 Preview By: Andrew Joy |
Developer: | Nintendo |
| Publisher: | Nintendo | |
| Genre: | Adventure | |
| ESRB: | Teen | |
| # Of Players: | 1 | |
| Online Play: | No | |
| Accessories: | Memory Card | |
| Estimated Release: | 12/11/2006 |
(Note: All screenshots used in this preview were taken from the Wii version.)
Of those who played Ocarina of Time on the Nintendo 64 way back in 1998, there are few who can look you in the face and honestly say it was not one of the greatest games ever made, let alone the greatest title in The Legend of Zelda series. With creative character and levels design, a compelling story that weaved itself in and out of the fabric of time, and arguably some of the best graphics for the time, there is no doubt that the game set the bar very high. Having played most of the titles since then, I would even dare to say that no Zelda title (including Wind Waker and The Minish Cap, though both are excellent titles) has even come close to achieving what that game did...until now. Nintendo’s latest foray into the land of Hyrule, the much-vaunted The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, is looking to topple the king from its thrown. Of course, we’ve come a long way since the days of OoT – mass media is even more massive, computers can be found on almost every person and in almost every home, school, and business, and the Internet is the invisible hand that keeps our world turning - so hype more than anything else may be driving this title. But that doesn’t necessarily mean Twilight Princess is undeserving.
By now, thanks to all the hype, as I mentioned, most people probably know the basic premise behind The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. However, for those of you who’ve only just managed to find an Internet provider for that rock you’ve been living under, allow me to illuminate you. Though at this point some story elements are still a mystery (at least to those of us who have not played it), a mysterious figure known as the Twilight King has invaded Hyrule and forced Princess Zelda to surrender the kingdom, forcing her and all her people to live on as spirits within the Twilight Realm, or else they will all be killed. When we first see Link, he is but a ram herder in a small village, but he soon ventures out of town to deliver a sword and shield, and it is then that he encounters the darkness that is spreading over the land. When Link enters the Twilight Realm, instead of turning into a spirit, he becomes a wolf, where he eventually encounters and is saved by a tiny witch named Midna. Throughout the course of the game, Link will travel back and forth between the two worlds, and that is where we get into some of the interesting new gameplay elements introduced in this title.
In terms of gameplay, this Zelda title won’t differ too much from Link’s past 3D exploits, and when he is in his human form, things will likely remain much how you remember. Link will still use a variety of items to solve puzzles and defeat enemies, and while some old favorites will return, a new spin has been put on some of them. Link’s trusty boomerang, for example, now creates a powerful gust of wind that can be used to trip switches and even carry bombs to another area. Some items will be the same as always, but will find new uses, like the Iron Boots, which will allow Link to walk on magnetic surfaces. And even a handful of items will remain predominantly unchanged, like the Hookshot/Clawshot, which will be used the same way as it always has. Epona, Link’s horse, will also return, though horseback combat is much more involved than last time and will be used more often than in Ocarina of Time. In the Twilight Realm, of course, having four paws of his own, Link won’t have any need for a horse, but he won’t be able to use his items either. In their place, however, Link will make use of a variety of senses to help him uncover secrets that could not be found before.
No matter what form you are in, human or wolf, Link’s weapon and abilities are assigned to the D-pad...at least on the Wii version that is. As many of you likely know, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess began its life on the GameCube, but the focus of development really switched before it was completed so that Nintendo could adapt this latest adventure for the Wii (though, for a time, they outright denied it). Now, up until this point, both games have remained relatively similar, but once we start to look at the controls, the two games go their own separate ways and never look back. The main difference between the two, however, is not something as simple as where items are assigned, but how you attack. When the first playable Wii version was shown, your weapons were handled in a fairly normal way, with only a few frills: the A button swung your sword, holding it or spinning the nunchuk attachment caused your character to do a spin attack, and flicking the nunchuk downward caused your character to do a downward thrust, plunging your sword into knocked down foes – of course, knocking enemies down was a matter of thrusting the Wii-mote towards the screen, performing a shield shove. Using your bow (and the Gale Boomerang), as you might expect, was a matter of aiming with Wii-mote and sensor bar, and that has remained largely unchanged. However, due to an outcry of the masses (or that’s how I like to see it, anyways), Nintendo eventually added in motion controls for Link’s sword, so a simple swipe no equates to just that onscreen. It isn’t 1:1, of course, but all in all it looks to make for a much more immersive Zelda experience.
Posted: 2006-11-16 17:46:56 PST