Rewriting Twilight Princess: The Lord of Evil

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess was a fantastic game, filled with epic battles, an enormous world, and a…horribly flawed storyline. Each week we’ll be looking at one of these flaws to determine what went wrong and why, as well as to discuss ideas of how the tale could have been rewritten to fix these problems and strengthen the story as a whole. …Preferably without drastically departing from the original storyline of the game, but I make no promises.

One of the harshest criticisms against Twilight Princess is how Ganondorf seems to just be thrown into the plot at random. Before the game released, I think most Zelda fans would have been excited to learn that he was returning; after playing it, though, articles started spouting up all over the internet calling for the Dark Lord to take a break from the series. Quite the dichotomy, isn’t it? But rarely do people try to delve into the story and determine just what was so offensive about Ganon’s appearance this time around.

How did Twilight Princess get it so wrong? And what should it have done instead to succeed? Let’s look at this a bit more closely and try to find out.

The Game We Got

Halfway through the game, players learn of Ganondorf’s banishment to the Twilight Realm. It’s the first reference to the Dark Lord by name, and he goes unmentioned again until the game’s climax, where we learn of his alliance with Zant: Ganondorf granted Zant the power to seize the throne of the Twilight Realm, and then the two turned their attention to conquering Hyrule. Once Zant is slain, Link and Midna break into Hyrule Castle, where they confront and defeat Ganondorf in quite the epic showdown.

The Problem

Ganondorf is not threatening.

…and now that I’ve ensured the loss of all rational discussion in the comments, let’s explain that.

Question: Is Ganondorf a threat?

Answer: Yes, of course. He’s Ganondorf, for crying out loud. How else would you describe him? We’ve seen time and time again how his attempts to conquer Hyrule have led the land to ruin. Just look at his actions in The Legend of Zelda, A Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time, The Wind Waker, Four Swords Adventures, Twilig…wait a second. What were his actions in Twilight Princess?

Well, he gave Zant his power. And he erected a giant barrier over Hyrule Castle. And then…and then he sat there doing nothing until Link and Midna arrived to challenge him.

Therein lies the problem: Ganondorf, in the course of this specific game, did nothing to qualify himself as a threat. Heck, he isn’t even seen for most of the game! Sure, the Sages tell Link that he’s a threat, but that does little to show it.

…you follow? No? Yes? Maybe?

Fine. Let’s talk about “showing” and “telling”.

Showing

“Show, don’t tell,” is a popular phrase for writers to hear, and although it has different applications in video games, it’s still something developers should remember – because what you experience for yourself is always more impactful than what you hear secondhand.

The Happy Mask Salesman could have just told you about the evil of Majora’s Mask, but its malevolence is driven home far more definitively by the fact that, right before Link hears the legend of the Mask, you saw its power dragging the moon into the planet. Each rewind of the clock reminds you on some level of that threat – and the feeling only increases as you traverse Termina and personally witness all of the pain it’s caused. Until you see all that suffering for yourself, you really cannot fear the force you’re fighting – because no matter what someone tells you, it will always pale in comparison to seeing it for yourself.

We know from other games in the series that Ganondorf is a threat, but nothing in this game reinforces that. In fact, his lack of action completely contradicts what we would expect from him. The incarnation of hatred against the gods of Hyrule returns to their chosen kingdom and…does nothing? Why not? He still hates Hyrule, still wants to destroy it…so if he’s so powerful, what’s holding him back?

Really, there’s only one logical reaction to this: “…maybe he’s not that powerful…”

Yes, that reaction is absolutely incorrect. But that’s exactly what the story shows.

Telling

Not that telling is always a bad thing – as long as what you’re told is supported by what you see.

A Link to the Past actually has some striking similarities with Twilight Princess in the villain department: in both games, the Dark Lord imbues a pawn with his power and sends him forth to conquer Hyrule, while Ganon himself goes unseen until the final boss battle. But A Link to the Past gives Ganon an eternal presence through the Dark World – every time you enter, you see the corrupted land which Hyrule could become if the beast gets free. Sahasrahla and many of the maidens remind you of this as you progress through the game, stating again and again that Ganon is behind this darkness, that he is the evil that must be defeated, and that your destiny as the Hero is to face him in the final, climactic showdown.

Ganon never truly shows himself until the endgame. He takes no direct action against Link, instead working through his puppet / alter-ego / best buddy Agahnim. You only hear about him from others: the backstory of the game’s manual, conversations with NPCs, warnings given by the maidens… Yet how many of us went into that final battle not annoyed by Ganon stealing the spotlight from Agahnim, but rather excited to finally fight this great evil?

The game builds up the beast’s legend throughout the entire tale, supporting its claims via the many evils of the Dark World, all of which stems from Ganon’s black heart. Because of that, Ganon’s appearance is more than good – it’s necessary. If the game had ended without his “hijacking”, it would have felt like something was missing, like the entire experience was incomplete on some level.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Twilight Princess barely even alludes to Ganondorf. Zant hints at his existence in Lanayru’s Spring, you learn of his sealing from the Sages, and then the next mention in the entire game comes when you reach the Palace of Twilight’s throne room. If Ganondorf is such a threat, shouldn’t we have at least heard more about him?

Proposed Solution

Ganondorf, by his very nature, has no business sitting still while Hyrule is unconquered. It goes against everything we’ve ever seen in any other game. Even if he himself isn’t out there trying to crush hope and shatter peace, his very presence in the world should have a noticeably evil effect. The trick is for him to be built up without detracting from the threat that Zant poses; otherwise he’d steal the spotlight and undo all that work we did last week. And that’s just not cool.

We’ll base our fixes off the Agahnim-Ganon relationship of A Link to the Past – not exactly the same, of course, but it’s a good baseline for how to correct these problems.

History of the Dark Lord

A Link to the Past sees numerous mentions of Ganon from the beginning of the tale to its conclusion. Though Hyrule has [seemingly] recovered from his reign, the constant nods and references serve as persistent reminders of the impact Ganon had on the kingdom. Even centuries after his sealing, he has a presence in the world.

Twilight Princess is at a bit of a disadvantage here, as in this timeline Ganondorf never conquered Hyrule – but that doesn’t mean that he had no impact on the kingdom’s past. We lack specifics on how he was captured in the Child Timeline, or on any of the events that led up to it; we only know that his attempt to take over the kingdom was thwarted. So there’s still plenty of room for him to have, say, raised an army of monsters and engaged Hyrule in a bloody war before he was finally defeated.

We’re going to add such a war to the game’s backstory, then reference it throughout the tale. Ganondorf himself need not be mentioned by name at first – we just need to hear about a horrible war. Have Rusl mention that the country is still recovering as he prepares Link for his journey. Let Zelda speak of it, comparing it to the trial Hyrule now faces. Use the event as inspiration for Telma and her Resistance to serve as silent watchers over Hyrule. Place a monument in memory of the fighting and the lives lost somewhere in Hyrule Field (after all, we’ve got plenty of unused space out there…).

When we learn of Ganondorf in the Mirror Chamber, we finally know who to blame for the war we’ve constantly heard about and seen the effects of. His ability to escape his death sentence, then, would only serve to reinforce that this is not someone you should mess with.

After that point, mentions and references should only become that much more blatant. Snowpeak Mansion was the site of a major battle in the war against Ganondorf. Signs of fighting can be seen in the Temple of Time ruins. The Oocca know of him from messages they exchanged with the Royal Family of that age, and maybe they helped with his defeat (…no, I have no idea how). All of this would build an image of Ganondorf as someone who is truly dangerous and has affected the world in substantial ways that are visible even now.

Actions of the Pawn

Another big difference lies in the motivations of Agahnim and Zant. For the former, it is clear right from the start that he is trying to set Ganon free; for Agahnim to be so mighty, yet so subservient to another, suggests that Ganon is a truly powerful force.

But in Zant’s case, all we see is his own lust for domination and destruction – this villain’s goals are entirely selfish and vengeful. While he does have a certain awe of Ganondorf, it always felt to me like that stemmed more from his insanity rather than any sense of fear or loyalty. His final words make that especially evident: in his hubris, he fully expects Ganondorf to revive him after his death – he never once considered that he was just a puppet, expendable and worthless once the goals of his “god” had been fulfilled.

This should not change. What it should do, though, is open the door for Ganondorf to continually manipulate Zant into doing his bidding. Most likely he did this once already: you could make a case that he pushed for Zant to invade Hyrule in order to reestablish a pathway for the Gerudo himself to return to that world. But there should at least be more points in the game where it becomes clear that assaulting this world was not Zant’s idea. Midna could be confused by it; Zelda and the Light Spirits could question his motives; heck, Zant could even dismiss them with a simple “I need not understand my god’s will”, unwittingly admitting that he’s just as clueless.

And once the Dark Lord has fulfilled his goal of escaping the Twilight Realm (which, I should probably mention, I’m presuming takes place post-Lakebed Temple), he should abandon Zant completely. Perhaps the Usurper King could reference that as he awakens Stallord, muttering his concerns about why his “god” has stopped speaking to him.

Zant is a pawn, even though he doesn’t realize it. Ganondorf should use him like one.

Renewal of the War

But in the end, these amount to little more than secondhand accounts of the threat Ganondorf poses. Again, we can’t just be told that he’s a warlord with godlike powers – we also need to see it for ourselves. When Ganondorf arrives in Hyrule, the entire world needs to change.

Once Hyrule Castle is sealed, the evils of the land should grow far stronger. Monsters in Hyrule Field should have upgraded forms, new and decidedly more sinister creatures should appear, and all beasts should now be much more focused – they can’t just be wandering aimlessly through the grass anymore. The Dark Lord is commanding them now, and the one thing he won’t ask them to do is stand still. If his desire is devastation and domination, then his hordes should desire it too.

Ganondorf has returned. War should return with him.

Kakariko Village, Goron City, Zora’s Domain, and even Ordon Village should be assaulted by these monsters. Maybe not all at the same time, but throughout the game the level of concern should continually heighten – thanks to the Twilight, everyone already knows that the world isn’t safe anymore, and these attacks will serve to reinforce that fact. Though the citizens will do their best to repel the monsters, Link himself will have to intervene before they are driven off. This drives home the danger of the Dark Lord firsthand, even if he himself remains safe in his castle, as it is his presence alone that awakens such onslaughts.

…plus it could give us more overworld boss battles. And you just can’t have enough of those.

The End Result

From the beginning of the game, even though his name is not mentioned, the effects that Ganondorf has had on Hyrule are evident. Centuries have passed, but there are still signs of his attempt to conquer the kingdom, and people bring them to your attention time and again. Zant is seen following his lord’s plans without even realizing his true status as a pawn, and when the Dark Lord returns to the world, he reignites the old war.

In the latter half of the game, Ganondorf may rest within the shielded Hyrule Castle, but in his place he has his many minions wreaking havoc and attacking settlements the world over. All of this serves to prepare you for when Ganondorf is revealed to be Zant’s god, transforming him from a plot-hijacker into a beast you’ve been itching to crush throughout the entire tale.

Honestly, there’s still one more thing that I’d like to add to the game to establish Ganondorf as a true threat. But this article is getting a tad lengthy… Not to mention, the idea actually came to me when I was considering an entirely different storyline issue, another of the many complaints that people have voiced ever since

Twilight Princess was released. You may have noticed when I was listing towns earlier that one of the most prominent cities was missing; well, that’s because next week, I have…special plans for it. *dramabutton*

Until then, this is Alpha, signing off to go do…stuff.

“Rewriting Twilight Princess” is a series focused on examining the many narrative issues of this epic Zelda game in an attempt to understand why it has garnered such negativity from the fanbase over the years. Join us each week as Tyler “Alpha” Meehan delves into each of these issues, explains what was wrong with it, and explores ideas for how the storyline could have been rewritten to salvage such problems.

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