What Twilight Princess lacks in challenge, it more than makes up for in length and immersive gameplay.
The game's beginning will be familiar to long-time Zelda fans, though early on it doesn't quite have the "feel" of a Zelda game. We begin with a young Link (though, as with your horse, you are able to give him a name of your choice) going about his daily routine as a lowly goat-herder. Of course, before long he is thrown into an adventure, and sets out on a quest to save the land of Hyrule. These early-game plot developments have become a staple of Zelda games, though the quest itself follows a new path of traveling between the dimensions of "Twilight", and the "natural" land of Hyrule. In doing so, Link changes between his human form, and a wolf form. Early in the game these changes are out of the player's control, and only by entering the "Twilight" will you change into your wolf form... but later these forms can be changed at will, and changing back and forth will allow you to reach different places and accomplish tasks, much like the changing between adult and child Link in OoT did. Throughout the quest, you are accompanied by "Midna", an odd-looking female Imp from the Twilight Realm who seems to tease you a bit initially, but also helps you along the way with hints and sometimes more. What Midna's true intentions are, as well as her origins, remain unclear from the beginning, though she explains that an evil creature by the name of "Zant" has taken over her realm and she seeks your help in defeating him.
Though most will not find this game to be very difficult, the game's length is very satisfying. Most players will find that they have put in a few hours of game play before even reaching the first of 9 dungeons, and if you are to do everything there is to do in the game, find all items, complete all side quests, and spend enough time fishing to catch the 27-inch "Hylian Loach" (the biggest fish in the game), it is not unlikely that your final gaming time could exceed 50-60 hours. This considered, the game's lack of difficulty seems forgivable for the most part, although it wouldn't have hurt to make the enemies inflict a bit more damage to add to the overall challenge. It's very likely that one could finish the entire game on the first run-through without dying, and finding the weak spot of each dungeon's "boss" is usually not very difficult (and if you do have trouble Midna will give you a hint or two). Also, with the exception of a few brain-teasing puzzles now and then, the dungeons themselves are relatively easy to get through, though if you aren't paying close attention it's not hard to miss one of each dungeon's two heart pieces (five of which make up a new container for your health), and you may find yourself re-visiting one or two dungeons for this alone. The most challenge you will find is a 50-room side quest later in the game, and as a result, the side-quest will probably give you more of a sense of accomplishment after completion than most of the actual dungeons.
The game's graphics are just beautiful for the Gamecube, and really use every bit of power the last-gen console has. Environments come alive, making the game play all the more immersive, each character looks amazing, and some of the cut scenes are simply incredible. This game just couldn't look any better on this console.
Though the sound isn't exactly bad... it's not great either. One of the first things you'll notice is the lack of voice acting. Though this is typical of games in the series, most gamers have become accustomed to hearing their game characters speak, and in 2007 the lack of voice acting can initially make a game feel a bit dated and behind the times. Behind the text of each character's speech, you'll hear grunts or some form of gibberish to reflect that character's "voice". Again, this initially seems a bit out of place and really stands out, but after a while it's not so noticeable and before long you don't miss hearing the characters speak much at all. The music is great, but suffers from the lack of actual orchestration which again makes it feel a bit behind the times. Some of these things have just become commonplace in the gaming industry, and sooner or later Nintendo is going to have to get with the times, as the games begin to suffer from their lack thereof. Though you may not actually "miss" the voice acting or orchestration in the game, it's difficult not to wonder how much better the game could have been had they been included.
Overall, this game is a must-have for fans of the Zelda series, and newcomers alike. The game proves to be extremely immersive and all in all just plain fun. You'll find yourself spending hours collecting bugs and souls of "Poe" ghosts, and before you know it an intended hour or so of gaming has become four or more. The story is compelling, with enough surprises to keep you guessing, and there's a decent amount of nostalgia for Zelda fans of old. Time will tell if it's popularity has the longevity of OoT, but if you're looking for a good adventure game, you'll definitely get your money's worth from Twilight Princess.