Well, it’s time to put together a well-deserved review of the newest favorite game in my collection. I wanted time to make this review all it can be and to give the game a comprehensive review. Unfortunately, finding that time is very hard to do, so I may have to do this piecemeal. Just keep saving, just keep saving…
A-hem…
In order to not get sidetracked, I’m going to do this ala “GameFaqs” reviews; sectioned off by quality categories.
Story and Setting: The story is a different take on the Zelda games I have played. Where Link was a young child in the other games (or, in Ocarina Of Time, started out as a young’un), here Link is a grown young man, around 17 to 18 years old and lives and works in a farm village community. This was a welcome difference and sets up the “more mature” feel to the game. The mature feel is even greater when one realizes that Link just might be casually dating the Mayor’s daughter, also introduced early in the game as Epona’s caregiver (Link’s noble steed). The storyline itself seems to be set sometime between Ocarina Of Time and The Wind Waker and indeed, throughout the game, you’ll end up visiting many of the same places as in OOT. It makes for good continuity, but my only caveat against it is that some of the locations feel like an alternate reality, due to the massive overhauls on design and location. Nonetheless, the setting of Hyrule this time is very realistic and huge! A ride on horseback across its expanse, even at full-tilt speed, can easily take several minutes!
The story is the standard Zelda fare. Boy sees things around him are slipping into chaos, meets princess, princess goes missing, boy learns of the evil plaguing the land, boy sets off to destroy the evil and find the princess. What I like about the story is that throws a few twists in the classic Zelda story that may throw off longtime Zelda fans. I like the addition of Midna as guide and helper to Link during times of uncertainty. The idea of her Twilight realm slowly intruding into Hyrule’s realm of light, due to the evil machinations of a being from her realm, is novel indeed. What I didn’t like about the story is that, as interesting as Midna was, it seemed in some parts that it was all about her and not about Link’s adventure. Link, at times, seemed to become second banana to Midna and her feelings and actions. However, the idea it seems is that Link is ultimately supposed to be helping the Twilight beings in general, and specifically Midna, defeat the oppression of their new ruler, so as to get Hyrule back in order as well. If that means Link is reduced to “bodyguard” status then so be it, I guess. Link is ultimately doing all the actions, with a little help from Midna in fights and reaching high places, so I can’t really complain. The story is also, in part, about her and her relationship to Zelda and this whole mess Hyrule’s in. The cutscenes supporting the story are done wonderfully, with some shocking moments done at the right times to keep the interest going. The story ends on a bittersweet note, with no room for a sequel with the Midna character, which is a good thing. Midna is an engaging character, but a sequel after that ending would only be about her, I fear.
Gameplay: Here’s where the game shines, in my opinion. This game is just a pleasure to play. Everything in the game is carefully scripted with regard to the feel the designers were going for; at times, one can really feel as if they are Link! One of the best additions is that, while on horseback or even when running, Link can swing his sword around without having to stop. This opens up new possibilities in battles, such as running and hacking through a gauntlet of enemies or taking out enemies on horseback in close quarters. The controller provides force-feedback on even the most minute of sensations in the game. Possibly due to the moves introduced in Wind Waker and Super Smash Bro’s: Melee, there are now side quests where Link can be taught new sword moves. When these new sword techniques are combined, they bring his fighting skills to a level of badass-edry previously unheard of in the Zelda series! The shapeshift of Link to wolf form is cool, and using his wolf form introduces an extra dimension to the gameplay. Link can utilize heightened senses to find hidden things, track someone’s scent and defeat enemies that Link in human form cannot. He can also talk to animals while in wolf form, giving the game a eco-friendly feel.
Items that Link finds in the dungeons are, of course, instrumental to beating the bosses at the end of each dungeon. Also, these items are needed to reach certain areas out in the field that Link can’t get to early in the game. There are the classic items most Zelda fans know and love, and there are some new, very interesting, items as well. My only complaint (also voiced by many others) is that the bosses were TOO easy. Strange, considering some of these bosses were eye-poppingly huge and very fearsome in appearance! They either didn’t knock enough life out of Link when a blow successfully connects, or their moves were too predictable. Even though I wasn’t striving for heart pieces early on and throughout the game, and thus hardly any extra hearts, not once did I have my game ended by a boss other than the last one. In fact, the last two bosses presented some interesting challenges and were very tough to keep at bay; even the number of hits that I had to land seemed staggering. The last boss (I’m not giving the name here… look somewhere else!) was a true challenge worthy of the Zelda series and the only boss that ended my game prematurely.
During gameplay, there are lots of little touches, especially during cutscenes and automatic actions, that will make any Zelda fan gasp, yelp and smile. The sword-flourish Link makes when you put away the sword at specific times is a perfect example!
Graphics: The graphics in this game are a little sub-par with what one would expect out of today’s games. Even for the GameCube, The Wind Waker in some respects had better graphics than this game (I’m imagining a lot of Zelda fans trying to strangle me!). Some of the graphics during close-ups had a jagged look to them, as if the texturing was unfinished. Still, during gameplay, you hardly notice except during certain times which are few and far between. The particle effects in the Twilight realm-infected areas are especially impressive; the only thing bad about them is that it makes the GameCube work extremely hard, slowing things down during times when Link is fighting several enemies at once. The water effects and also the far-away atmosphere effects are awesome. Textures in some areas seem very deep and rich, adding realism to outdoor areas and dungeons. Not the best graphics but, for the series, it’s the gameplay that matters.
Sound and Music: I have to agree with everyone else here. Nintendo could, and should, have gone with genuine orchestral music. Instead, they went the cheap MIDI route, which was very noticeable. I’m NOT saying the music was bad, by any means. However, they had the potential to wow everyone in one more area like this and chose not to. Plus, most if not all of the music was rehashed from OOT and other games in the series. Granted, a few of the themes are indicative of the series, but I didn’t want musical deja-vu every thirty minutes. The sounds of everything in the game were very realistic and they did a good job here. There were a couple of bosses that screamed… and those screams literally gave me goose-bumps!
Controls and UI: The controls are what one would expect of any Zelda game since OOT, since that game pioneered the 3-button item layout. Most adventure games since have copied off of this; it just works well. The menu has been made even more simpler than in the other later games in the series. It took some getting used to. The D-pad now accesses your useable items and your map, while the Start button calls up your upgrades and logs, along with the Options and Save choices. Way cool.
Replayability: I didn’t bother even trying the sidequests, so for gamers like me, that alone will get me to play again. The adventurous storyline and the visual treats of some of the cutscenes also warrant a few replays. Finding all the hidden nuggets in a huge virtual world like this will definitely take time without benefit of walkthroughs! I’d give this a medium-to-high replay factor.
All in all, the gameplay and storyline is worthy enough to make Twilight Princess a contender for the vaunted Ocarina of Time’s top spot. It has its problems, to be sure, but there are so many good things in this game… enough that the bad things seem minor and overshadowed. My wife has watched me play this game and it impressed her enough that she wants to play it sometime. That is not an easy feat, since games like this are a challenge to her short attention span. When I finished it the first time, all I could say is WOW! Thinking back to the ending, even now, I’m still saying wow! If anyone reading this review loves adventure games, you owe it to yourself to borrow someone’s GameCube or Wii, rent a copy of this and give it a whirl. You’ll love it!
Cheers!
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