Gamernode: Reviews - The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

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• The Legend of Zelda: Twilight ...
• Wii
• Nintendo
• Nintendo
• November 19th, 2006

Similarly, the player must also work to gain new combat skills. Gone are the days of the static move set. Twilight Princess grants seven new techniques to the player at points throughout the adventure, but only after locating special howling stones and subsequently sparring with an ancient spirit. It is possible to eschew these altogether and complete the game as an untalented swordsman, but the skills provided by this spirit add much depth to the combat system, and make swordplay much more entertaining. It's a good thing they do, because combat suffers under the new control style of the Wii. Yes, the very portion of the game that was anticipated to benefit the greatest from the wii-mote is actually impaired by it. That's not to say that combat is entirely broken, but it would likely be a smoother experience using the traditional button-mapping. This game implements a sort of gesture-mapping, rather than the direct input that is seen in a game like Wii Sports. Link's sword swings DO NOT directly coincide with the motions produced by the player -- those motions simply initiate the very same animation that a button-press would. This sort of control certainly takes some getting used to.

In the first 10 or so hours of gameplay, I experimented with all types of motions, ranging from full arm swings to slight flicks of the wrist -- vertical, horizontal and diagonal. My conclusion is that the wii-mote works best when treated AS A BUTTON. A quick up and down motion (as if tapping a flat surface, like a button) is the most effective in producing the desired response in the most timely manner. As in older Zelda games, the most cumbersome part of combat is the initial slice, because link first has to unshealth his sword, and then swing. In the past, a quick reaction to an approaching enemy requires nothing more than a few rapid button presses, but in Twilight Princess, the same maneuver takes more time as the system needs to sense the entire range of motion for the first gesture, respond, and then reset to receive the next input. This premise is true of any combat situation requiring a more rapid assault, and makes battles with larger groups less feasible, and less enjoyable. I feel as though battles with generic enemies could have been much more varied and elaborate had the gesture-based combat been omitted. I even found myself sometimes avoiding confrontation, while in older Zelda games I would do my best to engage nearly every enemy.

One aspect of the game's combat that NEVER disappoints is the boss fights. As expected from the Zelda series, the boss battles are all excellent. Each is multifaceted, requiring a few different skills working in conjunction to succeed, and most are multi-staged. There is considerable variance between these conflicts, because each one is reliant upon the primary employment of a specific weapon, and each one makes use of an entirely different gameplay mechanic. No two bosses are the same, and that is greatly appreciated. Another addition to Twilight Princess's combat system is the ability to fight on horseback. Link is no longer limited to using his bow, but can wield his sword and other weapons while perched atop his trusty steed. Mounted swordplay is incredibly satisfying, but unfortunately there are only a few sequences that highlight it like it should be. All other times, gamers will just have to enjoy the fact that Link can now swing his sword as he runs without interrupting his stride. It's a small improvement, but a noticeable one.

Nothing is as 'noticeable' as the camera, though. Twilight Princess takes a huge step backwards from the excellent camera in Wind Waker, and completely revokes camera control. There is no way to adjust the camera's position on the fly and all that remains is a vestigial scheme from 1998 and The Ocarina of Time. Z-targeting and a first-person view are available, and both produce a horrible stutter in the gameplay experience when used. No longer can the player survey his surroundings while running around a room, but instead must stop, enter first person mode, look around, and finally return to the default view. Trying to achieve the best possible view is difficult, since all that one can do is center the camera directly behind Link. Even this becomes impossible if any enemy, character or targetable object is nearby. It's terribly frustrating. The camera tries to be "smart," and is often successful, but a better solution would have been to control the camera with the wii-mote's d-pad. Items could be put on the + and - buttons, menus and maps could be combined onto the 1 button and Midna could be put onto the 2 button. I'm certain these simple changes would've helped produce a much more pleasant experience.

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