The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Tell the developers over at Nintendo that they’ve finally outdone themselves. Link, one of the most recognizable video game heroes of all time, is back for yet another romp through Hyrule in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. He’s once again fighting to restore order to the land as he seeks out his perpetually distressed damsel Princess Zelda. Link’s journey jumps between two alternate universes and he must travel from dungeon to dungeon, brawling baddies and taking on some mini-bosses in order to attain new items and keys as he eventually faces a main boss and unlocks the next dungeon.

Though this story may sound all too familiar, fear not. There are plenty of intricate details and differences that keep the game fresh, though it’s really hard to explain them unless you’ve played the game. One reason I won’t go into further detail is because of how easy it is to give away important plot details and thus spoil the story. Secondly, this tired old gaming engine is still around because it’s tried and true. Yes, perhaps the dungeons all feel a bit similar and a few tweaks could have been made, but the familiar dungeon-crawling system allows the gamer to stay more focused on the story.

The storyline for Twilight Princess is a bit of a new direction for the series. There have been some dark, eerie elements to the story for some time, but this new game makes them all seem like sweet tea on a sun-shiny day. The alternate world, known as the Twilight Realm, is the most macabre environment the series has yet known. It’s hard to get into details without sacrificing the story’s surprises, but this dark realm is home to a banished tribe of thuggish magical rogues called the Twili.

The lead antagonist, Zant, a diabolical member of the Twili and usurper of the royal family’s throne, is among the most intricately written bad guys in Nintendo history. Zant has placed a curse on the Twilight Realm that forces them to exist in the form of their dark side, and he aspires to merge his dark realm with Hyrule as a means to establish an absolute rule of darkness over the blended world.

While Link adventures the Twilight Realm trapped in his dark form, he is a wolf accompanied by Midna, an imp-like creature that helps Link escape from prison during his first adventure into the realm. Midna is sort of like Navi, the fairy that guided Link through the events of The Ocarina of Time, in that she assists Link with advice on controls, navigation and key plot elements. When in wolf-Link form, he has this really sweet ability to sense danger and can use his superb snout to seek out handy items.

This great integration of animal-based gaming doesn’t end there: when traversing Hyrule, Link is once again accompanied by Epona. This saccharine, gallant mare makes traveling a lot quicker and when mounted, Link can use his arsenal (a first since Epona was introduced in Ocarina of Time). Later in the game, after Link masters the ability to transform between his wolf form and regular self, he and Epona are able to talk and this opens up some amazing cut scenes. One major point to controlling Epona is the difference between the Wii and Gamecube versions.

When using a Wii remote, a controller featuring motion capture abilities, such things as swordplay, boomerang tossing and bow targeting get incredibly fun and amazingly precise. Once you’ve played the game on a Wii and experienced the pinpoint accuracy of your hand aiming the remote where you want to see, moving the directional pad of a Gamecube controller just sucks–particularly when riding Epona, given how much smoother it is to be riding and aiming when you can see precisely where you are targeting.

This also brings up some differences in how challenging the game is. The Gamecube version had some control issues that make it unnecessarily difficult, though it seems inherently easier.

Somehow, the Wii version just feels more challenging in a really entertaining way that makes you want to keep playing, even if you die. Losing your save or making a simple error that costs you your last heart on the Gamecube just makes you want to stop playing and can make you feel like a worthless lump for having spent the past six hours curled up in a bed or couch, ignoring homework and only getting up to use the potty or freshen up your bowl of ramen noodles.

Twilight Princess is Zelda’s swan song on the Gamecube. Nintendo has a few other games currently in development, but this game is their last hurrah for the cubical console. There is already another installment in production for the handheld DS, called The Phantom Hourglass. It will feature Link in cel-shaded animation and will pick up where The Wind Waker left off. The release is expected for later this year, around fall.

No sequel has yet been announced for the Wii, but there’s sure to be news soon. This game has yet again raised the bar for the Zelda series and it’ll be interesting to see where they go next. The last five hours or so of Twilight Princess bring up some major questions for the series, most especially regarding who the next major bad guy will be.

The game can be easily obtained through your local game shop or online, so pick it up and be prepared to forget about such trifles as work and school while you dedicate your life to saving Hyrule. The Wii consoles are also much easier to find now than they were at the game’s release, so if you’ve got a few bucks to spare, it’s worth buying a Wii just for this game.