History VideoGame / TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames

* JourneyToTheSky: Queen Ambi's original plan was to build a tower tall enough to guide her LoveInterest in his return to Labrynna. However, after Veran pulls a DemonicPossession on Nayru and travels back in time (400 years) when the tower has only begun its construction, she persuades Queen Ambi to make the tower so tall that it reaches the heavens, and to this end Veran persuades her to use the power of the Oracle of Ages to cast a spell that freezes time and thus makes the working day endless, thus forcing the builders to work upon the tower's construction permanently. By the time Link completes the seventh dungeon, the tower is finally complete and, when Veran reaches the roof, she gains enough power to stop time even without Nayru's powers, allowing her to ignite the Flame of Sorrow so the Twinrova sisters make one step closer to resurrect Ganon in a linked ''Oracle'' story. [[TheBadGuyWins Despite Link managing to defeat Veran and save Labrynna, that last evil goal is successful]].

-->'''Ralph:''' I know! There should be a hidden entrance in the palace garden! I'll sneak in through there! What? [[SpottingTheThread "Why do I know about the hidden passage on my first trip here?"]] [[NonAnswer Never mind!]] I'm coming, [[{{Catchphrase}} Nayru!!!]]

[[folder:''Oracle of Seasons'']]
* AbsurdlyShortLevel: Onox's Castle only has a few rooms before you face him.
* ArcVillain: When the game is not linked, Onox is the primary narrative villain and the source of all the setting's woes.
* BeneathTheEarth: Subrosia, a subterranean world beneath Holodrum filled with seas and rivers of lava.
* BigBoosHaunt: The seventh dungeon, the Explorer's Crypt, located in the graveyard on the southwest corner of Holodrum, which is home to two Poe Sisters and a Gleeok, as well as the seventh Essence of Nature, the Seed of Life.
* BizarreSeasons: The seasons are all a jumbled mess because of the Oracle being imprisoned and the Temple of Seasons being sunk below the earth, causing different parts of the land to become affected by different seasonal conditions from each others.
* BrokenBridge: A literal one gets fixed by parking a ship in the gap.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: The owners of the Subrosian Smithy. Rather than offering to do a job, they will wait for Link to ask, and will only do it if he bluntly demands the job to be done and refuse if he asks politely.
* ChekhovsGun: In Level 3, Poison Moth's Lair, just a few rooms from the entrance is a trampoline that Link can't reach in an apparently wide-open space. Link proceeds to use another trampoline later in the dungeon, but the first trampoline is much more important, because the floor right above that is actually Mothula's room. Should Link fall into the pit during the BossBattle, he must use the aforementioned trampoline to bounce back.
* ChimneyEntry: Link has to enter the chimney of a woman's house during the winter in order to gain access to the second dungeon. She initially mistakes him for Santa Claus or, in the European version, a chimney sweep.
* ContinuityNod:
** Most of the other games in the series that had been released at the games' time are referenced. Subrosia bears more than a passing resemblance to the Dark World of ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast A Link to the Past]]'', and ''Link's Awakening'' is also heavily borrowed from (which was fairly easily done, as the ''Oracle'' games are built on the same engine as ''Link's Awakening'').
** There's a windmill where a {{chiptune}} version of [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime the Song of Storms]] plays.
* DegradedBoss: A cross-game example: Facade, the boss of the Face Shrine (the sixth of eight main dungeons) in ''Link's Awakening'' makes a return as the mini-boss of the second dungeon and later of Onox's Castle.
* DemotedToExtra: The Gorons. In ''Ages'', Link requires their help in order to enter two dungeons, but here, they're superfluous to the main story and are only pertinent to a selection of sidequests.
* DevelopersForesight: It's possible to access the remains of the Temple of Seasons earlier than intended by using Pegasus Seeds and the Roc's Feather in lieu of the Roc's Cape. However, the dungeon accessed from the Temple Remains is blocked off without a certain [=NPC=] present, and they won't show up until the time is right to do so. There's also a replenishable source of Pegasus Seeds in the area to ensure that you don't become stuck there.
* DualWorldGameplay: A downplayed example. The Rod of Seasons changes the seasons, but you remain in the same world. The effects are the same, though: the environment changes to open/close new paths depending on the season, like snow piling up or lakebeds drying up. Subrosia is a more straightforward example, being a subterranean land that holds the Temple of Seasons, a few key items and events, and the eighth dungeon.
* EarlyGameHell: The early-game is a little more difficult in ''Seasons'' than Ages. For one, the game throws sturdier enemies at you from the start. Additionally, the Roc's Feather and Zora Flippers are obtained much later than in ''Ages''. To make up for it though, the player does not have to go through as much effort to obtain the seeds as they did in ''Ages'', and it's ''significantly'' easier to obtain rupees, especially if one has a guide.
* EndlessWinter: Eyeglass Lake, the Western Coast, and the Temple Remains are placed in a perpetual, unnatural winter after Din is captured; you can later change the seasons yourself with the Rod of Seasons, but they always return to winter after you leave. Goron Mountain naturally experiences eternal winter, but it gets even colder than normal with the seasons in chaos.
* FisherKing: Onox kidnapping Din and sinking the Temple of Seasons throws all 4 seasons out of control in Holodrum.
* FissionMailed: If you talk to the sign shop owner in Subrosia after destroying 100 signs, the startup screen will appear as if the game had been reset. However, you'll return back to the shop after a moment and get a [[CosmeticAward ring commemorating your hatred of signs]].
* FourSeasonsLevel: A core game mechanic. By swinging the Rod of Seasons, the seasons change and new paths open. Spring lets flowers bloom, Summer drains water and raises vines, Fall covers holes with leaves and helps mushrooms ripen, and Winter freezes water and trees lose their leaves, allowing Link to pass through.
* GenreThrowback: While both were intended as nods to ''Zelda'' games, ''Seasons'' is most explicit about being a throwback to the first two games.
* GlobalCurrencyException: Subrosia uses chunks of ore as currency instead of Rupees.
* GuideDangIt: Unless you're following a guide or basing off of past playthrough experience, you are unlikely to know that you can use the Rod of Seasons to bat away the trapped Din being used as a HumanShield when fighting Onox. [[spoiler:Or you could just bring along a electricity-negating Green Holy Ring and ignore her completely.]]
* HailfirePeaks: The Sword and Shield Maze. The floor shaped like a shield is ice-themed, while the floor shaped like a sword is fire-themed. This is reflected in the miniboss, Frypolar, who has both a fire and an ice form and switches between the two of them when hit with Mystery Seeds.
* HeroSecretService: In a Linked game playthrough, the troupe of performers that Din is found with reveal themselves to be Hyrulean knights in disguise, there to escort the oracle safely out of Holodrum.
* HollywoodMagnetism: The magnet gloves. Almost all objects which you can attract towards you/pull yourself towards are not only magnets, but monopolar magnets (the gloves switch between a north and south magnetic charge so you can push and pull). However, they also affect Helmasaur/Iron Masks and Red/Blue Darknuts, due to their metal mask and armor.
* HumanShield: Onox uses the [[CrystalPrison crystallized Din]] as one. Striking her with the sword will hurt Link; in order to create an opening to hit Onox, he needs to use the Rod of Seasons to knock her away.
* InterspeciesRomance: Link woos and dates the Subrosian pop star Rosa so that he can borrow her SkeletonKey to unlock a few doors.
* InTheHood: All Subrosians wear hoods that leave nothing of their faces visible except their large, white eyes.
* ItsAlwaysSpring: For most parts of Holodrum, springtime is the default season, seen both in the time before Din is captured by Onox and during the PlayableEpilogue after she’s rescued.
* LethalJokeItem: The Fool's Ore which two Subrosians give you after they steal your Roc's Feather is, for the most part, a useless piece of junk that does nothing. However, if you dig up a Fire Pokey, you can one shot it with the Fool's Ore (it takes several hits from the sword to do the same thing). Unfortunately, Fire Pokeys are the only enemy you can use it on, since you leave it behind when you get the Roc's Feather back.
* LethalLavaLand:
** Subrosia is a volcanic underground world filled with lava pits and the occasional eruption for you to dodge, but it's really more of a subversion: there are few enemies, and the inhabitants are friendly.
** Located within Subrosia lies the game's final dungeon, the Sword and Shield Maze. The sword floor is littered with lava, [[HailfirePeaks while]] [[SlippySlideyIceWorld the shield floor is icy]].
* LevelOfTediousEnemies: One part of Tarm Ruins contains infinitely-respawning Like-Likes, enemies that do nothing but eat Link's shield if they catch him. It's also right next to TheLostWoods, so you'll probably have to dodge some Like-Likes while you're solving that puzzle.
* TheLostWoods: Holodrum's version is found in Tarm Ruins, and gets bonus points for actually being called "The Lost Woods". It's a single screen that endlessly loops to itself unless you travel specific directions while rotating through the seasons from coldest to warmest. It's also the culmination of the ChainOfDeals -- following the alternate directions you receive gets you an upgrade to your sword.
* MagicWand: The Rod of Seasons, which is used to cycle between different seasons. It can also be used in a physical capacity to aid in the fight with Onox.
* MagneticWeapons: Link's magnetic gloves. He can use them to pull the masks off of Iron Masks, and in order to defeat the fifth dungeon's boss, he has to use them to direct a giant spiked ball into crushing the boss.
* MassMonsterSlaughterSidequest: An old man encountered in a cave near the Gnarled Root Dungeon tasks Link with killing four unique gold-colored enemies, which only spawn once the quest is issued, for reasons he doesn't bother explaining. Once Link hunts down the enemies, a Golden Moblin, a Golden Octorok, a Golden Lynel, and a Golden Darknut, he's rewarded with the Red Ring, a magical item that doubles his damage output.
* MatchInABombShack: After his defeat, the Moblin King will hole up in a shack where he and his soldiers will work on making a new supply of bombs. [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential Players are able to light the bombs using any firey item and leave the building to explode]]. [[VideoGameCrueltyPunishment Do it too often, though, and Link gets caught and sealed within the exploding building]].
* MothMenace: As one might expect from a dungeon named "Poison Moth's Lair", its boss is a cyclopean Mothula, gigantic moths that were introduced in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast''.
* MythologyGag: There are a ton of references to [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI the first game]], which makes sense considering that these games began development as remakes of the NES games.
** The first level has a similar layout to the first level of the original game, and the same bosses are also featured.
** Dodongo returns to his role as the second boss; Gohma (actually the ''last'' level boss to appear in the original, first showing up as the boss of the sixth dungeon) is up fourth; Digdogger is again the fifth boss; Manhandla, the ''third'' boss of the original game, guards the sixth dungeon; and a two-headed Gleeok (like the others, a recurring boss in the first game, ranging in head count from two in its initial appearance as the fourth dungeon's boss to four as the eighth dungeon's boss) guards the seventh dungeon.
** Mothula, boss of the third dungeon, is also a returner, but from ''A Link to the Past'' rather than the first game.
** The miniboss of the Dancing Dragon Dungeon, a shrouded wizard called Agunima, is Agahnim from ''A Link to the Past'' in all but name, sharing a similar-sounding appellation in addition to his appearance, fighting style, and spinning animation when defeated.
* NonIndicativeName:
** Despite the name, the Eastern Suburbs located next to Horon Village are a wooded area full of monsters, with no homes or buildings apart from the Windmill. Accordingly, the region’s name in Japanese translates to the more aptly generic "East of the Village".
** The Woods of Winter's default seasons include all of them ''but'' winter. Only by using the Rod of Seasons can winter be brought to the area.
* PlatformActivatedAbility: Link uses the Rod of Seasons to shift the surroundings' season from one to another (accessing each season requires imbuing a power from its associated spirit onto the Rod), but he can only do this while he stands atop a Tree Stump.
* ReviveKillsZombie: A variant. The Rod of Seasons carries the blessings of Holodrum's spirits of nature and is used to bring life to the land. As such, the only enemies it's effective on as a weapon are the undead ones -- Stalfos, Gibdos, Ghinis, and the two Poe Sisters.
* SaharanShipwreck: The Piratians' ship is stuck partly in the Samasa Desert and partly in Subrosia. A quest revolves around getting them unstuck so they can dock elsewhere and fix a BrokenBridge.
* SaveThisPersonSaveTheWorld: Saving Din is the only way to put the seasons back in order.
* SequenceBreaking:
** Since you only need the Flippers from Sunken City to explore Eyeglass Lake, it’s possible to complete the fifth dungeon before the fourth one.
** It is possible to skip the Subrosian Dance to get the Level 1 Boomerang, by using a bomb to activate the switch in the winter tower. You’ll still obtain its upgrade inside the Ancient Ruins later on, meaning there are no repercussions for playing this way.
** You can obtain the next level sword without even starting the ChainOfDeals, since all the trade sequence gives you is instructions on how to find the sword — that is, to keep heading west through the Lost Woods, each time in a warmer season. It's still worth completing the chain at least as far as giving a Mushroom to Syrup, which lets her sell [[AutoRevive Magic Potions]].
* ShoutOut:
** Several to Capcom, who helped make these games.
*** In the fourth dungeon, there is an underground platforming section where you cross a chasm by jumping across blocks that appear and disappear in a preset sequence, a very common obstacle in the ''Franchise/MegaMan'' series.
*** Once you destroy its four heads, Manhandla moves in an infinite-shaped (or sideways 8) loop, just like the Alien FinalBoss of ''VideoGame/MegaMan2''.
*** Onox's ScaledUp form has a marked resemblance to Sigma's final Wolf Sigma form in the original ''VideoGame/MegaManX1''.
*** The eighth boss is one to ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' by being a giant Medusa Head.
* SlippySlideyIceWorld: The shield floor of the Sword and Shield Maze is icy, [[HailfirePeaks while]] [[LethalLavaLand the sword floor is littered with lava]].
* SnotBubble: The Maku Tree almost always has one of these, despite being, well, a tree. Popping it with your sword is the only way to get him to wake up and talk to you.
* StealthBasedMission: The Subrosians are involved in a lot of these. You have to stalk Rosa to find the first portal into Subrosia, and later on the Strange Brothers steal your Roc's Feather and you have to follow them to recover it. You can do this again to get different rewards.
* SunkenCity: The aptly-named "Sunken City" in East Holodrum, in which most of the houses are flooded because the ice caps from the north melted.
* TakenForGranite: The 8th boss is a giant Medusa head, which fights by throwing spheres that petrify Link on contact.
* TheThingThatWouldNotLeave: The pirate captain and his crew take up residence in a random house in Subrosia while their ship is undergoing repair, much to the dismay of its original owner. Humorously, you can torment him a little by popping in for a visit after they've left.
-->'''Subrosian:''' [[HereWeGoAgain Don't tell me you're going to stay here now, too!]]
* TimedMission: One room in the second dungeon has a chest with a small key in it that will disappear if you take too long to reach it by using bombs to destroy blocks, forcing you to leave the room and try again if you fail. Thankfully, there is a Deku selling bombs just outside the timed room.
* UnnaturallyLoopingLocation:
** Long-time series mainstay TheLostWoods makes a return appearance. You can only progress by advancing in the correct direction during the correct season.
** Onox's Castle also functions this way. There are no barricades to keep you from advancing, but each doorway loops you back to the room you just left until you defeat the enemies inside.
* VideoGameCrueltyPotential:
** The game lets you throw a pirate's skull around in the desert, and he naturally complains about getting sand in his mouth or water up his nose if you throw him on the ground or in a puddle.
** You can blow up the Great Moblin's home after he moves into the Sunken City. You gain nothing for doing so, either.
* VideoGameCrueltyPunishment: You can blow up the Moblin King's Sunken City house in Seasons with a bomb or ember seed, but do it [[RuleOfThree three times]] and he catches you and throws you inside with the bombs, resulting in a NonstandardGameOver.
* VisualPun: Onox uses Din as an actual HumanShield against you.
* TheWallsAreClosingIn: Present as a trap in the Ancient Ruins and activated when Link grabs [[SchmuckBait the big red Rupee]]. If Link fails, he will die instantly, regardless of how much life he has.
* WeatherControlMachine: Onox uses Din's powers to throw the seasons into chaos. Later on, Link gets a rod that can alter the seasons whenever he's on a tree stump.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse:
** The members of the troupe (in a Linked Game, they're revealed to actually be undercover Hyrule Knights) that accompanies Din disappear from the game after being blown off in Onox's attack. The tambourine girl does reappear during the PlayableEpilogue, but she doesn't elaborate on what happened to her in the meantime or where the other members are, if they survived at all.
** Onox sinking the Temple of Seasons underground also is never undone. Once Din is rescued, the seasons return to normal, and the temple remains in Subrosia during the epilogue with none of the characters caring to comment on it.
* WorthlessYellowRocks: Valuable items like Pieces of Heart and Gasha Seeds are sold in junk stores in Subrosia. Another Subrosian is tantalizingly seen throwing such items into lava in order to cause a volcano to erupt. Sadly, they cannot be caught out of the air.
[[/folder]]

* SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong: Link's goal is to go back in time and undo all of Veran's atrocities to restore peace in Labrynna
* SetWrongWhatOnceWentRight: Veran's entire plan revolves around going back in time and causing mass chaos in Labrynna to cultivate a climate of sorrow.

* DarkerAndEdgier: Compared to the [[ExcusePlot "plot"]] of ''Oracle of Seasons'', the story of ''Ages'' has much higher stakes and darker themes, with Link having SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong after Veran enslaves and murders numerous people in the past.

* SocializationBonus: Each game has two flavors of this bonus. Firstly, a pair of players of either game can link their systems up to trade magic rings, in a manner that ought to be familiar to anyone who's played Pokémon. Secondly, a collection of cryptic passwords, along with vague hints for their intended recipients, are sometimes spoken by [=NPCs=] in each game. Writing down the password and telling it to the respective NPC in the other game will unlock a bonus for that game, and occasionally a very powerful one at that. This system is even utilized at the end of each game, too; typing in the password from after the end credits of one game into a new save file of the other will allow one to play a "linked game", which ties together their storylines and even enables a GoldenEnding for both of them. The password system was cleverly designed such that, while a single player with both games will be able to fully experience it, it could also be effectively used for a pair of friends who each have a different version.

* {{Retcon}}: This game was first stated to be a midweek between ''A Link to the Past'' and ''Link's Awakening'' with the same Link. This has since been modified to be an indirect sequel to both with a new Link.

* {{Retcon}}: This game was first stated to be a midweek between ''A Link to the Past'' and ''Link's Awakening'' with the same Link. This has sense been modified to be an indirect sequel to both with a new Link.

* TogglingSetpiecePuzzle: In both ''Ages'' and ''Seasons'', there are dungeons with toggleable cubical barriers that can have their states swapped by pressing switches, continuing the trend from previous 2D installments. Unlike in ''Link's Awakening'', the barriers are color-coded, thanks to the games' improved palettes as they were worked upon the other's DX engine. Interestingly, the color-coding is inverted in relation to ''A Link to the Past'', where the crystal's current color matched that of the blocks toggled ''off'', and here it matches the color of the ones toggled ''on''.

* TogglingSetpiecePuzzle: In addition to the series-classic toggleable cubical barriers (present here in Crown Dungeon), ''Ages'' also features specific instances with other puzzles that involve toggleable setups, like a room in Mermaid's Cave where a crystal switch rearranges the placement of the floor's tiles, a couple rooms in Moonlit Grotto that have crystal switches which protract bridges above a bottomless pit while retracting others, and floor switches in Jabu-Jabu's Belly that toggle the current level of the water. The crystal switch will often be placed in distant or inconvenient spots that call for the use of the Seed Shooter (sometimes even requiring the Seeds to ricochet with adjustable seesaw-like pieces, thus overlapping with TrickShotPuzzle).

* AbortedArc: Ambi's search for her lover that was lost at sea only concludes if you play ''Ages'' first; if you play ''Seasons'' first, she never receives closure.

* MissingSecret: If you play ''Ages'' first, there's one square on the present era's map that you'll never be able to explore. If you play it second, the inaccessible square will be on the past. Both squares are within the Sea of Storms, and the reason why you cannot access it in both periods is because the entrance to the location will change depending on the order you're playing the two games in (this is turn is because [[spoiler:the GhostShip will only sail these waters in one of the two periods; again, which of the two it'll be depends on the chosen game order]]). In both cases, this makes full exploration of the game's overworld impossible.

* MissingSecret: If you play ''Ages'' first, there's one square on the map that you'll never be able to explore.

* OptionalPartyMember: The animal friends Link encounters. As a rule, one of them will [[TrueCompanions always become Link's permanent partner]]. The other two [[TheFellowshipHasEnded will leave never to return]]. Getting the animal partner you ''want'' to befriend for good in each respective game [[GuideDangIt can be a chore]].

* PermanentlyMissableContent: Both games contain an "Advance" shop that can only be accessed when playing on a Game Boy Advance. In the Virtual Console release of the games for the 3DS, the shop cannot be accessed and the items inside cannot be obtained. Said items are merely an early supply of Gasha Seeds and a ring that's a BraggingRightsReward, but players seeking to acquire everything will find themselves a couple rings short simply due to developer oversight[[note]]However, there is a workaround for this by using a specially-crafted password to obtain the GBA rings that will work on any file[[/note]].

** The 3DS Virtual Console releases treat the games as if they are played on a Game Boy Color, meaning the Advance Shops are inaccessible and there are two rings that you can't get (unless you bring them over from the original cartridges or cheat the password system into giving them to you, that is). Likewise, the Blue Snake in Vasu's shop is inactive because the 3DS doesn't use link cables.

* DemonicPossession: Twice; in both cases [[ContrivedCoincidence it's a good thing you have the mystery seeds (from the second dungeon), the seed shooter (from the third dungeon), and the switch hook (from the fourth dungeon)]].

* HumanShield: Veran's possession ability is a variant; as she laughingly points out to Ralph in multiple cutscenes, trying to strike her will only hurt her victim.

* ShadowWalker: The boss of the Moonlit Grotto teleports around its arena, appearing directly behind the player in a puddle of shadow, disappearing if you turn to face it. How fortunate that the dungeon's item allows you to bounce seeds off walls!

** Blue Stalfos, the 8th miniboss, casts a curse that [[VideoGame/GhostsNGoblins turns Link into a baby for a short time]] if he gets hit.

* TennisBoss: Blue Stalfos, the miniboss of the Ancient Tomb, is defeated by reflecting his spell back at him, turning him into a skull-headed keese that Link can slash with his sword.

* DegradedBoss: A cross-game example: The boss of the Face Shrine (the sixth of eight main dungeons) in ''Link's Awakening'' makes a return as the mini-boss of the second dungeon and later of Onox's Castle.

* HollywoodMagnetism: The magnet gloves. Almost all objects which you can attract towards you/pull yourself towards are not only magnets, but monopolar magnets (the gloves switch between a north and south magnetic charge so you can push and pull). However, they also affect Iron Mask and Darknut enemies, due to their metal mask and armor.

* MassMonsterSlaughterSidequest: An old man encountered in a cave near the Gnarled Root Dungeon tasks Link with killing four unique gold-colored enemies, which only spawn once the quest is issued, for reasons he doesn't bother explaining. Once Link hunts down the enemies, he's rewarded with the Red Ring, a magical item that doubles his damage output.

*** Onox's ScaledUp form has a marked resemblance to Sigma's final form in the original ''VideoGame/MegaManX1''.

* MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch: Dimitri, the friendly red dodongo encountered in both games. He's the only dodongo in the entire series who is not only not hostile but can speak hylian.

* TheWallsAreClosingIn: Present as a trap in the Ancient Ruins and activated when Link grabs the big red Rupee. If Link fails, he will die instantly, regardless of how much life he has.

* TheWallsAreClosingIn: Present as a trap in the Ancient Ruins. If Link fails, he will die instantly, regardless of how much life he has.

** It's possible to encounter Maple in the past. Technically she shouldn't be able to do this - but when this happens, she mentions going through a time portal.

* AlmightyIdiot: Because Twinrova [[spoiler:sacrifices herself (since Link pretty much kills her anyway) instead of Zelda, Ganon [[CameBackWrong isn't resurrected properly]] and comes out as nothing more than a bloodthirsty killing machine]].

** Twinrova appear despite both dying before the timeline split in ''Ocarina of Time''.