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The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD Review

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD Review

Twilight Is Even Weirder in HD

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess takes up an odd niche in the 3D Zelda series. It’s not as beloved as Ocarina of Time , not as original as The Wind Waker , and not as much of a cult hit as Majora’s Mask . It experimented with motion controls on the Wii, but didn’t go all the way like Skyward Sword . Still, it has its moments, the entire world is just a little bit off-kilter in an appealing way, and this remake generally does a good job highlighting its strengths while removing a number of its problems.

The most obvious improvement is the transition to HD, which does more than simply increase texture resolution. The brown haze that once covered the entire world is now gone, bringing vibrancy to Hyrule once you’ve released it from Twilight. Quite a few nice visual effects have been added, and little touches of life have been scattered around the world to make it feel a lot less sterile. I find myself much more attracted to this version of Hyrule, which now has a visual personality to match the colorful characters that Link meets during his adventures.

Not everything is jollier in high definition, however. The inhabitants of Twilight Princess’ Hyrule, with their unusual facial planes and angles, were delightfully odd in SD. In HD, they look like out of work extras from a horror movie. Sometimes this enhances the original intent (Malo the toddler entrepreneur has always been a bit terrifying – and that has to be purposeful), but sometimes it’s quite distracting. When the camera suddenly pans in on your buddy Rusl at the very beginning of the game, it feels like a Five Night’s at Freddy’s jump-scare. Similarly, Rusl’s son Colin, whose downcast eyes originally helped characterize him as a child with low self-confidence, now looks more like his eyes could at any moment start glowing red as he decides to gnaw your neck off. This isn’t a huge issue, but it can be a bit disconcerting, and I wish more of the character models had been fixed up to appear more natural in their new, hi-def world.

The second largest change to this version of Twilight Princess, the control scheme, is unequivocally positive. Motion control has been almost entirely removed, as all that remains is the option to use your controller’s gyroscope for aiming. I gave that a try, disabled it quickly, and was immediately pleased with the results. No more does a micro-shake of my hands cause me to miss my archery target. Various other tasks, like fishing and shield attacks (seriously, did any game ever manage to get nunchuck-thrusting to work reliably?), that were frustrating in the Wii version were a no-brainer with conventional controls. Movement on horseback and in the water has been tightened up as well, and though it’s not perfect, the massive improvement to my goat-herding time speaks to positive results in that area.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD Screenshot

Other than these changes, the challenge of Heroic Mode, and some amiibo support, this is the classic Twilight Princess game that is likely to remain as divisive as it was back in the day. It has some great characters, particularly the impish Midna, and some of my favorite dungeons in the series. I’ll never tire of being swept upside-down on a magnetic crane while wearing the iron boots or fighting Stallord while riding on the spinner. I’m also a fan of some of the action segments outside of the dungeons, like jousting King Bulblin on the bridge and icicle snowboarding. Being able to turn into a wolf is a nice change of pace, too, and this slightly feral Link has a bit more spice to him than our usually bland self-insert protagonist.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD Screenshot

Despite its attractive themes and moments of gameplay brilliance, Twilight Princess suffers from several glaring design flaws that can’t be fixed by a mere remaster. It has major pacing issues, especially at the beginning, when Link has to fart around in his hometown with little incentive or direction. There are a few too many mandatory activities that are more time-intensive than challenging, and you’ll find yourself backtracking more than you’d like through relatively uninteresting areas. Even with its visual improvements, the outdoor world isn’t nearly as well-designed as the dungeons.

And while those dungeons are often interesting and unique, they’re also walled gardens. You’ll often use a dungeon’s particular tool in that dungeon only (a particularly sad fate for my beloved spinner), and you can forget trying to solve a puzzle in an unintended or inventive way. Replaying Twilight Princess helped remind me of how much I enjoyed Skyward Sword ‘s more open-ended approach, which saw most of Link’s tools find uses throughout the game and allowed you a certain amount of creativity in your puzzle-solving.

Yoshi's Woolly World Screenshot

If you haven’t played Twilight Princess , this is a great opportunity to do so. Despite its flaws, it’s a title no Zelda fan should miss due to its more unique features and cool dungeon design. If you played and enjoyed it back in the day (especially if you played the Wii version), it’s definitely worth another playthrough with its upgraded graphics and stronger control scheme. If you’re not a fan of the first release, though, this remaster is unlikely to change your mind unless your gripes were all motion control-related. Twlight Princess ‘ flaws would take a major remake to fix, and that’s not what was done here. If the pacing and the design choices that made it feel a bit tired were too much for you the first time, they haven’t gone anywhere.

Personally, I found this remaster to have improved things just enough to cement me as a fan of Twilight Princess . The world is far more vibrant than before, and turning off motion controls removes almost all the frustration I experienced with the Wii version. I have an enduring affection for Twilight Princess ‘ idiosyncrasies, creepy Malo Mart and all, and I’m glad we’ve had the chance to see the title refreshed for the HD generation.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 3.5 Graphics
The world of Hyrule looks much improved, though some of the character models are now unintentionally creepy, and there’s only so much that could be done to spruce up the overworld. 3.8 Control
Huzzah, you can now fight your enemies instead of the controls! They’re not perfect, but they’re a damn sight better than they used to be. 3.5 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Though still of good quality, the Twilight Princess soundtrack can be sparse and doesn’t quite live up to the best in the series. 3.5 Play Value
If you’re patient, there’s loads to discover in Twilight Princess, but patience is required due to pacing issues. 3.5 Overall Rating – Good
Not an average. See Rating legend below for a final score breakdown.

Review Rating Legend
0.1 – 1.9 = Avoid 2.5 – 2.9 = Average 3.5 – 3.9 = Good 4.5 – 4.9 = Must Buy
2.0 – 2.4 = Poor 3.0 – 3.4 = Fair 4.0 – 4.4 = Great 5.0 = The Best

Game Features:

  • See the Twilight Realm in a Whole New Light: Relive the epic, emotional adventure, now enhanced in HD for the Wii U console. With a full HD presentation, fine-tuned controls, and new features like the ultra challenging Hero Mode, the Zelda classic has been enhanced & reimagined for a new generation.
  • Relive the Classic Story: A dark force, shrouded in twilight, has invaded the vast land of Hyrule. To restore light to the world, team up with the mysterious creature Midna and embrace the darkness to transform into a divine wolf. Fight through twisting dungeons, survive puzzling traps, and meet a cast of characters you’ll never forget in this legendary Zelda adventure.
  • Enhanced Controls: Classic Zelda-style button controls and a new map for the Wii U GamePad controller help improve gameplay for veterans and newcomers alike.
  • Hero Mode: Looking for an even bigger challenge? Try Hero Mode, which will push even the most seasoned adventurer to the brink!
  • Explore the Cave of Shadows: The Cave of Shadows is a challenging new level for only the bravest heroes. You can access it by using the Wolf Link amiibo on the Collection screen.

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