There are few games closer to my heart than The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, originally released for the Nintendo Wii and Gamecube in 2006; it was like nothing 14-year-old me had ever played before. This was my first Zelda game, and I was entranced by the huge world, quirky characters, and captivating story. The game has now been re-released for the Nintendo Wii U nearly a decade after the original, and though it has begun showing its age it’s still an amazing entry in video game history.
When you start the game, you’re immediately hit with the nostalgia from the original release. Link rides his horse, Epona, through Hyrule as the title appears on-screen, and the familiar wolf howl is heard in the distance. But when you’re thrown into the game world you’re greeted by one of the game’s biggest problems that has remained nearly unchanged: the incredibly slow opening. It takes nearly two hours before the game opens up and you’re at the entrance of the first dungeon. Before that, you’ll be tasked with chores until the game really begins, but once it does the improvements begin to show.
The improved graphics make the game a bigger joy to play; while they don’t really breathe new life into the game, it now looks like how you remember it, rather than how it would actually look if you booted up the original game again. Other improvements include a revamped currency system that allows you to carry more in-game money; gyroscopic aiming, which makes it easier than ever to hit enemies with your bow; and the fairly useless Poe lantern. This new item tells you how many ghosts are in your current area to help with the much-maligned Poe Soul quest. The issue is that it doesn’t go far enough – it just glows when a ghost is in the currently loaded area, which could be massive. It really doesn’t help much more.
That said, the game is still as fun as ever, but the combat is also still incredibly easy. This can be mitigated by the new “hero mode” though, which doubles the amount of damage you take. Add that to the new Ganondorf amiibo and you have a challenging game with several enemies that can kill you with a single hit.
Speaking of amiibo, every Zelda figure modifies your experience in certain ways. The Link and Toon Link amiibos refill your arrows; Zelda and Shiek refill your hearts; and the new Wolf Link amiibo unlocks the Cave of Ordeals, a new dungeon that you can only complete in wolf form.
Overall, the changes to the game stack to make a fairly fulfilling experience. If you loved it years ago you’ll enjoy the trip down memory lane, but if you disliked it years ago the changes won’t convince you to like it. If you’re new to this entry in the Zelda series, pick it up; you owe it to yourself to try out this piece of gaming history.
Score: 4/5