Image Courtesy of Gaioonline.net
As if the Hero of Time wasn't raking in enough cash already for the Gamecube, Nintendo decided to release the best-seller as a launch title for the Nintendo Wii, boasting the heavy integration of the Wiimote into the port. After dumping over 30 hours into this masterpiece, I'm ready to give my afterthoughts on Link's 13th adventure.
He's back...with a vengeance. Coming to a theater near you! Courtesy of shad0w8.deviantart.com
This generation of Zelda introduces us to Twilight Link -- a herder who works at a local ranch in Ordon Village. After a group of evil bandit-creatures known as Bulbins attack Ordon and make off with the village's youth, Link follows in suit, coming to a wall of twilight which grabs and deposits him in the Twilight Realm as a wolf. He is imprisoned in a small cell, and after waking up, meets a small creature named Midna, who offers to guide Link to Princess Zelda if he does exactly what Midna asks. Zelda tells Link of Zant, a Twilight King, who has stolen the lights of the Light Spirits. Zelda tasks Link with saving the Light Spirits by restoring their light and dispersing the Twilight that has descended upon Hyrule. Thus begins Link and Midna's adventure, taking them from the magma depths of the Goron Mine, to the heights of the Snowpeak Ruins and elsewhere, intending to end Hyrule's suffering and end the reign of the evil king Zant.
Pfft! We can take him on! Courtesy of Zeldawiki.org
Twilight Princess follows the combat system of the Gamecube version with a few changes. For one, instead of controller support, Nintendo focused all of their efforts into making Twilight Princess for the Wii a defining experience for the console, much like what Capcom did with Resident Evil 4 for the Wii. Wii-motion controls usually feel awkward, but in the case of Twilight Princess, Nintendo worked very hard to make combat and movement fluid and natural. The Wiimote represents Links sword, as making a slicing motion causes Link to swing his blade. By pulling back and quickly thrusting the Nunchuck, Link can utilize the Shield Bash technique later use in the game, and by shaking the Nunchuk from side-to-side, Link will do his signature Spin Attack. Targeting has also changed compared to the original release. Auto-matic targeting can be done with the Z-lock, but for more minute aiming, the player can aim their equipment by pointing the Wiimote at the screen. Certain sequences make use of this mechanic, such as the Shadow Kargarok ride through the Zora River, done completely with the Wiimote. As a wolf, Link's attacks play in tandem with their Light world counterparts, except that he can't make use of any of his tools. Both the Twilight and Light settings are very distinct experiences, as Link must first traverse locations drenched in the shrouds of Twilight, locating and defeating the Shadow Insects to collect the Tears of Light. After collecting all 13 tears in a specific area, the Light Spirits can restore Link to his human form, as the twilight no longer covers the area. This opens up the chance for Link to explore the dungeon specific to the location, purchase items, and talk to the locals to gain quest-specific knowledge.
He'll buy it at a high price, strangerrrr.
One of the gripes that stuck with me long after I completed game was that the dungeons do not feel as varied as in the previous installments. Tools such as the Gale Boomerang felt like they belonged in the dungeon they were in, but the Iron Boots felt one dungeon too early. The Goron Mines were not as memorable as the Dodongo Caverns in The Ocarina of Time or the Earth Temple in the Wind Waker. The enemies, although they were appropriate for the dungeon, didn't offer any challenge, save for the ingenious mini-boss design. It was as if Nintendo had focused their efforts on providing an engaging storyline with varied dungeons, but the dungeons became so distant to the core concept behind them. By the end of the game, it felt a lot shorter than Ocarina of Time, even though the amount of dungeons were arguably the same, because the game has the player running between areas multiple times and fills out the world map by the 2nd dungeon. Twilight Princess portrays a very bland world, appropriate for the drab conditions of Hyrule, and the music and sound were brilliant accompaniments to the tense horseback battles against King Bulbin and Lord Bulbo. That brings me to the graphics -- On the Gamecube, the game looks noticeably better than it's Wii counterpart when using Emulators to exploit the higher resolution textures. The entire game was also flipped for the Wii due to Link's left-handedness not congruent with the norm of right-handed players. Although using the Wiimote and Nunchuk feel innovative at first, they became tiring later on and shortened playtime due to cramping hands and exhausting my right arm. Besides these, much of Twilight Princess feels like a breath of fresh air on the Wii.
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