The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD | Review

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD is the newest game in the The Legend of Zelda franchise, or rather, it's the newest remaster of an older Zelda game. Twilight Princess was released in 2006 on Gamecube and Wii to universal acclaim, and now on it's 10 year anniversary, we have a HD remaster on the Wii U. Rather than focusing on the game itself, this review will primarily be about what makes Twilight Princess different from other Zelda titles and what's new in the HD version. By now we all know (and if you don't, you should know) how Zelda games are structured, so I won't be going into that here.

So let's start by talking about the HD remaster and the differences to the original. The most obvious difference which slaps you in the face the moment you turn the game on, is that the graphics are now HD. The game looks fantastic, it's clearer than the original versions (they were blurry to hide the bad draw distances caused by hardware limitations) and all the character and environment models and textures have been upgraded. I didn't come across a single thing in the game I thought looked bad.

 I mean, it's fairly obvious the game is now in HD because of the name right?

The Wii U gamepad is used in much the same way it was used in The Wind Waker HD. It acts as the inventory screen and a handy map screen. It also supports off tv play which can be activated at the press of the select button. This is handy if someone else is using the TV or if you want to keep playing while having a toilet break. It also lets you tilt the gamepad to aim while using a ranged weapon. While this may seem a bit gimmicky it actually works really well and I use it over analogue stick aiming because it's quicker and I'm actually more accurate with it. You can also transform into your wolf form and back into human form at a touch of the screen, this is nice because it speeds the game up and makes the whole process completely seamless. Of course, if you don't like the gamepad, the more traditional Wii U Pro Pad is also supported by the game, which will give you an experience that feels more like the Gamecube version.

There is the addition of another collectible; the Miiverse stamps. These are not only another thing to collect in the game but also can be used in Miiverse posts which is a nice little bonus and gives players who have already mastered the original Twilight Princess something else to look out for.

Of course as with all newer Nintendo games, Twilight Princess HD has Amiibo support. This is slightly annoying in my opinion although I won't fully go into that here (maybe in another article). The new Wolf Link Amiibo teleports you to a brand new area where you fight hordes of enemies and the other Zelda related Amiibo also do things in the game (restore your hearts, refill your arrows, etc). The Ganondorf Amiibo offers an additional challenge by making you take twice the amount of damage as usual. In the case of the Wolf Link and Ganondorf Amiibo, I wish this content was accessible by actually playing the game rather than being completely locked out without the Amiibo figures.

But still. The Wolf Link Amiibo is actually quite a good figure. It feels quite weighty unlike some others and it's good quality too.

Another small but very welcome addition to the game is the ability to still pick Rupees up from chests even if your wallet is full. This was just a little annoyance in the original version but it would result in an unopened chest icon staying on the map in a dungeon because I couldn't take the contents of the chest out. Being a completionist, this would be slightly irritating, so it's good to see that the HD version caters to OCD gamers like me.

As far as changes to the game go, that's about it. It's the same game as it was back in 2006 only with much better visuals, and a few teaks and additions which ultimately make this the definitive version of the game. The only questionable addition to the HD version is the Amiibo functionality, but this can just be ignored and it won't in any way feel like the game is missing content. But what makes Twilight Princess different to other Zelda games you ask? Well...

The most obvious difference to me is how the whole game feels a lot more story driven and cinematic. Rather than simple going around the world collecting things, there is actually a bit of a personal objective for Link, he isn't just trying to save the world because that's what he's been told to do, he's trying to find his missing friends and help the friends he gains on his journey. I don't know if this is true, but the game felt like it had more cutscenes than previous Zelda games. This is by no means a bad thing and the cutscenes weren't all over the place, they just really helped to make the story move forward and to show more clearly what characters were doing. I think along with the more realistic visual style, this is probably why the experience felt more cinematic.

Plus it has horrible green guys riding warthogs. What's not to love?

The combat in Twilight Princess has had quite a major upgrade. The basic sword moves are still the same as they were back in Ocarina of Time, but you can now learn new moves, like a shield bash, a quick draw attack, and many other cool attacks. You also can run and attack at the same time; while this is useless against bigger enemies because it is the least powerful attack in the game, you can use it to quickly clear an area full of smaller enemies, or more importantly, cut grass a lot easier and quicker than in previous games!

There are a few new items to the Zelda universe in Twilight Princess. These are all awesome and I particularly like the Ball and Chain weapon. I was fully expecting to get fire arrows but I was pleasantly surprised when the formula was changed slightly and I found the Ball and Chain. There are a few other really good items, but I won't spoil them all here. For the most part in the older Zelda games you use one item in one dungeon and then that item is rarely used again. In Twilight Princess, the older items were still being used later in the game, which is good because you don't feel like many of the items become completely redundant (apart from the Slingshot...).

The items you find are also very useful when fighting the harder enemies in the game.

The game also feels a lot more varied than its predecessors. Rather than simply running from point A to point B, in Twilight Princess, traveling from one area to another is really fun because of the variety of content thrown in. Link will find himself flying with a bird, snowboarding with a yeti, sumo wrestling with a Goron and all sorts of other things.

A series staple of the Zelda games is having some form of sidekick. This game's sidekick is Midna who is a much more charismatic sidekick character than Navi, Tatl or the King of Red Lions seen in the previous games. She is also important to the story and has her own agenda and she doesn't feel like she's just there to give advice or to constantly say “Listen!” like a certain other sidekick... Midna is easily my favourite Zelda sidekick, she's sarcastic, mysterious and mischievous and has tons more of an actual character than other Zelda sidekicks.

Although Twilight Princess is a little bit different to the older Zelda games, it still feels very much like a Zelda game. You still go through dungeons that are structured in the same way, you still have the zany characters and the charm that make the Zelda games so great. You still have the overarching story about the Triforce and the hero chosen by the gods. I will say, if you want to fully understand Twilight Princess' story, it's pretty much essential that you play Ocarina of Time first. There's a lot of references scattered all over the place and this would be lost on you without having played or at least having some knowledge about Ocarina of Time.

And don't worry, everyone's favourite character, Skull Kid, even has a graphical upgrade.

As far as negative things about Twilight Princess HD go, I really don't have a lot to say, and what I do have to say is such minor points that they don't even particularly matter. I don't like how unlike in some previous games, there is no option to change between day and night at will. This is only an annoyance if you are going for 100% completion though because the Poe creatures only appear at night, and throughout the game you need to collect 60 of their souls.

There is a new item combining system featured in Twilight Princess which I haven't mentioned until now. The reason for this is because it is hardly ever actually mandatory to use. There is one section of the game where you combine bombs with arrows in order to traverse across caverns, but that's about it. Of course you can use this bomb arrow combination for combat purposes, but as far as using it for puzzle solving, it's very under utilised. However, the actual item combining itself is very good, especially with the gamepad, just a quick drag and drop on the screen and you'll have the combined item in a matter of seconds.

An issue I have with the Zelda games in general (not just Twilight Princess) is that after a certain point in the game (normally about a third of the way in, or even before that) you have absolutely no use for Rupees. I don't really know how they could get around this, but I do hope there is more to spend money on in the new Zelda game.

You got 200 Rupees, but nowhere to put them and nothing to do with them!

So, how does The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD stack up against it's predecessors? I actually have to say that this is probably my favourite 3D Zelda game I've played (I've not played Skyward Sword). While it probably isn't the most accessible (The Wind Waker is the best for that) it is the one with the best combat, best story and most variety. It's always difficult picking your favourite Zelda game because they are all so good. But this one is definitely up there with the best. It's an absolute must play for owners of a Wii U and for fans of Zelda games or adventure/puzzle games.

8/10

Pros

- There's more of a story than in previous Zelda games but not too much so that it changes the Zelda formula. I would highly recommend playing Ocarina of Time before this though. But it isn't at all essential.

- The bosses and mini bosses are some of the series best. There wasn't a single one in Twilight Princess I didn't enjoy.

- So many collectibles (Poe souls, pieces of hearts, Miiverse stamps, fish, bugs, etc) that keep you playing after the story has finished.

- The dungeons aren't frustratingly difficult but a few puzzles will have you stuck for a while, but they can be solved with a little bit of thought and attempting different things.

- Very very good graphics and very very good music.

- The implementation of the Wii U gamepad enhances the experience as opposed from being a gimmick. And it isn't essential either so long as you have a Pro Pad.

Cons

- After a certain point in the game, there's hardly anything to spend Rupees on meaning they become a bit useless.

- The new item combining feature is extremely under utilised. I can only think of one example it's used in the entire game.

- You can't switch from day and night at will like in Ocarina of Time or Majora's Mask, and some items need to be collected at night making that a bit of a pain if you're going to go for all of the collectibles.

- There could possibly be more side quests and more character development for townspeople like in Majora's Mask. Although there is more to do than in Ocarina of Time.

- Questionable Amiibo support which locks you out of certain content.