Nintendo stealth drops two classic Zelda games onto Switch

Two fantastic Legend of Zelda games, originally released for the Game Boy Color, have been added to Nintendo Switch Online.

Nintendo have very cheekily stealth dropped some more retro games for Nintendo Switch Online, this time adding The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons, and The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages to the line-up.

Check out Nintendo’s announcement video for Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages below!

In case you’re unaware, Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages are a pair of Game Boy Color games which were released simultaneously in 2001. They’re unique in the sense they were released as twins, much like the Pokemon series, and can crossover with each other to unlock bonus content.

Both play like typical Zelda games, following Link on a quest to save the world from destruction, though this time you’re not in Hyrule, you’re in two different worlds depending on which game you're playing. You meet one of two Oracles, and help them save their respective lands by borrowing their powers.

In Oracle of Ages, you’re given the Harp of Ages, which lets you travel through time in a similar way to Ocarina of Time.

In Oracles of Seasons, you’re gifted the Rod of Seasons, giving you the power to switch between Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring, which is used to solve puzzles and open paths to new areas in the game.

While both can be played as their own standalone adventure, the real beauty comes when you combine them. Upon beating one game, you’re given a code to input into the other, which allows you to transfer items from the previous adventure, as well as unlock a new story add-on and ending. It was an incredible feature, and it’s surprising Nintendo didn’t try anything similar for future games.

These are great additions to Nintendo’s subscription service, especially with how easy it’ll be to connect to the two games together with them both on the same system. They’re in good company too, as several classic Zelda titles can currently be found on the service, like the original NES titles, Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask and Minish Cap.

The Legend of Zelda Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons can be played by anyone with an active Nintendo Switch Online membership.