It has been fifteen years now since Ocarina of Time was released, and it has since become my favorite Zelda game. OoT not only combined a beautiful story with solid gameplay, its new interface allowed us to immerse ourselves completely in mighty Hyrule instead of merely observing from above, and also provided an excellent new battle system, in which sword-fights, boomerangs, hookshots and bow & arrows made a seamless transition from 2D to 3D.
In my opinion, The Wind Waker was a worthy successor to this classic. The cell-shaded graphics had their charm, and on a narrative level, it was a truly bold attempt to take the series literally into uncharted territories. WW managed to reach heights of interactive storytelling unheard of in the series, while the gameplay relied on time-proved concepts of swordplay, puzzles and (side)quests; but the main backdrop of a great sea and a relative lack of dungeons did make it a bit tedious and less challenging at times.
Many fans were displeased WW for this reason. I won't say they were right, but with Twilight Princess, I do get the feeling that the makers have successfully fixed WW's biggest shortcoming; by marrying its solid storytelling and graphics with the splendor, grandeur and variation of OoT, they made a game that radiates 'epic' from every pixel. An epic is a hero's story, in which he embarks on a journey of personal growth and character development. Coming in the form of a game, we as gamers can proudly observe and assist. The hero needs to endure several tests and ordeals, and an epic needs a solid script to make this happen. The Legend of Zelda games have long been known for their intricate ways to let the gamer be a part of the unfolding story, rather than be a mere observer, and Twilight Princess is more cinematic and plot-driven than ever before.
Even the obligatory prologue has been skipped, in favor of gradually revealing the backstory throughout the main quest. You start out as young Link, a simple farm boy destined for great things. A lengthy introduction familiarizes us with the basics and characters; by the end of the first act, we have already been silently introduced to the surroundings, controls, the basic fighting system, items and many other things that will prove essential later on, without hardly realizing it. From there on, as you explore the huge world, we get to know the locations and their inhabitants, some of whom play a role much bigger than merely providing the objects we seek; they also take active part in the story, making it more than just a one-man-show for Link this time. Although he remains our main perspective in this world, those character moments remove much of a sense of isolation, and makes you really feel part of a larger world.
The game releases several twists and story developments that may seem confusing at first, but start to make more and more sense as the game progresses. The great character interaction and frequent use of scripted events make this game such a well-plotted and thrilling ride, yet I never felt overly manipulated; there is always time to do funny side quests, another staple of the Zelda games, and almost as fun as the main quest. The great script effectively conceals the sequential nature of video games, that sense of having to go through a predefined series of events (read: levels) that is so overtly present in many other games.
Twilight Princess has refined the parts where Ocarina of Time could sometimes feel a bit crude. The graphics look top-notch for GameCube and Wii standards, and the camera system is perfected to the point where you always have a good angle at the action. Sword fighting has never been more exciting, because the attack moves that you can learn also expand over time, which makes for some awesome (boss) battles. Wielding a sword or a bow with the Wiimote are some of the highlights of the adventure. For narrative purposes, you periodically change into a wolf with different attack skills, which isn't a mere gimmick, but yet another example of great gameplay combined with masterful storytelling.
My only point of criticism would be that the makers may have been relying on the nostalgia factor slightly too much: apart from familiar creatures and surroundings, they also recycled many game and story elements from OoT. Ocarina will therefore still win the originality contest. Yet many of the familiar things come with a twist. For example, the Temple of Time is now a fully playable dungeon. The Gorons are hostile at first. And we can finally thaw the Zoras from the ice this time, something we couldn't do in Ocarina, much to our frustration.
As mentioned, the world of Hyrule feels large, with familiar and new parts. You need your horse Epona right from the start now, because horseback riding not only looks epic, it is simply a necessity in such a large open world. The horseback riding is also used in a couple of boss battle scenes, which are so cool and epic that it is almost a shame that they are so infrequent. But overuse of the same things is one thing that Twilight Princess cannot be accused of. This game feels as a perfectly balanced alloy of sturdy gameplay, bold adventure and emotional story, starring us as the gamer. It creates an entire universe that we feel privileged to visit.
This game may not be exactly the revolution that Ocarina once was, but it is probably the best and most worthy successor in the series. I have already lost count on the number of re-plays I did, but it never gets boring. Recently, I have started playing it with my son, who also enjoys the many fantastical elements which this 3D world full of imagination has to offer. And I find myself ready again for another epic ride.
In my opinion, The Wind Waker was a worthy successor to this classic. The cell-shaded graphics had their charm, and on a narrative level, it was a truly bold attempt to take the series literally into uncharted territories. WW managed to reach heights of interactive storytelling unheard of in the series, while the gameplay relied on time-proved concepts of swordplay, puzzles and (side)quests; but the main backdrop of a great sea and a relative lack of dungeons did make it a bit tedious and less challenging at times.
Many fans were displeased WW for this reason. I won't say they were right, but with Twilight Princess, I do get the feeling that the makers have successfully fixed WW's biggest shortcoming; by marrying its solid storytelling and graphics with the splendor, grandeur and variation of OoT, they made a game that radiates 'epic' from every pixel. An epic is a hero's story, in which he embarks on a journey of personal growth and character development. Coming in the form of a game, we as gamers can proudly observe and assist. The hero needs to endure several tests and ordeals, and an epic needs a solid script to make this happen. The Legend of Zelda games have long been known for their intricate ways to let the gamer be a part of the unfolding story, rather than be a mere observer, and Twilight Princess is more cinematic and plot-driven than ever before.
Even the obligatory prologue has been skipped, in favor of gradually revealing the backstory throughout the main quest. You start out as young Link, a simple farm boy destined for great things. A lengthy introduction familiarizes us with the basics and characters; by the end of the first act, we have already been silently introduced to the surroundings, controls, the basic fighting system, items and many other things that will prove essential later on, without hardly realizing it. From there on, as you explore the huge world, we get to know the locations and their inhabitants, some of whom play a role much bigger than merely providing the objects we seek; they also take active part in the story, making it more than just a one-man-show for Link this time. Although he remains our main perspective in this world, those character moments remove much of a sense of isolation, and makes you really feel part of a larger world.
The game releases several twists and story developments that may seem confusing at first, but start to make more and more sense as the game progresses. The great character interaction and frequent use of scripted events make this game such a well-plotted and thrilling ride, yet I never felt overly manipulated; there is always time to do funny side quests, another staple of the Zelda games, and almost as fun as the main quest. The great script effectively conceals the sequential nature of video games, that sense of having to go through a predefined series of events (read: levels) that is so overtly present in many other games.
Twilight Princess has refined the parts where Ocarina of Time could sometimes feel a bit crude. The graphics look top-notch for GameCube and Wii standards, and the camera system is perfected to the point where you always have a good angle at the action. Sword fighting has never been more exciting, because the attack moves that you can learn also expand over time, which makes for some awesome (boss) battles. Wielding a sword or a bow with the Wiimote are some of the highlights of the adventure. For narrative purposes, you periodically change into a wolf with different attack skills, which isn't a mere gimmick, but yet another example of great gameplay combined with masterful storytelling.
My only point of criticism would be that the makers may have been relying on the nostalgia factor slightly too much: apart from familiar creatures and surroundings, they also recycled many game and story elements from OoT. Ocarina will therefore still win the originality contest. Yet many of the familiar things come with a twist. For example, the Temple of Time is now a fully playable dungeon. The Gorons are hostile at first. And we can finally thaw the Zoras from the ice this time, something we couldn't do in Ocarina, much to our frustration.
As mentioned, the world of Hyrule feels large, with familiar and new parts. You need your horse Epona right from the start now, because horseback riding not only looks epic, it is simply a necessity in such a large open world. The horseback riding is also used in a couple of boss battle scenes, which are so cool and epic that it is almost a shame that they are so infrequent. But overuse of the same things is one thing that Twilight Princess cannot be accused of. This game feels as a perfectly balanced alloy of sturdy gameplay, bold adventure and emotional story, starring us as the gamer. It creates an entire universe that we feel privileged to visit.
This game may not be exactly the revolution that Ocarina once was, but it is probably the best and most worthy successor in the series. I have already lost count on the number of re-plays I did, but it never gets boring. Recently, I have started playing it with my son, who also enjoys the many fantastical elements which this 3D world full of imagination has to offer. And I find myself ready again for another epic ride.