Genre: Action-Adventure
Year: 2006
Developed by: Nintendo EAD
Published by: Nintendo
Platforms: Wii, GameCube
#43
Feeling Like: Wolf Like Me
I know my Zelda rankings are going to be out of sync with the hardcore fans. I played Link to the Past well past its launch date, so my reception wasn’t as rabid. I never played Majora’s Mask. I thought Wind Waker was fine, but annoyed me with the instant fail stealth sections and I thought traversing the ocean was a chore. Where does that leave Twilight Princess? Near the top, baby. Near the top.
Screw the haters. I don’t mind a meandering tutorial; I hear complaints from many a Podcast personality that a game they’re trying started out really slow, so they jumped off. That never made sense to me. Sure, it’s fun when a game jumps out at you from the very first second, but not every game should have to plunk you down on the descent of a rollercoaster to keep your modicum of attention. People need just slow down and take it all in. Have some patience.
I’m not going to pretend the first few hours are the best of Twilight Princess, because they’re not. What I’m saying is they’re not offensively bad. Well worth trucking through, since the rest is an incredible Zelda adventure. I played it on the Wii, which had the odd switch of making Link right handed instead of left handed, to suit which hand the majority of gamers would have the Wiimote (sword) in. I know waggling the Wiimote had its detractors, and now it’s a source of historical amusement, but I found it worked amazingly well here. Aiming the bow and arrow never felt better, thanks to pinpoint accuracy. I even enjoyed the fishing! Say what you will about motion controls, they had me giggling like an idiot when I was reeling in a fish or swiping away at Ganon’s goons.
Look, I probably can’t convince you that Twilight Princess is one of the better Zeldas. Odds are, you’ve already made up your mind. What I can convince you of is that the dungeons, items, combat moves, bosses and Midna are all terrific additions and made this a joy to play.
A JOY, I say!
One of the complaints I hear is that you get some dope-ass item like the Ball and Chain, or the Spinner and it’s frequently used in the home dungeon, but rarely outside the dungeon. Ok, that’s a legitimate beef, but that doesn’t erase the fact that YOU GET TO RIDE ON A MECHNICAL SKATEBOARD THING LIKE TONY HAWK WITH BOMBS AND A SHIELD. I cannot stress how awesome this is, you glide along at a hundred miles an hour and you can hippity-hop from one crevice to another. This is especially fun against the sand dragon boss, as the landscape shifts the and the window to evade gets smaller, my heart rate skyrocketed. Zelda boss fights really are a cut above.
The temples are outstanding. The water version is much improved over Ocarina of Time’s, and the snowy mansion was among my favorite. You’d think swinging a giant spiked ball on a chain at walls would get old, but you would be wrong. Also it kind of felt like I was interrupting some rich person’s ski chalet. It’s a SKEY CHALET NOW, MR. YETO!
I liked transforming into a wolf. When I did so, Midna would jump on my back and come along for the ride. This little firecracker from the Twilight Realm was unlike any companion I’d seen before. Far more likely to berate Link than to verbally support him, her visual design and attitude has led the Zelda community to embrace her far more than Fi, or other notable sidekicks. Switching from realm to realm was something we’d seen in previous Zeldas, but not in 3D. So, naturally, I thought it was dope as hell. Grabbing and biting the life force out of the shadowy enemies while zipping around like a good boy looking for a tennis ball was awesome. It’s basically what the game is known for, Twilight Princess’ gimmick, as it were. Wolf Link. Ah, that one.
The new maneuvers based on retro fighting styles never overstayed their welcome. The down thrust is as satisfying as ever. The helmsplitter and rolling back attack meant that I could dispatch most enemies in duels with great flourish. The unnecessary, but badass sheathing of the Master Sword made me grin like a goof every time. The formula may have been very familiar, perhaps too familiar. Maybe it was too similar to Ocarina of Time, but I’m hardly one to pass up a repeat of something truly amazing.
Legend of Zeldas get an unfair bump from me. You can accuse me of being biased, heavily so. Guilty as charged. Ever since I repeatedly rented The Legend of Zelda from Spotlight video, I was hooked. Hell, I was obsessed and I didn’t even understand what was going on. I knew that there was an unstoppable allure based on discovery, threats and exploration. I knew that finding new items was fun, and that obstacles could then be overcome by using said new items. It felt like other games would just introduce new levels, but never introduce anything new. Here, it was like I was learning a new game or power every few hours. This kept things fresh and exciting. I never knew what was coming around each corner. Puzzles were intricate and sometimes esoteric, but they were never boring or unfair. Much like Mario, or Metroid, the fact that I can look forward to a new iteration of the franchise at age 39 just as I did when I was 9 is unfathomable. If you can think of another series to maintain this level of quality over not just years but decades, please point me in that direction ASAP.
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess has a curious reaction from the fanbase. I often see it listed behind the original, or Wind Waker and I’m just flabbergasted. I don’t want to yuck anybody’s yum, but to me Twilight Princess is easily one of the best Zeldas, which means it’s one of the best games I’ve played. The new items, like the iron boots that let you walk on certain walls, are just a thrill to use, even if their use could have been implemented more. The bosses are thrilling, the dragon from the City in the Sky is tremendous. Hookshotting from balloon to balloon before finally being given the chance to strike was so goddamn exciting. The game looks even better with the HD update, how did I miss playing that one? The locations of Kakariko and Hyrule Castle Town feel more alive than ever. I love the Goron design, in particular.
Like I said earlier, I’m not going to change any minds. Zelda fans have their tier list, or ranks, and won’t budge on them and I’m not different. Most wouldn’t have Twilight Princess this high, but it was a no brainer for me. Seeing Link in a 3D game that looked more like a proper evolution of Ocarina of Time and more “realistic” looking than what we saw in Wind Waker means that the graphics haven’t aged as well, I admit. However, I still think it’s miles ahead of most other third person action-adventure games and edges out all but a few Legend of Zelda titles.
The 500 