The video game industry has come a long way since the original Legend of Zelda for the NES. New genres and countless memorable franchises have been born to much adieu. However, throughout the years, Zelda has continued to innovate and set new standards. These standards of gameplay and immersion have made other franchise attempts seem practically "off brand" in quality. To put it bluntly, compare a Pepsi or Coke with your local Dollar store soda. Many games simply just don't "taste right." Occasionally, standard bearers stumble. In 1985, Coca-Cola introduced something dubbed the New Coke. The firm remixed the traditional cola formula in an attempt to make it sweeter. Suffice to say the public hated the deviation. 'Twas a disaster. Coca-Cola quickly gave the public the classic Coke they wanted. Nintendo had a somewhat similar experience when it released The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker in 2003. Gamers didn't want vast oceans, easy dungeons, and toony graphics. They wanted classic Hyrule: challenging quests and a compelling world. Nintendo has finally delivered on those requests. Twilight Princess not only meets the demands of Ocarina of Time's legacy, it exceeds them.
The Zelda franchise has never been much for deep storytelling, particularly character development. Yet this aspect is one of the shining jewels of the Twilight Princess experience. Link is one-dimensional as always. But it doesn't matter. The characters around him, from the villagers from his hometown to Midna and Zelda, make the story. Link is simply a vessel for you the player to enter the realm of Hyrule. No doubt you've heard of the basic premise of the story before, so I won't rehash the details or spoil any new developments in it. But know this. This isn't a spartan light to dark world hopping dungeon menu. There's so much more to the story and world of Zelda. Along the way, you'll fly through vast canyons, sumo wrestle, gallop to battle with hordes of monsters, fish, and battle through raging rapids...all without entering a dungeon. Ocarina of Time's story and immersion seems completely stale by comparison. This game turns you into a hero. And you'll feel that sense of heroism build continuously as you progress through your adventure.
Gamers can expect the unexpected in Twilight Princess when it comes to the story. However, with the advent of the new Wii free-hand controls, gameplay is still a concern for many fans. Fear not. Zelda's crown jewel of gameplay is not tarnished. It's upped the ante once again. The controls are intuitive to the point that it's actually hard to describe what controller feature does what. Swinging the Master Sword never felt better. It's only eclipsed by the satisfying accuracy of Link's projectile weapons. Horseback riding alone is fantastic. One aspect of the controls seemingly overlooked is the complete liberation of your hands provided by the Wii remote/nunchaku combo. No more cramps or uncomfortable posture while playing. It really adds to the enjoyment of the game playing experience.
Don't expect too many new tunes while slashing and sniping through Hyrule though. Much of the soundtrack and sound effects are familiar fare. And to a point, it's slightly disappointing. However, the classic Zelda songs are delivered in a way that really complements each scene well. Familiarity aside, the music provides exactly what you'd want from a score. Immersion. The controller speaker is rather lackluster in sound quality. But the little feature adds satisfaction to all of those amazing gameplay moments mentioned earlier. The speaker is Nintendo's cherry on top of a nice fat sundae.
This is supposed to be the fabled "HD Era," correct? Well, you won't find HD level graphics in this title. And for the record, environmental textures can be quite bland. But here's a fine example of a game that shows that stellar art design is as important if not more than raw graphical glitz. I couldn't tell much difference between the cutscenes and actual gameplay segments. The world of Twilight Princess is vibrant and colorful, and the characters come to life with emotion and believability. Only the Twilight Realm bothered me with its saturated, dreary atmosphere. That's the point though. The game wants you to dread going there. This simply adds to the heroic compulsion to want to save Hyrule from the invading threat.
Yes, this review may seem rather short. But I'm not going to bore you with multiple page spanning exercises in journalistic arrogance. You don't need three pages of fluff. You seek a recommendation. Here's one: stop reading. Get in your car (or bike). Go to a store. Buy this game. It's 1992 all over again.
Print 
Email
