The Autumn Arcade

After all my work is done, my favorite thing to do on a fall day is curl up with a good video game.  My latest obsession?  The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons for GameBoy Color!  A vintage video game that was released in 2001, this game was created with a companion, Oracle of Ages (which Jesse is currently playing...) that could link up via a password system and be played together.  The concepts for these games were originally meant to be three, a "Triforce Trilogy" which included titles such as the Mystical Seed of Courage and the Magical Acorn of Widsom...  It's such a shame these games never saw the light of day, but they were turned into Oracle of Ages & Seasons...

Our story begins when Link enters a new world known as Holodrum where the Oracle of Seasons, a goddess known as Din, is kidnapped by an evil General or Darkness and the seasons are thrown out of whack.  Much like how our world feels topsy-turvy with global warming, the land of Holodrum goes from 95 degrees to freezing within hours and changes seasons in the blink of an eye.  Their only hope is our hero Link, who armed with a Rod of Seasons can set things straight  A lake blocking a path becomes frozen with a swish of the wand, and can now be crossed...

This game introduced a new character to the world of Zelda: Syrup the Witch's granddaughter, Maple. Maple becomes a friend on the quest and can give one valuble items, but watch out when she's on a broomstick!   All in all, I really love this game's asthetic, which includes fall, witches, potions, acorns, forests, stumps and autumn!  Sure, the graphics take some adjustment to get used to but they are beautiful for a GameBoy Color title... The gameplay is great, with a large quest and tons of mini-games, I could play for hours.  Which of course, I do, with a blanket and maple cookies...