The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess Review (Wii) By MilkyMalky

10 / 10
09 Jan 2007 at 16:55

Review by: MilkyMalky

Nothing really sets up a general consensus of a console, than its first big franchise release. It normally answers a lot of questions potential consumers and critics have concerning the future potential of the machine.

This time around it fell to the Zelda franchise to be scrutinised with its launch release: Twilight Princess(TP). And there were some very serious questions that needed to be answered not least the new control system and how they would work in a game that generations before it had worked so wonderfully on regular controller pads.

And so again we enter into the world of Hyrule for a new adventure, but is it really the Zelda we were all hoping for, or is it just a rushed, restricted outing that is just a few seconds off the pace?

Hopefully, I will do my best to answer such questions.

Before we get too far in, I think its fair to start with the obvious comparison this game will have to its N64 predecessor; Ocarina of Time(OoT). This game was viewed by many as the best game of all time, and the comparisons between it and Twilight Princess are rife. Since OoT, there hasn’t been what many would have called a ‘true’ Zelda title, with Majora’s Mask and Wind Waker (the other 2 console releases) taking variations on the series in different directions both in terms of game-play and visuals. So therefore the release of TP was always going to be compared to OoT. Later on in this review I will discuss this comparison in more detail.

=GAME=
The premise for the game is that the world has been plunged into Twilight by a mysterious dark race, and this twilight threatens to engulf the whole of Hyrule unless someone (that’s you!) does something about it. You start off the game as a young Ranch-Hand in your village of Ordon, and you are tasked with attending the Hyrule Summit to present a present to the Hyrule Royal Family. Although things don'’ go according to plan, and you wind up being thrown into the realm of the Twilight. In the twilight realm, you transform into a wolf and take on this form the entire time the world is in twilight. Only once the twilight has been nullified can you return to your human form.

There is obviously a lot more to the story than that, but I don’t think a review is the place to be detailing all that, plus I think half the fun to be had from a Zelda game is to find things out for yourself!

In previous games, you progress through a set list of things to do, and dungeons to complete in order to progress through the story. The same is true of TP except that list of things to do is the longest to date, and if the back of the box is to be believed it offers over 70 hours of gameplay, which is absolutely fantastic for an Action/Adventure game, if indeed a little misleading.

First off, it will not take you 70 hours to complete the main game, not even if you consider yourself not good at games. This game however may get 70 hours play from you. It may get much, much more. As with most Zelda games, the length of side-quests and optional extras add hours and hours to your playing time. And not in a way that feels cheap and unnecessary, but because you want to do them, just to see what reward you are going to get. The 100% completist in all of us shines through so we try and find every hidden item, and complete every little mini-game to its fullest. Only then can you really say you have experienced this game, and indeed the Zelda series in all its glory.

So we’ve decided you’re going to save the world, and we’ve noted its going to be a big job that’s going to take the time, but how are you going to do it? Luckily as with previous Zelda titles you are graced with many items and skills throughout the game, which will help you to accomplish your final goal. These items include familiar favourites such as the boomerang and the bow and arrows, as well as introducing new items which are used in completely new ways (again you’ll have to play the game to find these!) These items come as familiar items, but most of them have new uses attached to them. For example the boomerang now has the power of wind within it, which has implications for its use. What makes TP a very good game is the way in which these items are used in new unique ways and the way in which the new items are integrated into the design of the game so that they never feel out of place or tacked on in any way.

And finally, to those controls. Many frowned at the new Wii controller when it was announced, not because of its many innovations, but mainly because of its concern at whether or not it would work within established games and franchises. Sure the Wii remote is fine for games like Wii Sports and WarioWare: Smooth Moves, but how would it fair for the likes of Zelda? The way it works is that the Nunchuk Analogue stick, is used for general movement. The A button on the Wii Remote is used for all the actions on screen, and the B button is the item button. All this seems straightforward enough. But there are uses for the Wii Remote’s motion sensor on top of this. For example, to swipe the sword and perform a variety of sword-related techniques, it involves physical movement of the Wii Remote and/or the Nunchuk attachment. Also items that require aiming, such as the boomerang or bow, require you to point at the screen with the Wii Remote and guide the cross hair by moving the remote. Your view can be moved by using the Analogue stick.

=EVALUATION=
So just how good is this game? Is it better than OoT? Well the answers are excellent and no. Quite an odd combination I agree, especially when you see the score I have awarded, but let me explain. Ocarina of Time was an absolute masterpiece of a game, so much so that it is very hard to find flaws within it. It doesn’t top GT’s list of all-time games for nothing! The game is as playable now as it always was, and still provides the same amount of entertainment nowadays as it did when it was released in 1999. And believe me when I say that TP comes close, in my opinion it comes very close to reliving that glory.

The story-line is arguably the best any Zelda title has ever been graced with, and whilst Zelda has never really been bothered with its story-line depth, the one in TP certainly adds something to the franchise that it has never really had. And that’s a good thing. The many plot twists and character relationships constantly engross you in this epic, and you are left wondering where it is all going to end –as if you needed anything else to keep you hooked!

The level design in this game in my opinion is one of the few areas that this game exceeds OoT. The level design in both the over world of Hyrule and inside the dungeons is exemplary to the genre This is not in terms of visual prowess, but the way in which terrain is moulded and the way dungeons need to be manipulated to progress. It was an absolute joy (and still is) to traverse the world created by Nintendo and marvel at how it all links together and how masterfully it is all put together.

Visually, this is the best looking game currently out on the Wii. Smooth textures and sprites are used to create a realistic but stylised game that looks polished and oozes character. Conversely though, as the Wii is not a great deal more powerful than the GameCube, certain people may be disappointed at the level of detail available. However if ultra-slick graphics are the only thing you look for in a game, then I suggest two things: Firstly get your head out of the sand, and secondly get a different console because I think you are missing the point.

Sound, as with visuals are polished and complete and add a real sense of ambience to the game, especially in the Twilight Realm, however, they do not progress a great deal from previous games, despite improving on its musical score. It is clear that the Wii could handle more involved sound effects and music than TP provides, however you never are left feeling that the game is compromising everything. Despite perhaps not going as far with the technology available, Nintendo have still squeezed the best that they could out of the choices they have made.

The controls, despite their apparent strain on the game, actually become really intuitive before long, and it will become second nature to use your boomerang, sword etc. Luckily the game can easily be played sitting down and at a comfortable angle, putting to rest fears that Wii games would be tiring and inaccessible. You do however almost feel as sense of doubt about the order in which production occurred. I.e. the Wii controls were established and then how they were going to be implemented was thought up later. Whilst this is the common process for all games, a good game will make it seemless, and you wont notice that it’s a control difference, and unfortunately at times you feel that the controls are just a little forced.

Really good games have parts of them, which are adapted by all games that embrace the genre after it. OoT had these in abundance, such as it’s targeting mechanism, which was subsequently adapted by most action/adventure games. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for TP. I think a lot of this comes down to the time at which OoT and TP were released. OoT was revolutionary in its release because it re-invented it’s platform, whereas TP just evolved it a little and took it into a new direction. Which in itself is no mean feat and it has achieved a very high standard in doing so.

Its just that when you compare it against the other great Zelda games, it probably wont come first because of this fact.

It may and should come a close second however on most people’s lists.

VISUALS: 9/10

SOUND: 8/10

USE OF WII TECHNOLOGY: 9/10

LONGEVITY: 10/10

ENTERTAINMENT: 10/10

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