The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is an iconic adventure that spans two console generations, serving as both the GameCube’s swan song and the single best reason to invest in Nintendo’s unconventional Wii console at launch. The number of titles to generate the kind of hype and anticipation associated with Twilight Princess are few, but lasting in their meaning to the hobby. Since the game’s initial unveiling for the GameCube in 2004, not even delays and an eventual shift from one console platform to another could shake the unwavering devotion of the Nintendo faithful for what was sure to be a terrific video game experience. Now finally a reality, the game offers very much what Zelda enthusiasts have come to expect, while at the same time raises the bar for all similarly minded titles to follow. Much like other Zelda titles, Twilight Princess weaves a heartwarming, if somewhat predictable tale of a hero named Link and his journey to save a kingdom known as Hyrule. All of the rest of the familiar elements are accounted for as well, including a menacing darkness and a threatened princess named Zelda. As the game begins, Link is less the hero, and more an unassuming farm hand. A hick, if you will. Living in the sticks, he lives life blissfully unaware of the dark happenings in the world outside of his quaint village. However, as a mysterious twilight that threatens the land finally reaches his home, it isn’t long before Link is forced to step into the unfamiliar role of an adventurer to help save his friends, home, and as it turns out, the larger kingdom.
As twilight drapes across the land, it creates a kind of alternate, darker reality that twists the world beneath it and reduces the population to spirits that exist unaware of their maligned predicament. As the hero, Link’s form is also altered by the twilight, though instead he finds himself transformed into a wolf. As a wolf, Link is afforded the benefit of heightened senses, which offer visual cues as to the location of hidden items as well as the aforementioned spirits. He can also dig in typical canine fashion, allowing him to access certain areas that would be unreachable in his human form. In addition, early in the game, Link encounters a representative of this shadow realm in a diminutive imp named Midna, who toys with the hero while helping to guide him through what the land has become by providing occasional hints. Midna also assists Link in reaching otherwise unreachable areas by floating up to certain locations, and permitting the hero to leap from one point to the next. Each of these commands, sensing, digging, and working with Midna, are all assigned to a direction on the Wii remote’s d-pad, and pressing that direction activities the assigned action. Similarly, the d-pad is also used to assign the use of specific inventory items while in human form as well.
While moving about in wolf form could not be easier, the same cannot be said for Link’s adventures on horseback, which can feel a bit like driving a tank. Granted, it could be argued that riding and handling a horse should feel decidedly different than moving about as an animal yourself, but there are times, especially when fighting while atop Link’s steed, that the fluidity afforded by moving and fighting simultaneously as wolf is sorely missed. The horseplay is not broken by any means, but it can be frustrating to misalign your gallop, only be stopped dead by a protruding rock, and have to fight with the controls to get your steed back on the course. In a fight, especially in tight quarters, this can be more aggravating than fun.
A key element of the Zelda franchise has always been found in its ingenious, sometimes dastardly puzzles. Twilight Princess continues this tradition with its handful of dungeons each offering a distinct collection of conundrums and stumbling blocks. While few of the puzzles reach the equivocations found in Ocarina’s Water Temple, the game will undoubtedly tip up even the most astute adventurers from time to time. Even so, the majority of the game is fairly logical, and if you find yourself looking too hard for an answer, chances are you’ve missed a fairly obvious detail and should just take a step back and examine the situation. More than anything, fun is the order of business with regards to Twilight Princess, and not frustration. Even in the most dire situations, you’ll likely find yourself grinning from ear to ear.
While the game has the heart and soul of a GameCube title, in making the leap to the Wii, Twilight Princess has been given an interface befitting the new console, with various remote and nunchuck movements and button combinations working in tandem to execute the game’s various techniques. The promise of more immersion through these controls is realized in part, though play is never as dramatic as the Wii’s press materializes would have consumers believe. In actuality controlling Link on his quest is oftentimes much more relaxing that playing with a traditional gamepad. In addition, Twilight Princess offers a number of secret sword techniques that are learned over the course of the adventure, and these add to the game’s robust combat-oriented gameplay by affording a number of new and exciting ways with which to dispatch adversaries.
However, while these controls work very well most of the time, there are occasions when you can’t help but wish you had a more conventional controller in your hands. This is especially evident when fighting several enemies at once or when time is of the essence, as it is here when the Wii tends to pick the most inopportune time to have trouble detecting the motions of the remote or nunchuck. Because of this, the game’s difficulty can at times feel artificially inflated, though thankfully for the lion’s share of time spent with the game this is a non-issue. There is an old saying, however, about one bad apple spoiling the bunch. Thankfully here spoiling is perhaps too strong a word, but aggravation with the controls over the course of the adventure is not unheard of.
While Twilight Princess was originally pitched as a seventy-plus hour adventure, a claim that painted the quest as epic by any standards, the reality is that most players will see the game to conclusion before crossing the fifty hour threshold. The game does hold a number of secrets that could inspire a prolonged stay in Hyrule, or even a return visit, but without question the original claims of game length were a bit misleading. However, that said, Zelda is entirely fulfilling, and any claims of ire towards the game’s length more than likely stem from simply not wanting it to end.
Graphically, this latest incarnation of The Legend of Zelda is gorgeous, but not for any measurable technical achievement. In fact, when compared to other recent releases for the Xbox 360 or even the recently released PlayStation 3, Twilight Princess looks decidedly low key. However, the gaming industry in general is perhaps a bit too hung up on seeing its games aligned with a very finite range of visual styles, and a title such as this is difficult to pigeonhole. Twilight Princess has a definitive style that plays to the strengths of the GameCube and Wii, and comes off looking like a piece of art with its lush landscapes, imaginative creatures, and epic confrontations. There are jaggies, and some low resolution textures, but picking apart the game’s granular shortcomings only serves to rob Zelda of its majesty.
Likewise, the game’s musical arrangement is grandiose as it parallels Link’s heroic quest with an equally valiant score. Twilight Princess features tracks that mirror other classic Zelda melodies, and also intertwines them with wholly new and equally remarkable pieces. Some maybe taken aback by the game’s lack of voice overs, especially in an age where it seems as if even the most mundane games come to market with a fully vocalized cast. That is not the case here, and to be honest, Twilight Princess doesn’t miss the absence of actors mucking up their lines for a paycheck one iota. It is entirely possibly to enjoy a game that lacks the miracle of speech, and this adventure is living proof.
While this is still the same old Zelda that many have come to love, the plain and simple truth is that is its greatest strength. It’s comfortable, like an old friend gone far too long now returning for an extended visit. From its characters and epic, if somewhat predictable story, to the gameplay itself, Twilight Princess is a terrific extension to one of the most timeless and important franchises in video game history. Occasional issues with the title persist, some of which are the result of the game’s transition to such a new and unproven platform. However, this is still one of the most compelling titles to be released this year, and is a stellar way to kick off the launch of the Wii.
Score: 98%
