Friday, July 15, 2022

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: ORACLE OF SEASONS


So, I went back and forth constantly to decide whether to combine the blog for these two or to make them separate. They are sister games, like Pokemon Red and Blue, but they are also way more their own distinct games than the Pokemon pairs ever really are. So, in the end, I've decided to split them. And, as far as I can tell, the consensus seems to be that Seasons is the "first" of the two, so we'll start there.

The story of Oracle of Seasons follows Link as he travels to the neighboring kingdom of Holodrum and encounters a performing troupe with a dancer named Din. Din is quickly captured by a golden knight named Onox, throwing Holodrum into havoc as Din was secretly the Oracle of Seasons and controlled the climate of the land with her dancing.

Link here is the same Link from Link to the Past, and comes with a lot of the basics, like his sword and shield. He can also pick up throughout his journey bombs, bombchus, boomerangs, flutes to call his animal companions, ember seeds that light fires, gale seeds that can warp him, Pegasus seeds that can make him run faster, slingshots, magnetic gloves, the power bracelet, the Roc's feather that lets him jump, a shovel, and the rod of seasons that can change the season of an area. I should also bring up the animal companions too. Ricky is a kangaroo that can carry Link around in his pouch, leap high, and punch with a pair of gloves. Moosh is a bear with wings that can carry Link across long gaps. And Dimitri is a Dodongo that can swim.

We have a few supporting characters here. First up is Din, one of the three main oracles in the games and the reincarnation of the goddess of the same name. She is mostly seen dancing and can change the seasons in any given area. Farore can be seen here as well, but with her game Magical Seed of Courage having been cancelled, she is mostly relegated to hanging out inside the Maku Tree, which acts as a waypoint between the two games if you connect them. Impa and Zelda also play supporting roles here. You can also find Malon and Talon, Tingle, and a little witch named Maple who will frequently crash into you and spill items everywhere, at which point you race her to collect the most items. I would also like to bring up the Subrosians, a race of cloaked beings that live underground, who carry shovels, hammers, and boomerangs, get to the surface level by little warp points, carry buckets, and smelt ore when needed (I like them a lot). A pirate captain similar to the one in Skyward Sword can also be met in this game.

Onox is the only villain I really want to talk about today. Twinrova also appears, but they won't become relevant until the combined true finale, and I want to cover that with ages. Onox is a golden knight seeking to control the power of the seasons, as is secretly a dragon in disguise. He can create lightning and cyclones, swing around a big mace, stomp to make rocks fall from the ceiling, and spew blue flames.

Major bosses include Aquamentus, Dodongo, Mothula, Gohma (with crab claws this time), Digdogger, Manhandla, the two-headed Gleeok, and a giant Medusa Head. Most are pretty standard to their common appearances or do exactly as they sound like. Minibosses include the Brothers Goriya (who both throw boomerangs), Facade (a giant face in a floor), Omuai that snap at you from below, Agunima (basically a neutered Agahnim), the Great Moblin (who throws bombs), a Vire that can throw fireballs, the Poe Sisters that carry a lantern and a sword, and Frypolar (a being of fire and ice).

A lot of returning enemies include: Arm Mimics, Armos, Ball-and-chain Troopers, Beamos, Beetles, Tektites, Wizzrobes, Deku Scrubs, Buzz Blobs, Cheep Cheeps, Crows, Darknuts, Keese, Wallmasters, Gels and Zols, Ghinis, Gibdos, Lynels, Moblins, Octoroks, Goriyas, Leevers, Like Likes, Moldorms, Peahats, Pokeys, Pols Voices, Zoras (the old kind), Ropes, Stalfos, Thwomps, and Bubbles. New varieties include: Dactos, which are basically birds; Iron Masks; magnetic enemies called Magunesus; and Pig Warriors (Not sure what makes them different from Moblins).

Locations in and around Holodrum include the Eastern Coast, Eyeglass Lake, Goron Mountain, the graveyard, Horon Village, the Lost Woods, the Moblin's Keep, Mt. Cucco, Natzu Prairie, Samasa Desert, Spool Swamp, the Sunken City, Tarm Ruins, the Woods of Winter, and the Temple Remains. Underneath Holodrum is the land of Subrosia, where you can find Din's Temple of Seasons, sunk into the ground by Onox. The notable dungeons include Gnarled Root Dungeon, Snake's Remains, Poison Moth's Lair, Dancing Dragon Dungeon, Unicorn's Cave, Ancient Ruins, Explorer's Crypt, Sword & Shield Maze, and Onox's Castle.

Most of the items as listed above on top of keys and heart containers and so on.

Here's what we've got so far:


Characters:

Link: sword, shield, bombs, bombchus, boomerang, flute, ember seeds, gale seeds, Pegasus seeds, slingshot, magnetic gloves, power bracelet, Roc's feather, shovel, rod of seasons

Zelda

Din: dance, seasons

Farore

Impa

Ricky: pouch, leap high, pair of gloves

Moosh: fly

Dimitri: swim

Malon

Talon

Tingle

Maple: broom, crash, potions

Subrosians: shovels, hammers, boomerangs, warp points, buckets, smelt ore

Pirate Captain

Onox: lightning, cyclones, mace, stomp to make rocks fall, blue flames, dragon form

Twinrova

Vire: fireballs

Armos

Hylian Soldiers

Wizzrobes

Deku Scrubs

Buzz Blobs

Darknuts

Keese

Gibdos

Lynels

Moblins

Octoroks

Goriyas

Zoras

Stalfos

Poes

Dodongo

Gohma


Bosses:

Aquamentus

Dodongo

Mothula

Gohma

Digdogger

Manhandla

Gleeok

Medusa Head

Facade

Agunima

Frypolar


Stages:

Eastern Coast

Eyeglass Lake

Goron Mountain

Graveyard

Horon Village

Lost Woods

Moblin's Keep

Mt. Cucco

Natzu Prairie

Samasa Desert

Spool Swamp

Sunken City

Tarm Ruins

Woods of Winter

Temple Remains

Subrosia

Temple of Seasons

Gnarled Root Dungeon

Snake's Remains

Poison Moth's Lair

Dancing Dragon Dungeon

Unicorn's Cave

Ancient Ruins

Explorer's Crypt

Sword & Shield Maze

Onox's Castle


Thanks for reading! Next up, we'll cover the other half of this duo!

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