The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages
Also known as: Zelda no Densetsu: Fushigi no Kinomi: Jikuu no Shou (JP) Developers: Flagship, Capcom Publisher: Nintendo Platform: Game Boy Color Released in JP: February 27, 2001 Released in US: May 14, 2001 Released in EU: October 5, 2001 This game has unused areas. This game has hidden developer credits. This game has hidden development-related text. This game has unused graphics. This game has unused items. This game has unused music. This game has regional differences. This game has a prerelease article This game has a Data Crystal page

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages is a game that was released alongside The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons. The games interact with each other in a variety of ways.

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Prerelease Info

Development Text

Sound Test Text

Present at 0x103C21 in the European ROM is some text for a sound test.

DMG SOUND TEST
BGM:   /   
SE :   /    
CODE
B:SE OFF
Ä:BGM OFF

This text is not present in the US or Japanese ROMs.

Version Number

At 0x1C1C9 in the US and Japanese ROMs and 0x1C22C in the European ROM is what appears to be a version number. This string saved at the beginning of each savefile (ie. addresses 0x0012 and 0x1002 in SRAM for file 1 and its backup). It is validated for correctness whenever a file is loaded. Oracle of Seasons has the same string except that it starts with "Z1".

Z21216-0

Localize Text

At 0x1C04F in the European ROM is this string.

L_O_C_A_L_I_Z_E

This text is not in the US or Japanese ROMs. It's also saved to the beginning of the SRAM.

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Unused Items

Several items exclusive to Seasons have placeholder IDs in this game's data. These items are the Rod of Seasons (0x07), Magnet Glove (0x08), Slingshot (0x13) and Fool's Ore (0x1E). By changing RAM addresses $C689 (A button) or $C688 (B button) to any of the previous values, these items can be obtained.
Additionally, there is an unnamed item (0x02) that makes Link punch, which briefly appears in Seasons when dueling Blaino in his gym.

Unused Objects

Unused IDs

ID	Picture	Name	Notes
0x1E		Piranha	Piranhas were only used in Seasons.
0x2E		Thwomp	Only the larger and spiked Thwomp can be found in both Oracle games.
0x4C		Takkuri	This vicious blue crow tries to steal Link's rupees. If sub-ID is set to 1, it will appear from the side of the screen.

Unused Sub-IDs

ID	Sub-ID	Picture	Name	Notes
0x09	0x04		Golden Octorok	The golden beasts only appeared in Seasons.
0x0B	0x02		Orange Leever	A more aggressive and faster variant of the sand-dwelling enemy.
0x0C	0x02		Golden Moblin (Arrows)	Another unused leftover from Seasons.
0x0D	0x02		Golden Lynel	This tough enemy can be found in the Tarm Ruins from Seasons.
0x21	0x02		Golden Darknut (Arrows)	Interestingly, golden arrow-shooting Darknuts are not seen in either of the two games.
0x25	0x01		Upgraded goponga flower	An upgraded version of the goponga flower which is not used in either of the two games.
0x2A	0x00		Green Giant Blade Trap	The hazardous blade traps come in two additional colors...
0x2A	0x01		Blue Giant Blade Trap	...which are not used in the Oracle series.
0x2A	0x02		Red Giant Blade Trap	...A giant red Blade Trap can be found in one of Seasons' dungeons, though.
0x31	0x01		Red Stalfos	Although Stalfos appear in many different colors, red and...
0x31	0x03		Green Stalfos	...green ones are exclusive to Seasons.
0x48	0x01		Golden Darknut (Sword)	One of the four golden beasts from Seasons, located in Western Coast.

Empty IDs

Despite being empty placeholder IDs in this game, slots 0x2B, 0x46 and 0x50 correspond to objects found in Seasons. Respectively, these are Flame Trap, Gohma Larva and Fireball Spawner. Completely unused are 0x57 to 0x5C and 0x65 to 0x6F. However, 0x57 to 0x5B seem to have leftover data of some sorts.

Unused Maps

Black Tower

An older version of the Black Tower is present on screen 86 of the "Present Underwater" map. Most notably, a door is present on the right side. If this map had been used, going north would have led to the Black Tower entrance, while going west would have presumably lead back to Lynna City/Village. Where the doorway on the right would have gone to is anybody's guess.

(Source: Dark Linkaël)

Room

Almost empty except for a counter, as well as a strong contender for "Least Exciting Unused Room in the Game".

(Source: Dark Linkaël)

Duplicate Rooms

A few duplicates of various rooms found during normal gameplay are buried in the code. However, these rooms have different area IDs compared to their original counterparts found in normal gameplay, so they appear using incorrect tilesets.

• 

  Normal

• 

  Fixed

• 

  Normal

• 

  Fixed

• 

  Normal

• 

  Fixed

• 

  Normal

• 

  Fixed

Restore ID Area Maps

• 

  Present Map.

• 

  Past Map.

• 

  Present Underwater Map.

• 

  Past Underwater Map.

Filler Screens

Filler screens exist for most unreachable areas, for both the Past and Present overworld and Past and Present underwater. Not all of them use the same "base" tiles.

• 

  Past

• 

  Present

These rooms are used for unused screens outside of map boundaries.

• 

  Past, with some of the tiles blown up to demonstrate they are "bombable passage" tiles.

• 

  Present

On the other hand, these are used for screens that don't have an underwater equivalent defined. The "M" and "I" likely stand for "mukashi" and "ima" respectively, basically meaning "past" and "present".

Not all screens use these fillers, though; many of them instead use either glitched rooms or rooms with other purposes.

One of the Past "M" rooms has a row of pots at the top of the screen, for whatever reason.

• 

  M Room with pots.

• 

  Alternate X Room.

• 

  X-Room with a different palette.

• 

  Alternate I Room.

• 

  A sandy room.

Underwater

• 

  Past - Area 91.

• 

  Present - Area 91.

• 

  Past - 97.

• 

  Present - 97.

• 

  Past - Area BC and CC.

• 

  Past - With broken Area ID.

• 

  Past - With fixed Area ID.

• 

  Past

• 

  Present - Above the Zora Village.

• 

  Past - Above the Zora Village.

Unused Graphics

To do: Most (if not all) of the Seasons exclusive Link sprites are in Ages (and vice versa)! Get those up there!

Rod of Seasons

Present in the game are some graphics of the Rod of Seasons from Oracle of Seasons, which are obviously unused here. The palette of these graphics in Ages is unknown, so the palette used here is the one from Seasons.

Goron Vase - Tileset

A tile of the Goron Vase from Seasons.

Underwater Cave Door

A tile of a locked cave door. This is used in Seasons, but not here.

Farore

While Farore does appear in Ages inside the Maku Tree, she sits behind a counter and is programed to only face downward. As such, the sprites of her facing left, right, and upward are not used.

Characters

In the US version only, when creating a new file using the secrets option, entering a password that contains all upper case Ns will cause Link's name to be replaced by placeholder characters which are otherwise unseen.

Unused Tilesets

Early Underwater Tileset

Present	Past (Used)	Past (Unused)

Debug Graphics

At 0x104000 in the European ROM are some graphics that appear to be for a debug mode. Interestingly, there's a 1999 credit for Capcom indicating the graphics are quite an old leftover. Similar-looking graphics can also be found in the Game Boy Color version of Magical Tetris Challenge. These graphics are not in the US or Japanese ROMs.

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Unused Music

To do: Rip.

Two tracks in the game's .GBS file are used in Oracle of Seasons, but not here.

Track #39 is the background music for Link's "date" with Rosa in Oracle of Seasons. Rosa only appears in a linked game in Ages, and even then, the player can't date her.

Track #57 is the theme for the Witch's Hut in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening. This song is used for Syrup's potion shop in Oracle of Seasons. Although Syrup also appears in this game, her shop uses the ordinary "inside a building" theme instead.

Regional Differences

There are some minor differences between the different versions of the game.

Presentation Screen

The Japanese version has a "presentation screen" displayed before the Nintendo and Capcom logos, which noticeably refers to the game as its English title. This screen was removed from other versions.

Title Screen

Japan	US/Europe

Room in the Spirit's Grave

The bottom-left room of the Spirit's Grave is empty in the Japanese version, whereas there is a jar to push on a switch in the European and American ones. The main advantage of this change is that it teaches players early in the game that jars can be pushed, an element which may not seem obvious to them.

Japan	International

Strange Shelves

Three shelves in the mailman's house have a different design between versions.

Japan/US	Europe

This was done to fix a bug: In the Japanese and American versions, the three shelves on the top-right side of the room can be destroyed with the Power Bracelet or Level 2 sword, and react exactly like some pots. If you just destroy the bottom of a shelf, you will find a staircase that leads back to this same room; if you destroy the top and push the bottom, nothing will appear. After destroying the shelves, it is possible to go north; doing so will take you to Rafton's house, albeit in a wall, with the only way out being to reset the game.

Green Goron

The clairvoyant Goron of Rolling Ridge does not exist in the Japanese version. He was added in to the international releases to guide the player along in collecting the Mermaid Keys.

Ending Screen

The message saying that the adventure continues in Seasons does not exist in the Japanese version.

Time Period Icons

The Japanese version uses the kanji 今 (ima) and 昔 (mukashi) for the present and past, respectively. These designs were changed in the English release.

Japan	US/Europe

Text Changes

Some changes were made to the English text in the European release. Most notably, the text from talking to Cukeman enemies was changed. Their dialogue is nonsense in the US version, while in the European version, they give interesting hints about obscure game mechanics. There are also numerous minor changes to text coloration and indentation which are not listed below.

Text Index	US	Europe	Notes
000c	You got the Brother Emblem!	You got the Brotherhood Emblem!	In the US version, your proof of brotherhood among the Gorons is variously called the "Brother Emblem" and "Symbol of Brotherhood." Europe split the difference and consistently calls it the "Brotherhood Emblem."
0034	You got a bigger Ring Box! It can hold more rings!	You got a bigger Ring Box! It can hold <X> rings!	In the European version, the exact number of rings that the upgrade can hold (3 or 5) is specified.
0200	Maku Road	Maku Path	The name of the cave on the map screen and on the sign outside is "Maku Path", even in the American version. The European version fixed the inconsistency.
0505	Maybe you can open time holes with the Harp of Ages and go back in time.	Maybe you can open Time Portals with the Harp of Ages and go back in time.
0e12	Congratulations! This is your final chance!	Congratulations! How about double or nothing?
0e24	Magical Ring. What kind of ring it is a secret.	Magical Ring. What kind of ring it is is a secret.	The American version accidentally a word.
2400	If you dance well, I'll give you a Symbol of Brotherhood!	If you dance well, I'll give you a Brotherhood Emblem!
2492	Huh?!? That's a Brother Emblem!	Huh?!? That's a Brotherhood Emblem!
2827	The Flames of Sorrow and Destruction have been lit by Veran and Knox!	The Flames of Sorrow and Destruction have been lit by Veran and Onox!	"Onox" was misspelled as "Knox" in the US version.
2a20	Hey, Link! Are you looking for something, or what? Huh? Cheval Rope?	Hey, Link! Are you looking for something, or what? Huh? Cheval?
2f02	NO! My mighty sword is broken...	NO! My mighty shield is broken...	Technically they both are, but the broken shield is more obvious.
2f0a	But I shall not fall like Knox and Veran!	But I shall not fall like Onox and Veran!	"Onox" was misspelled as "Knox" in the US version.
2f1e	3 Large, 2 Regular.	Large Rupee, underfoot... sometimes... Hmmm...	Cukeman text, hinting about 100 rupee drops with the shovel.
2f1f	I want a nice tropical vacation.	To rest in Nayru's bed, hmmm...	Cukeman text, hinting that you can sleep in the bed in Nayru's house.
2f20	Feel my cold, steely gaze!!!	Barter and barter, various items, at last you can... Hmmm...	Cukeman text, hinting about how the trade sequence works.
2f21	Huh? Did I say that?	Cast various things into lavatory in Lynna Village... Hmmm...	Cukeman text, hinting about Easter eggs with the Toilet Hand.
2f22	Really? I mean, I knew that!	With no shield, with a shovel, you can fight against Spiked Beetles... Hmmm...	Cukeman text, hinting that... well you get the idea.
2f23	I wish I could go to a tropical southern island.	Sound beats Pols Voices... Hmmm...	Cukeman text, hinting that the flute kills Pols Voices.
2f24	I want to ride a plane. Anywhere's fine.	If you bully Cucco too much... Hmmm...	Cukeman text, warning you not to mess with chickens. (Especially don't use mystery seeds on them after angering them.)
2f25	I'm so sleepy.	The sealed shop stocks a very rare ring... Hmmm...	Cukeman text, hinting about the Advance Shop (probably the GBA Time Ring in particular).
3018	I am Red Snake! I am keeper of ring secrets! Make a choice! >Say >Ask secret        >Quit	I am Red Snake! I am keeper of ring secrets! Say a secret, or ask about a secret. Make your choice!  >Say >Ask  >Quit	The text was changed to match Oracle of Seasons.
301e	I don't know that secret. Come back after listening again to the secret you heard in Oracle of Ages.	I don't know that secret. Come back after listening again to the secret you heard in Oracle of Seasons.	Uh-oh, somebody made a boo-boo. The Red Snake correctly identifies the companion game in the European version.
3024	I am Blue Snake. I manage the Game Link cable. What shall I do?   >Fortune   >Link >Quit	I am Blue Snake. I manage the Game Link cable. What shall I do?  >Fortune >Link  >Nothing	The text was changed to match Oracle of Seasons. The last option was tweaked to make a bit more sense grammatically, which necessitated rearranging the other options.
313b	I'll teach you the secret to using Biggoron's Sword in Labrynna, too!	I'll teach you the secret to using Biggoron's Sword in Holodrum, too!	Not again! In the US version, the Goron Elder mistakenly says that his secret can give you the Biggoron's Sword "in Labrynna, too", even though you're already in Labrynna.
3503	Inside was a <HP> Piece of Heart!	Inside was a Piece of Heart!<HP>	"<HP>" displays an animation inside the textbox showing your heart piece count. Interestingly, the European text in Ages and the American text in Seasons are identical, but the other versions of the text differ slightly.
4b02	How much can you contribute?  >100 >50  >10 >0	How much can you contribute?  >100 >50  >10 >1	This is asked by Bipin & Blossom's child. If you select "0" in the US version, he still takes 1 rupee.
4d23	♪Love, love  the seed!♪	"♪Love, love  the seed!♪"	Quotation marks were added.

(Source: Text dump diff)

Virtual Console Differences

Transitioning

A fade to white now occurs before entering an "interior" map (houses, caves, or dungeons), whereas previously the game would cut straight from the outside map to the wipe-in revealing the interior. The reason for this change is unknown.

Game Boy Advance Features

The Advance Shop in Lynna Village still exists, but since it only opens when the game is being played on the Game Boy Advance and the Virtual Console version is always in Game Boy Color mode, it is never open.
Thus, the GBA Nature and GBA Time rings cannot be obtained through normal means, except for with a modified Ring Secret.

Blue Snake's Deactivated Script

The Blue Snake's script was disabled because the 3DS doesn't feature the Game Link Cable.