Genre: Action/Adventure
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Release Date: Q1 2006
This
year's gaming event for the Everyman, Game And Music Experience (G.A.M.E.),
was sure to please. With a great many titles to play on virtually every
platform, there was something for everyone to enjoy, from new titles for
the Nokia nGage to classics like PS1's Castlevania: Symphony of the
Night. While there weren't many upcoming titles in attendance, at
least one caught the eye of everyone in attendance: The Legend of Zelda:
Twilight Princess.
As most already know, this title will be for the
current generation of Nintendo hardware, but I must admit to being
surprised when I saw it action. Though modest in the hardware department,
Twilight Princess beats virtually every PS2 (and, in some cases, Xbox)
title in terms of looks. No longer rendered by way of cel-shading like
2003's Wind Waker, Twilight Princess is a return to the look and style
of Link in the N64 days. For the first time, the general public was allowed
to play and enjoy what only press and VIP have had the privilege of
seeing up until now. No new content was unveiled at G.A.M.E., but this was
the first chance that the public could actually get a hands-on with the
new Link, and everybody was impressed. Make no mistake, Twilight Princess
looks to be the best Zelda title released yet, and that is no small feat
when you compare it to Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask.
One
of the big highlights of G.A.M.E. was Nintendo's own David Young (see picture)
sitting down and showing off the next Zelda to the fans in attendance.
All of the playable levels from E3 were available for the fans on site.
Toaru Village, the Marauder Battle, Forest Temple, and Temple Boss were
available to play on multiple GameCubes, and there were no limitations
on gameplay. Fans could play the demos for as long as they wanted to.
I was also pleased to see Zelda fans working together to solve
the puzzles and get through tough challenges as a team, rather than fight
over the controller. The excitement was there, yet everyone waited their
turn to play.
The demo getting the most action was the Marauder
Battle, in which Link shows off the new horseback fighting mechanics of
the game. It takes the lock-on feature from Wind Waker and incorporates
it into the fighting style on horseback. Simply hold down the "A"
button to swing the camera in the direction of an enemy and attack. The
battle on horseback curtails attacking your opponent twice. Each enemy
horse has a rider and an archer. Your first attack dismounts the archer,
knocking him to the ground, but the rider will swing out of reach of your
sword in order to ride back and pick up the archer. You must quickly
knock the rider off before he has the chance to get there. Fortunately,
the "A" button can once again be used to re-lock onto your
previous target. It requires some getting used to steering on horseback
and fighting at the same time, but the controls are intuitive, and the
action is very addictive.
For those of you just getting up to speed with
this hotly anticipated title, here's some vital information:
Directed by Eiji Aonuma – Starting off as
a designer at Nintendo, Aonuma believes the name "Mario" was derived from
the word "Marionette" (reflecting his background in mechanical figures
and articulation). He worked under Shigeru Miyamoto as Assistant Director
for Ocarina of Time. Miyamoto-san was very impressed by his work
and promoted him to Director for Majora's Mask. Aonuma then served
as Chief Director for 2003's Wind Waker.
The game starts in Toaru Village, a small colony
on the outskirts of Hyrule, where we are introduced to the new Link. Older
than the one in Wind Waker, he is rendered in a more realistic style, in
keeping with Aonuma-san's Majora's Mask. Link begins the
game as a wrangler herding goats, which actually preps you for advanced
gameplay, including the aforementioned Marauder Battle. Link must call
on his trusty steed, Epona, which comes crashing thru a barn. Mounting
her, you get accustomed to the control scheme for herding goats (and later
for attacking the Chieftain in the Marauder Battle).
For those of you unfamiliar with the GameCube
and its capabilities, let it be said that Twilight Princess delivers
jaw-dropping visuals and even more impressive draw distances. In the aforementioned
Toaru Village, Link encounters a tutorial puzzle involving a Toaru villager
and a beehive. The vista around him is nothing less than a beautifully-rendered
stream. Progressing from there, the stream becomes a larger, more rapid
force of nature. A mother cries out for help as her baby is being carried
downstream. The rendered water is some of the best you will see in a console
game, including the Xbox.
Let it be known that Nintendo states the horseback
travel is included in Twilight Princess not just for novelty, but because
it is essential for travel. The distances involved in the game are significantly
larger than any other Zelda title (and often larger than most other adventure
games)! In the Marauder Battle sequence, the sheer size is given away
by the distant horizon, which goes on forever. The Marauder demo has
no collision walls or limitations on "riding into the sunset," and
the map goes on and on until you successfully knock the Chieftain off
his horse. Once you do, he re-mounts and scurries away to an even more
impressive castle. It is here that you face him in a final showdown by
way of a deadly joust over a dark chasm.
Sporting some new innovations for the Zelda franchise,
the Forest Temple Level can be seen as a big leap ahead. Unlike previous
titles where the dungeons were just that, Twilight Princess takes the
concept and adds a unique blend of imagination and technical achievement.
In the Temple demo, the dungeon itself is actually a living tree, with
branch-like walkways, vegetation, and a very organic design. Luminescent
particles filter down from above, creating a look reminiscent of Lothlórien
in the Lord of the Rings. The level itself requires pathfinding,
much like Indiana Jones creeping through an ancient lost temple. Armed with
Deku nuts found hanging everywhere, Link must toss them at ropes and vines
in order to proceed further. This demo is a strong example of how interactive
the level design has become for Zelda.
Whereas Twilight Princess is very much like Majora's
Mask in the looks department, the control scheme is almost identical to
that in Wind Waker, which is a good thing. The analog stick
is used to move Link, while the yellow C-stick gives you manual control
of the camera and your point of view. The boomerang is back (this time creating
a gale of wind when thrown), and the R button can be used to lock on and
track a target. Like Wind Waker, multiple targets can be locked onto and
fired upon. For the most part, the control scheme refined in Wind Waker
is intact, making for a near-seamless transition into this game. Even
novices will find the controls to be intuitive and relatively simple to
pick up, especially with the plethora of in-game practice puzzles.
Two Hyrules - Last year's Metroid Prime:
Echoes introduced us to a world with a Light side and a Dark side,
and the same will be found in Twilight Princess. Known as the Twilight
World, it is where the dark enemies of Hyrule lurk. As the game begins,
it begins seeping out into the Light World (Hyrule), but Link soon finds
himself inextricably pulled into the Twilight World. There, he finds that
the realm's magic can transform him into a grey wolf, a feat which comes
in handy with his newfound ally, Midna. With her riding on Link's back,
the two fight in tandem to defeat the Twilight World's foes. Nobody knows
her allegiances, and Nintendo has hinted that she is not necessarily good
but has an agenda all her own…
Zelda - The Princess is back, but not in
the way we have come to expect over previous titles. She is dressed in
funeral attire, as she feels powerless against the dark forces of the
Twilight World, which is slowly consuming Hyrule. Additionally, Nintendo
has hinted that she too can transform into a creature. Whereas Link can
change into a wolf in the Twilight World, Zelda can transform into a hawk.
This is purely speculation, but it must be noted that a number of promotional
pictures show Link carrying a hawk on his arm.
It has also been speculated that Twilight Princess
derived its name from the Japanese manga "Tasogare no Himegimi," which,
when translated, means "The Twilight Princess." Tasogare no Himegimi is
inspired by the U.S. film "Ladyhawke," starring Matthew Broderick and
Michelle Pfeiffer. In the film, the hero turns into a wolf, and the princess
into a hawk. The hero could not speak to the princess, as she was a hawk
while he was human. When she reverted into a princess, the hero would
transform into a wolf. In light of this, the picture of Link carrying
a hawk bears resemblance to the manga and the movie. The hawk on his arm
may very well be Zelda, but for now, only Nintendo knows the truth. Soon,
however, we shall all know the answer ....
Expect more on Twilight Princess as it nears release!
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