LightStixx’s Review: The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess

Zelda Cover LightStixx’s review for Nintendo Wii game: The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess

Release date: 19 Nov 2006 (I know I’m kinda late for this)

Price: $64 from clouette

Sales: 4.3m as of 31 Dec 2007 [Wikipedia]

Platform: Nintendo Wii

IGN Review Score: 9.5

My scores:

Gameplay: 7.0
Story: 8.0
Fun-level: 7.0
Graphics: 9.0
Music: 9.0
Replayability: 1.0
Online quality: N.A.
Overall score: 7.0

Let’s break this down.

Introduction

Zelda needs no introduction, everyone knows Zelda. So Link is back trying to save the world in this Wii installment.

Story

Story starts off with you waking up in your home town of Ordon. You’re supposed to journey to the castle with a gift for the royal family, but all hell breaks loose (at the same time kidnapping the children in your village). So that’s when you set off to find them, slowly learning how to fight and use items. Later on, you’d meet Midna who follows you throughout your travels, giving you hints along the way. And of course, you’ll save the day after about 30+ hours of gameplay.

Gameplay

Controls in the Zelda is greatly modeled around the wiimote and nunchuk’s motion sensing capabilities. Moving around is done by the nunchuk analog stick, while fighting is done by shaking the wiimote, nunchuk or pressing the A button (not at the same time). This is actually a refreshing experience as some bosses really bring out your rage, and shaking the controllers really does give you a sense of satisfaction in the end. However, I do feel that the A button is overused as it is also the interaction button. So when you want to pick up a rock, you might end up rolling off a cliff (this happened to me MANY times).

Camera angles in this game is suitably done, very easy to the eye, except when traveling in tight spots that require jumping. However, camera angle can be adjusted with a bit of trouble. Locking on to targets is essential, but it may prove to be a nuisance when there are multiple targets. Being unable to choose which target is frustrating at times, but it’s a function that is extremely important for the completion of this game.

Lock on

Lock on is essential for certain moves to be completed, but the lack of choice can be frustrating at times.

The use of items are controlled using the B button. You could also preset a few items that you would commonly use onto the D-pad Left, D-pad Right and D-pad Down buttons. However changing equipment from the (-) button pauses everything while you’re changing the items, so there’s no need to worry about assigning the right items at the start. Items that can be aimed (including the bow, clawshot and other weapons) are utilizing the Wii’s ability to point. So aiming the bow would be as simple as point and shoot.

Point and Shoot

Point and shoot. It’s that simple.

In this story, you are able to take on the form of Link in human form, or Link in a wolf form. Each one has its part to play in the story and there are certain tasks that only one can perform. For example wolf Link cannot use items, but he is able to heighten his senses to see ghosts and spirits (see video at the end of gameplay section). Personally, I seldom use wolf Link due to it’s poor fighting ability along with poor defense. However, its senses are required when tracking scent of the children or any other smells you may encounter.

Wolf Link

Wolf link fighting mini-boss.

The progression of the game is more or less a straight road. If you get the order right, it’s smooth sailing; but if you miss out on something (like a key) you’d get stuck. Each dungeon is like a puzzle in a maze. You’ll need to solve puzzles to obtain keys or important story items (such as bow, clawshot etc). Getting through the dungeons is not difficult, but some thought is definitely required. Scattered around each dungeon, you’d find Rupees (same old Zelda money) or items ranging from arrows to bomb and even heart containers.

Locked door

If you missed out a key, you’d be traveling all over the map just to find it.

Boss fights in the game is done such that it isn’t exactly about fighting, it’s more about outwitting the opponent. Once you get the strategy right, you’d just have to repeat that sequence to defeat the boss. Although strategy is the main part of it, fighting is still required throughout the game due to the presence of many creatures and mini-bosses who oppose you.

Video link to gameplay montage

Minigames are found within the game itself and cannot be accessed from the main menu screen. These games are all single player and range from simple flying games to tougher fishing games. (More on these later)

Fun Factor

This game is kind of fun. The puzzles and tough bosses do offer a sense of satisfaction from time to time, although it could also piss you off at the same time. One thing I should mention is that the motivation for me to complete the game was the story rather than the fun, so don’t expect a super fun game.

Graphics & Music

Graphics for this game is better than I expected. Considering the Wii’s capabilities, I believe that Zelda has done exceedingly well to maximize it’s graphics. Although the graphics are somewhat reminiscent of PS2 graphics, it is more in between PS2 and HD.

Music is very calm and soothing at times, and it’s upbeat and catchy during fights. The music is well scripted to suit the ambiance of the situation. Not only does this compliment the situation, it also sets the mood for the player.

Minigames & Unlockables

There are only a small number of minigames in Zelda, one of it worth mention is the fishing game. It is probably as entertaining as any arcade fishing game. With a fully explorable fishing hole and several types of fishing bait, you’d be spending quite a bit of time simply exploring this fishing game.

Fishing Game

The fishing game is well crafted and will keep you occupied for hours.

There are many unlockables in this game, including hidden skills and a larger wallet (the original wallet is only 300 Rupees). Some are part of the storyline, while others are just good to have.

Replayability

I was a little bit surprised that after the final battle and finishing the credits, you don’t get to continue playing! So basically you’ll start from scratch and try to beat your previous game time, thus replayability score is low for this title.

Online Play

None whatsoever. No multiplayer mode either.

What I like

Unique control scheme that maximize Wii capabilities
Solid storyline (although some flaws here and there)
Good feeling derived from fighting
Music and graphics add to game experience

What I don’t like

Overuse of A button
No replayability at all!
Overly complicated dungeons
Unable to choose target of target lock on function

Overall

To conclude, Zelda is more or less a puzzle game with some fighting in it. This game is long with over 30 hours of gameplay, so be prepared to spend days to weeks on this game. All in all, I’d still recommend this game for its unique gameplay and solid story.

Legal Stuff

All screenshots and videos from IGN.com

Cheers,
LightStixx

This entry was posted on Saturday, April 19th, 2008 at 12:54 am and is filed under Reviews, Wii. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

4 Responses to LightStixx’s Review: The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess

alex says:

October 16, 2009 at 10:56 pm

no me entero de na pero…!MOLA!

Reply
Scott says:

April 18, 2010 at 8:51 am

You just have to buck up. the dungeons aren’t that difficult

Reply
the legend of zelda crack says:

August 23, 2013 at 7:44 am

This page certainly has all of the information and facts I wanted about this subject
and didn’t know who to ask.

Reply
facebook pirater says:

February 26, 2014 at 9:26 am

It’s difficult to find educated people about this subject, however,
you seem like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks

Reply