"Talking trees and dungeons within fish..."

I was in (not on, mind you) ecstasy when these Zelda games came out. This game, along with Oracle of Seasons, were a perfect way to end the Gameboy Color era. I would have written Nintendo an angry letter if they ended with something like Pokemon Pinball.

Gameplay: 10

If you have ever played Link's Awakening, then you'll instantly get a feel for this game. However, there are harder dungeons, more weapons, harder puzzles, and a joint adventure if you also play Oracle of Seasons. You also collect rings to boost certain abilities. There is also a Harp of Ages, which lets you travel through different time periods in order to complete your quest. This, however, can produce impatience and migraines if you are completely stuck and don't know which time period you should be in, but it actually makes the game more fun and challenging.

Sound/Music: 9

Does everything sound familiar? Of course. Most music and sound have been recycled from Link's Awakening, and it's all good. Dungeon music can get on your nerves, especially that one with the small reverb effect. I think it's cool that the music in the past seems more old-fashioned than the present. It's a nice touch.

Graphics: 9

Does everything look familiar? Does that question look familiar? Haha. Anyway, the looks of characters, buildings, and landscape are almost exactly the same as Link's Awakening. This is good, since everything is so clear. The colors are also crisp and enjoyable.

Story: 9

Nayru, the Oracle of Time, is taken away by Veran, some dude. Link must get the eight essences of time to get a tree to tell him how to beat Veran. Seems like a typical Zelda story that you'll forget midway in the game, and won't seem to care.

Replayability: 7

Like many RPGs, once you beat it the first time it's not as fun later. This game you could play about 4 times before you get tired of it. You could always try to make it more challenging by trying to find every treasure chest, heart piece, or ring. That, however, also gets boring after a while. Maybe you could pray for amnesia, then the next time you play the game it will seem new and different. Don't count on it, though...

Overall: 9

Add on to the fun and get Oracle of Seasons. Together, they cost 60 dollars, but it's worth it! Or, you could cram all your time in a 5-day rental period, but you should definately try this game out if you like the Zelda series or RPGs.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/02/02, Updated 03/02/02