First, along the way
Imagine a Zelda game, a new incarnation of The Legend of Zelda on the NES. With a free roaming world, not too small, so it becomes a sandbox and not too big, so you get lost in endless skirmishes for nothing. Dungeons must be discovered and some guidance comes from the inhabitants. Little Inns around the world, no loading times. The gameplay itself is a nice combat system that requires timing and can be mastered with skill - you have a feeling that you actually improve over time. The dungeons are made a little bit like labyrinths, and they actually get more difficult. I know how strange that must sound, the idea, that a game actually gets more difficult as you advance. Maybe, that can only be done when the combat system involves skill...
I guess, in these first lines i wrote about the hopes which i had for Zelda - Twilight Princess.
But let it begin...
An all grown up Link?
Link our hero - and i seriously hope you are not going to give him another name in your game - living in the world of Hyrule. He looks really good, i must say, and his horse is also a nice, mmmm, well horse. Nowadays, you need a horse, at least, at the time the game was new, it was a must have for every Action-RPG hero within a setting supporting horses. Link has grown up, but sadly the world around him has stayed a little behind. They look now (some of them), to be more serious folk, but in their hearts and the world in its heart stayed young, even younger then during the The Legend of Zelda times, i would say.
I liked it. For the first game hours i did not mind all of that. I liked the dark parts, when the shadow realm is still reigning over the province. My companion Midna, the wolf part, it was all very good. I had heard about the 50-60 hours gameplay before, and to me the first 5 hours felt like a tutorial. And the not knowing about the rest of the realm was great, it made me imagine all the wonders to come. I was certain that after the first introductions, the first dungeon temple, the first "How to play - part", that then, finally, i would be allowed to get free, to discover the world around me. But the tutorial, well how should i say it... the tutorial was not a tutorial, the tutorial obviously ended when i was leaving Links village, i guess thats at least what the gods of Hyrule intended. Oh well.
Hyrule is a nice place...
Sometimes too nice for me, but of course, as i just said - for me... not for everyone else i will say. You are taken by your hand and guided through Hyrule, and it really is a nice place (no sarcasm this time) but i am not someone who wants to be guided around like that . There comes a problem with a game above 30 hours length, when you are dragged around all the time. It starts to feel less like an adventure (hey, adventures should feel dangerous - thrill,...) and more like one errand after another. Another point of criticism is the puzzle part in Hyrule outside the dungeons. It's like getting that item, talking with that guy, buying from that store, bring it all together, and warp all around - now that would all be fine, but 2 things that come to my mind are: On the one hand it all feels torn up, because of the warping part. You just warp around the lands and it feels like ripping through the game world - hey see, i can go everywhere i want with no effort whatsoever, i don't have to plan or think before, i can just go back and forth, oh damn now i must talk with that guy again, well no great deal,..... For me it just destroys some gameplay. And the second part is, that i don't really do something, because it is a drive to do it or it is my own idea to get something. It is because of running along a story line, and you are told pretty much everything, what to do. It is the guide me along and tell me everything to do part that almost all games have now.
Aside from all that, it is a nice place all in all. The Story itself is good, and it had themes of darkness and light in individuals and societies. Maybe i just imagined here, anyway. Of course it was also with some obvious twists in it, but aside from that i really liked it.
Swing your sword like a duster.
The Combat System, ufff. It does not involve much skill, unfortunately. It has its different moves - you will learn more along the way - you will not need all of them, i guess. It gives you variation and some enemies at the end, half bosses and bosses, even require some sword play skill. Oh yes, you can not just select an enemy as usual and just dust him off with your wiimote. Oh no, you actually have to do some attack moves combination. I died about 5 times in the whole game Not because it was so dangerous but because i was careless. After some game hours with not really a challenge you can get careless. Oh you devious Zelda game, tricked me by pretending that i was an immortal. Let me say it this way, the combat system is a disappointment for me.
The Triforce.
I think you can sum that game up with 3 parts. (no really, i don't just use 3 parts because of The Triforce heading!)
So it is.
The Story - Yes, yes, it is a nice, good story: 4 out of 3 points. (I know thats not logic here now, it's magic).
The dungeons - They are nice, at least the first 3 are, then... i expected that they get more difficult. But no dying for immortal Link - ufff. 2 out of 3 points.
The Combat System - Well... 1 of 3 points (hey the animations are solid, again the missing difficulty makes sword play boring - that is one big mistake, gameplay wise - to me)
Does the game have a soul? Yes it does. +1 point.
Questions?
Was it worth its money? Depends how much you paid for it, hehe. But honestly, it was worth its money, i would say, regardless when and where you bought it. It just isn't the magic dream thing everyone(who liked a previous Zelda game) hoped for.
How was the fishing part? Some say it's relaxing, at least the game says so. I consider myself to have a calm relaxing side but not enough for this fishing.
Wishing after the game? Make it not 60h long but 30h and build in a hard difficult mode with new story things and new dungeons and monsters, for a second time to play. Just make it harder but with good and fair gameplay.
Some people wonder, why it is not as good as Zelda - Ocarina of time. Since it is obvious, that you and you alone know the answers to such important questions. Enlighten us!? Yes, okay, i will. First, i must admit that i only played like 1 hour of that Zelda game. But since my wisdom springs from magic and not reason, i can tell you my thoughts without shame. People who liked Zelda - OoT played it when it came out on the N64. Anyway, most of them who now miss it - did. And those people got older. It's that time thing where you eventually get grown up and then decline again and die and, possibly get a little bit more mature in between. And I would say, that those people don't want to play a Zelda - OoT today, they want something more grown up. Not necessarily in the sense of looks but also in the sense of gameplay. Ufff, that answer looked much better in my head then it looks now in this review. Zelda games were a challenge when we were young The puzzles in *Twilight Princess are really hard enough for a 12 year old, i guess. I miss the challenge....
