The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess was a launch title for the Wii, and the newest Zelda game as of Christmas 2006. It will also be released for the GameCube Unlike the previous GameCube title The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and the upcoming The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass for the Nintendo DS, Twilight Princess returns to the visual style seen in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

Twilight Princess features a stylized, naturalistic art style (similar to, but more advanced than, that found in Ocarina of Time), rather than the cel-shaded look that The Wind Waker exhibited — although it still makes use of cel-shading effects, using a very heavily modified version of The Wind Waker’s engine.[1] In a further departure from The Wind Waker, Link is once again a young man, as opposed to a child, as in the latter part of Ocarina of Time, Link's Awakening, A Link to the Past, and in The Adventure of Link. The game also takes on a darker tone, rivaling that of Majora's Mask.[10]

Link transforms into a wolf when entering the Twilight Realm, a void that has ensnared Hyrule. This is not a wholly separate place like the Dark World in A Link to the Past, but an evil transformation that slowly spreads across Hyrule.[11]

The Wii version uses the "point-and-click" of the Wii Remote as a "fairy" cursor, for accessing menus, and for using various tools such as the Hero's Bow, Clawshot, and Fishing Rod; it uses the Nunchuk attachment analog stick for movement. In order to swing the sword, the player makes a slashing motion with the Wii Remote. A jab with the tilt-sensitive Nunchuk will cause Link to perform one of his secret moves, the shield attack. To use Link’s “spin attack”, the player swings the Nunchuk horizontally.

By comparison, the GameCube version uses a control scheme similar to The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, with the B button used for sword attacks, other items mapped to the X and Y buttons, the L button for lock-on, and the C-stick used for manual camera control.

In Twilight Princess, Link learns more moves than in any other Legend of Zelda game to date. Link also shares similar moves between human and wolf, for example when an enemy is on the ground, Link has the option to finish them off by plunging his sword into their chest or in wolf form (on poes, to rip out their souls). Link can communicate with animals in wolf form as if they were people. When transformed into a wolf, Link’s sense of smell is greatly improved. With these abilities come some disadvantages. While he is a wolf, Link cannot utilize any of his items, or open any doors with handles until he can transform into human.

There is no extensive voice acting in the game. The characters laugh, scream, and make other such noises, as they have in previous installments on the Nintendo 64 and Nintendo GameCube.