We store cookies, you can get more info from our privacy policy.
GC

North America

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

by Mike Sklens - May 20, 2005, 10:54 am EDT
Discuss in talkback!

Link is back, and now he has helper monkeys.

The Legend of Zelda is back at E3 and it really is amazing. There are four playable levels at the show, and I had a chance to check out three of them.

First off, before I even mention the game, I have to describe the set-up Nintendo has it in. There is a line to play the game, and this line is hours long. After finally getting into Zelda’s sub-booth, you’ll see that it is some sort of Zelda funhouse. The first room is a forest. There is a man dressed up in a link costume. The floor is covered in fog, and there is a very cool interactive lake projected on to the floor. Fish can be dragged around, and walking across the bridge causes it to collapse. The forest connects to a dungeon, complete with a life-sized puppet Stalfos inside a cage. There’s also a Link wolf puppet, and blood is splattered on the floor and walls. It’s really creepy and incredibly cool.

The game is, as expected, fantastic. First up is the horse battle. Link flies across the terrain on his mount, and can spur the house to go even faster. The fight pits you against a horde of enemies mounted on boars, and also their ring-leader who is mounted on an even larger boar. After getting used to the horse controls, I was able to maneuver myself next to my foes fairly easily, and then chop them to pieces. The battle ends with a climatic joust versus the leader atop a narrow bridge. The joust is actually quite difficult, and I was unable to beat it.

The dungeon level takes place in a forest. As link explores the dungeon, he is greeted by a troupe of monkeys. These little guys will help link by swinging him across large gaps he could not normally cross on his own. Combat has received a slight overhaul since Wind Waker. The main differences are the new Parry move (which replaces Wind Waker’s counter strike), and the ability to finish enemies. With your shield up, pressing B will cause Link to parry, using his shield to bash his foe, slightly stunning him. After doing enough damage to a target, the option to finish them appears. Pressing A at this point will make Link stab his opponent while they are down, thus killing them faster. This is a pretty shocking turn for Zelda, and shows that Nintendo is not afraid to truly take the series in a darker direction.

Link also gains control of the Gale Boomerang in this dungeon. This weapon is slightly different from the old boomerangs. Holding the boomerang up and moving the targeting dot around will show various targets. Tapping R will target an object or enemy, and add it to a queue of targets. When the boomerang button is released, it will let loose and a tornado will form under it. The boomerang then continues to hit every target in the order they were added to the queue, and also picks up targeted objects.

This mechanic is used in the boss fight level. Link must square off against a giant plant boss. There are bomb plants scattered about, and Link has to use the Gale Boomerang to fly a bomb up to the plant monster’s head. Upon its explosion, the monster’s head will fall forward, and give Link an opportunity to slash it with his sword.

Part way through the battle, the bomb plants disappear, and one of Link’s helper monkeys starts swinging around the boss’s lair with a bomb in his hand. The game gets more difficult here, as Link how has to target a moving bomb and the boss’s head, all while trying to avoid being hit by the monster’s smaller heads and the toxic spew coming from the main head.

The boss battle is fantastic, and does a good job of showing off just how great this game should be when it is finished and released. It’s looking very likely that Twilight Princess could be a new high-water mark for the Zelda series.

Share + Bookmark





Genre Adventure
Developer Nintendo
Players1

Worldwide Releases

na: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Release Dec 13, 2006
PublisherNintendo
RatingTeen
jpn: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Release Dec 02, 2006
PublisherNintendo
Got a news tip? Send it in!
Advertisement
Advertisement