Revelations of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Thursday 27 Mar 2008

My Easter weekend was spent largely observing life from the couch in my lounge. The past few months have been a gamers’ delight with a plethora of top titles for all the platforms being delivered into our grateful hands. And while it hardly seems fit to complain about this sort of thing, I must admit (rather shamefully) that I still had not got round to playing The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Although I had ventured into Hyrule on a few occasions, I had not offered myself up to the realm completely and surrendered myself to the beauty and ingenious that is Zelda.

I will pretend that I did not hear that collective sigh of disbelief. Continuing along my path of honesty, I will admit that I did not even start the game on my own accord. After spending the morning and afternoon shooting aliens in Capcom’s Rocketmen: Axis of Evil, I found myself delving into my games draw to pick out my next gaming adventure. My friend Peter (an all-time supporter and motivator of Zelda who has introduced me to many, many sweet games) hinted not so subtlely that I really should make a decent start on Zelda. I decided to jump in and I have not looked back since.

Of dungeons and maps

My guide to Hyrule and I played most of the afternoon and evening. The controls were really easy to pick up and I was pleasantly surprised by how accessible the game was. When people mention dungeons to me I have flashbacks to a very slow afternoon spent watching a friend play Dragon Quest. I always assumed that the dungeons in Zelda would be like this, with me not knowing what was going on and being thoroughly confused and bored! I am happy to report that the dungeons in Zelda are quite the opposite.

Another aspect of the game that I was dreading was the navigation of the map to reach the far corners of Hyrule and locate the dungeons. I have always disliked maps, something which I confirmed in the aforementioned Dragon Quest and later began to dislike somewhat (although on a much lesser scale) in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. Using the map in Zelda and purchasing items with the discovered gems was unlike any other game that I have ever played – it was easy to learn and quick to master. Did I mention that I generally don’t like purchasing and upgrading items in games either…well Zelda scores ten out of ten for dungeons, maps and items in my books. It really is clearly in a class of its own.

Raising the bar

I have always had a soft spot for adventure games, series that are firm favourites of mine include Tomb Raider, God of War and Prince of Persia. Other titles that I rate are Super Mario Galaxy, Beyond Good and Evil, Ico and The Shadow of the Colossus. Now Peter has always be a good sport when it came to me playing games in the Tomb Raider and Prince of Persia series, but he has always criticised how you often don’t know where to go next and have to attempt wall jumps or runs several times before mastering them. Before I expand upon this thought, let me first explain that I still believe these games are great as they are challenging and fun. However, it was not until I played Zelda that I really understood what he had been saying for all these years. It was like the scales fell from my eyes and I saw how adventure games really should be. Zelda has definitely raised the bar.

Although I hesitate to compare Zelda to another game because it is in a class of its own, I would say that it reminds me most of The Shadow of the Colossus when you embark on quests through wide open plains. Link is such an unassuming and unlikely hero, much like Wander was.

Venture into Hyrule

So getting back to how four days flew past in hardly the blink of an eye, I am happy to report that I am now roughly 22 hours into the game and a firm Zelda supporter. This game just has that special something, the combination of all the right elements in just the right amount. It draws you in and as although you look forward to progressing in the game to discover more and more, you do so with a bitter sweet taste because you simply do not want it to end, ever.

The game is just so huge that it is hard to talk about which bits appealed to me the most but I will try. First things first, the atmosphere in the game is breathtaking, I have never been drawn so completely into a game. The settings, characters, music and environments have been so thoughtfully designed that I find it personally reprehensible not to investigate each area and talk to each character in order to fully submerge myself into this world. The storyline is beautiful, unique and sees the normally peaceful kingdom of Hyrule threatened by the twilight which has descended upon the land. You will explore the land as Link, upon whose shoulders it has fallen to save Hyrule, who sometimes transforms into a wolf because of the twilight. Not only is each area vastly different but so is the difference between exploring the areas as Link and as the wolf.

I hope that this will encourage other gamers who have not yet stepped into Hyrule to do so, because honestly it is an experience that you will never forget and that not many games are likely to overshadow in the future. If you have already experienced Hyrule, why not visit it again, I know I will.