Link is armed with a sword and shield as well as a variety of secondary weapons and items for battling enemies and solving puzzles.

The gameplay of Oracle of Seasons and Ages is similar to that of Link's Awakening (1993) for Game Boy, copying basic controls, graphics, and sounds.

Unlike most Zelda games, a sword and shield is not always equipped when the player possesses them; they can be assigned like any other item into either of two available slots.

In Seasons, the overworld consists of Holodrum and the subterranean world of Subrosia inhabited by the dwarf-like Subrosian people.

Another side quest is the optional trading game, in which Link receives and delivers special items to certain people throughout the land.

It also features an extended ending in which Twinrova kidnaps Zelda, and lights the third Flame of Despair to revive Ganon.

[16] Upon completing the alternative game, another password gives the player the Victory Ring, commemorating the defeat of Ganon.

Link approaches it, and is transported to a dark forest where he encounters a traveling group led by a dancer named Din.

[18] Din's attendant, Impa, tells Link that they were headed for Hyrule; she instructs him to see the Maku Tree in Horon Village, the capital of Holodrum.

[20] Link enters the castle, defeats Onox, and rescues Din, who tells him that he is now a true hero and must face a new trial soon.

[21] Twinrova, watching the scene remotely, states that the Flame of Destruction has been powered by the havoc Onox has wrought.

[23] The two find Nayru, a young blue-haired woman singing on a tree stump surrounded by forest creatures.

Through Nayru, Veran manipulates Queen Ambi into forcibly conscripting every capable man in Labrynna to construct a large Black Tower.

[23] Link receives a sword from Impa and makes his way to the Maku Tree in Lynna City, the capital of Labrynna.

[24] Veran orders that the Maku Tree be killed; Link uses a time portal to travel to the past to prevent this.

[25] Link ascends the tower and defeats Veran, rescues Queen Ambi, and Nayru tells him that all has returned to normal.

[27] If one game is played as a sequel to the other by a linked password, Twinrova captures Princess Zelda, lighting the Flame of Despair.

[28] Link enters a warp point by the Maku Tree and faces Twinrova, who is attempting to use the three Flames to revive Ganon.

[3][30][31][32] Okamoto wanted to remake the original game so that young children could play it, but also as a test for the development team to move on to a more ambitious sequel if it was successful.

[36] Contrary to Miyamoto's design mentality of creating the gameplay system first, development started out with the scenario writing, which Flagship was in charge of.

[34] Some of the staff members, including the team led by director and designer Hidemaro Fujibayashi that was responsible for tasks other than the storyline, wanted to skip the remake and create an original Zelda game right away.

[3][35][34] As the original game was deemed too difficult for the new generation of players, more and more changes were applied to the point where it had an entirely different world map.

[30] As a result, the team ran into problems because the scenario and the maps had to be reworked constantly to make all the modifications match.

[34] The Game Boy Color's screen presented an additional hurdle when attempting to rework the earlier Zelda game as it was narrower than that of a television; players could not view an entire room without scrolling, which made it easy to overlook stairways or clues on walls.

[34] Dismayed by the lack of progress, Okamoto asked Miyamoto for help, who proposed a trilogy of games, each with a different focus on gameplay elements.

[38][39] The first game was demonstrated at Nintendo's SpaceWorld trade show in 1999, under the working title Fushigi no Kinomi – Chikara no Shō (ふしぎの木の実 ～力の章～).

The ability to play the games in reverse order after completion increases the replay value, as does trading passwords between the two.

[71] Critics enjoyed the graphics; GamePro called Seasons "bright and colorful" with "surprisingly expressive and well-designed" animations,[57] and Gaming Target said Ages is "beautiful and creative", with "meticulous attention to detail".