The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Written by Chris Reiter  on August 22, 2006

First Impressions: 'bout time!

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Link. Zelda. Ganon. It's the three main names you need to know and always remember in the legendary series that rests above any adventure series gaming has to offer. When it comes to Zelda, Nintendo is on top and gamers across the nation couldn't be happier for that. This fall marks the occasion of the long-awaited GameCube heir to the franchise, and it won't be alone. Upon approach to its final release date, Nintendo got to thinking with their upcoming Wii console, "What if we could make Zelda work with the Wii?" So they did, and now gamers everywhere graciously say thanks for delaying the game an extra year so that this fall, they can enter into the adventure of a sword-swinging hero like it's meant to be played.

Day and night. Dark and light. Which road do we take? Which road do we lead? For Link, he's about to find out. Raised as a wrangler, the young Link in his latest venture brings him to the point of a town meeting where upon this summit falls the veils of a sister realm unbeknownst to him. Labeled the twilight version of Hyrule, here Link must live and breathe life through the body of a wolf. Helping him in this dark escapade is Midna, a mysterious rogue character that with a bizarre set of magical powers of her own will enable Link to set free the curse that binds Hyrule to this shadowy dimension.

You'll ask yourself this holiday season what version of Twilight Princess to get. The simple difference between the one for Wii and the one for GameCube is that the Wii iteration enables itself to be controlled using the system's remote and nunchuck attachment. The GameCube one won't have that degree of interactivity. It won't let you flick the controller forward or swirl it around during a leisurely fishing outing, like can be done on the Wii. It won't let you reel backward your own arm with the GameCube controller either, so to express the point, pull, and clicking action you'll feel when shooting arrows through the Wii remote. The Wii version is the one version that'll cut you in on that extra dimension to make you feel like Link for a change: tossing crates, forging parry thrusts, and firing Link's hookshot all with the use of the Wii remote. On top of all that comes the recent news that you'll be able to use the Wii remote to swing Link's sword around as well.

Of course, no Zelda would be complete without its leading edge. This time around, Link will eventually catch up with a pair of magnetic boots that'll serve him well when faced upside down along dungeon ceilings. Guiding Link through both the normal and abnormal sides of Hyrule and its twilight mirror as well will add some interesting twists to the gameplay. Where in standard Hyrule Link can slash his blade, ride horseback, and complete a series of other humanistic interventions, entering twilight portals throughout the game will twist Link's body into a wolf, enabling him to converse with animals on the flip side. With extra development time too, Twilight Princess will be crawling with additional dungeons now to tour, making this the largest Zelda game to date.

While not sporting the gorgeous cel-shaded coating from its previous Zelda adventure anymore, Nintendo's decision to grow Link back to a mature size will certainly capture another charming essence of sweet Zelda flavor fans will suckle away at this fall. Between the ordinary and extraordinary sights of regular Hyrule and its otherworldly counterpart, there'll exist plenty of thematically sound dungeons, odd and colorful creatures (from big yellow-eyed bats to salivating tentacle plants), and a major picturesque fantasy world brought to life that'll be yours to explore come this November. And just for the record, the Wii version will also see a bit of a technical leap over its GameCube cousin. Now you graphical nuts know where the action's at.