The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Japanese: Zeruda no Densetsu: Tasogare Hime/Towairaito Purinsesu) is a game in Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda series, for the Nintendo GameCube and the Nintendo Wii. Originally planned for release in November of 2005, Nintendo delayed it until 2006 so that the developers could add more content and fine-tune the game. he Wii version was released on the console's launch date November 19 2006 in North America, and subsequent versions will follow on the other Wii launch dates, which are: December 8 2006 in Europe, December 7 2006 in Australia, and December 2 2006 in Japan, making Twilight Princess the first Zelda game to debut alongside the launch of a Nintendo console. The GameCube version will be released on December 12 2006 in the United States, December 14 2006 in Australia and on December 15 2006 in Europe. Nintendo executive George Harrison said in a recent interview with GamePro that the release date for the GCN version had moved to December 11th, but this has yet to be confirmed by anyone else at Nintendo. In Japan on December 2 2006, however, it will be sold online only.

Description
Footage from the game was originally shown at E³ 2004 in the form of a short trailer, and a second trailer was later shown at the 2005 Game Developers Conference. It features a realistic art style (similar to but more advanced than that found in Ocarina of Time), rather than the cartoon look that The Wind Waker exhibited, although it will still make use of the cel-shading lighting effects and a modified version of The Wind Waker’s engine. In a further departure from The Wind Waker, Link is once again a young man, as in the latter part of Ocarina of Time. It is also believed that the game takes on a much darker tone than its predecessor, judging from the trailers.

A number of rumors about the game were confirmed at E³ 2005. The official title, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess was announced. (The title was actually first revealed in a scan from Game informer.) It was explained that Link would transform into a wolf when entering the “Twilight Realm”, a mysterious void that has ensnared Hyrule. It was confirmed that it falls chronologically “decades after Ocarina of Time”, but before The Wind Waker, and that “the hero in the adventure is an all-new Link”. Interviews and a playable demo exposed many new details, such as Link beginning the game as a sort of shepherd or cowboy/ranch hand, Link battling on horseback, changes in the horse controls from OoT, thematic differences between dungeons, and so on. Live feeds of this demo have also been published.

In recent interviews in Nintendo Power, Electronic Gaming Monthly, and the Spanish magazine Hobby Consolas, director Eiji Aonuma revealed that Princess Zelda and Ganondorf will be returning. What their roles are is unknown, but the new character art shows Princess Zelda with a thin and somewhat effeminate rapier-like sword, leading many fans to theorize that she will fight at some point, or at the very least defend herself. Nintendo has not been forthcoming as to whether or not the Master Sword will be featured in the game, but has appeared in many screenshot images(In an issue of Nintendo Power of November 2006, it showed a picture of the master sword in the game).

Aonuma has also stated that the game will be much larger in size than The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and will have many more dungeons. He revealed that Link can communicate with animals when in wolf form, but did not elaborate on this. When transformed into a wolf, Link’s senses (smell, sight, and hearing) will also be raised quite significantly. With these abilities come some disadvantages. While he is a wolf, Link cannot use any of his items. Aonuma also confirmed that there will be no voice acting in the game. However, characters will still grunt, laugh, scream, and make other such noises, just as they have in all LoZ games on the Nintendo 64 and Nintendo GameCube.

Project history
Speculation regarding a realistic Zelda game on the Nintendo GameCube goes back as far as Summer 2000. During its 2000 Spaceworld convention, Nintendo unveiled the GameCube along with some demos for Luigi's Mansion, an unnamed Metroid game, Super Mario 128, an unnamed Pokémon game, and a Zelda demo where characters Link and Ganondorf fight. While Nintendo mentioned that the demos did not necessarily represent upcoming Nintendo projects accurately, the Zelda demo left a permanent impression on many fans.

When Nintendo unveiled a trailer for what would become The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker during the 2001 Electronic Entertainment Expo, fans were shocked by the change in direction the Zelda series was taking on consoles. After the game was released in 2003, most criticism of the new style disappeared, as both reviews and word-of-mouth ratings for the game were generally positive. Many thought this acceptance (and the news that a “sequel”, tentatively dubbed Wind Waker 2, was being built on the same engine) signalled that the next Zelda console game, (not counting Four Swords Adventures) would continue in that style.

At E³ 2004, this misconception ended, when a surprise announcement was made near the end of a Nintendo press conference. In an explanation for the stylistic departure from Wind Waker, game director Eiji Aonuma described the title as being more specifically targeted to the franchise’s North American audience.

The game was believed to be scheduled for release in November 2005, until August 16th, 2005, when Nintendo announced it would be released some time after March 31st 2006, because the development team needed more time to work on the game; so far, a precise date has yet to be announced. Vendor EB Games recently pushed their projected ship date to April 1, 2006, their third such change so far; and GameStop lists a projected date of June 1, 2006. Best Buy once sent an e-mail saying the game was delayed until November 2006, but has since rescinded that, and now claims the game is due out in April.

This delay of Twilight Princess caused a large number of fans to speculate that Nintendo was actually planning to release the game for the company’s next-gen console, the Nintendo Wii. However, Perrin Kaplan, Nintendo’s Vice President for Corporate Affairs, has confirmed that it will indeed be released on the GameCube: “...we feel a commitment to the GameCube owners who've been patiently awaiting this new Zelda title, and don’t want to force them to wait and buy a brand new system in order to play the game.

The high anticipation and delay of the game earned Twilight Princess the #6 spot on Wired News’ 2005 Vaporware Awards.

British publication NGC Magazine has claimed that when the game is played on the Nintendo Wii, the player will be given the option of using Wii’s unique controller, but Reggie Fils-Aime denied these claims, stating that across the board, GCN games played on the Wii would not be compatible with the Wii controller. His French colleague Mathieu Minel stated in a subsequent interview with Jeux-France that Twilight Princess would include Wii controller functionality one way or another, but Nintendo quickly requested that this be removed from the interview. Finally, however, Shigeru Miyamoto himself was recently reported to have confirmed the Wii controller functionality in an interview with Nintendo of Europe.

Finally, at E³ 2006, Nintendo announced that there will be two versions of Twilight Princess released the same day: one for GameCube, and one for Wii. It is not fully clear what the differences between the two will be, but as demonstrated in the playable demos at E³, the Wii version will use Wii Remote with the Nunchuk attachment. The analog stick on the Nunchuk will be used for movement, and the “point-and-click” capabilities of the Wii Remote can control a fairy on the screen, which serves as a cursor for accessing menus. The Wii Remote will also be used to aim and fire distance weapons like the bow, select boomerang targets, and even fish. Despite speculation about fully motion-sensitive sword control, it seemed that basic sword swinging would be controlled with the B button. However, certain advanced swordfighting techniques would make use of the motion sensitivity. A jab with the remote will cause Link to shove the enemy with his shield, and to use Link’s “spin attack”, the player rotates the tilt-sensitive Nunchuk. The nunchuk is also used to throw items via a jabbing motion, and perform a “downthrust” finishing move with a downwards stab. The built-in speaker on the remote will be used for sounds like the bowstring being drawn and released, as well as the classic “Zelda chime”. In late August Nintendo said that the remote would in fact be used for sword slashes as previously predicted.

Reggie’s statement has caused confusion concerning whether or not a GameCube version will also be available in the other regions. It is not yet known whether there will be two seperate versions in the rest of the world. Nintendo of Europe has confirmed, however, that Twilight Princess will be available on GameCube worldwide.

Shigeru Miyamoto has confirmed in an interview that the only differences between the GameCube and Wii versions of the Twilight Princess are technical (as described above). The Wii version will also display in a 16:9 (widescreen) format in 480p, where the GameCube version plays only in 4:3.

Story
The game begins with Link living in Ordon Village, working as a ranch hand. This changes, however, when he is asked by the village’s blacksmith to visit the Hyrule Castle to deliver an Ordon Sword and Shield they ordered. In doing so, Link leaves behind Ilia, the mayor’s daughter. It is his journey beyond the village which leads him to first encounter with the Twilight Realm. Early on in the game, Ilia and a young boy who has been referred to as “Colin” are kidnapped by a group of monsters. Link is knocked unconscious but later pursues and battles their leader on horseback. After Link enters the Twilight Realm, which normally reduces people to spirit form, he is transformed into a wolf instead. Then he is captured and imprisoned in a castle. With the help of a strange, cat-like creature named Midna, he escapes and they join forces.

Animals
Animals play a big part in the game. Although it is confirmed that Link will be able to talk to some animals, and maybe even his horse, the exact roles of most of them are unknown. Dungeons are animal-themed, as revealed on the show X-Play.

Link will also be able to enter the Twilight Realm and transform into a wolf, much like his transformation into an anthropomorphic pink bunny rabbit when entering the Dark World in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Link will be unable to use any weapons or items in this form, but will team up with Midna, a small character who rides on his back, wearing an odd helmet. As the Twilight gets pushed back, Link will regain his human form, altering Link and Midna’s partnership.

In this game, although the E³ footage shows the horse’s name as Epona, gamers can choose their own name for the horse. Whether or not it has an official story name (as with Link) is currently unknown. In the gameplay trailers, Link picks some “horse grass”, and plays Epona’s Song, which has been confirmed to summon the horse. Confirmed new mechanics for riding include Link doing battle with his sword or bow while on horseback, and the possibility of being thrown from the saddle.

The hawk seen with Link in gameplay trailers can be used much like the Boomerang; Link can target objects, and send the hawk out to hit (and, probably, retrieve) things from afar. Whether the hawk can be used to attack enemies or is merely a puzzle-solving ally is unclear. It is called upon using “Hawk weed” found in patches.

As in the past games, Link can grab hold of Cuccos to hover for short distances. This enables him to access secret or hard-to-reach places he could not normally get to. Unlike previous games in which they were always white, some of the Cuccos in the E³ footage are brown, much like everyday chickens.

The second trailer showed Link petting some cats, and later picking up one of them and running off with it (with the others chasing after). What their role will be is unknown, and they were only seen washing themselves in the expanded third trailer. A cat was also seen in some gameplay footage where Link had to get it off a roof and return it to its owner.

In new gameplay footage Link could pick up a bone and toss it to a dog. This might become useful later in the game.

As previously mentioned by Aonuma, Link herds the strange village goats with large ears and horns that connect above their head.

The new dungeon shown in E³ footage and in the playable demo appears to be monkey-themed. Link rescues monkeys from cages; in return they help him cross a bridge to the mini-boss’s lair, where he battles the bewitched baboon who locked them up.

Enemies
Not much is currently known about the enemies in the game; while some enemies from previous Zelda games return, as seen in the third official trailer, there are also many new creatures. Enemy AI is more advanced than in The Wind Waker.

Some staple enemies return with a new look. Keese fly around to attack Link and are easily defeated, taking only one hit to subdue. They are seen in a forest in the third trailer and a dungeon from gameplay footage.

Another classic enemy in the Zelda series, Stalfos have appeared in numerous screenshots and trailers. A Stalfos is a walking skeleton, usually equipped with a shield and sword, and in most cases they can be defeated by blocking their attacks and counter-attacking quickly before they can defend themselves. Like the Keese, they have been given a new, darker and more detailed look. Possibly related to the Stalfos are the skeletal beasts which Link fights in a graveyard in the second trailer.

In the second trailer, a squat statue comes to life and tries to attack Link with a hammer-like object. This is likely to be an Armos Knight, enemies who have been present in most Zelda games.

Green skinned marauders, reported to be Moblins and Bokoblins, attack Link in various locations including (a new addition to the series) from the backs of boars while he’s on horseback, in what appears to be a new rendition of Hyrule Field. The second trailer also shows that Link can ride the boars when their original riders are gone.

What appears to be a Skullkid (from Ocarina of Time, one of which played a major role in Majora’s Mask) is present in game footage, seemingly in control of a group of lanky creatures Link is fighting.

The reptilian Lizalfos (and/or Dinofols) return from Ocarina of Time. These foes make appearances in a number of different places in the trailers. They appear to fight with swords and shields, and some wear a sort of skull helm.

In several trailers, Link is attacked by huge spiders. The identity of these monsters is unknown, but they are most likely Skulltulas. Their appearance is reminiscent of a Skulltula, although the skull is only a pattern on the abdomen, whereas the Skulltulas in the N64 games were smaller, could not walk on the ground, and had a skull-shaped armored carapace. These spider-creatures are seen in the dungeon in the new gameplay footage. They hang from webs much like Skulltulas, and they may also leave their webs and attack Link from the ground. This enemy appears to have the ability to encase Link in a web as seen in the second trailer.

Strange creatures, which bear a disturbing resemblance to something out of Lovecraft’s Cthulhu mythos (or the Nintendo classic it inspired, Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem), have also been featured in the latest trailer. Apparently related to the incursion of the Twilight Realm into Hyrule, they are seen falling from an odd portal in the sky, and later being attacked by Midna and wolf-Link.

Flying, dragon-like creatures have been featured in a few trailers, both flying in the Twilight Realm and pestering Link while he is on horseback.

Bosses
One of the new mini-bosses is a giant baboon with a black-and-red cap, who taunts Link and throws a boomerang. Simultaneously, Link is being attacked by an uprooted Deku Baba with three joined heads; it crawls on the ground and snaps at him. Link needs to deflect the baboon’s boomerang back by hitting it, then roll into pillars to knock the baboon off. He then hits its red bottom several times until it is defeated. As demonstrated in the second trailer, enemies’ attacks can hurt each other. The baboon is revealed to be good once it is defeated by Link and the cap falls off its head.

A major boss seen in the third trailer resembles a towering plant with one eye. There is another evil baboon in this room who swings back and forth along a vine with what appears to be an explosive insect. Link must use his Gale Boomerang to snatch the bomb and hurl it into the plant. When the plant is hit, it will give Link an opportunity to slash away at its exposed eye.

A boss,named Pyrus, briefly featured in the first trailer, is a giant figure of flame with a dangerous-looking chain, which was used as a whip to knock Link to the ground. He appears in the Goron Mines.

Another boss or mini-boss battle is a sort of jousting match with an ugly creature riding a huge armored boar. To raise the stakes, the creature has abducted a village boy, Colin, and is dangling him from the end of a pole. The goal of this match is apparently to knock the boar-rider from his mount and off the bridge on which they are jousting by dodging his attack with the analog stick, then slashing with the B button.

In the second trailer, Link is briefly seen running headlong from a giant, black, one-eyed spider through a network of caves. This may be a more classic rendition of the Gohma, a giant tektite or a new enemy altogether.



Weapons and Items
The game will feature some as-yet-unrevealed new weapons/items, and many classic Zelda armaments - some with new twists, such as the Gale Boomerang. This novel version of the series staple can create a small whirlwind capable of picking up items, including lit bombs, and delivering them to other locations, such as to an enemy or back to Link. This Boomerang is, at first, used in the E3 2005 Demo. Link receives it by opening a chest in the Forest Temple.

A Lantern and Lantern Oil are also in the game, which is a first for a 3D Zelda game. The Lantern Oil was shown in the E3 2005 Demo to be held in a bottle, and the Lantern was present in the second trailer. Presumably, the Oil and the Lantern must be combined (see below), or the Lantern equipped and the Oil used as a regular item to refill it.

It has also been confirmed that some weapons can now be combined, as with the bomb-arrows seen in one trailer. (This combo actually originated in the classic Game Boy adventure Link’s Awakening, and fans have been clamoring for the feature’s return ever since.)

Classic items including Potions and Bottles will also return. In several videos Link is shown fighting on horseback and then drinking a Red Potion to regain health.

Scenes in the sewers from the second trailer involve a flash and humanoid ghosts (unlikely to be Poes) suddenly appearing in a way which is evocative of the Lens of Truth from OoT/MM. This may be related to special “wolf vision” which can reveal things humans can’t see.

The Iron Boots return and can now be used in conjunction with large magnets to lift Link to new heights. Also, a new rendition of the Hookshot, the Clawshot, was revealed in the E3 2006 demo.

Link is seen wielding what appears to be the Master Sword in a recent piece of official art.

Environment
Twilight Princess will feature many different types of environments. In the trailers, besides the dungeons (which are an important Zelda feature) and the mysterious Twilight Realm, forest and open field settings were shown, along with the small village where Link lives. There are also mountain areas, where Link was seen apparently sparring with a Goron. In the most recently released pictures, a market scene was introduced, and snowy area where wolf-Link was running.

It has also been confirmed that certain parts of some dungeons will have a top-down camera view to better show what is going on. This has led to speculation that there may be some areas which require such a view to solve a puzzle.

Races
The rock-eating Goron race will return, although it has been stated that these will not be the same Gorons seen in Ocarina of Time. In one trailer, an adult Goron is standing opposite Link, fists up and bouncing around a bit, as though they were having a boxing match (though Link is using his shield). Link blocks one punch, but then takes a hit and is knocked down.

In the recent issue #204 of Electronic Gaming Monthly, art seems to indicate that the Gorons in Twilight Princess have become much more technologically inclined, as a Goron shown in the issue has quite a few mechanical body parts. Further proof of this industrial boom could be found in the recent E³ 2006 gameplay demo, in which members of the press took Link through a ‘dumbed down’ dungeon with many mechanical devices including a magnetic crane; undoubtedly, this is the dungeon that this Link will come across when he meets the Goron race as the map screen reads ‘Goron Mines’.

The Zora people may also be making a comeback. In an interview from EGM #195, Eiji Aonuma said “...Because it [Twilight Princess] is several decades after Ocarina, it’s possible some of the characters from that game might still be alive in this world. We've already shown the Goron in an earlier trailer; I think people can look forward to seeing if we include Zoras as well...” Nothing else official has been said regarding the Zoras.

The humans in this game may not all belong to the Hylian race. In Toaru Village, the town Link starts out in, the townsfolk all have normal, rounded ears. Link himself still has pointy ears, and he must travel to Hyrule, so a Hylian presence in the game is still likely.

Miscellaneous
Returning in Twilight Princess is the fishing mechanic from the popular Ocarina of Time mini-game, which was inspired by a fishing mini-game in Link’s Awakening. Its exact place and purpose in the game has not yet been confirmed (i.e., a mini-game, sidequest, or part of the main adventure), however, it was revealed by Eiji Aonuma that unlike the fishing in Ocarina of Time, Link will be able to take his boat to different areas to fish. It has been hinted that one of its final uses may be to fish up a boss that Link must then defeat.

Very little information is available regarding Princess Zelda’s role in the game. The cloaked figure seen in the opening of the third official trailer released by Nintendo at E3 in 2005 is Zelda, wearing traditional funereal robes. Also worth noting is a rumored return of the Sheikah, a supposedly extinct tribe of ninja-like warriors originally found in Ocarina of Time, who were loyal to the Hyrulean throne. This speculation is based on the presence of a Sheikah symbol on the back of Zelda’s robes in the trailer. The symbol, seen right, is a stylized eye with 3 spike-like lashes fanning out above it and a tear falling below. Originally seen on the chest of Impa, a survivor of the Sheikah people in Ocarina of Time, it was also worn by Sheik. It is not yet known what role, if any, the Sheikah play in Twilight Princess. The symbol may be merely a treat for fans; nothing has been officially said about it.

The town of Kakariko village makes a return in TP, which in OoT is notorious for once being home to the Sheikah. There is a shaman in this village who helps you on many occasions, and while never stated as a Sheikah, may very well be one, as he has the same broad cheek bones and big lips that Impa in OoT had. It doesn't hurt he lives in their rumored-home town.

Sources including Chinese gaming site Level Up have confirmed the game’s length to be 100 hours. This is in excess of several other famous game lengths, including the 2-disc, 80-hour RPGs Tales of Symphonia (GCN) and Star Ocean: Till the End of Time (PS2).

A recent Video on Hyrule.net shows Link sneaking up on and stealing a sword from a fellow who has invited him to do so. The video only shows Link stealing a sword but it is assumed by some that this sequence is a tutorial for a technique that will be featured in other parts of the game.