cross-posted from: https://lemmygrad.ml/post/5340372

What do you think?

Is this the "lost Oracle game," as this video speculates?

  • Makan@lemmygrad.ml
    hexagon
    ·
    3 months ago

    Has anyone here played the Oracle games?

    Tbh, I haven't, but perhaps I should.

    • Justice@lemmygrad.ml
      ·
      3 months ago

      When I was a kid, yes. I had both games. I remember them being very good.

      All those 2D Zelda games, the ones from the 90s and the ones in the 00s, were all pretty good. I played them all as a kid/teen back when they came out. Everyone remembers Link to the Past, but that formula was repeated in a bunch of subsequent games. Similar to if you liked OoT then you like all those 3D games since they're the same formula. I mean, they're proper Zelda games, if you're a fan of others then you will surely enjoy these.

      Probably worth noting that you don't need to play both games necessarily. I was just a freak. The benefit to playing both, and this is from like 20 years ago memory..., is minimal. I think I liked the Ages one better though for whatever it's worth.

      Link's Awakening was another Gameboy Zelda game people may have missed that's worth playing. It's a weird one based in some like fever dream Link is having (again, 25 year old memory, possible misremembering). There was a Nintendo Switch remake of it recently too.

      The Minish Cap for GBA There was a Link to the Past updated port for GBA as well Both worth playing. Obviously a Link to the Past is considered one of the greatest of all time and established many genre themes in all the subsequent games.

      • Justice@lemmygrad.ml
        ·
        3 months ago

        Show

        Here's a pic of the games. I still have all my old games (and some I yoinked from my brother) in my basement

      • Makan@lemmygrad.ml
        hexagon
        ·
        3 months ago

        I played The Minish Cap but never really liked it much, but I can see that it was a great entry to the Zelda series. I suspect that they will do a spiritual successor to it or even remake it at one point. My guess is that they'll be "revisiting" a lot of Zelda games from yesteryear, including perhaps Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, but that's just an "out there" theory of mine. I would kill for a sequel to Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask (I mean, with the Hero of Time, of course) but eh.

        Oh yeah, and kudos to mentioning A Link to the Past; reminds me to eventually play that game.

        • Justice@lemmygrad.ml
          ·
          3 months ago

          Minish Cap was a later GBA entry and, yes, one of the weaker games. Although I still include it in the discussion because those who liked Link to the Past are gonna find it at least playable and enjoyable.

          And good news(?) for you is they already did a modernized version of OoT and Majora's Mask years ago. OoT was around 15 years ago and Majora's Mask 10 years ago, both ported with some QoL upgrades to the 3DS (not a fan of the 3D on that system so can't recommend that particular part). True, full remakes like with new engines might be cool though.

          Although if I'm being more honest, I'd like to see more in the vein of the two recent Zelda games for Nintendo Switch or like Twilight Princess on GameCube/Wii. Without the sword swinging gimmick. This new Zelda where you are actually the princess seems interesting too especially if it is a continuation of the until-now abandoned storyline from Seasons/Ages. Kinda got me hyped a little bit for future Zelda games.

          • edge [he/him]
            ·
            edit-2
            3 months ago

            not a fan of the 3D on that system so can't recommend that particular part

            OoT is one of the better games in 3D, it’s so beautiful. But I still turn it off sometimes because maintaining the right position and distance from the 3DS to get the full effect is annoying, even on the - ̗̀new ̖́- 3DS.

          • Makan@lemmygrad.ml
            hexagon
            ·
            3 months ago

            It was definitely one of the weaker ones, The Minish Cap, that is, but a lot of people love it because of Vaati... but I chalk that up due to fandom and fanfic-lore.

            • LocalOaf [they/them, ze/hir]
              ·
              3 months ago

              Aww, I loved Minish Cap. The art style and shrinking mechanic were so charming to me. Vaati was always kinda meh to me compared to Ganondorf as a big bad, but it was a fun change of pace. The chibi Wind Waker type look lends itself really well to a 2D LttP style game. I remember seeing an indie game fundraiser for a Minish Cap type spiritual successor years ago that looked really cool that ended up going nowhere and getting cancelled that really bummed me out.

              • Makan@lemmygrad.ml
                hexagon
                ·
                3 months ago

                I kinda liked the music for The Minish Cap, though it got repetitive after a while.

    • edge [he/him]
      ·
      edit-2
      3 months ago

      Same. The whole downfall timeline actually. I hadn’t played any of them before the Link’s Awakening remake and still haven’t played the rest. I’d love to see ALttP and the Oracle games also remade in that engine, but I probably shouldn’t wait on that.

      • edge [he/him]
        ·
        3 months ago

        I should also probably get around to finishing OoT at some point. It was my first Zelda game as a kid but somehow I never finished it. I even played the remake but still haven’t finished it. I think the furthest I’ve gotten is wandering around not knowing what to do after pulling the master sword.

    • SnowySkyes
      ·
      3 months ago

      Very much so. I remember getting super stoked for them when I read about them in Nintendo Power all those years ago. They're fantastic and, in my opinion, the hallmark of what a 2D Zelda game should be. The funny part about that being that it wasn't even developed by Nintendo, lol.

      • Makan@lemmygrad.ml
        hexagon
        ·
        3 months ago

        Ah, you've been around the block.

        So you played it during the SNES days, right?

        • SnowySkyes
          ·
          3 months ago

          Indeed. I played A Link to the Past as a little girl on my SNES. Even played the original on my grandmother's NES, but I was far too young to know what to do at the time.

    • Beaver [he/him]
      ·
      edit-2
      3 months ago

      I played them in the last ten years, and they're quite good. The puzzles and combat are more challenging than Link's Awakening. There's some really clever new item interactions. And of course, the overworld itself is a puzzle that you solve with the the seasons and time warp items.

      Negatives: I think the music is quite bad in the Oracle games, and it got on my nerves. The dungeon design has less character overall than other 2D Zelda games (although there are several standouts that are great dungeons).

      They're pretty long, and you would want to play through both of them to get the secret ending. Recommended for fans of 2D Zelda games, and Gameboy games generally.

      I'm hoping they eventually get ported to the modern 3D Link's Awakening engine, but I wouldn't be too sure about that ever happening. And in any case, I'm one of those weirdos who actually prefers Link's Awakening on Gameboy.

      • Makan@lemmygrad.ml
        hexagon
        ·
        3 months ago

        Actually, yeah, I heard the same about the music. Tbh, a lot of music from the GameBoy games just... don't amount to much. And they're too outdated whereas the games from the NES and SNES are much better despite being virtually the same tech.