The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages

In The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages, the Triforce teleports Link to a place called Labrynna where he finds Princess Zelda's nurse, Impa, under attack. However, after rescuing her and leading her to Nayru, the Oracle of Ages, Impa reveals her true form as Veran, Sorceress of Shadows. Veran possesses the oracle, disrupting the time flow in Labrynna. Link then encounters the real Impa who gives him a sword and sends him on his way back in time to the Maku Tree.

The Maku Tree sets Link on his main quest to retrieve the Eight Essences of Time in order to defeat Veran. Link goes about this mission in the usual way, visiting eight different dungeons filled with puzzles, enemies, and a boss each. Partway through the quest, Link attempts to defeat Veran but is unsuccessful as she switches her object of possession to Queen Ambi instead of Nayru. Finally, after collecting all eight Essences, Link gets access to Veran's base where he defeats her in battle, rescuing Nayru and Queen Ambi and restoring Labrynna to normal.

The game can be saved on the 3DS via the start menu at nearly anytime.

Oracle of Ages is on par with other classic handheld games in terms of difficulty. Kids are fully capable of handling the controls, though there's still plenty of challenging aspects, such as certain puzzles, that are capable of testing even an adult's abilities.

• Did you play Oracle of Seasons as well as Oracle of Ages? If so, did you like the interactivity of the two games?
• Do you think the mechanics and gameplay are still good despite the game's age? What things would you change?
• Why do you think the Zelda series is so popular and long-lasting? What makes the games different and special?