Twilight Princess Twilight Princess Memories

[linkypu]

Please note that if you have NOT played Twilight Princess, then you probably shouldn't read this post.

On many, many Zelda sites I have seen nothing but scorn for my favorite Zelda game. Therefore, I decided to write this little post talking about what I loved about Twilight Princess and why I think it is WAY better than OoT. (Don't get me wrong, though; I DO love OoT, but Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess gave me a better experience.)

First, many people complain about the long opening. This is true; the beginning is dragged out and, from a perspective, could be considered horrible. However, for a beginner like me, who had never played a Zelda game before, it was perfect. It slowly introduced me to the world of Hyrule step by step, and made me familiar with how the game was going to work. I will complain about one thing though: I absolutely could not figure out how to get the cat back to the lady. My friend had explained it to me as: go to the hawk grass and launch the hawk at the monkey to get the cradle and bring it back to the pregnant woman to get the fishing rod and then use it to catch a fish which the cat will steal then go to the lady's shop to get milk and if you have enough rupees get the slingshot and show the kids at your home. It was very confusing for me.:S
Then came the plot twist: Link turned into a wolf before my very eyes and suddenly I was dragged into this realm which I wanted to learn more about. I couldn't figure out how to get out of the cage, however, so I was left to dig around before I finally got out and was allowed to explore the world. I also thought Midna was a boy, so I was shocked the next day when I came into school and my friend corrected me: Midna is officially a girl, not a guy. That took a while to get used t.o
I slowly made my way through Hyrule castle, which I simply thought of as the enemy's fort at the time, and I slowly crept my way into the room at the tallest tower, expecting to see a guard about to kill me, or something along those lines.
Which is why Zelda's appearance came as a surprise. If anything, I expected it to be a character like Impa. Suddenly I trusted Midna a little bit more than before, but somehow I also trusted Zelda a little bit less. Why would she wear such a getup? A hood that almost completely covered her face? It made her seem suspicious.
Another thing; many people complain about Zelda and Ganondorf just being pushed into the plot, but I didn't think that way. Zelda, to me, reminded Link of his larger goal-to save Hyrule- and kept him from being brainwashed by Midna's at-that-time ignorance of the light world.
Ganondorf served as the true mastermind of the plot-revealing that Zant (I had thought that he was gonna be a sexy anime-styled character, not a crazy ugly madman with marshmallow teeth) is only a puppet.
The revelation of Midna being the Twilight Princess had also surprised me: she had called Zelda that before, so I had assumed that that was where the title had come from.
People also complain about the Tears of Light that had to be collected; I found them as ways to explore and figure out in what ways could you interact with an environment that you would repeatedly visit.
"Waggling" the Wii-mote was not a problem for me- I could fake being sick and play video games while not blowing my cover, as I could just simply shake the wii-mote and I would be defeating enemies.
Also, people complain about how similar Twilight Princess was to Ocarina of Time. I didn't really see that. Sure, when I went to play OoT after there were a few places afterwards where I would be like, "Oooohh... So THAT'S where it came from!" Otherwise, I thought Twilight Princess was a game completely of it's own. The genius wolf gameplay, twilight realms, and melancholy cutscenes made the game a completely original experience for me. It touched upon the basics of Zelda yet gave something entirely new and of it's own-THAT is what I want from Skyward Sword.
A looked-down-upon subject is about the wide, open areas with nothing to do. I found them fun. Even though they were long and took five minutes when, preferably, it should've taken 10 seconds, it made the game seem more... real. Like Link WOULD have to ride on Epona for agonizing hours, anxious to get to his next destination. It allowed me to somewhat connect with Link more than before.
The graphics I don't care about, as it's the content and story that matters, so this concludes my discussion. I'll never forget the feeling of awe I get when the light spirit, Faron, reveals that Link is the Hero Chosen by the Goddesses and that his goal is larger than just saving a friend; it's about saving the world.
So does this give you a different view on Twilight Princess? Has it moved up a few spaces on your favorite Zelda list? Comment!

 

[TrueChaos]

I loved the game from the first time i played it and i still love it, people keep saying TP gets a lot of scorn but i've seen more people say TP gets scorned than people scorning it

 

[Links Brother]

Twilight Princess was my first game, I loved so much the first time I played it and loved it a lot. Even after getting OoT I still liked it better, but after playing Twilight Princess 7 times you start to notice a few things. First off the colors were very bland and did not give off the vibrant feel of the normal Zelda. And although Midna was cool she almost held links hand and walked him through every puzzle. And that of course brings us to difficulty, WAY to easy for a Zelda game. The puzzles were straight forward, bosses were a joke, and all enemies gave off a tiny bit of damage. And then of course the side quests were almost all collectibles which is good but we need more variety in a Zelda game.

Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE Twilight Princess, it was a great game. Hyrule castle town and Hyrule field were both HUGE and let you explore the over world. The hidden skills was an amazing way to expand fighting from the normal button mashing gameplay. The dungeons although they were easy they did have cool themes and great ideas that should transfer over to other Zelda games. The items were great too, we got the good old bow and slingshot. But we got new things like Spinner and Double Clawshot, and the boomerang was very upgraded. And although many complain about the Ordon part of the quest I didn't mind it, it was a great way to start out the game and teach you new skills.

 

[LinkGoro]

TP was my first Zelda game. I actually haven't owned any Zelda games other than that (In disc). But I have beaten almost every game.
TP had an AMAZING hyrule, AWESOME gameplay, and FANTASTIC storyline that was pretty long (yay!)
The ONLY place i didn't like was when there was twilight in special places.

Sadly, the disc has too many scratches...

 

[Ronin]

There is something unique that isolated Twilight Princess from the other 3D titles. Throughout the game we see many changes in the characters' behavior, namely the children taken from Ordon. In a strange rundown town they're naturally frightened, clinging to all they have left--themselves. But upon Link's arrival they're filled with hope, because they might be able to return home soon. This, however, is not the case since Ilia was still missing. In the meantime they decided to help restore the town. With the aid of the Gorons from Death Mountain (now friendly because of Link's intervention) the work was expedient, and even young Malo learned early on how to start his own monopoly.

Watching Kakariko Village resurge is definitely one of my favorite memories. It's one of the greatest instances where the people of Hyrule come together (think also of the small force in Telma's Bar), and gives off a great example of companionship. Only as one could they have hoped to outlast the perils cast their way, such as King Bulbin's raid on Kakariko.

 

[geek4887]

Twilight Princess can only be described in one word...EPIC. The art style is easily the best among the series (although some would argue it's SS, which I would probably agree to, but SS Link just creeps me out a bit). Everything was just designed with high quality, from the characters to the backgrounds, to the AMAZING overworld. The whole place may not be as "alive" as the original LoZ, but it provided me with enough fun. At least it had more to do than OoT's Hyrule Field (I'm not a hater of OoT though, in fact I love it).

Boss designs really helped me come out with the perfect adjective for the game. Fyrus was just as intimidating as heck when I first fought him. The King Bulblin mini-boss fight surely was nothing short of epic. The dungeon designs were brilliant throughout the game, and the gameplay was even more brilliant.

Like Thareous said, Nintendo actually decided to beef out the characters in this game, and also the storyline. This was very interesting, because that NEVER happens in a typical Zelda game. So I was happy to see that.

These are very FEW reasons why Twilight Princess (to me) is the greatest Zelda game of all time.

 

[Vanessa28]

I LOVE TP. It is one epic story and you love it or hate it. I love it madly. I have played it numerous times and can dream all locations and all hidden places. The game has a long storyline and is a bit dark but still it brings pleasure to me when I play it. Yes some Temples are less interesting than others but this is with every game. I enjoy almost every Zelda game I played. Once I start I want to finish it. TP is one of those games I deeply like and love to play

 

[Draymorath]

Thank You for posting this!

Oh my God, that was beautiful.

Maybe if people read this they would stop hating so much on the best Zelda game thus far. Sure it had some things that weren't exactly good or original, but, my God, no game is perfect!

I love how you admitted to everything in you're experience with the game, including the embarrassing things. And you touched on how although people who have played Zelda before got annoyed with the intro, it was perfect for beginners, like you and me.

You are awesome. You are a true Zelda fan. :clap:

 

[Rare Addict]

Twilight Princess is, hands down, my absolute favorite video game (which I was once again reminded, having just finished it again). Everything about it, from the exhilarating combat, to the devilish puzzles and intense boss battles, to the beautifully melancholy story (and who I consider to be the star of the game -- Midna -- in particular) makes this game something special to me, personally. Happy birthday, Twilight Princess.

 

[ChuChuOfTime]

TP is definitely one of my favorite games it has fun stuff and my favorite items. I remember one part that I got stuck on is those invisible rats in Arbiters Grounds, man those are annoying.

 

[pfr_77]

Memories? ah... I never got *really* into TP like the other games but I got a few

-thanksgiving break that year. at the step family's house, sitting in the back room listening to Thursday or something hanging with my step bro, they'd managed to score a Wii, and watching him go through the second dungeon. I specifically remember the walking on the ceiling and the big open space in the middle and my bro picking off guys with the bow and arrow. One of my friends girlfriends had come to our school to visit at lunch the day before the break and she was pretty much the prettiest thing ever so naturally I couldn't stop thinking about her and being way jelly.

-I got my own copy on GC for christmas and I played around a little bit before we left to do family stuff. Fell in love with the ordon village music and didn't get a chance to do much else.

-starting over again over the summer after and getting up to the water temple and then I didn't play it again until a couple of months ago. I met this cute gal who worked at best buy and we chatted about LoZ and sour patch watermelons.

-my birthday in october this year - i had started playing again because SS was coming. I remember hanging out in the living room [which up until now we'd never used] playing it, sipping Bengal Spice tea and eating a little cake my dad got for me. there were sticks of cinnamon on top which naturally found their way into my chewing and into my tea.

 

[Medri]

Twilight Princess is the most, traditional but in terms of story, untraditional to zelda games.

The story really is about Midna and Zant, where as our normal characters, Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf, are actually in the backlight as plot devices for the two characters.

Midna is the true hero, manipulating the hero of time to work for her needs and her cause while inadvertently saving hyrule at the same time.

Zant is a tortured villain that turns out to be the whole Pauper that wanted to be prince. He uses Ganondorf, who at that time seemed like a god to him and was granted power. That's how he took control of the twili realm.

Link has a story, but it is a very minor one ironically. He wants to save his friends and the children of his village. Then he wants to save hyrule. Why? Because it is his destiny and it is who he is.

Zelda is the most minor story in the game, she really only plays herself off as "the wise sage" character for our heroes, yet manages to remain in the damsel in distress.

Ganondorf has the biggest part of the story, from the original 3 characters, he is the man who caused all the problems, who was banished to the Twili realm, who twisted Zant's desires into power, who cased all of this. Ganondorf in this game is best described as "The Devil." Never doing his own dirty work, but instead coaxing and fueling one's desire into sin, making the evil and hatred flow through someone, IE Zant.


I think this game is most memorable for how the characters were used symbolically.

Midna was the two faced hero, Zant was the two faced villain, Link the unwilling tool of the hero, Zelda the source of knowledge and power, and Ganondorf "The Devil."

 

[Crash]

Meh... TP was just too easy. It was fun, to be sure, but easy as all getout... Lord it was loads of fun. But playing back through it, the environment, while impressive, really was kind of bland, but with more realism that's to be expected. What killed the game for me... was the lack of things that were shown before. They showed many epic things that really would have done the game justice, such as the large number of bulblins gathered in Hyrule Field, the giant in the forest with all the cats, the large monster with a hammer that Link was shown fighting, and the Gohma Link was running from in that narrow passage. It could have been much better than it was. The puzzles were ridiculously simple and provided no challenge, to the point of everything was straight forward. I did like Midna though and the story was really good as well. But if they had included the things that they were originally going to, it would have been much better.

 

[Azure Kite]

Majora's Mask may be my favorite game, but at a close second or even tied for first would definitely be Twilight Princess. It has a lot of meaning to me, besides just being a wonderful game with great characters and story. I didn't really expect to receive it when I did, because I hadn't asked for it--it was just a random purchase from my father, so it meant a lot to me at the time. I played it for a week straight, not sleeping much or eating, but it was a good week despite that. I was so enthralled with it and when I finally beat it, I felt a huge accomplishment. Then it just started to continue to grow on me and, even though I got everything in the game a few times, I still just replay the files just to run around and look at things. It's truly a beautiful game, the grungy brown and darkness is appealing to me, and very suiting for the game itself. I ranted and raved about it all I could just because of how intrigued I was with every aspect of it.

But, anyway, it has good memories for me. Not just playing the game itself, but there's more to it than that.

 

[bobenstien]

TP is the best Zelda game EVER!!! How could there be scorn?