Twilight Princess Isn't As Tough As You Think
Twilight Princess Game Review
Twilight Princess is the darkest, most serious and most serious Nintendo 3D Zelda game. It pushes the visual presentation of the Wii to its limits. It's darker and more threatening than The Wind Waker. There are no bug-eyed pigs or effeminate Pirates.
Link is drawn to a different dimension known as Twilight Realm where he takes the form of a Hylian Wolf and the form of a Hylian while being guided Midna.
Gameplay
Twilight Princess is the thirteenth installment in The Legend of Zelda series. It was released in 2006 for the Nintendo GameCube system and Wii. The game was praised by critics, and received perfect scores from a variety of publications, including 1UP, CVG, EGM and GamesRadar. It is widely regarded as one of the best in the entire franchise, and it was the top-selling Zelda game on the PAL market.
Twilight princess features a stylized and naturalistic graphics style that is similar to Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, with a much more advanced graphic engine. It is the first in the series with a completely directional control scheme instead of a fixed viewpoint as in previous games. This change was made to accommodate the Wii console's point-based interface. The GameCube version of the game comes with a section in the back with mirror-image maps for those who prefer a fixed view.
When entering the Twilight Realm, Link is transformed into a wolf and meets Midna, a mysterious creature. She reveals that the kingdom of Hyrule is being taken over by a group of shadow beasts commanded by the evil sorcerer Zant. She also explains that she's the real ruler of Twili but was taken over and cursed to her current form by Zant.
A short cutscene shows the soldiers being killed by shadow beasts when Link and Midna arrive at Hyrule Castle. Link and Midna then escape the castle through a tunnel to enter the Twilight Realm.
In the Twilight Realm, Link can use his wolf form to move more freely throughout the world. Link can also use his senses to navigate the world. He can hear the ghosts of soldiers and animals in the distance. He can also whistle and pick grass from certain patches to summon an animal, such as an Hawk, Epona or other. Link can also howl near the patches to summon an identical animal.
As with earlier Zelda games music plays a significant role in Twilight Princess. Link can play instruments like the flute or harp, to attract and summon various animals. Link can also use his voice to command the wolf's form. He can also use his compass as a guide to help him navigate the world.
Characters
The Legend of Zelda series is full of vibrant characters that leave a lasting impression on players. These quirky and unique characters that emerge from the toilets to pirates sailing across vast oceans, are the core of this game. Twilight Princess continues in the tradition of previous games, introducing an array of memorable characters.
Through the course of the story, Link meets new NPCs who are not just fascinating, but also credible. It's a big improvement that so many of these NPCs aren't just victims and have a role to play in the story. NPCs like Rusl who states that the forest is more dangerous and kidnaps children or the Ordon villager who disguises himself as a wolf when the kids are kidnapped all have distinct personalities.
Other notable characters include Iza, who operates the Boat Rental Cabin and Iza's Rapid Ride in the Lanayru Province, Louise, Telma's cat who helps Wolf Link locate a secret passageway in her bar and sewer system that leads to the castle and Faron who's spirit is the one who guides Link and Midna to the Forest Temple in the Eldin Province. The duo defeats Diababa's Fused Shadow and obtains the first Tear of Light.
Midna is the princess of the Twilight Realm and one of the most intriguing characters in the game. She is a part of the Triforce of Wisdom and can shift between her human form as well as her wolf-like form. She is friends with Link and informs him of her adventures in the twilight, and how she defeated Zant, the king of Twilight.
Zant is the evil sorcerer who controls the Twilight Realm. He possesses the second half of the Triforce of Wisdom. He was removed to the Twilight Realm by the goddesses for taking over their land and enslaving the people. Zant's magic keeps him permantently in wolf form, however Midna eliminates the power and allows him to change into his human form when required.
Epona is a more powerful horse that can be riding in both the wolf and Hylian forms. Link can whistle around certain patches of grass to summon the animal (similar to Majora's Mask). The player can identify the horse and customize the horse, making Twilight Princess the first time in the series where the player can personalize their own horse.
Theme
Music is an important part of any Zelda game. It can make a game appear massive exciting, expansive, and captivating. However, Twilight Princess is criticized for having an inconsistent and sporadic soundtrack that doesn't convey the emotional impact of certain scenes. Contrastingly, Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask have captivating music that bloom at the right moment to create a sense of majestic and eerie.
Twilight Princess was composed by Asuka Ohta and Toru Minegishi. Koji Kondo, the series' composer for the first time since Wind Waker was responsible for overseeing the composers. The soundtrack for Twilight Princess is a bold departure from the usual approach to the franchise, with an approach that is minimalist in terms of music and arrangement. The majority of themes for dungeons and fields begin with a single instrument, creating an eerie and mysterious ambiance for the player. Midna's Lament, for example, uses a simple keyboard to create a feeling of sadness in the player.
The most prominent examples are dungeon themes which have a dreary atmosphere. This is particularly evident in Twilight Realm, which has an dark soundscape that could be found in an original David Lynch movie. The unsettling and ominous nature of the track is enhanced by the absence of recognizable melodies and the traditional arrangement with dull drones and eerie patterns interspersed to create a bleak texture.
A more upbeat and joyful song is Link's hometown theme, "Faron Woods." The song makes use of a variety of soft sounds and strings to create a tranquil and secure feeling for the player. The song also includes subtle references to the franchise's most well-known scene, with a riff that is very like the iconic tune that is played at the beginning of Ocarina of Time.
There are also some dynamic songs in Twilight Princess that change depending on the location of the player, what they are doing, and what's happening. For instance the Hyrule Castle Town theme has various versions for each part of the town and Central Square being the most popular. Central Square having a more boisterous and full version of the song. These variations are a great feature that adds an atmosphere of depth and immersion to the world of Hyrule.
Story
The story of Twilight Princess revolves around Link trying to stop Hyrule from being engulfed by the corrupted dimension known as the Twilight Realm. To accomplish this, he assumes the form of both a Hylian and an Wolf as well as being assisted by a woman called Midna.
Midna is the original ruler of the Twili However, she was supplanted by Zant and cursed into her imp form. Link and Midna are told by the Ancient Sages that only by defeating Ganondorf will be capable of releasing them from their curse. The Sages explain that the Mirror of Twilight causes the darkness to dwell in the Twilight Realm. Midna and Link travel to the Spirit's Spring, where they encounter dangerous monsters who kidnap children. Using Wolf Link's sharp sense of smell, they follow the scent of children to a bridge before they move into the Twilight Realm.
They enter the Forest Temple and battle Diababa and win the first Fused Shadow. After that, Faron informs them that the next stop is Eldin Province to the west (Wii) or east (GCN).
Midna, at the Lakebed Temple of Lanayru teleports Link onto a fiery stone and then uses her powers on the ice beneath Lake Hylia. The spirit of Rutela, the recently deceased Zora Queen, Rutela, then appears and tells Link that he has to visit the Lakebed Temple in order to gain access to a treasure from the Zora.
Returning from Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask The horse Epona can be again riding in Twilight Princess. starlight princess to the name of the set used in the two previous games, Link can now decide the horse's name himself.
Midna and Link can recover the remaining Mirror Shards once they arrive in the Twilight Realm. The Sages reveal to Midna that she is the true ruler of the Twili. She was a pawn over for the monarchy, and was turned into the god of power. The Sages tell them that they will only be defeated by Ganondorf when they bring Ganondorf to the light and break the pact made between the Twilight kingdom and Hyrule kingdom.