Daily Debate: Does Twilight Princess Owe Part of its Popularity to its Position as a Spiritual Successor of Ocarina of Time?
Posted on March 27 2021 by Sean Gadus
Twilight Princess is one of my favorite Zelda games of all time. It has excellent hero’s journey story, wonderful music, and memorable characters. Since the game released in 2006, many fans and critics have noted some of the game’s similarities to 1998’s Ocarina of Time. Twilight Princess brought players back to some of the same locations seen in Ocarina of Time and although places like Kakariko Village, Hyrule Castle Town, and Lake Hylia have been revised and expanded, there is shared DNA between the two versions. Additionally, the opening title sequence feels like a direct homage to Ocarina of Time’s title sequence, with both involving Link riding Epona across the gorgeous landscape.
With this in mind, does Twilight Princess owe part of its popularity to its position as a spiritual successor of Ocarina of Time? By itself, the latter is one of the most popular and beloved video games of all time, so there are many fans who always wanted to see game similar to it. The two Zelda games after Ocarina of Time — Majora’s Mask and The Wind Waker — have radical differences from their predecessor in either game system and art style. In contrast, the art style, mechanical similarities, and shared locations make Twilight Princess feel like a spiritual successor to Ocarina of Time. In fact, when Twilight Princess was being developed, some of the designers looked at mechanics and ideas that were not possible during Ocarina of Time‘s development, like horseback sword combat.
Overall, I do think Twilight Princess does owe part of its popularity to Ocarina of Time. Many fans loved that game and view Twilight Princess as a similar experience or a spiritual successor. Many fans were overjoyed at seeing how locations in Ocarina of Time we changed and tweaked for the new game. That being said, Twilight Princess has many things that set it part from its predecessors. The world is greatly expanded and includes great new regions like Snowpeak. There are also interesting new ideas like the Double Clawshots and Spinner. Overall, Twilight Princess is a great game that does not need be viewed as a derivative of Ocarina of Time.
What do you think? Does Twilight Princess owe part of its popularity to its position as a spiritual successor of Ocarina Of Time? Let us know in the comments below!
Sean Gadus is a Senior Editor at Zelda Dungeon. His first Zelda game was Ocarina of Time, and he loves all of the 3D Zelda games from 1998-2011. The final battle of Tears of the Kingdom is one of his favorite final battles in the entire series. He wants to help build a kinder, more compassionate world. You can check out his other written work at The-Artifice.com.
