Zelda: Oracle of Seasons/Ages

In the past, I've discussed how trading quests and seeking out information can shape areas in a Zelda game. For Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages, Hidemaro Fujibayashi and his team chose to implement their incredible new ideas and mechanics around this philosophy in an effort to channel the original Zelda. The result is a wildly entertaining, challenging, puzzling, and ultimately enjoyable couple of games that don't get the attention they deserve. They're not perfect, but they represent a leap of faith for the developers, and for the rest of the series.