The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Developer(s)	Nintendo EAD
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Designer(s)	Eiji Aonuma (director) Shigeru Miyamoto (producer) Yoshiyuki Oyama (character design)
Engine	Heavily modified version of the The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker engine.
Platform(s)	Wii, Nintendo GameCube
Release	Wii November 19, 2006 December 2, 2006 December 7, 2006 December 8, 2006 GameCube December 2, 2006 December 12, 2006 December 12, 2006 December 15, 2006
Genre(s)	Action Adventure
Mode(s)	Single player

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (ゼルダの伝説 トワイライトプリンセス, Zeruda no Densetsu Towairaito Purinsesu) is the latest video game in Nintendo’s critically acclaimed The Legend of Zelda series, for the Wii and Nintendo GameCube video games consoles. Originally planned for release in November 2005, Nintendo delayed it so that the developers could add more content and fine-tune the game. The Wii version was released on the console's launch dates, in November and December 2006, making Twilight Princess the first Zelda game to debut alongside the launch of a Nintendo console. The GameCube version was released in December 2006.

Link, the protagonist of the game, initially an assistant in a farm-like village, travels to Hyrule, the game's setting. He encounters a number of enemies, and with the help of the creature Midna, fights the twilight spreading across Hyrule.

Twilight Princess is the first game in The Legend of Zelda series to be rated T by the ESRB, for animated blood and fantasy violence.

Plot

Set hundreds of years after the events of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, the game begins with Link living in Ordon Village, working as a ranch hand. A group of monsters attack Link and kidnap two other Ordon Villagers; when Link pursues them, he is pulled into the Twilight Realm, transformed into a wolf, and imprisoned in Hyrule Castle. An impish creature named Midna helps Link escape from his cell, and the two join forces. Link and Midna meet another one of the castle's prisoners: Princess Zelda.

Zelda explains that the Twilight King Zant is trying to merge the Twilight Realm and Hyrule into a land of darkness. Zant is a member of the Twili, a race of beings descended from the magicians banished to the Twilight Realm by the goddesses of Hyrule. Midna is also a Twili searching for a weapon called the Fused Shadow to defeat Zant and save the Twilight Realm. Restoring the four light spirits of Hyrule, Link and Midna re-assemble the Fused Shadow. Zant however takes the Fused Shadows, traps Link in his wolf form, and exposes Midna to the light of a light spirit, critically injuring her. Link rushes Midna to Princess Zelda, who reveals that the only way Link can return to his normal form is to find the Master Sword. Zelda sacrifices herself to heal Midna, allowing her to exist outside of the Twilight. After Midna and Link obtain the Master Sword, Midna condenses Zant's curse into a gemstone that allows Link to assume his wolf form at will.

When Link and Midna reach the Mirror of Twilight — the only way to stop Zant — they learn that Zant has already broken it into four fragments, and three are missing. The ancient Sages who guard the mirror reveal that they sealed a man named Ganondorf inside the Twilight Realm in a desperate attempt to execute him as the previous method had failed, resulting in the death of a sage and a small glowing wound on Ganondorf. Link and Midna retrieve the shards, restore the mirror, and the sages reveal that Midna is the true ruler of the Twili, the Twilight Princess, but was turned into an imp by Zant. They then confront Zant in the Twilight Realm's Palace of Twilight. Zant explains that he went into a rage after being passed over as the king of the Twili, and it was then that he encountered a God-Like entity that was none other than the spirit of Ganondorf sealed inside the Twilight Realm. Ganondorf offers to make Zant's wishes come true in exchange for Zant becoming a vessel for his power. Link defeats Zant, and Midna attacks him using the recaptured Fused Shadow, destroying his physical shell. In his last breath, Zant reveals the true nature of Ganondorf, his rebirth into the world of Hyrule and the danger Zelda is in.

Link and Midna return to Hyrule to save Zelda. Hyrule Castle is surrounded by a seemingly impenetrable magical barrier, but Midna uses the Fused Shadow to break through it. Link battles Ganondorf, who fights from within Princess Zelda using her as a puppet and then in the form of a giant boar. Midna purges Zelda of Ganondorf's spirit and returns her soul to her body. She then warps Link and Zelda to safety and tries to destroy Ganondorf herself with the Fused Shadow. Hyrule Castle explodes, and Ganondorf appears on horseback, holding Midna's helmet indicating her defeat. Princess Zelda calls upon the light spirits, who give her the Light Arrows, and she and Link battle Ganondorf on horseback. Ganondorf falls from his horse in battle but engages Link in a swordfight. Link drives the Master Sword into Ganondorf's Achille's Heel, his chest wound, and Ganondorf stands impaled while the image of the Triforce fades from his hand. His eyes close and he stands in silence as an image of Zant briefly appears followed by a loud snap. What has happened to him is unknown, as this is the last we see of him.

With Hyrule and the Twilight Realm safe again, the curse that Zant put on Midna lifts, and she regains her true form. Link, Zelda and Midna travel to the Mirror of Twilight, where Midna returns home. Before she leaves, Midna shatters the Mirror of Twilight with a tear, severing the link between Hyrule and the Twilight Realm but more importantly, her and Link. At the end of the game, Link is shown riding away from Ordon after returning the Master Sword. The final image is of the statue of the Triforce and the Goddesses above the throne room in Hyrule Castle, now restored.

Gameplay

Twilight Princess features a stylized, naturalistic art style (similar to, but more advanced than, that found in Ocarina of Time), rather than the cel-shaded look that The Wind Waker exhibited — although it still makes use of cel-shading effects, using a very heavily modified version of The Wind Waker’s engine. In a further departure from The Wind Waker, Link is once again a young man, as opposed to a child, as in the latter part of Ocarina of Time and in The Adventure of Link. The game also takes on a darker tone, rivaling that of Majora's Mask.

Link transforms into a wolf when entering the Twilight Realm, a void that has ensnared Hyrule. This is not a wholly separate place like the Dark World in A Link to the Past, but a festering malignancy across Hyrule.

The Wii version uses the "point-and-click" feature of the Wii Remote as a "fairy" cursor (an on screen pointer modeled to look like a fairy), for accessing menus, and for using various tools such as the Hero's Bow, Clawshot, and Fishing Rod, (see Weapons, items and abilities); it uses the Nunchuk attachment analog stick for movement. In order to swing the sword which Link uses as a weapon, the player makes a slashing motion with the Wii Remote. A jab with the tilt-sensitive Nunchuk will cause Link to perform one of his secret moves, the shield attack. To use Link’s “spin attack” (a powerful attack where Link swings his sword circularly around himself), the player swings the Nunchuk horizontally.

In order to use items, the game allows the player to equip the items to the left, right, and down positions of the D-pad of the Wii remote using the item screen (-). When an item's respective direction button is pressed, the item is switched into the B button for easier use. The built-in speaker on the remote is used for sounds like the bowstring of the Hero's Bow being drawn and released, Midna's laugh, and the “Zelda chime” when discovering items.

By comparison, the GameCube version uses a control scheme similar to The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, with the B button used for sword attacks, other items mapped to the X, and Y (but not Z like in The Wind Waker, which is now always assigned to interaction wth the character Midna), the L button for lock-on to enemies and NPCs, and the C-stick used for manual camera control.

In Twilight Princess, Link learns more moves than in any other Legend of Zelda game to date. Link also shares similar moves between human and wolf, for example when an enemy is on the ground, Link has the option to finish them off by plunging his sword into their chest or in wolf form (on poes, to rip out their souls). Link can communicate with animals in wolf form as if they were people. When transformed into a wolf, Link’s sense of smell is greatly improved allowing him to follow trails left by certain characters in the game. With these abilities come some disadvantages. While he is a wolf, Link cannot utilize any of his items, or open any doors with handles until he can transform into human.

There is no extensive voice acting in the game. The characters laugh, scream, and make other such noises, as they have in previous installments on the Nintendo 64 and Nintendo GameCube. In conversations, Link remains silent, and his responses are implied, much like other The Legend of Zelda games. The only character who is completely "voiced" is Midna. However she says no clear words, instead speaking in an unintelligible language (similarly to E. Gadd in Luigi's Mansion).

Returning from Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, a horse can again be ridden in Twilight Princess. The default name for the horse is Epona (the set name of the horse from the two aforementioned games) and is used as the main form of transport whilst Link is in human form and until various warp points are opened around Hyrule.

Weapons, items and abilities

Further information: Weapons and items from The Legend of Zelda series

Basic quest items

Link first acquires a wooden sword, but later upgrades to the Ordon Sword (a regular metal sword) and then the Master Sword. In the Palace of Twilight, the Master Sword is further upgraded. Link obtains a wooden shield early (Ordon Shield). This can catch fire (similar to the Deku Shield in Ocarina of Time). If the shield does catch fire and burns up, it can be replaced with another Wooden Shield, or the metal Hylian Shield. However, the Hylian Shield does not catch fire.

The Slingshot also returns from previous installments of the series. Link obtains this item early on in the game before entering any dungeons. Though Link keeps the slingshot, it is essentially replaced later in the game by the Bow, which has similar controls and is more powerful. A Lantern is also in the game, and is used for lighting dark areas, burning spiderweb obstacles, and for lighting torches to trigger "hidden" events. The game features many classic Zelda armaments, some with new twists, such as the Gale Boomerang which can create a small whirlwind capable of picking up items. The Iron Boots also return, which can now be used in conjunction with magnetic surfaces to attach Link to the ceiling. Link has three types of bombs available: Standard Bombs, Water Bombs (bombs that can be used under water), and Bomblings (bombs with legs). Link can combine items such as the bombs and arrows to create bomb arrows, among other items. Twilight Princess also introduces a new version of the Hookshot called the Clawshot. This item functions similarly to the Hookshot, except that Link can hang from the claw, and when hanging from a ceiling he can extend or retract the chain to move up or down. This is later upgraded to two Clawshots enabling movement without touching the ground in certain areas by firing one whilst remaining aloft with the other. The Dominion Rod is used to bring some statues to life. The Spinner (a new item) is a large top-like object which Link uses to move over quicksand and attack enemies. It is also used to ride along tracks in the Arbiter's Grounds and other locations. Another new item is the Ball and Chain, a heavy ball at the end of a chain which is used swinging to hit enemies and break through weak walls and blocks of ice. The Hawkeye is a new addition in the series, which is purchased at the Malo Mart after the archery test in Kakariko is completed. It acts like the telescope from Wind Waker, but is a mask of a hawk head. It can be combined with the bow, which acts like a sniper rifle. Finally Ooccoo is a character present in most dungeons. When discovered, she behaves as a warp item, much like Farore's Wind in Ocarina of Time. She will let Link set a warp point inside a dungeon, and return to it later on.

Collectibles

There are four different sets of clothing in the game: The farm outfit he starts in, the green "Hero" tunic (which replaces his farm outfit), the Zora Armor with flippers and diving mask that allows him to breathe and swim freely underwater but increases the damage taken from fire and ice hazards tenfold, and the Magic Armor, which makes Link temporarily invincible (at the cost of rupees). Classic items such as Potions and Bottles also return.

Twelve species of golden bugs can be found around Hyrule. Catching these bugs and giving them to Agitha, a girl located in Castle Town, will give Link wallet upgrades, first to a capacity of 600 rupees, and then to 1000 after capturing all 24 bugs and returning them to her. There are twelve male and twelve female bugs, however the male and female snails when looked at both say "it might actually be a male/female" on both genders as snails are hermaphrodites.

A heart container now consists of five heart pieces instead of the traditional four.

60 Poes can be found throughout Hyrule. The player can capture their souls while in wolf mode and return them to Jovani. Bringing him 20 Poes will net the player a Bottle filled with Great Fairy Tears, while all 60 Poes will net the player 200 Rupees as well as restore Jovani's body. In addition, subsequent conversations with Jovani's cat will net Link an additional 200 rupees, providing an infinite source of Rupees.

Abilities

During the game Link gains a number of new sword techniques at various points. These techniques are learned by first finding "howling stones" in different areas of Hyrule whilst in wolf form and in the Twilight Realm, and howling a song (different for each stone). A golden wolf appears and tells Link to find him in certain places marked on the game map. Once at this marked point and in human form outside the Twilight Realm, the wolf can again be seen and Link is warped to a supernatural area which appears to be on top of clouds. Here, the wolf transforms into a skeletal ghost form clad in Roman-like armor. The spirit teaches Link up to seven new techniques by allowing Link to try them out on him. After the final technique is learned, the skeletal being makes a claim to being a previous hero who could not pass on these techniques to anyone and that the sword maneuvers can only be taught to those of his bloodline. The first technique taught by the skeletal warrior must be learned, as the game cannot be completed without it, the other six are optional.

In wolf form, Link automatically has a "sense" ability. Using the sense ability, Link can track down certain characters by following their scents with his enhanced senses. As a wolf, he is also able to find and dig holes to find new passages and uncover buried items such as hearts and rupees. He can also search for Poes in his wolf form, which can only be attacked when using his wolf senses. These are collected for a side-quest.

File:Twilight9sj.png

The "Twilight Realm"

Characters and bosses

Main article: Characters in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Enemies

See also: Enemies in The Legend of Zelda series

File:Darknut 2.png

Link battles against a Darknut in the Temple of Time.

The Enemy AI of Twilight Princess is more advanced than in The Wind Waker,, challenging players a little more.

Staple enemies such as Keese return in Twilight Princess, with a number of new creatures as well. Although Moblins appeared in the 2004 Trailer, they did not show up in the final release. Instead, their relatives, the Bokoblins, return alongside a new Moblin relative called Bulblins. Bokoblins in Twilight Princess are modeled to look like goblins or orcs, and can be found in various areas, wielding wooden swords. Bokoblins, unlike their The Wind Waker versions, have whitish hair, and look much more human, having lost their snouts, tails, and fur. Bulblins, a little more dangerous than their cousins, are armed with maces or bows, and can ride in pairs on boars. Another classic enemy in the Zelda series, Stalfos, appear in the game, though their appearance has changed drastically since Ocarina of Time. Darknuts return, as well. They are more powerful than in previous installments, where removing their armor forces them to drop their broadsword and instead draw a longsword and battle much faster than before. Beamos make a comeback in Twilight Princess, though instead of the metallic incarnation, they are now stone blocks with red eyes on spinning heads. The ones found in Goron Mines shoot beams of lava, whereas those found in the Temple of Time shoot the traditional lasers. The reptilian Lizalfos and Dynalfols return from Ocarina of Time, as well. A Skull Kid makes an appearance in Faron Woods's Sacred Grove, and Skulltulas return with an overhauled appearance; now appearing as massive spiders with a skull-motif on their thorax rather than simply a skull-like carapace with legs as in previous games. Smaller Skulltulas, called Pygmy Skulltulas, act like their Ocarina of Time counterparts, while the larger, armored variety actually drop to the ground and attack Link directly.

File:NewSkulltula.png

A Skulltula in Twilight Princess.

Poes return, though now carrying scythes for a weapon, and Link may collect their souls as a sidequest. Link also encounters fire-breathing lizards, Dodongos, though they now walk on four legs. Other returning enemies include Armos, Deku Babas, Stalchilds (now named Stalkin), Tektites, Freezards, Shell Blades, Bubbles, Moldorms, Baris, Leevers, Chus (similar to ChuChus), Torch Slugs, and White Wolfos. All of these returning creatures have a darker, more detailed look. Some returning creatures are given more abilities, while others have certain abilities cut back. One such example are the ReDead Knights of Arbiter's Grounds. While retaining the freezing scream of the Redeads present in both Ocarina of Time and The Wind Waker, these new creatures attack with swords and have armor, traits that were not present in the previous incarnations. Also, it should be noted that the Octoroks are missing from this game, but a similar enemy, the Toadpoli, can be found. Only two areas have this enemy in Twilight Princess: a hidden grove in Lake Hylia and two rooms in Goron Mines. While their appearance is much different than an Octorok (the Toadpoli resembles a fish), they behave in the same manner. Helmasaurs also appear in the game, similar to Hiploops from Majora's Mask and Iron Masks from Link's Awakening.

Twilit Messengers are among the new enemies found in the game. Dropping from Portals from the Twilight Realm, they attack Link in various locations. In combat, if all but one Twilit Messenger is slain, it will revive its fellow Beings with a horrendous scream that temporarily freezes Link to the spot. When a group is defeated, the portal they fell from can be used to return to that location via warping. Twilit Parasites, invisible bugs found in the Twilight Realm, must be destroyed in the twilight. They carry Tears of Light, the fragmented powers of the spirits. A giant Twilit Parasite, known as the Twilit Bloat, is fought at Lake Hylia as the final keeper of a Tear of Light. There are new enemies called Stalhounds, skeletal wolves, which attack Link during the night in Hyrule Field, similar to the Stalchildren of Ocarina of Time. Other new additions include the nimble Bombskit, the ice warrior Chilfos, the Skull Kid's Puppets, and the bubble-inhabiting Chu Worm.

Several light world enemies also exist in the Twilight Realm. These enemies include the Twilit Baba (Deku Baba), Twilit Bulblin, Twilit Kargarok, Twilit Keese, and Twilit Vermin (which is essentially a common rat). Though the Twilit counterparts look radically different than their original form, they behave in the same way.

Races

• Hylian

The Hylians are a human race that reside in Hyrule. Most characters in the game are Hylian. The Hylians are distinguished from Ordonians by having long, swept back, pointed ears. Notable Hylians in the game include Link, Princess Zelda and all members of The "Group" except Ashei and Rusl.

• Ordonians

As the name suggests, Ordonians are humans from the Ordon Province. They are distinguishable by having "normal" rounded ears and sharing their appearance with real life humans. In Twilight Princess notable Ordonians include Ilia, Colin, and Malo, Talo and Beth.

• Goron

The Goron race has returned in the latest installment of the Zelda series. Aside from being taller, they retain many of the same features as the Gorons from past Zelda installments, only differing in that they now have a more rock like appearance with a rocky crust that can be seen on their head and back areas, and also wear tribal markings on their skin and loincloths. They serve as enemies in the game at first, rolling into Link like boulders upon noticing him. A little later the player is taught how to fight off this attack. Upon completing the second dungeon, the Gorons decide to make peace with the humans (which the Gorons call them instead of Hylians) and no longer attack Link.

A much larger Goron featured in early game artwork serves as a Mini-Boss in the second dungeon guarding the Hero's Bow. This Goron is noticeably different as it is much larger than most Gorons (albeit not as large as Biggoron, a character in past games) and also features large pieces of metal grafted onto its back and arms.

• Zora

The Zora also make a comeback in the game. After they are freed from the ice, they are seen in a number of different locales apart from Zora's Domain such as Lake Hylia and Death Mountain. It appears that Zora's River has cut much deeper into the rock over past centuries as the waterfall is much higher now, and it originates in Zora's Domain instead of above it. Also, it should be noted that Jabu-Jabu did not make an appearance in the game. An interesting revelation was the connection between Zora and Kakariko Village. At the back of Kakariko Village, there is a pool which is the final resting place of the Zora.

• Sheikah

Though the name is not directly stated, Impaz is heavily implied to be a Sheikah because she said she was named after the one who made the Hidden Village (Impa from Ocarina of Time) and is in the same clan as they were. Impaz also has noticeably red irises and white hair just like Impa. During Ocarina of Time, many Sheikahs also resided in Kakariko Village, although that was some time before the events of Twilight Princess.

Apart from Impaz, the mysterious swordsman that teaches Link skills may be a Sheikah, as the howling stones bear the Sheikah symbol.

• Gerudo

The Gerudo race itself has not returned, as Ganondorf is the only one stated as being Gerudo in the game. It may be that the Gerudo have disappeared from Hyrule, or they were only excluded from the game.

• Yeti

The only Yetis that exist in the game are Yeto and Yeta. They are married and inhabit a mansion called "Snowpeak Ruins". It is suggested by the game that female Yetis are much smaller than males and lack a tail and arms in this case.

• Twili

The latest race to be revealed in the The Legend of Zelda series is the Twili. They are the descendants of a group of mages who defied the gods and attempted to take over the Sacred Realm. As a result, they were banished to the Twilight Realm for their actions. Both Midna and Zant are Twili.

• Oocca

Another new race, the Oocca, are said to be an ancient race that created the Hylians. They are small, flying creatures that have human-like heads and bird-like bodies. They dwell in the City in the Sky, which Link must visit toward the end of the game.

The only key character from this race is Ooccoo. For each the first seven dungeons of the game, she will help the player escape the dungeon at any time after freeing her from a pot. Her son, Ooccoo Jr., will help the player return to the dungeon at any time, too. Her main goal is to return to the City in the Sky after finding the keeper of the Dominion Rod.

• Animals

Many animals including cats, dogs, monkeys and as a series standard Cuccos feature in the game. Many of these animals, such as common frogs and squirrels, assist the player throughout the game and can even communicate and give hints to the player in Link's wolf form.

Locations and dungeons

Main article: Places in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Music

Music once again plays a role in Twilight Princess, as in previous Legend of Zelda games. While Link does not carry a musical instrument of any type until well into the game, he can pick grass from certain patches and whistle with it to call an animal, either a Hawk or Epona, Link's horse (later on, an instrument shaped similarly to the grass used to summon Epona is given to Link and has the same effect as the aforementioned grass). Also, while as a wolf Link can howl near the same patches, to the same effect. When Link is in his wolf form, there are six "howling stones" located around the world where, after Link howls a certain melody shown on screen a few times, a golden wolf appears and jumps somewhere else in the world. Link must then change back to his human form and find the wolf to learn a hidden sword technique. The songs howled by Wolf Link are taken from Majora's Mask, Ocarina of Time, and The Wind Waker, with the exception of the final howling stone, which is the "bass" of the game's Hyrule Field main theme.

In a first for the Zelda series, part of the soundtrack has been orchestrated as opposed to using MIDI. The fact that Nintendo has decided to use mostly MIDI for the soundtrack, however, has been a point of criticism. MIDI allows the background music to be more dynamic, but the sound quality suffers. Koji Kondo, the lead composer for the game's soundtrack, originally stated that he "would really like to push for" the music to be orchestrated. Part of the full soundtrack (featuring the songs "The Legend of Zelda: Orchestra Piece #2", "Hyrule Field Main Theme", "Ordon Village", "Kakariko Village", "Death Mountain", "Midna's Theme", and "Illia's Theme") is received when a Nintendo Power subscription is purchased (the subscription also comes with a game guide for Twilight Princess). A soundtrack also is packaged with the Twilight Princess Collector Box, an exclusive item sold at Target stores. The soundtrack also features two bonus tracks. The first bonus track, known as "DS Trailer Pack", was the theme that was to be used instead of the present Hyrule Field Main Theme.

Development

A number of rumors about the game were confirmed at E³ 2005. The official title, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess was announced. (The title was actually first revealed in a pre-E³ scan from Game Informer.)

The game falls chronologically anywhere from 100 years to multiple centuries after Ocarina of Time, though the reference to being before The Wind Waker has been omitted in recent interviews with the developers. Interviews and a playable demo exposed many new details, such as Link beginning the game as a ranch-hand, Link battling on horseback, changes in the horse controls from Ocarina of Time, thematic differences between dungeons, and so on.

The game received Game Critics Awards at E3 2005 for Best Console Game and Best Action/Adventure Game, and the award of Best Playable Game at E3 2005 by G4 TV's X-Play. Twilight Princess received the same awards, except for Best Console Game, at E3 2006 as well.

The game was delayed extensively; Its original release date was somewhere in November 2005, until August 16, 2005, when Nintendo announced it would be released some time after March 31 2006, because the development team needed more time to work on the game. In February, Reggie Fils-Aime (then Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Nintendo of America) stated in an interview on Spike TV that Twilight Princess would be released in the Fall of 2006, well past the expected spring or early summer release but still in time for the holiday shopping season. At Nintendo’s pre-E³ 2006 press conference, Reggie Fils-Aime announced that two versions would be released simultaneously in the Americas: one for GCN, and one for Wii.

On September 15 2006, Nintendo officially announced the release dates of Twilight Princess. The Wii, along with the Wii version of Twilight Princess, was released first on November 19 2006 in North America, with the GameCube version coming on December 12 2006. Both the GameCube and the Wii version launched simultaneously in Japan on December 2 2006. Europe and Australia saw the Wii-version launched on December 8 2006 and December 7 2006 respectively, while the GameCube-version was launched on December 15 2006 and December 14 2006 respectively.

File:NewLink.png

Character art, depicting the new Link

The cloaked figure, first revealed in the opening of the third official trailer released by Nintendo at E3 in 2005, is Zelda, wearing traditional funeral robes and bearing a rapier at her side. On this cloak there is also shown a Sheikah symbol.

According to statements from Nintendo, such as from translator and localization manager Bill Trinen, it took the Twilight Princess game testers an average of 70 hours to beat the game on the first run-through. He stated that he was working on his second play-through of the game and even knowing what to do, where to go, and skipping cut-scenes, he had logged about 27 hours to make it about two thirds of the way through the temples themselves - and that didn't account for any of the side quests or time sinks like fishing.

Twilight Princess on Wii

British publication NGC Magazine claimed, in December 2005, that when the GameCube version is played on Wii, the player will be given the option of using Wii’s unique controller; and it was not suspected that two versions of the game would be released. Reggie Fils-Aime denied these claims, stating that across the board, GCN games played on Wii would not be compatible with Wii's controller. Nintendo of France Director of Marketing Mathieu Minel stated in a subsequent interview with Jeux-France that Twilight Princess would include Wii controller functionality one way or another, but Nintendo quickly requested that this be removed from the interview. In the end, however, Shigeru Miyamoto himself was reported to have confirmed the Wii controller functionality in an interview with Nintendo of Europe. Time reported this also soon after. Finally, at E³ 2006, Nintendo announced that there would be two versions of Twilight Princess: one for GameCube (released on December 12 2006), and one for Wii (released on its launch date, November 19 2006).

Shigeru Miyamoto had said in an interview that the only differences between the GameCube and Wii versions of the Twilight Princess are technical (as described above). The Wii version also displays in a 16:9 (wide screen) format in 480p, where the GameCube version plays only in 4:3. 480p is possible on early DOL-001 models of the GameCube using the component cable.

In the Wii version of Twilight Princess, Link is right-handed, despite his famous left-hand preference. Miyamoto noticed that players preferred wielding their "swords" right-handed, but by that point, all the maps, bosses and models had already been designed with a left-handed stance in mind. The "simplest" solution was to invert the entire game horizontally (ironically, there is no mode for left-handed people). In the GameCube version, Link remains left-handed, and the maps and player guides for the two versions are mirror versions of each other. Anything in the game referring to east/west or left/right is changed accordingly between the two versions.

Reception

Reviews and awards

Compilations of multiple reviews
Game Rankings	Wii: 94.7% (based on 61 reviews) GCN: 96.3% (based on 11 reviews)
Metacritic	Wii: 95% (based on 57 reviews) GCN: 96% (based on 8 reviews)
Publication	Response	Comment
CVG	Wii: 10 of 10	"The greatest Zelda game ever? Yes"
Famitsu	Wii: 38 of 40
GamePro	Wii: 5 of 5	"Undeniably an epic adventure"
GameSpot	Wii: 8.8 out of 10 GCN: 8.9 out of 10	2006 Award for Best Wii Game 2006 Award for Best GameCube Game
GameSpy	Wii: 5 of 5	Editor's Choice 2006 Game of the Year
GameTrailers	Wii: 9.7 of 10	Game of the Year 2006
Game Informer	Wii: 10 of 10	Game of the Year
IGN	Wii: 9.5 of 10 GCN: 9.5 of 10	"Ocarina, your time is up" Both versions: Editors Choice Best Wii Game of 2006 Best Gamecube Game of 2006 Reader's Choice Game of 2006
Nintendo Power	Wii: 9.5 of 10 GCN: 9.5 of 10
EGM	Wii: 10 of 10	Platinum Award- straight 10s
Nintendo Magazine	Wii: 97%	Gold Award
X-Play	Wii: 5 out of 5[1]	Game of the Year Best Action/Adventure Game

The game has received mostly positive reviews focusing on its art direction, gameplay and controls. IGN proclaimed it the "best Zelda game ever", the second best launch game ever, behind Super Mario 64 as well as "one of the finest games I have ever played". Other sites including Cubed, Next Level Gaming, and Deeko call it the best Zelda game ever, and rank it as one of the best games ever. Steve Schardein from Gamerz Edge gave the game his first ever 10 out of 10 score saying "nearly everything about this game is downright perfect" and "that the rest of the game is so superbly executed—so masterfully designed—that it totally overshadows nearly any slight concern regarding visual prowess", summing up his feelings about the game he goes on to say that "the Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is one of the greatest videogames ever created".

Some aspects of the game's design have been criticized by a minority of reviewers. Reviewing the Wii version, GameSpot's reviewer complained about the feeling of "tacked-on" Wii controls and out-dated graphics, a consequence of the game being designed primarily for the older GameCube platform. GameSpot, however, called Twilight Princess the best GameCube game of 2006 as well as the best Wii game. It was also one of the ten nominees for GameSpot's "Game of the Year" award.

At Game Rankings, a web site that compiles game reviews and averages reviewers' scores, both versions of Twilight Princess have achieved an average of 94.7%, making the Wii version the 18th highest-reviewed game ever, as well as the highest ranked Wii game and game of 2006. The GameCube version has an average of 96.5% but only based on 13 reviews, so it is currently unranked.

At Metacritic, another review aggregate site, Twilight Princess has received an overall average of 95 out of 100, 4 points fewer than Ocarina of Time.

The game received Spike TV's Critic's Choice Video Game Award and also won Game of the Year along with Best Action Adventure Game on X-Play. [2] It was the game of the year of 2006 according to Game Trailers.

Sales

During its first week of sales, the Wii version of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess sold 454,000 copies in United States, 139,011 during its first two days in Japan, and 240,000 during its first weekend across Europe.

GameSpot quotes a Nintendo source stating that in the first eight days of the Wii's release, three out of four Wii system purchasers also purchased The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.

External links

• The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess official site
• Template:Nintendo.com
• The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Reviews at Metacritic
• The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Reviews at Gamerankings.com
• Game page at Wii.Nintendo.com for Wii version
• IGN coverage
• GameSpot coverage
• Legend of Zelda Wiki