Twilight Princess: What No One Is Talking About Twilight Princess Game Review

The most sombre and dark of the Nintendo 3D Zelda games, Twilight Princess pushes the limits of graphic presentation to its maximum limits on the Wii's hardware. It's more tense and ambiguous than The Wind Waker, with no bugs-eyed pig guards or edgy pirates.

Link is pulled into a parallel dimension known as Twilight Realm, where he assumes the form of a Hylian and a wolf while being guided by Midna.

Gameplay

The thirteenth installment of The Legend of Zelda is Twilight Princess. It was released in 2006 for the Nintendo GameCube system and Wii. The game was praised by critics, and received perfect scores from various publications, including 1UP, CVG, EGM, and GamesRadar. It is widely regarded as the best in the entire franchise, and it was the most-seller Zelda game on the PAL market.

Twilight princess features naturalistic and stylized graphics style, like that of Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, with a more sophisticated graphic engine. It's the first game in the series to feature an entirely directional control system instead of a fixed perspective like previous games. This modification was made to work with the Wii console, which has an interface that is based on pointing. The GameCube version comes with an area at the back of the game with mirror-image maps, which are for those who prefer an unchanging view.

Upon entering the Twilight Realm, Link is transformed into a wolf and comes across Midna, an unidentified creature. She informs Link that the kingdom of Hyrule has been taken over by a group of shadow creatures led by the evil sorcerer Zant. She also explains she is the real ruler of Twili but was taken over by Zant and cursed to her current form.

A short cutscene shows the soldiers being slain by shadow creatures when Link and Midna arrive at Hyrule Castle. Then, Link and Midna escape from the castle through a tunnel and enter the Twilight Realm.

In the Twilight Realm, Link can make use of his wolf form to move around more freely around the world. Link can also make use of his senses to navigate around the world. For instance, he can detect the spirits of deceased soldiers and other animals in the distance. He can also whistle and pull grass from specific patches to summon an animal, such as the Hawk, Epona or other. Alternatively, Link can howl near these patches to summon the same animal.

Twilight Princess is no different from earlier Zelda titles in the sense that music plays a significant role. Link can play an instrument of music, such as the flute or harp, to draw attention to and summon animals. Link can also command the form of a wolf through his voice. He can also use his compass to guide him to help him navigate through the world.

starlight princess x1000 of Zelda series is filled with colorful characters that leave an unforgettable impression on players. These quirky and creative personalities that emerge from toilets to pirates sailing across vast oceans, are the core of this game. Twilight Princess continues the tradition of previous games by introducing a variety of memorable characters.

Through the course of the story, Link meets new NPCs that are not just fascinating, but also credible. It's a major step in the right direction to have many of these NPCs actually play a part in the story rather than just acting as victims. NPCs like Rusl who explains how the forest is becoming more dangerous and kidnaps children, or the Ordon villagers who appear as wolves when children are being taken from them, all have unique personalities that feel genuine.

Other notable characters include Iza who manages the Boat Rental Cabin in Lanayru Province and Iza's rapid ride, Louise Telma’s cat, who assists Wolf Link find a secret passageway into the castle through her bar and sewer system, as well as Faron his spirit guides Link to the Forest Temple in Eldin Province. The duo defeats the Fused Shadow possessed by Diababa and obtains the first Tear of Light.

Midna, the princess of the Twilight Realm, is also one of the most fascinating characters in the game. She can switch between her wolf and human forms and is a part of the Triforce of Wisdom. She accosts Link and tells him about her experience in the twilight and how she defeated Zant, the king of Twilight.

Zant, who possesses the other half of the Triforce of Wisdom, is a wicked sorcerer and the ruler of the Twilight Realm. He was removed to the Twilight Realm by the goddesses for stealing their land and enslaving the people. Midna removes Zant's power, allowing him to change into his human form whenever needed.

Epona is a more powerful horse that can be used in both the wolf and Hylian forms. Link can whistle at certain areas 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 customize their own horse.

Theme

Music is one of the most important parts of any Zelda game, and it can make a world feel expansive exciting, epic, and thrilling. Twilight Princess' soundtrack is criticised for being inconsistent and sporadic that doesn't capture certain emotions. Ocarina of Time Majora's Mask and other games have captivating compositions that bloom at the perfect moment to create a sense of grandeur and eeriness.

Twilight Princess was composed by Asuka Ohta and Toru Minegishi. Koji Kondo, the series' composer for the first since Wind Waker, was responsible for overseeing the composers. The soundtrack to Twilight Princess is a radical deviation from the standard approach to the show, with a a minimalistic approach to music and arrangements. The majority of themes for dungeons and fields begin with one instrument, creating a hypnotic and mysterious atmosphere for the player. Midna's Lament, for example, uses a simple keyboard to induce a sense of sadness for the player.

The most prominent examples are dungeon themes which have a dreary atmosphere. This is most evident in Twilight Realm, which has an eerie soundscape that could be found on a David Lynch movie. The unsettling and ominous nature of the track is enhanced by the absence of identifiable melodies and the traditional arrangement with dull drones and eerie patterns interspersed to create a dark and bleak sound.

Link's hometown song, "Faron Woods," is a more upbeat and joyful track. The song makes use of a variety of gentle sounds and strings to create a calm and safe feeling for the player. The song contains subtle references to the most famous scene in the franchise since it features a melody that is reminiscent of the famous melody that plays at Ocarina of Time's start.

There are also some exciting songs in Twilight Princess that change depending on the location of the player and what they're doing, and what's happening. Hyrule Castle Town has different versions of its theme for each region of the town. Central Square, for instance, features a more raucous version. These variations add a nice flavor to the world of Hyrule and add a sense of depth and immersion.


Story

Link's quest in Twilight Princess is to save Hyrule from the corrupted world known as the Twilight Realm. To accomplish this, Link assumes the form of a Hylian and the form of a Wolf and is aided by a woman named Midna.

Midna is the original ruler of the Twili However, she was supplanted by Zant and cursed to her imp form. The Sages of the past inform Link and Midna that only defeating Ganondorf can remove them from their curse. The Sages explain that the Mirror of Twilight causes the darkness to exist in the Twilight Realm. Midna and Link travel to the Spirit's Spring where they encounter predatory creatures that kidnap children. Using Wolf Link's sharp sense of smell, they follow the children's scent to a bridge and then move into the Twilight Realm.

They enter the Forest Temple and battle Diababa, obtaining the first Fused Shadow. Faron informs them of their next destination, the Eldin Province in the west (Wii) or the east (GCN).

Midna at the Lakebed Temple of Lanayru teleports Link onto a fiery stone and unleashes her power on the ice beneath Lake Hylia. Rutela's spirit, the recently gone Zora queen, appears to Link and tells him that he needs to visit the Lakebed Temple if he wants to access the treasure of the Zora.

Returning from Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, the horse Epona can again be ridden in Twilight Princess. Link can choose the name of the horse, unlike the predetermined names of the previous games.

After arriving in the Twilight Realm, Midna and Link are able to retrieve the remaining Mirror Shards. At the Palace of Twilight, the Sages declare that Midna is actually the true ruler of the Twili however she had been passed over for the monarchy and was turned into an idol for power. The Sages inform them that they will only defeat Ganondorf if they bring Ganondorf to the light and break the pact made between the Twilight kingdom and the Hyrule kingdom.