Nintendo Expands Switch Online's Game Boy Color Library With Two Zelda Classics

I’m so glad they went and released both at the same time. I love these games, so I’ll definitely play them again for the 104th time

I loved these games and played them on the Virtual Console for the 3DS. But the question is... since both are needed to unlock the true ending, is this a tease for the Gen I & II of Pokemon arriving to NSO soon?

Wowzers!

A long time ago, I played Seasons first bringing my saved game into Ages. Now seems like the perfect time to try it other way ‘round…

That would be a bit of a stretch. These games having various types of connectivity features doesn’t really mean anything for or against Pokemon.

Does it matter which game you play first?

I'm looking forward to play these games and I'll get to them after I'm done with ToTK. They're the last single player mainline games I have yet to sink my teeth into. I know folks wanted them remade but I wanted to play them in sprite form and we're due for an original 2d Zelda experience maybe from Grezzo. akin to Metroid Dread and Mario Wonder.

I wonder if this is what Jeff Grub was talking when he heard that more Zelda content was coming in the year.

Yes! What a lovely surprise.

Nice! Been wondering where our next legacy game was. I've never played either of these, so this will be an experience.

Oracle of Seasons has been the game sitting in my old Gameboy Color in my bedroom for probably the past fifteen years at least at this point. Still works perfectly well, though no doubt it'll continue going unplayed for even longer now I can enjoy these games on the big screen instead.

@Jemil1992 Unlikely. Oracle of Seasons and Ages has a password system to link the games. I’m assuming that’s how you can link them in NSO, so it doesn’t really mean anything for Pokémon. I hope we get Pokémon though!

Finally, a reason for me to play the retro games. Don’t mind if I do…

@LinktotheFuture Nope. You can start them in either order. Whichever one you finish first gives you a password to link to the other. It works both ways, so order doesn’t matter.

Are they the GBA Enhanced versions?

@Waluigi451 Anything with a link cable is surely too complex an operation for the Switch Online emulator to handle, and I can't honestly see Nintendo caring enough to divert resources into making it happen unfortunately. Would be insanely wonderful if they did though.

These are two of the few I haven’t played. Can’t wait. I love Lin’s Awakening, and these look like better versions of that.

@LinktotheFuture
Not really, but also yes.
Ages has stuff in the past which shows up in seasons.
I think I played Seasons first back on the GBA and when I got to Ages, I was like: "OH! that's cool and that's where that came from!"

Wow, a whole two games.

Praise be to the generous multi-billion dollar corporation for this blessing.

Classic is right. These games are great!

YES YES YES YES.... oh and, one more thing. YES!!!

Never actually played these. My main focus back in the day with GB were Pokémon games. Guess I’ll try out these Zelda games.

@Waluigi451 you are right! I kinda forgot thats how it worked back then. But Still OoA/OfS are a great zelda duology that deserves to be played as it has some charm on them.

Just imagine if one day they did remake these, but with the originally intended third game as well in a glorious Triforce collection.

I'm honestly surprised that they didn't release one, and then the other one 4 months from now.

On a side note, they need to bring those animal companions back into the Zeldaverse. Hyrule needs more kangaroos.

I bought Ages when I was in high school. But never finished it. Playing through it again like it’s 2001.

@FishyS I really like the NSO sub - but the GBA makes it all worthwhile for the more expensive one for me.

Love these additions. Pretty much all of 2023's additions have been excellent.

Still waiting for Mario Party 3. It's just a ROM file the size of a single wall texture in modern games, Nintendo ...for the love of God. They're all decades- old scrap- sized ROM files. Just dump 'em all on there. Enough with the one or two a month stuff for games old enough to drink. Christ.

Guess that is what I'm doing tonight.

Still not buying. I let my subscription lapse in March in protest that Nintendo put GBA games under the premium level. GBA is equivalent to SNES so should be in the basic level, and even more so since NES and SNES releases have dried up. I haven't missed the online since, so let the boycott continue!

I totally skipped the GB era. Pretty excited for this

I still have the physical for them both but adding them on here means I don’t have to get them out of storage, plus I have never beaten them both so good time to.

Two of the best pocket Zelda adventures yet. Definitely would re-play this again.

At this point zero mission getting released along side Metroid 4…

@angrycurtains Technically they're the same games so it make sense to release them both at the same time. Now that we know they are doing this, it's likely the Pokemon games may get the same treatment. Red and Blue will be release at the same time and then Yellow down the line with Gold and Silver following that which eventually lead to Crystal. Not sure if we'll get Ruby and Sapphire though, Nintendo are so held bent on holding to their catalog when it comes to Pokemon that it's likely they won't release it.

I want to add that I'm glad they're actually just dropping these now and not teasing us a week in advance. Just let us have the games, man.

The Oracles are fantastic games. I would love to see them fully remade one day.

Ahhh… good music, good temples, original items. These were good Zeldas. Things that were lost in the way

@Serpenterror They have about as much different content as you could hope for for two games made simultaneously on the same engine.
Different story, worlds, dungeons, some different items.
Saying "technically the same game" suggests it some kind of Pokemon situation, where they just swapped a few spawn rates and a few bits of text and called it a different game, and that isn't the case.

@Vil I know it's silly to drip feed content that, not at all trying to defend that. I think it's bad too.
But I don't know, to me seeing games as "just ROM files" doesn't sound like the right attitude for enjoying the service.

Excellent. I haven't delved too much into these games, probably my least played out of all the Zelda series so I am looking forward to giving them a try again.

My first Zeldas! My family got them from another family when they moved, and the battery on Seasons was dead, so the farthest I got in a linked game was 3 dungeons into Seasons after finishing Ages. But now I can really finish them!

Oracle of ages is far superior to oracle of seasons. Oracle of ages is a classic and my favorite 2d Zelda. I’m glad it is available for others to play.

@KingMike They are the same games broken into many pieces scatter for both. One is more puzzle base and the other is more action base whereas Link's Awakening is not the same as them as it's a different game and had a mix of puzzles and actions. Both were also made by Capcom and had better graphics than LA so that's why they are the same. If you merge them into one game then all the elements of both became one larger game.

@Serpenterror these are two completely separate games only being connected with only a minor part of the story and some ring exchanges, though.

Mechanics, map, items, characters, general story, all of that is different between both games

@kingmike oh, you already said that

Imagine going through all that work to get the combined passwords and them disappearing after the service eventually goes away. I do like the oracle games a lot, but those mandatory mini games make me froth at the mouth.

@LinktotheFuture Nope not at all.

@Serpenterror What do you mean? They're two very different games. Different lands, different dungeons, different npcs.

i may be cranky but this made me smile. lpoking forward to start completely over without my old codes that i lost (that i had collected all the rings on btw)

@angrycurtains
Like Pokémon, these games were designed to be released at the same time.

@Mrkittyhead They are based on that LA engine and in my opinion they are superior to it in every way other than plot.

Now I have to find the time to replay them..

@Vil Amen, the best Mario Party game...of all time I might say. The Mario Party 1 icon always fools me!

Stoked on these two though, two of the best.

Do nintendo really intend to entice me to their subscription service by churning out old games that you'll play for 5 mins and then end up going back to pilmin 4, or zelda tears etc.
Allow us to buy some of your old classics ie n64 snes etc and I may just buy a few games here and there.
Until I'll continue to emulate their classic games

it's a shame they couldn't do a trio of games as originally intended.

Im guessing this isn't the Zelda announcement Jeff Grubb was foreshadowing since it had already been announced.

Also only because I started doing GRE vocab this week did I know what "furtively" means.

I’m really happy about this but they should have been on the service from day one

Two very good additions for sure. Will definitely be playing these. Ages at the very least as I never finished that one, I only had Seasons as a kid.

It will be interesting to see if/how they do with Four Swords on NSO. Online multiplayer Zelda in 2023 might make the game actually live up to its potential.

@Euler That would be the best thing ever on NSO but I’m afraid that’s going to require too much effort

İ have never played this 1. Looks very fun. My friend have played this 1 and he liked it.

Yeah! I have been waiting for that! Time to replay them back to back right after I finish Pikmin 4!

Bring back virtual console!

@CharlieGirl do you not think NSO is good value?

I think it was a valid question at launch but I think it now warrants the subscription cost which is still the cheapest out there.

Finally! This makes me a very happy man.

I’m trying to imagine that I’m Nintendo and I’m releasing this just as people start wrapping up on TotK. Could it be that I want people to flock to this to warm them up for that september Direct with the remake announcement? 🤔

Some great games, happy to see them on the service. If I didn't have such a massive backlog, I might play through these for a third time.

@CharlieGirl it’s how you maintain engagement. Don’t release everything at once

I still want these to be remade for the Switch (or the next gen) like Link's Awakening was. But having them on the service is also great.

Strange timing for me, I just happened to have started a Seasons playthrough on my 3DS with intent to get through both games. Might pick things up in Ages on Switch now tho with the password system!

One of these is puzzle based and one combat based, right?

Show me the way to the puzzle one 🙏

Also, do these games suffer from the annoying and constant needing to switch items on the Gameboy's two buttons like the original Links Awakening did?

I played through the original LA twice and never completed it because that was so painful for me. Only finally completed it when it was remade for Switch and they fixed that particular issue.

@KingdomTears They both have both, but Seasons leans more towards combat and Ages more towards puzzles. Ages is the one you want, if you’ll only play one.

Should have thrown in the original b&w Link’s Awakening too today, just for preservation.

I only ever played Seasons, not sure why. I'll be playing Ages first.

@KingdomTears Yes, still the same item switching issues. Only two buttons on the Gameboy

@Moistnado They did on Wii U but it did not prove to be successful so they had to change their tactics. If Wii U had sold more, maybe they would be selling crappy NES games for $5 like you wanted.

@Ainze thanks for the heads up on both accounts!

I wonder what happens to NSO when Switch becomes obsolete. Will the games disappear? Or will they let us keep them forever on our systems?

@CharlieGirl I agree. Nintendo have hundreds of classic binaries sitting around. They don't even need to go to dodgy rom sites to get them. If they were serious about their claims that they want to make these online services good value, they would be uploading them by the shovel-load.

@Bass_X0 you can change the filter to Gameboy green, BG Lite B&W and GBC … so there’s no need to have the previous version anyways

@Bydlak
They will offer to sell each game to us and tell us that if we don’t pay to download the games they will disappear forever.

@YoshiF2 That doesn't work for GameBoy Color games.

But honestly, you can still easily get the Game & Watch Zelda that was released few years ago. Which had the GB version of that game.

.Cool. these 2 slipped through the cracks on me back in the day. Looking forward to this

at the end of the day, more nso value is more nso value. I may not like how its being done but if theyre really gonna stick with it im not gonna argue with the stuff being added.

Good vibes gamiing really had a nice love letter to these games recently, check them out if you haven’t. Got me to playing them on my analogue pocket..

Nice that they dropped the two, can’t imagine many kids having them both back in the day, so this unlocks that mode for many…

But would love some lesser known gb games now, still burgertime is my most played…

This game is peak Zelda 2d dungeons in my eyes. It took everything link's awakening had and turned it up to 11.

Great and original dungeons and powerups, cool new characters, original bosses and the ring system that was a lot of fun!

Have fun everyone who's about to go through these for the first time!

@WreckitRyan exactly what I was going to say

!!! These (maybe plus The Minish Cap) are kind of default/basic/comfort food - Zelda. I used to be at the same time dissapointed that the Oracles were like imitaitons of Links Awakening without a comparable plot and thrilled, that they refined the game mechanics, had new ideas and were a bit breezier and more simple fun than LA.

Ages and Seasons are ranked the #2 and #3 best Game Boy Color games, by NintendoLife users (behind Link's Awakening DX).

@Duncanballs What I think?

I think we exist in an era where anyone can have THE ENTIRE collection of Game Boy and Game Boy Color games on their computer, or their phone, in less than an hour.
It is Nintendo's job to prove that their service is more valuable than the free alternatives out there. And they are doing a very, very bad job.

I much preferred Links Awakaning to these, but still great games with a fun link feature. I spent lots of hours trying yo unlock all the rings.

Also the fact there weren't made by nintendo made them feel a little different, which added to my interest in playing them too.

@CharlieGirl you can't legally have the entire gameboy and gameboy color library of games on your pc or phone.

Why should Nintendo try to compete with people stealing their games?

Also Nintendo doesn't own all GB / GBC games. They only own the games they published and still have publishing rights to. And this is why it takes a long time for these games to be released on the service. If at all.

Fun fact: These games were the first Zelda games directed by Hidemaro Fujibayashi …. The director of BOTW and TOTK

@CharlieGirl
I am really not trying to be funny with you in asking this, but how can you comment so much about workers rights etc. but then freely emulate their work when you feel?

I don't like emulation and the whole 'we are doing it for preservation' thing, but I just think the whole thing is not big enough to be a real problem so just think people get on with it if you want. But the moral of caring about the people that make the games doesn't seem like it represented when you emulate.

would be nice for full scale remakes for both Oracle games but I doubt that will ever happen

@dew12333 Game Boy and Game Boy Color games are no longer commercially available as new products, and therefore the workers who developed them see no compensation from used sales.

(I know re-release exceptions like Shantae, Trip World, etc exist. But those are also available as permanently owned purchases, that I like to support financially when and where I can.)

@YoshiF2 the teleporting technique of the original is the main draw of the original Link’s Awakening which was removed for the Color version

@Bass_X0 well, not sure about the crappy ones, but at present you are renting them, whether you like them or not.

@KingdomTears
Seasons is more puzzle based.
That said, Ages is NOT an action game. It is more like Zelda 1 / Link to the Past action based.

@Vil , I agree with you, please put Mario Party 3 on Nintendo Switch Online and Pokémon Stadium 2, no more Zelda games please, I’m getting tired of seeing things from Zelda, Super Mario is way better than Zelda and Pokémon is way better than Zelda as well.

@CharlieGirl
Nobody except the seller sees compensation from used sales.

@Heartless666 said:
@Spider-Kev are you blind?
Thu 27th 03:38

What are you talking about?

@LimitedPower with the password system you can finish on 3ds and then continue with ages on switch. Plus it'll make those password side quests (where you had jump between games) easier since you don't have to close one game to input the password in the other one.

@CharlieGirl it's £0.75 per week for the premium tier. Not sure what your value for money scale is but seems very reasonable to me.

Businesses aren't going to give stuff away for free.

OMG! Been waiting forever to legit play these. Diving in today!

@Moistnado Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime are also rental services. Subscription services are just the new normal now.

How do these look on a TV?

I was anticipating these. Loved these games.

Excellent. Both are very good games, especially Oracle of Seasons (but I think Minish Cap is the best Game Boy Zelda game).

Now, I am waiting for "For the frog the bell tolls" (Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru).

Finally been waiting for these for ages, still have my original copies (but sadly nothing to play them on since my gba sp died)

Man I really wanted them as a double pack with the links awakening engine. Sigh. Still, something is better than nothing.

Great additions! I only played Seasons when it came out and I didn't know they linked; and probably had limited funds at the time to purchase the other game anyways.

@Bass_X0 Funny how you use the term "new normal" which is used to describe events following wars, crises, pandemics and sci fi dystopian futures. It isn't abnormal to sell old videogames.

The best 2D Zelda games ever made!

Curious if the Advance Shop door is open in these versions. I don't believe they were on the 3DS virtual console.

@Duncanballs
No but they could offer alternatives to the subscription model. Why not sell the games individually like they did on VC? That would make a lot of sense and it would be a win win for them.

Cool.

I'll definitely be checking these games out.

I still have my Oracle of Ages cartridge(even though both it's batteries and my Game Boy are dead). I loved this game growing up, so I'm stoked to replay them.

@CharlieGirl Obviously a completely fair point, however I would argue that a historical notoriety / popularity of old games will enhance individuals who were involved in such products. Not that I feel emulating or reselling has much to do with those, although the price on the second hand market will give an indication to worth which is effected by people emulating.

Not that the selling of second hand games or the emulation of those games has much to do it with adding to that, expect maybe in cases like Conkers that was nothing but an average game but the rarity increased an interest in it.

Resubscribing to NSO once I’m done with FFXVI

@RobbWes So true!

Finally! I’ve been waiting for this since GBA NSO release!

@Panopticon
I asked earlier and haven't gotten a response.

I may be in the minority, but I want them to put the GBA version of A Link to the Past on the service.
I want to play with the added stuff in the game.
A Bumpkin
B. Bumpkin
C. Bumpkin
the new dungeon(?)
It's been forever since I last played it and I refuse to pay the $100+ asking price

@Serpenterror They are completely separate adventures (with special linked pass codes); it isn’t akin to Red/Blue at all.

But yes they were both released at the same time. It is one of the few multi-releases that is actually worth buying both for

@Zeldawakening Swap the titles and you’re correct

AMAZING! I have these carts still so that’s how I’ll be playing them but this is amazing news for those who do not. I was really hoping they’d release these

@PinderSchloss Four Swords Adventures is probably nowhere in sight (Gamecube games are less popular and harder to port) but I can definitely see them doing A Link to the Past/Four Swords, albeit only for the deluxe tier of NSO.

@sanderev legally actually you can have them on your pc. If said ROM files are back ups of course.

Now, distributing them? Different issue.

@Rooty funny that. I haven’t played these since they came out but all I remember is the kangaroo 😆

This is absolute perfect timing! The only main Zelda games I have never completed. Just about to finish Blasphemous, and these will tide me over till Blasphemous 2. But which one to start first?

I've got fond memories of these games, Oracle of Seasons especially. In fact, I have a CYOA book based on that game. It kind of worked as a game guide, almost. Obviously, it wasn't entirely like a game guide, but certain gameplay elements, such as the trading quest, I was able to complete thanks to that book.

I'm playing oracle of ages now and the game every time I finish a level in every 'cutscene' gives me a black screen while playing normally in the background..... When I get the control again I still get a black screen which resets after I press start.... Wtf Nintendo????

One reason to play these on NSO even if you own the originals as I do is screen size. I just pulled out my Gameboy Advance SP to play a translation of Mother 3 for the first time and WOW the screen is smaller than I remember, and poorly lit. And SP is the best version in this regard. GB and GB color games don't even use the entire screen when you're playing them backwards compatible

If you spend a lot of time using a Switch as I do the difference in screen size and lighting is jarring

I just finished Oracle of Ages for the 10th time or so last week. Seasons I beat again not long before.

Recommended to everyone. The linked play is the best way to play both games too.

@JohnnyMind That game should really be localised to give the NSO service some actual value!

Every few months NSO gets updated and it never motivates me to subscribe. I keep thinking that maybe if Nintendo provides X I'll want to sign up, but now I'm realizing I don't think I'll ever want this. It's decent value but I just don't want it.

It's mostly the subscription model for me. The price is fine but I'm sick of subscriptions. I don't care how many games are on it, which systems or how often they're updated. I just don't want to subscribe.

I was hoping that these would be remastered like Awakening was, but I'll take what I can get! I still haven't completed Seasons. I LOVED Ages!!!!!!

@JohnnyMind Speaking of unknown Nintendo games, it would be also nice to play Marvelous: Mô Hitotsu no Takarajima (the first game Aonuma directed, on SNES) on NSO. Since this game was released on Japanese Wii U's eShop, it is not impossible it comes eventually to Japanese NSO at least. I completed this game last month and I really enjoyed it.