Zelda hits GBC in time for summer!

Legend of Zelda : Link's Awakening is considered to be one of, if not the best Zelda game of all time. Although both N64 titles were exceptional, "classic" Zelda as its thought of is a much purer breed, relying on two dimensions and a sublime balance of action and adventure. It's been known for a while that Nintendo aimed to introduce two new Zelda titles to the GameBoy Color to keep sales alive even during the build up to the GameBoy Advance launch. The two games were tentatively titled Legend of Zelda: Mystical Seed, "The Chapter of Time and Space" and "The Chapter of Earth". The game will now be known as "Oracle of Ages" and "Oracle of Seasons" respectively. Originally the two games were meant to be three, a trilogy from Flagship, Nintendo and Capcom. Due to repeated delays, story changes and other teething problems though, the number was eventually cut to two, and the scope narrowed slightly. Players can apparently play either chapter without spoiling the other, and the games will be released simultaneously this May in the States. The two chapters can pass data between one another using coded passwords, and events in one adventure can change depending on your progress in the other. The first title, now known as "Oracle of Seasons," will focus on Link's combat whilst "Oracle of Ages" focuses on his puzzle-solving. Both games will take place in a distant land, and as so often happens to poor Link, he will get there by mysterious means and will spend most of the time trying to find his way back to Hyrule. The story opens with Link discovering a castle, and being blinded by the Triforce within. Upon awakening, he finds himself in a forest in the land of Hologram. His life is then gradually turned upside down by a young lass called Din, whom he encounters under rather peculiar circumstances that lead him to become part of a group of travelling entertainers. As usual, someone has other plans for Din, and in the process of plucking her from Link's grasp, the evil General Gorgon scramble's Hologram's seasons. Phew. In the other game, "Oracle of Ages," Link finds himself taken in by a young woman called Impa, who turns out to be the Dark Priestess Belan. The game is spent dashing around Hologram trying to find the either magical items needed to defeat the Priestess, who has escaped back in time. Players of the Super Nintendo's Zelda III will be right at home. Although a UK release date has not been confirmed at the time of writing, it is thought that the two titles will definitely arrive before the GameBoy Advance, which is due out in June Stateside and shortly thereafter in Europe.

Source - The GIA