Zelda: Oracle of Ages is the second of two upcoming Zelda games for the Game Boy Color.  From what we have seen so far, the game looks to be just as good if not better than Link's Awakening.  The game starts off with Link traveling to the land of Labrynna where Veran, the Sorceress of Shadows decides to change events in the past in order to rule in the present.  Link accidentally leads Veran to Nayru, who gets transported to the past as well.  Link will need to uncover the Harp of Time so that he can travel through time and return things to normal.

The Land of Labrynna

     Labrynna is a large place.  While there, Link must find dungeons and items, while passing through a large variety of terrains, such as the Fairys' Woods, the Nuun Plateau, Crescent Strait, and the Sea of Storms.  In addition to the various terrains, Link will encounter many characters along his journey.  We already know about Naryu and Veran, but a few characters will be returning from older Zelda games, such as the Zora King and Tingle.  There will surely be other returning characters as well, some who appear the first time through the game, and others who will only appear after a password has been entered.

Traveling Through Time 

     During his quest in Labrynna, Link will be forced to travel through time quite often.  Unlike previous Zelda games, The Ocarina will not be the item that allows Link to do this.  Instead, Link will find an item called the Harp of Time early in his quest.  When he plays the Harp of Time, a magical whirlwind will appear, which allows Link to travel through time when he steps into it.  This ability will allow Link to reach areas he may not normally be able to get to.  For example, there may be a large stone in Link's way in the past, but when he travels to the future, the stone will be gone, allowing him to walk past the place where it was, and travel back to the past.  A good portion of the game's puzzles are based on this concept.

Essences of Time

     At the end of each dungeon, Link will receive an item called an Essence of Time.  There are eight of them to be found in the game.  Each Essence of Time gives the Maku Tree more strength to grow, which in turn restores the power to the land that Veran stole from it.  Once all eight Essences of Time have been recovered, Link will be ready to fight Veran.

Link's Helpers

     Staying true to the ideas from the newer Zelda games, Link has some friendly animals who help him out in this game as well. In the past, he rode a horse named Epona who helped him travel across the land faster and jump long gaps, but now he has all new friends to help him out.  The first of his helpers is Moosh, a blue polar bear with wings who can jump into the air, and shake the ground when he lands, inflicting damage on all of the enemies in the area.  Moosh can also help link cross wide gaps by flying for short distances.  He doesn't like deep water though, so you'll have to get off him before crossing a deep river or lake.  This is where Dimitri, another of Link's new friends can help.  Dimitri is a friendly Dodongo who helps Link swim through deep rivers and lakes.  He can swim against strong currents, through waterfalls, or even through the deepest water in the land.  Dimitri is also quite hungry, so he will eat most of Link's enemies when he encounters them.  The last animal friend that Link will encounter in his travels is Ricky, a boxing kangaroo who lets Link ride in her pouch.  Her punches pack quite a wallop, creating a tornado that will clear paths through the tall grass, and easily taking out most enemies.  Ricky can also carry Link over holes and to the top of small cliffs.

Mystical Seeds

     During his travels, Link will find five types of seeds that grant him specific powers.  Ember seeds can light torches or engulf most enemies in a ball of flame.  Gale seeds allow Link to warp to any location where a Mystical Tree grows.  Pegasus seeds act much like the Pegasus boots in "A Link to the Past," granting Link the ability to run very fast for a short period of time.  Scent seeds will attract certain enemies to Link, allowing him to defeat them quickly.  The final type of seed is the Mysters Seed.  These seeds are very unpredictable.  You will have no idea what they do until you actually use one.

Rings

     Link will find many rings, 64 to be exact during his journey through Holodrum (in Oracle of Seasons) and Labrynna.  We are not sure if there are 64 in each game, or if that is just a total when both games are combined.  Each ring grants Link a unique power when he wears it.  Some increase attack or defensive powers, while others allow Link to restore his health or disguise himself as an enemy, such as an Octorok or Moblin.  Before wearing any of the rings, Link must take it to a jeweler to activate its power.  Link will find ring boxes that allow him to carry one, three, or five rings at the same time.

Password System

    Just like in Zelda: Oracle of Seasons, there is a password system in Zelda: Oracle of Ages as well.  The most well known password is the one that you enter when completing one of the games, which allows Link to start the other game with four heart containers (instead of three) and his sword, and it causes characters in the second game to talk about events which took place in the first game.  There are also a few other passwords that can be entered to get special items, such as rings that are unavailable without the password.

     In just a short time, we will all be playing the Oracle Series games, and they look great!  The games have excellent plots, and seem to be much more detailed than Zelda: Link's Awakening was.  These games should be at the top of the Game Boy charts for years to come!