Game Card
Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Wii)
- Publisher:
- Nintendo
- Developer:
- Nintendo
- US Release:
- 19.11.2006
- EU Release:
- n/a
- Number of players:
- n/a
- Type:
- Action Adventure
- Reality Factor:
- Fantasy
- Perspective:
- Third-Person
- Blood Level:
- Blood-less
- Age:
- Multi-Period
Review
We play Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess...
After what seems like an age since Nintendo mastermind Shigeru Miyamoto stepped out on that stage at E3 2004 to reveal the follow up to Wind Waker, Twilight Princess has finally arrived. With fans salivating at the lips for the past two years for this game – Links first mature-theme outing since 1998’s Ocarina of Time – its inevitable Twilight Princess was going to be the most talked about game of the Wii’s launch. After all, it is Zelda. Of course, with the advent of the Wii’s motion-sensing shenanigans, this version of Twilight Princess would ultimately play quite different from its Gamecube counterpart, already reviewed here at Strategy Informer. How does the wonderous Wii version stack up? Read on to find out.
The interesting thing about Twilight Princess is that it’s very similar to OOT, and as a result sometimes feels oddly like you’re playing a ‘Greatest Hits’ adaption. As seen in OOT, you’ll visit a variety of familiar locations, such as Death Mountain, Zora’s Domain, Lake Hylia and many more. Fans of the series will feel right at home here; at its heart, Twilight Princess follows exactly the same premises as its counterparts The Wind Waker and Ocarina Of Time. Link has to progress through a multitude of areas in the land of Hyrule, conquering dungeons, gigantic beasts and other obstacles, while solving a variety of puzzles and other simple riddles. Having said that, the game does a fair amount to distinguish itself from its distant relative with the addition of the Twilight realm.
Suffice to say, the Twilight Realm is entirely pertinent to the plot of the game, so I’ll not spoil anything for those who have yet to play the game. However, there’s a fair amount of new ideas to be found here from a gameplay point of view. The most obvious is the fact Link now transforms into a wolf, where he is aided by an often irritating being named Midna. This impish creature is Twilight Princess’s answer to the fluttery Navi from OOT. During this time, Link has access to a variety of new moves totally disparate from his regular form. Firstly, attacking is no longer reduced to that of a sword and shield, instead employing the use of Link’s claws and, of course, Midna, where you are able to form a large circle of energy around your foes, before releasing the B trigger and taking out all enemies caught in its radius. Unfortunately, combat in the Twilight Realm requires little skill when it comes to using this move, as you’ll be able to take out more or less anything in your path by using the same thing over and over again, or by simply locking on with the Z trigger. If anything, they become slightly monotonous compared to that of regular battles, but remain equally as entertaining despite this due to their simplicity. The most interesting addition to these areas is the ability to track down various characters with Links heightened sense of olfactory. This enables you to – when activated - view a coloured outline of a particular scent, thus allowing you to track the persons whereabouts. You can also use this to speak to NPC’s, which can only be targeted in this specific state (again, I won’t spoil exactly why)
When it comes down to the traditional exploring as human Link, nothing can eclipse Zelda’s extraordinary dungeon sections, and Twilight Princess is no exception. Quite how vast they are compared to previous outings is unclear, but suffices to say they are on par, if not better, than Ocarina Of Time’s and vastly surpass those of Wind Waker. Fortunately, they are also varied and full of different traps, puzzles and enemies to disarm, keeping you on your toes. The puzzles themselves are actually very simple, and require little in the way of thinking caps; most of them involve shoving objects around or collecting keys to open doors, which do not in all honesty do much to deviate from the games predecessors. Still, they are varied enough to warrant interest without flirting with boredom. Traditionally, a lot of overcoming areas is down to your own equipment, which you’ll collect frequently throughout the game. A perfect example of this includes the Iron boots, which must be used to walk along metallic sections of the floor, or to access areas underwater. The same can be said for the open field, where you’ll not be able to access new areas of the map until you’ve acquired a particular item or ability. While this limits the exploration of the game somewhat, it still manages to retain that epic feeling simply thanks to the sheer size of the game; one section of Hyrule field alone is but a fraction of where you’re able to travel.
The Wii version takes full advantage of the Wii-mote, although it has to be said I’ve found it has mixed results. First and foremost, the controller and nun chuck more than comfortably fit in both hands, and it feels very natural to be able to rest one hand at your side while you aren’t using the Wii-mote to aim. The Z, B and A triggers are conveniently placed on each pad so that you don’t have to fiddle around with them in order to execute a particular attack, which is fortunate considering how many buttons Zelda games generally require. When it comes to using the Wii-mote for swinging your sword, things feel exceedingly lacklustre. It was pretty obvious there would be no 1:1 combat here, but at least you would have imagined Nintendo would allow Link to perform a different swing (horizontal or vertical) with a specific movement. But no, instead you simply have to flick the Wii-remote with your wrist or do it continuously to perform a combo attack. There’s no doubt that this is easy – and feels quite natural – but it just doesn’t justify the need to use anything other than a regular control pad. Problematically, flicking the Wii-mote even slightly when you are unequipped will draw your sword, which can be rather annoying at times when you don’t mean to equip your weapon, but the game does it anyway. As touched upon before, the combat is rather simple, and you should be able to defeat most enemies by simply slashing away or performing your Z trigger/jumping slash attack, which will dispatch most enemies relatively quickly. Bosses on the other hand require a little more patience, although as impressive as they are aesthetically, locating their rather obvious weakpoints doesn’t require all that much effort. Still, despite showing its age, the combat remains insanely addictive, and there’s usually enough enemies dotted around to keep you busy wherever you happen to be. As a first for the series, Link is able to battle enemies on horse back which can lead to some pretty intense battles in terms of the number of participants, but doesn’t necessarily add any depth to the combat.
Things become much more interesting when you acquire some of the more powerful weaponry in the game, such as your boomerang or bow. Here, the Wii-remote is used to physically aim your on-screen target around, allowing you to target and destroy enemies providing you are accurate enough. It’s a great addition, and one that requires quite a lot of precision to boot. Similarly, the nun chuck can be used to execute your spin attack and a number of other moves (such as the shield bash) by flicking it in a particular direction, which works great. One thing that has remained consistent throughout Zelda is the ability to explore and take part in various side quests, and Twilight Princess does an admirable job at this. While the side quests themselves are rather simple, such as fishing and playing games with the locals, there’s still very much an element of exploration to be found, with literally dozens of hidden caverns, caves, routes and other locations to unearth once you’ve acquired the necessary items to do so. And, while there’s no actual urgency to do any of this, it still feels satisfying to accomplish something on your own outside of the games central plot.
Being a Gamecube port, Twilight Princess retains a very much ‘last gen’ feel to it, but nonetheless still looks great in many aspects. Artistically at least, the game is top notch, and there’s plenty of great architectural intricacies to admire here, especially in the mysterious Twilight Realm. That said, a lot of the games textures are pretty muddy and some of the lesser environments aren’t quite as detailed as the others. Most impressive though are the characters, showing some great facial expressions here and there, while the games particle effects – such as water and fire – look great, particularly in the exterior locations supplemented by a gorgeous sun set. Aurally, it’s a shame the developers chose not to go for a fully orchestral sound, but the epic nature of the games soundtrack still manages to hit all the right spots at the right time, especially the Zelda theme itself. Link and his fellow NPC’s are still voiceless, but it all honesty this form of narrative still works just fine, despite the obvious chance finally take the series in another direction. The majority of the games sound effects seem to be taken directly from Wind Waker, although that’s not necessarily a bad thing in itself. Still, it’s good to hear Link bad to his manly self once again, and Midna’s incomprehensible babble is a treat to hear. More irritating however are the sounds that emit from the Wii-remote’s speaker, which sound bitty and are somewhat distracting despite being there to provide user feedback. Luckily, you can turn them off at your will, and can survive just fine without them.
Overall, Twilight Princess definitely lives up to the hype of being the hugest Zelda to date. It’ll take you around 40 hours to complete the main quest alone, aside from all the side quests to ticker around with. Some of the game’s mechanics do feel a little dated, and the combat in particular could do with a little toughing up, as its simply just too easy for the average player. Additionally, certain Wii-specific elements aren’t quite as promising as initially perceived. Still, with a host of superbly designed dungeons, some epic boss battles and a huge, expansive world to discover, there’s little reason why Twilight Princess shouldn’t be in your stocking this Christmas. If there’s one reason to justify purchasing a Wii, it’s this. Absolute magic.
Top Game Moment: From riding across Hyrule field at sun set to battling the gigantic boss monsters, Twilight Princess has more than just one defining moment to be found.
The interesting thing about Twilight Princess is that it’s very similar to OOT, and as a result sometimes feels oddly like you’re playing a ‘Greatest Hits’ adaption. As seen in OOT, you’ll visit a variety of familiar locations, such as Death Mountain, Zora’s Domain, Lake Hylia and many more. Fans of the series will feel right at home here; at its heart, Twilight Princess follows exactly the same premises as its counterparts The Wind Waker and Ocarina Of Time. Link has to progress through a multitude of areas in the land of Hyrule, conquering dungeons, gigantic beasts and other obstacles, while solving a variety of puzzles and other simple riddles. Having said that, the game does a fair amount to distinguish itself from its distant relative with the addition of the Twilight realm.
 |
 |
|
| Enter the Twilight Zone | Link’s back to his familiar form once again |
Suffice to say, the Twilight Realm is entirely pertinent to the plot of the game, so I’ll not spoil anything for those who have yet to play the game. However, there’s a fair amount of new ideas to be found here from a gameplay point of view. The most obvious is the fact Link now transforms into a wolf, where he is aided by an often irritating being named Midna. This impish creature is Twilight Princess’s answer to the fluttery Navi from OOT. During this time, Link has access to a variety of new moves totally disparate from his regular form. Firstly, attacking is no longer reduced to that of a sword and shield, instead employing the use of Link’s claws and, of course, Midna, where you are able to form a large circle of energy around your foes, before releasing the B trigger and taking out all enemies caught in its radius. Unfortunately, combat in the Twilight Realm requires little skill when it comes to using this move, as you’ll be able to take out more or less anything in your path by using the same thing over and over again, or by simply locking on with the Z trigger. If anything, they become slightly monotonous compared to that of regular battles, but remain equally as entertaining despite this due to their simplicity. The most interesting addition to these areas is the ability to track down various characters with Links heightened sense of olfactory. This enables you to – when activated - view a coloured outline of a particular scent, thus allowing you to track the persons whereabouts. You can also use this to speak to NPC’s, which can only be targeted in this specific state (again, I won’t spoil exactly why)
When it comes down to the traditional exploring as human Link, nothing can eclipse Zelda’s extraordinary dungeon sections, and Twilight Princess is no exception. Quite how vast they are compared to previous outings is unclear, but suffices to say they are on par, if not better, than Ocarina Of Time’s and vastly surpass those of Wind Waker. Fortunately, they are also varied and full of different traps, puzzles and enemies to disarm, keeping you on your toes. The puzzles themselves are actually very simple, and require little in the way of thinking caps; most of them involve shoving objects around or collecting keys to open doors, which do not in all honesty do much to deviate from the games predecessors. Still, they are varied enough to warrant interest without flirting with boredom. Traditionally, a lot of overcoming areas is down to your own equipment, which you’ll collect frequently throughout the game. A perfect example of this includes the Iron boots, which must be used to walk along metallic sections of the floor, or to access areas underwater. The same can be said for the open field, where you’ll not be able to access new areas of the map until you’ve acquired a particular item or ability. While this limits the exploration of the game somewhat, it still manages to retain that epic feeling simply thanks to the sheer size of the game; one section of Hyrule field alone is but a fraction of where you’re able to travel.
 |
 |
|
| Artistically, it’s the best Zelda yet | Artistically, it’s the best Zelda yet |
The Wii version takes full advantage of the Wii-mote, although it has to be said I’ve found it has mixed results. First and foremost, the controller and nun chuck more than comfortably fit in both hands, and it feels very natural to be able to rest one hand at your side while you aren’t using the Wii-mote to aim. The Z, B and A triggers are conveniently placed on each pad so that you don’t have to fiddle around with them in order to execute a particular attack, which is fortunate considering how many buttons Zelda games generally require. When it comes to using the Wii-mote for swinging your sword, things feel exceedingly lacklustre. It was pretty obvious there would be no 1:1 combat here, but at least you would have imagined Nintendo would allow Link to perform a different swing (horizontal or vertical) with a specific movement. But no, instead you simply have to flick the Wii-remote with your wrist or do it continuously to perform a combo attack. There’s no doubt that this is easy – and feels quite natural – but it just doesn’t justify the need to use anything other than a regular control pad. Problematically, flicking the Wii-mote even slightly when you are unequipped will draw your sword, which can be rather annoying at times when you don’t mean to equip your weapon, but the game does it anyway. As touched upon before, the combat is rather simple, and you should be able to defeat most enemies by simply slashing away or performing your Z trigger/jumping slash attack, which will dispatch most enemies relatively quickly. Bosses on the other hand require a little more patience, although as impressive as they are aesthetically, locating their rather obvious weakpoints doesn’t require all that much effort. Still, despite showing its age, the combat remains insanely addictive, and there’s usually enough enemies dotted around to keep you busy wherever you happen to be. As a first for the series, Link is able to battle enemies on horse back which can lead to some pretty intense battles in terms of the number of participants, but doesn’t necessarily add any depth to the combat.
Things become much more interesting when you acquire some of the more powerful weaponry in the game, such as your boomerang or bow. Here, the Wii-remote is used to physically aim your on-screen target around, allowing you to target and destroy enemies providing you are accurate enough. It’s a great addition, and one that requires quite a lot of precision to boot. Similarly, the nun chuck can be used to execute your spin attack and a number of other moves (such as the shield bash) by flicking it in a particular direction, which works great. One thing that has remained consistent throughout Zelda is the ability to explore and take part in various side quests, and Twilight Princess does an admirable job at this. While the side quests themselves are rather simple, such as fishing and playing games with the locals, there’s still very much an element of exploration to be found, with literally dozens of hidden caverns, caves, routes and other locations to unearth once you’ve acquired the necessary items to do so. And, while there’s no actual urgency to do any of this, it still feels satisfying to accomplish something on your own outside of the games central plot.
Being a Gamecube port, Twilight Princess retains a very much ‘last gen’ feel to it, but nonetheless still looks great in many aspects. Artistically at least, the game is top notch, and there’s plenty of great architectural intricacies to admire here, especially in the mysterious Twilight Realm. That said, a lot of the games textures are pretty muddy and some of the lesser environments aren’t quite as detailed as the others. Most impressive though are the characters, showing some great facial expressions here and there, while the games particle effects – such as water and fire – look great, particularly in the exterior locations supplemented by a gorgeous sun set. Aurally, it’s a shame the developers chose not to go for a fully orchestral sound, but the epic nature of the games soundtrack still manages to hit all the right spots at the right time, especially the Zelda theme itself. Link and his fellow NPC’s are still voiceless, but it all honesty this form of narrative still works just fine, despite the obvious chance finally take the series in another direction. The majority of the games sound effects seem to be taken directly from Wind Waker, although that’s not necessarily a bad thing in itself. Still, it’s good to hear Link bad to his manly self once again, and Midna’s incomprehensible babble is a treat to hear. More irritating however are the sounds that emit from the Wii-remote’s speaker, which sound bitty and are somewhat distracting despite being there to provide user feedback. Luckily, you can turn them off at your will, and can survive just fine without them.
 |
 |
|
| Expect to fight hordes of impressive boss creatures | Use the Wii-mote to swing your sword and battle your foes |
Overall, Twilight Princess definitely lives up to the hype of being the hugest Zelda to date. It’ll take you around 40 hours to complete the main quest alone, aside from all the side quests to ticker around with. Some of the game’s mechanics do feel a little dated, and the combat in particular could do with a little toughing up, as its simply just too easy for the average player. Additionally, certain Wii-specific elements aren’t quite as promising as initially perceived. Still, with a host of superbly designed dungeons, some epic boss battles and a huge, expansive world to discover, there’s little reason why Twilight Princess shouldn’t be in your stocking this Christmas. If there’s one reason to justify purchasing a Wii, it’s this. Absolute magic.
Top Game Moment: From riding across Hyrule field at sun set to battling the gigantic boss monsters, Twilight Princess has more than just one defining moment to be found.
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Gameplay Trailer 1
Posted 06.11.06
Length 02:05 Views 1529 -
Gameplay Trailer 2
Posted 06.11.06
Length 01:22 Views 1198
