Though it has flaws and disappointments,Twilight Princess is a superb entry in a long running, legendary series.
Zelda series. Ocarina of Time first established and perfected the 3D Zelda formula back in 1998 when it was released for the Nintendo 64. To this day Ocarina of Time is the most critically acclaimed game of all time. Twilight Princess stays true to the Zelda formula that everyone has grown to love. The very same formula has stayed almost completely true to original form since the days of Link To the Past on the Super Nintendo.
With each installment you see the same familiar weapons, familiar abilities, same locations, and similar dungeons as well. Nintendo have been able to keep all of this fresh for so many years by tweaking and adding here and there, coating its flagship franchise with shiny coats of wax, and I can safely say that the formula still works wonderfully in Twilight Princess. It just may be a good idea to move on after this installment before it starts to grow stale.
Twilight Princess once again is set in the land of Hyrule. Over the years Hyrule has steadily grown in terms of landmass, and the Hyrule in Twilight Princess is the largest yet. One of Hyrule's smallest villages happens to be the home of the game's hero, Link. Like previous Zelda games before it, it takes a little bit of time, patience, nitpicking, and fetching missions at the start of the game until you are able to get your sword, shield, and other items to go and save Hyrule. In Twilight Princess you begin your journey in Link's home town, Ordon Village.
Link lives the simple life as a rancher. Everyday he rounds up the goats with his horse Epona, and then he heads home to sleep in his tree house. Ordon village is a peaceful place until some very strange things start happening. Strange creatures invade the village, kidnap some people, and Link suddenly finds out that there is much more to himself than he could ever have known. Link seems to adapt well to suddenly finding out that he is the chosen one to keep the Light and Twilight worlds separated from each other. A task that can not be done with bare hands alone.
The first weapon that you will obtain in the game is your sword along with a reliable shield. What separates the Wii version of the game from the Gamecube version is the motion controls. I'll rundown the motion controls starting with the combat. First off, you control link with the analog stick on the nun chuck attachment. You lock onto enemies with the Z button of the nun chuck attachment. You attack your enemies by swinging the Wii-mote side to side. You can make a jabbing motion with the Wii-mote in order to do a jab attack. You can do a spin attack by shaking the nun chuck attachment. So do the motion combat controls work well? Yes they do. They can feel a bit unnatural at times however.
Link usually does not always swing his sword in the same direction that you are swinging your Wii-mote. Bringing Twilight Princess to the Wii was a very late decision. The motion combat controls do feel like a fancy button. Twilight Princess was meant to be a Gamecube title. So it's no surprising that the combat controls can feel a bit tacked on sometimes. I expect a different result when or if we get a Zelda exclusively for Wii that is built from the ground up. Swinging your Wii-mote is really the only thing that initiates any kind of sword swinging. Any special attacks that Link learns later in the game are button based. I have to say that my position on the combat controls is a favorable one. Though it does feel tacked on, for whatever reason I'd takes it over using the Gamecube controller any day. Where the Wii version definitely wins against the Gamecube version is how you use your special items.
To use arrows you simply aim with the Wii-mote and shoot with A button. The same applies to other items similar to the bow and arrow. Aiming with the Wii-mote gives you better precision, accuracy, and a smoother glide with the aiming reticle than what you could get with a standard controller. If anyone looked at previews or played any demos at any game store of Twilight Princess, then you most unlikely have seen the fishing mini game. The fishing mini game is better on the Wii version because it actually takes some practice and honing of skill to master it. You cast your cork with bait into the water with the Wii-mote. Then you wait to get a bite. Once you get a bite you have to yank the Wii-mote, press different buttons depending on how crazy the fish is reacting, and reel in with the nun chuck attachment. The mini game is a good simulation of fishing using the Wii's controllers.
Now I will get to the meat of the game. The main reason we love the Zelda series as much as we do. I'm talking about the dungeons. Let me just say that out of all the Zelda games I have played, Twilight Princess probably contains the most gorgeous and entertaining dungeons in the series. While the puzzles may not be as difficult and the enemies as challenging, the look of the dungeons, the way they are laid out, and the traps, surprises, and overall design make them standout amongst the series great dungeons. The dungeons in Twilight Princess are huge. Conquering one does take some time. If you are a dungeon conquering veteran with the Zelda series then you probably know how it works.
You will solve puzzles, use items, kill enemies, find secret passages, and ultimately defeat the dungeon master and receive a piece of heart to come one step closer to saving Hyrule. Speaking of boss battles...the boss battles in Twilight Princess may be the biggest disappointment in the entire game. Sure the bosses look cool, but defeating them is way too easy. I have actually found myself trying to make the game more competitive by purposely losing health or trying to let a boss or enemy hit me with their best shot. The bosses are not the only piece of cake in the game. The enemies that are spread all throughout Hyrule and its dungeons just don't know how to put up a good fight.
The enemies die quickly and sometimes stand there and let you beat the living snot out of them. Since I am on the subject of disappointments I mine as well go ahead and talk about them all. One of Twilight's strengths is it's huge open ended world. It's fun to ride around on your horse and discover new areas, items, and side quests, but the game simply does not take full advantage of this huge world. As gorgeous as it looks, Hyrule is a lot of empty land. There just aren't enough exciting places to explore or enough goodies to hunt down. When you do find a treasure chest or a new place to discover, the reward is too predictable to feel like an actual reward. You already know that what you will get is either rupees (which are almost useless) or a piece of heart.
Some areas in Hyrule can only be accessed once you get a certain item or ability in the game. Sometimes you get a pleasant surprise and sometimes you get a dead end. I mean you sometimes literally get a dead end. There is this one area in Hyrule that comes to mind particularly. I needed a certain item to reach a small platform that was down in a small valley like area. The only thing I saw was the platform and a rail system that was made for that specific item. Once I finally got the item I decided to go back and see if there was more to that area than a small little platform. I use the item to travel to the platform and guess what? Dead end. Nothing else to do or see. Putting that rail device and that platform there for nothing makes absolutely no sense. In a game that looks made for exploration and discovering on your own, Twilight Princess deceives in this regard.
Twilight Princess takes a page from an old Zelda classic. Like in Link to the Past, you will travel back and forth from the light and dark worlds. In the light world you are Link equipped with all your weapons and items. In the dark world Link is a wolf. Wolf Link runs faster than human Link, but that may be his only upside. Wolf Link's bite and tail slap attacks don't reach very far, and they aren't very powerful either.
Luckily you do have Midna. Midna is a weird little twilight lady who rides on your back. She helps you open doors and defeat these dark creatures that fall from portals in the sky. By holding the B button Midna will cause of red circle to spread out from under neath her and Link. Once the enemies come into the circle you can let go of the B button and Wolf Link will ferociously slaughter them all with one hit each. The game looks great. Not great for a current gen game but great in terms of art style. Technically the game is sharp looking as a Gamecube title, but Wii is capable of more. Sound wise the game is also solid.
Though there are no big orchestrations as everyone hoped, there are some great memorable tunes. The speaker on the Wii-mote can also be turned on, but you'll most unlikely will want to keep it turned off. Twilight Princess is a very long game. The first time through you could be playing for 50 hours until the credits roll. You'll want to play through the game twice because it's so good, and you'll want to explore all of Hyrule as well.
All in all Twilight Princess is a successful installment in the Zelda series. Though I was disappointed in many areas I was won over by the game's artstyle, dungeons, and Wii specific controls. Though it barely makes the cut, I give Twilight Princess a solid superb rating. If you own a Wii you should most definitely pick this one up now.