Din

DIN

After the success of the first four games, Nintendo moved into its 3D era with the release of the Nintendo 64, and the Legend of Zelda moved with it. Now, this roster proved huge enough to warrant a split and I felt that 2D vs. 3D games seemed the most logical place to split it, so for now let’s move on. With the 3D games seeing success with Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask, the Game Boy Color saw the release of two 2D games: Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages, a pair of sister games that could be linked creating a cohesive narrative between the pair. Seasons seems to generally be treated as the “first,” so we’ll start there. This story saw the same Link from A Link to the Past and Link’s Awakening traveling to the neighboring kingdom of Holodrum, where he encounters a traveling circus and a fiery dancer among them.

This woman is Din, one of the two titular oracles and one of three reincarnations of the Hyrulean goddesses Nayru, Din, and Farore. Nayru would likewise be encountered in the neighboring country of Labrynna in Oracle of Ages, and both would act as the game’s damsel in distress. Farore was meant for a third game, but complications led to her game’s cancellation, leaving Farore as merely an NPC who aided you in linking the games.

Din’s control over the seasons, making up a sizable chunk of the game’s gimmick, grants here just enough to work with. She will be agile and lithe, her dancing prowess giving her good agility, with all of her moveset being nature, and specifically seasonal, themed.

Likelihood rating: Piranha Plant clause.

Character Sheet: Din

DIN

Today, we begin a new round of character sheets, all primarily appearing in the 2D titles from Oracles to Tri Force Heroes. We have quite a few, though not as many as the 3D titles. Among them are:

1. Four Links

2. Ravio

3. Princess Hilda

4. Toon Zelda

5. Din

6. Nayru

7. Ezlo

8. Minish/Picori

9. Linebeck

10. Oshus & Ciela

11. Ralph

12. Alfonzo

13. Madame Couture

14. Subrosian

15. Onox

16. Veran

17. Vaati

18. Bellum

19. Chancellor Cole & Malladus

20. Yuga

21. Lady Maud

22. Byrne

Believe it or not, I was initially planning to just combine the three Oracles into one as color swaps, but after further consideration, I figured out both Din and Nayru had enough going on to justify splitting them. So . . . sorry, Farore. You'll get that Magical Seed someday. Either way, Din is the Oracle of Seasons, and the reincarnation of Din, the Hylian Goddess of Power. She plays a prominent role in Oracle of Seasons, traveling with a circus troupe as a dancer before being abducted by Onox.

Her control over the seasons is really what pushed her over the edge. A major mechanic in the game is the Rod of Seasons, which Link gains from her temple and can use to change the seasons. Changing the season to winter will cause waterways to freeze, large snowdrifts to pile up, and leafy trees to become bare. Summer will cause waterways to dry up and vines to grow on cliff faces. Spring will cause water to rise, whirlpools to form, flower patches appear, and Blast Blooms (like what Deku Scrubs use) to open up. Autumn will cause leaf piles to fill up pits and rock mushrooms to become ripe. Between the four, more than enough.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Winter's Freeze

Din will cast Winter, blowing a gust of frozen wind from her rod and freezing an opponent solid.

Side B: Spring's Whirlpool

Din will cast a spell at her opponent's feet, causing a whirlpool that will spin them around before spitting them out.

Up B: Summer's Vine

A vine will sprout underneath Din's feet and carry her upward into the air. Blast Bloom would also probably work here, I just wanted to have something from each season.

Down B: Autumn's Leaves

She will cast the spell for autumn, causing a pile of leaves to drop from above and bury an opponent.

Final Smash: Temple of Seasons

She will dance and summon the Temple of Seasons to rise from the earth once again. The four seasonal spirits will be released and inflict their effects on different parts of the stage while the temple itself inflicts damage.

Entrance: She will spin-dance onto the stage.

Taunts: Up, she will hold up the Rod of Seasons and cause sunlight to glimmer off of it. Side, she will do a light twirl. Down, she will cause a flower patch to bloom at her feet.

Thanks for reading! Next up, her fellow oracle with power over time travel.

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!