After 35 hours or so of caffeine-fueled anarchy, I'm finally ready to write my review. I've had the pleasure of reviewing the last three Zelda titles over the past eight or so years, and even though my favorite incarnation remains A Link to the Past on the SNES, I'm thoroughly satisfied with what The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess has managed to achieve. We all know that the game started out life as a GameCube project, and this much is still evident in the final Wii product. While it might not have the graphical grunt behind it offered by the likes of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, there's no doubt in my mind that Nintendo has once again crafted a video game that will be remembered for years to come. Link's back and his adventure on the new shiny Wii hardware is nothing short of an instant classic.
There will be no spoilers written here, but if you truly only need to know whether the game rocks hard, just take a look at the score and be safe in the knowledge that it does. Up until now, I had previously only played through until the end of the second dungeon. But after running a critical path through the entire game, there's no doubt that this is the longest Zelda game ever made. I can easily see the playtime rising to the 60-hour mark if you try to accomplish everything that the game has to offer -- and trust me, you'll want to. Given the epic size of the game, it's important to note that there's very little redundancy. You'll not find yourself being forced to do a lot of unnecessary running or riding (remember sailing around in Wind Waker?) thanks to the excellent warping system, and on the whole, the game feels very refined.
Life for Link begins in his small rural hometown of Ordon. Spending his days as a ram wrangler, things begin to get a little weird when strange monsters are spotted on the borders of the village. Link is tasked with taking a journey to the main city in Hyrule to consult with the folks there about the recent troubles. As you'd expect, a series of events begin to unfold that lead Link on a fantastical journey as he starts to uncover a sinister plot taking place in an alternate Twilight dimension. Will Princess Zelda know what to do? Who is the evil King of the Twilight and what does he want? And is Link destined to become the savior of the free peoples of Hyrule? It's up to you to take control and find the answers to these questions in your own sweet time.
So essentially, what you're playing is a port of the GameCube version of Twilight Princess that's been retooled for the Wii. The biggest difference is of course the addition of the new motion-sensitive control scheme. I'm happy to report that the Wii Remote and the Nunchuk do an incredibly admirable job of making the game a lot of fun to play. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that this is a preferable method of controlling the game than a regular joypad. Movement, exploration and combat are highly accurate and if you fail or die, it's not the system's fault, but rather your own. I know this has been the biggest concern for many Zelda lovers and gamers in general, but I can't overstate this enough -- the Wii makes for a superb Zelda gaming experience.
The lands of Hyrule are split up into a number of different provinces. Each province gradually becomes unlocked after you hit certain milestones in the game. It might be by the completion of one of the nine dungeons, and there's always a ton of stuff to see and do. There are lots and lots of NPCs to interact with -- some will give out much-needed hints, and others might open up new mini-game challenges. The Twilight dynamic of the game is a nice twist on the proceedings, too. When sent into the Twilight zones, Link transforms into wolf form and this in itself opens up new abilities, combat moves and methods of progression. For example, Link can talk to animals while in wolf form, whereas before he could not.
There are many memorable characters in the game, but easily the best of these is the spooky little imp-like individual, Midna. Her story is a mystery initially, but she proves to be an invaluable helper and hint-giver throughout the game, making for a new dynamic over and beyond the previous games in the series. There are a lot of series' staples found in Twilight Princess as well as some great new additions. Fans of the series will feel right at home with the combat system (Z-targeting is an absolute must) and the traditional mythology of dungeon crawling, money and item gathering, and item usage. It wouldn't be a true Zelda game without some of the classic themed dungeons, so all those players out there who got stuck in Ocarina's notorious Water Temple should start quaking in their boots!
The item and inventory system is well-executed, as is the in-game map system. Up to four items can be selected and mapped to the Wii Remote's B-button and D-pad at any one time, while the up direction on the D-pad is reserved for communication with Midna only. Link starts out with very little in terms of items and weapons, but it won't be long before sword and shield are at your command, along with some decent stop-gap secondary weapons like the slingshot, Gale Boomerang and the Hero's Bow. The game eases you into combat slowly, and makes sure you have a firm grasp of the Z-targeting system along with dodging, back-flipping and rolling around. Later in the game, you'll be facing off against some pretty hardcore mid-bosses and big bosses, but you'll never be put in the position of not being able to beat them -- it just might take a little time to figure out the best course of attack.
Horse riding plays a greater role in Twilight Princess than previous games, and Epona's representation is handled well. The controls are decent and fighting and maneuvering are well-implemented. There's never a shortage of areas to explore, and questing to find every single collectable item or power-up is a huge undertaking. You'll be able to collect fragmented heart containers (you'll need five pieces to form one full heart container this time) along with special hidden glowing bugs, fish and all manner of other stuff, too. The scope is truly magnificent. Speaking of fish, there's essentially an entire full-length game dedicated to catching crazy numbers of different and unique fish. This sometimes comes across as more of a Remote-enabling gimmick than anything else, but completists will love taking some time out for a spot of virtual haddock-reeling. You might even get a surprise reward or two for your piscine-based tomfoolery.
Twilight Princess is a great-looking game. On one hand, it has its graphical problems stemming from the GameCube development cycle (blurry textures, comparatively low-res characters, etc.), but the artistic direction more than makes up for these issues. I ended up playing through about 75 percent of the game using the standard composite cables that ship with the Wii, until I managed to snag some component cables towards the end. The difference in quality, clarity and imagery between the quite frankly subpar composite signal and the sexy 480p component signal was night and day. A sharper, more vibrant image enhanced the game experience significantly, so if you have the means, I highly recommend using component input.
I was delighted to hear that the musical score and sound effects were of the same high standard as Wind Waker, with new implementations on classic Zelda themes adding greatly to the nostalgia factor. The sound is pumped out in sweet Pro Logic II via the stereo cables and again, if you've got the means, it'll sound much better than just regular stereo.
In the end, there's no way that The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess disappoints. It's an excellent addition (and homage to Ocarina) to the franchise, and you'll have an enormous amount of fun playing it from start to finish. Get over the fact that the Wii's hardware is simply not as powerful as the other next-gen machines and get into the fact that Twilight Princess is one of the best games you'll play this year. If you've been on the fence in any capacity, then please rest assured that you'll not be disappointed. I'm looking forward to checking out the GameCube version later next month, but I'm having a hard time imagining it being any better than the Wii interpretation. Nintendo's flagship game has finally arrived and you better damned well appreciate it. It's ultimately fantastic.
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