Daily Debate: Do You Wish Other Zelda Games Implemented Twilight Princess’ Complex Combat System?
Posted on March 25 2024 by Chakell Herbert
With the future of the Zelda series looking to be more open-world oriented, I feel slightly sobered at the idea that we might not get such versatile swordplay like we did in past entries in the series. Don’t get me wrong, I love being able to use a plethora of weapons to best baddies in Tears of the Kingdom. However, one of the best combat systems in the series to me is still Twilight Princess’, because of the Hidden Skill techniques. This part of the game is one of my favorite details in the Hero of Twilight’s journey. Although the sword techniques weren’t too complicated to perform, they gave such a variety of options to take on enemies, especially more brutal, heavily armored enemies like Darknuts and even Ganondorf himself in the endgame. The more time went on, the more complex the skills became, and I think it added to the depth of Link’s growth as a hero and your growth as a player, which was a nice touch.
The Hidden Skills added style to this edgy entry in the series and I loved every second of it! (One of my favorite details is that these sword skills are taught to you by the spirit of the Hero of Time, which makes gaining them even more special!) I also loved Link’s exaggerated, fancy sheathing of his sword that would follow if you sheathed it right after defeating a strong enemy. These small details just add to this game’s charm.
Twilight Princess’ combat system is really just the series’ *chefs kiss* when it comes to awesome swordplay considering the fact that Link, as the Spirit of the Hero, is always supposed to be depicted as the greatest swordsman in Hyrule. I really hope future entries in the series get crafty with swordplay again, because I think our iconic hero deserves moments where he can show off his skills and shine!
Did you enjoy the swordplay in Twilight Princess? Would you like more sword techniques and complex combat to come back in future titles? Let me know in the comments!
Chakell (pronounced shuh-kell) is an associate editor for Zelda Dungeon! She has loved The Legend of Zelda series since she was a little girl because of its equal mix of princesses, besting bad guys, and heartfelt stories. Chakell lives in the overall tame state of Utah, but holds onto her childhood hopes to find an adventure in her backyard one day. She has a degree in English and is a full-time editor for a magazine. You can usually find her gaming (obviously), laughing with her husband, taking a long time to tell stories because she keeps getting distracted; getting sucked into books and podcasts; or snuggling her cute Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
