwords and reap the most benefits from using them would be to release the Oracle games as a single package. Enabling the player to go through each game and the sequel versions would justify the usual $60 price that Nintendo puts on their Switch games and give fans one of the most special Zelda experiences to date.