Score
Gameplay:	10
Graphics:	10
Sound:	10
FunFactor:	10
PlasmaFactor:	10
Overall:	10

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Review
May 25, 2007 by Whitney Booker

The Legend of Zelda is a series that never fails in creating games of superior quality. This is true of the past and it holds up today with the series’ most recent title, Twilight Princess. Trust me, you need this game. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess for the Wii is a game that I do not hesitate in naming flawless.

Spin Attack!

 

The gameplay in Twilight Princess is one of the greatest things about this game. The Wii remote and nun chuck are incredibly responsive and suit this game perfectly. The buttons are also mapped out very well so that whatever you need to do, you’re not overextending your fingers to do it. Now, the controller does get a bit slippery when you, like I, have spent countless hours gripping it and sweating through your palms. Alas, but now there is a solution to that! Get the Nyko Wii remote charger and the battery pack cover comes with extra grip for those eight plus hours of Twilight Princess gaming when your palms have begun to sweat.

Of course, one of the greatest gameplay elements of Legend of Zelda is back: Link’s weapons. You’ve got the classics like the slingshot, bow and arrow, boomerang, and clawshot, but you also get some great twists on the classics. The boomerang now gives you extra bang for your buck by sending a small whirlwind when you throw it. Another great addition is the ability to attach bombs to your arrows—yes, fire arrows on a much larger scale! Also added is a new ability of the iron boots, which instead of just making you heavy enough to walk underwater, are now magnetic so that you can attach yourself to certain walls and ceilings. And besides the new features there are brand new weapons altogether, like a ball and chain and something that looks like a spinning top that you can use as a hover board.

Like the weapons, the dungeons of Twilight Princess have received an overhaul as well. With your fancy new weapon abilities, they can’t let you just breeze through the dungeons, now can they? Of course not! You must work to succeed! Struggle, hero of legend! The classic switches, locks, and keys remain but you have to puzzle your way through some new situations and traps now. Those new weapons are put to innovative use in dungeons 2.0. There also is an increase in the number of dungeons in the latest Zelda, so rejoice in being given more lackeys to pummel.

With so many great features, new and old, there can’t be more, can there? Yes! There can, and there is! Horseback riding has risen to a new level. Now, don’t just ride Epona around and hop fences, fight! And not just horse back archery anymore. Now you can swordfight from Epona’s back and joust! No, you don’t get a lance, but it’s still jousting, and with a bottomless pit below as incentive not to lose…

Beauty of Twilight

 

Ah yes, Twilight Princess is indeed a truly beautiful game. The environments are beautifully crafted and lit. Some of the scenes just make you want to sit and stare as if you were really looking out over the Grand Canyon or some other such breathtaking site. The scenes where twilight has settled over Hyrule are spectacular in their colors, lighting, and environment animation. Not to mention, the character artists of Twilight Princess are nothing short of geniuses. These are some of the best character designs I have ever seen, whether in games, animations, or even movies.

Link has his classic green clothes, but even these look better without deviating from the classic hero’s green. (I don’t even know how to explain that. It’s not the graphics, but some slight tweak that made everything look better on Link.) And trust me, this game does not suffer in the least for not being high definition. It looks better than a lot of these other "next gen" games that are out where the characters look like they’re made of wax.

Medley of Hyrule

 

The Legend of Zelda has never failed in the sound department and they weren’t about to start now. The characters still don’t talk but they do have some sound cues like grunts, gasps, chuckles, and battle cries. And forgive me, but even these are brilliant. Maybe because of the lack of speaking voices, but when a character does make a sound, it’s perfectly executed. The sound effects for enemies, animals, even Foley are flawless, especially the enemy sounds.

Now, the soundtrack. There are soundtracks, and there is the Legend of Zelda soundtrack. You see, it’s not even in the same category as other soundtracks, it stands alone. Some game music you listen to and it’s really good—but you may be tempted to even buy the Twilight Princess soundtrack, it’s that good. I am convinced that Koji Kondo cannot be human. No human should be that brilliant. He is like a Muse, a demigod. The sound of Twilight Princess is extraordinary.

Sorry, People of Hyrule! I Got Sidetracked…

 

…By side quests. What is fun about Twilight Princess? Well, everything really. So let’s rephrase: What is most fun about Twilight Princess? Side quests! Yes, Midna, I know that the land of Hyrule and the Twilight Realm are in peril, but I must fish!...And catch gold insects….and snowboard. You honestly cannot just blow through this game by clearing all of the dungeons. Some side quests are mandatory to the story, some are not. But you have to do some of the non essential side quests. It is like sacrilege if you don’t. The goddesses of Hyrule will smite you if you don’t. And why would you not want to do side quests? There are plenty of them to distract you from the peril of the land. You can fish, you can fly a nazgul-looking creature up a gorge, and you can ski, shoot targets from a boat, or capture targets by grabbing hold of a chicken and gliding down. The people of Hyrule will forgive you your neglect.

Plasmafactor

 

The element that really makes or breaks this game is the character design. It. Is. Superb. You won’t find better designed characters of such variety. From Link, to the secondary characters, to the enemies, the character design makes this game truly great. Each side-character’s personality is very distinct even without the benefit of a voice. The emotions of the characters perhaps benefit from not having voices because their eyes and body language tell so much. And Zant. He is one of the best designed villains I have ever seen. The inhabitants of the Twilight Realm also have a Nightmare Before Christmas-like design that is great. This is some of the greatest overall character design that I have ever seen in a game.

 

Twilight.

 

This is a game you must own. It will probably go down in history as one of the greatest games ever, just as The Legend of Zelda is one of the greatest franchises ever. Do not rent it, do not borrow it from your friend. You will want to own this game. Besides, you’ll rack up in late charges at the video store when you take too long to return it, or your friend will be angry with you for keeping it so long (if they part with it at all.) Go beyond the game to full geekdom and get lots of Twilight Princess merchandise and collector’s items. I’m so in love with this game that I plan to make or buy my own life-size Link cardboard cutout or die cast figure. Seriously, though, at least play this game and you’ll fall in love. It’s fantastic.