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November 17, 2006 - Ocarina, your time is up. It took Nintendo almost a decade to do it, but the publisher has finally created a new Zelda game that is so well-designed and so epic that it deserves to be crowned the best in its class. Twilight Princess spent four years in development by one of the most talented teams in the world. The game, helmed by Eiji Aonuma (Majora's Mask, Wind Waker) is every bit the culmination of the franchise and also a true spiritual sequel to the Big N's 1998 N64 classic. This is much larger, darker and more difficult adventure than GameCube's Wind Waker, which is sure to please purists. It is also a title that is best on Wii thanks to exclusive gesture-based controls and some added display functionality. But is it perfect? Keep reading to find out.
We could easily write a 10-page review of Twilight Princess, exploring every nook and cranny, detailing every character, every boss, and every last temple, but we don't want to spoil the adventure that awaits you. We realize that the last thing our viewers want with this review is to stumble upon major spoilers, so we've done our best to keep significant story developments and weapon and item upgrades from our critique. That being true, we will be referencing some common themes, characters, previously shown items, temples and more as examples to back up our opinions.
When the game opens to a sweeping view of Link as he rides Epona across a vast landscape, you can't help conjuring memories of Ocarina's epic beginnings. And at least for the first half of the adventure, Twilight Princess does indeed feel very much like Ocarina of Time for a new generation of players. Not only does Link start his quest from a small village on the outskirts of Hyrule proper, but he eventually makes his way to cities and temples that have all been seen before - in less detail, of course - almost a decade ago. Were these familiarities representative of the adventure as a whole, the title might find itself with an identity problem. A good identity problem, mind you - even a full-blown remake of Ocarina would be destined for greatness - but an identity problem nevertheless. Thankfully, though, the game also sharply divides the old from the new by way of an engrossing storyline that travels Nintendo's beloved hero into an alternate realm known simply as the Twilight. It is from this beautiful bloom-filled, particle-drowned Hyrulian wasteland that some very different changes are introduced to the old gameplay formula.
For starters, Link changes into a wolf and takes on brand new beast abilities. Via some uncharacteristically well-choreographed cut-scenes, the aspiring warrior transforms into the four-legged animal and eventually meets Zelda, who has been imprisoned in the Twilight. He's also introduced to Midna, a pivotal character to the storyline and quest to follow. This is a dark world and it's complemented by a decidedly dark premise. There are no beheadings or, for that matter, even genuine gore, but compared to the always colorful, cartoony affair that was Wind Waker, this stuff may as well be Resident Evil. In one particularly compelling cinematic halfway through the game, the storyline even ponders what might happen if Link himself turned to evil. Nintendo has utilized motion-capturing for characters and the added fluidity is immediately noticeable, but that's hardly the primary reason why these sequences are so welcomed. Rather, the tale has matured and advanced well beyond the templated save-the-princess routine and into something that holds interest not simply to support some well-rounded gameplay mechanics, but as an attraction of its own. As you play, you will generally want to know who Midna is and what here motivation to help Link might be, just as you'll be itching to discover what the true power of the Twilight King.
Nintendo's newfound attention to spinning a good yarn seems to clash with its reluctance to join the new millennium and populate its breathtaking worlds with characters whose words are voiced and not bubbled. This, of course, remains a point of heated debate amongst die-hards and we're willing to wager that fans will be copy-and-pasting this very critique to message boards before the virtual ink has dried, but we're not backing down in our assertion that it's time for real, true voice-acting. We understand that Link is a heroic mute and that's fine by us, but the remaining populace has something to say and we don't want to read it. Although the bustling city of Castle Town is the centerpiece of Hyrule, there is an air of claustrophobia surrounding it because the characters never really speak.
On the other hand, we have nothing but praise for the title's new Wii controls, which enhance the experience - not detract from it. The general gameplay mechanics are similar to Wind Waker. Link is able to run through immense environments, target enemies, strafe around them, swipe and slash them with his blade and also use a variety of weapons in battle or to advance through a location. These polished fundamentals have been passed forward from Ocarina of Time to Majora's Mask and then to Wind Waker, and they are again serving as the backbone for Twilight Princess.
The big difference, of course, is that on Wii you use both Nintendo's nunchuk attachment and its innovative new remote to manipulate Link and his weapons/items respectively. Gesturing with the Wii remote, you can easily and effortlessly swing the hero's sword. The gestures don't effect one-to-one movement, as so many had hoped - and yes, it would've been nice if the Big N could have pulled it off. However, they perfectly replace the need for button taps - a requirement in the GameCube version -- and after only a few minutes of familiarization become the preferable way to play. You don't need to flail your arms around like a monkey on fire in order to accurately control Link's blade - you can choose to make minimal movements and you will never run into a single issue. You can, alternatively, exact long, arching gestures and they will work, too. You won't get tired. Our arms weren't aching after more than 50 hours of play time. We weren't out of breath. In contrast, we found ourselves much more immersed in the experience of combat, as simulating a sword swipe is simply more engaging and therein more satisfying than pressing a button.
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