IMPRESSIONS FROM FINAL BUILD
Having clocked up 34 hours (and counting) on the final build of the Wii's 'The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess', I will be posting my impressions on here over the coming weeks leading up to the full review in the next issue of the magazine (on sale 24 Nov).
I'm not going to give too much away right now, but rest assured that this is one hell of a game. I was actually surprised at how little I knew about the game. In a similar fashion to Capcom's treatment of RE4 pre-launch, even the hardcore followers probably only know around 5% of what this game has to offer.
I'm not going to ruin the game for you. If you want storyline info, boss tactics, character names etc then go elsewhere. I'm not going to be responsible for ruining this game for people. The story and character development is more relevant in this game than any other Zelda before it. I'm going to post as few spoilers as possible but here's your first warning:
THIS THREAD CONTAINS SPOILERS. AT THE START OF EVERY SECTION I'LL POST WARNINGS SO YOU KNOW WHETHER OR NOT TO READ ANY FURTHER, HOWEVER FOR MAXIMUM ENJOYMENT I WOULDN'T ADVISE READING ANY OF IT!
So, look out for my impressions, and Video Vault updates when the relevant dates arrive. The first one will be very soon.
When the first impressions go up I'll unlock this thread so that you can ask questions. Don't fill this thread with nonsense and speculation. I'll answer what I'm allowed to and only stuff that won't ruin the experience for everyone else. If this thread gets abused I'll lock it and will stop answering questions. Simple as.
*** Update: 31/10/06 ***
So it turns out that the embargoes actually cover all video footage so Im limited to impressions right now, the first of which will come tomorrow (1 Nov, UK time). On launch-day well post lots of movies for you.
*** Update: 01/11/06 ***
Impressions From Opening Area & Faron Woods
Here you go: the first lot of impressions. Enjoy. I'll unlock the thread until the morning (get your questions in and I'll answer them over the next few days), at which point I'll lock it until the next embargo.
SPOILER ALERT: CONTAINS NAMES AND BRIEF STORYLINE INFO
Im going to spend most of this post talking about the general feel of the game and the way the final controls work, because I think these are two of the most important aspects. Ill also touch upon the music because, being a bit of a musician, its an aspect of gaming that I always take notice of. Also I should mention that this is going to be really informal and un-proofed so please forgive any grammatical errors.
Title Screen
So, first up is the title screen. Im sure many OoT fans out there will be ecstatic to hear that, in a similar vein to OoT, Twilight Princess feature a stunning title screen sequence whereby Link reigns in Epona and goes running across a bridge and along the edge of a cliff in Hyrule Field. Its the perfect start to the game and OoT fans will quite literally be drowning in their own drool before they even press Start (sorry, I mean A+B).
Options
I know there are options whores out there so heres a bit on that:
Lock-On Type: toggle between holding down Z to lock on, or just tapping Z to lock on.
Camera Control: choose between regular or inverted.
Pointer: have it on or off (didnt try having it off, but I assume you control the sights with the analogue stick.
Icon Shortcuts: have them on or off.
Pointer Settings: a sensitivity setting, from 1 10.
To be honest, apart from inverting the camera controls, I had no reason to bother with anything else as the standard settings were pretty much perfect for me.
General Feel
The Epona opening sequence provides the feel-good factor and if you wait a few seconds longer theres the montage trailer that provides just enough snippets of later events to get you really excited. Im not going to talk about those though.
The overall feel of the game is way more filmic than before. You can tell from the very first second that this is going to be more story-driven, and therefore more heartstring-tugging, than any other Zelda game. The character design is improved over other games. Some of that can probably be attributed to the fact that theres more power under the hood (hence more detailed expressions and clothing), but I think its safe to say that the actual design in general is better. That said, I still hate Colin. I dont like his face and his efforts to follow in Links footsteps make him seem like a right brown-noser. He gets picked on by the other kids and to be honest with you, I have no sympathy for him. But still, I do feel passionately about him so either way, Im being drawn in more than ever before.
Controls
I must admit, even back at E3 I had concerns about the controls. Would the Wii Remote swordplay get tedious? Would it be tiring? Is the pointing device accurate enough to get me out of a tight spot at the drop of a hat? Thankfully the answers are 'no, 'no' and 'yes'. I have to say though, theres a mental barrier to cross with the Wii, and its one that Im only just beginning to break through.
The problem is, even though I know the pointer works relatively (as opposed to where Im pointing on the screen), I still find myself wanting to point at specific areas of the screen. So Ill have the bow out and I swear Im pointing at the screen. The thing is Im not supposed to be. My Sensor Bar is actually sat a foot below the screen because its easier to have it there. So when Im pointing directly at the Sensor Bar, that is interpreted as dead-centre (on the vertical plain). It takes a while for your head to readjust but once it does everything is so much easier. I had the same issues with Red Steel.
With that hurdle overcome, the pointing device is stunningly accurate. . . way more accurate than an analogue stick. Theres an area in the second dungeon (Nintendo PR, forgive me I know Im not supposed to talk about dungeon 2 but this particular bit is from the E3 demo) where youre hiding behind crates and are being fired upon by six or seven Moblins. From the moment I first see them to the moment the last one falls lasts about six seconds. Its literally just point shoot, point shoot. . . and each movement is spot-on, even though three of them are only separated by 5mm each. Thats nothing to do with my skill - thats just how responsive, lag-free and accurate the technology is.
But what of the sword fighting? Actually, its great. There is a tiny bit of lag but thats because you have to complete the motion before the move is recognised. Honestly though, its a split-second thing.
Anyone who has played the E3 demo will know that Link has his spinning attack, a standard slice, a jab and a jump attack. The latter three are performed via the Wii Remote while the spinning attack comes from gesturing the Nunchuk left and right. Link doesnt actually start out with the Ending Blow that was present in the E3 demo. He actually learns new moves throughout the game, a fantastic addition that succeeds perfectly in heightening the feeling of character development. This learning of moves is also connected to Wolf Link but thats an amazing part of the game in itself and Ill leave that to you to figure out and enjoy for yourself.
Anyway, back to how the sword feels. A laid back flick of the wrist is as good as an intense swipe but when youre in the thick of it youll find yourself really going for it. And no, it isnt tiring. Ive been doing 12-hour sessions, simply because Ive had to, and while my eyes are barely open at the end my hands and arms are just fine. Sorry, I know there are cynics out there who dont want to hear that, but its true.
Music
Simply amazing. I mean, Zelda always has great music, but every now and then a tune will play in the background and youll be like Ive got to stop playing cos that tune is just something else. Theres one in the first area thats based on an older Zelda tune but its remixed and is just divine. Theres plenty more to say on the subject but I wont because some of the enemy sound effects and the Twilight Realm tunes are really ominous and it would ruin the surprise if I talked about them. Itll definitely be worth buying the soundtrack though (hmmm, maybe we should look into doing a TP soundtrack on the cover of the mag. . .).
Wii Remote Speaker
Its strange because in theory there seems little point in the speaker function. . . any sound effects could just come out of the TV speaker. In practice though (and who is to know whether Nintendo fully intended this to be the case or not) its genius and manages to put you right in the heart of the action. You get the sound of the sword unsheathing and sword clashes in the speaker and you also get a little chime once the Spin Attack has recharged (about two seconds). Midna giggles via the speaker when she wants to talk to you, at which point you have to press up on the D-pad. It may sound like a gimmick but seriously, it adds yet more magic to the experience.
Storyline
Very, very briefly. . . Link is a ranch-hand in the Ordona Province. Right at the start of the game youre told that Rusl wont be able to make the journey to Hyrule Castle to deliver a gift, so its down to Link to do it. Youre introduced to the rather charming inhabitants of Ordon (well, aside from Colin) and are subtly made to perform and practice all the movements that are going to be so vital in the game.
Its actually a good few hours before Link finally leaves and gets dragged into the Twilight Realm. You soon learn that the land of Hyrule is in grave danger and that the light in the world has been extinguished. The only way to return light to the world is to free the three Light Spirits, and so the dungeon bashing begins. As youve seen in the screens and the trailer from a while back, Midna comes to Links aid to help him escape from the dungeon prison below the castle. . . but Im not saying why theyre there or who the character at the top of the tower is.
Wolf Link
I wasnt going to say much about this but EDGE magazine has already printed quite a bit of it in the most recent issue, so Im not really spoiling anything. Wolf Link basically has an equivalent for human Links main moves. So whereas Link does a jump attack, Wolf Link does a jumping bite. Wolf Link also has a Spin Attack. What Wolf Link lacks in item/weapon usage (he cant use items for obvious reasons) he gains in the form of Sense and Dig abilities. Tapping left or right on the D-pad allows Wolf Link to smell out things that arent necessarily actually there (sorry, I know thats vague but Im being very careful here). Hes also able to dig for secrets and even dig holes to gain access to secret areas.
Another move comes courtesy of Midna. By holding down B you can create a magical field around both characters. Let go of B and Wolf Link will deliver a fatal bite to every enemy inside the threshold. The creature in Midnas helmet allows you to
nope, actually, forget that.
I remember reading on a forum once that someone hoped Aonuma-san wouldnt cheat and allow Wolf Link to open doors. Well, he cant. Up until the end of the first dungeon he cant open doors and has to find other ways around obstacles. Again, this is something that has more depth but Im not going to comment anymore on that.
EDGE also touched upon Tears Of Light, Vessels Of Light and Shadow Insects but Im going to leave it because I think it reveals a bit too much about the connection between the Light and Twilight.
I think thatll do for now. As and when the other embargoes are lifted Ill reveal more.
I dont think there are any spoilers here. Every few seconds I keep thinking of amazing things Ive experienced, even in the first four or five hours, but I know how happy I was when I completely unexpectedly discovered every little detail. . . and I really think it should be the same for everyone else. Honestly, you owe it to yourself to try and avoid any impressions that go into more detail. And for anyone who thinks Ive written too much. . . Ive held back drastically through this whole thing. This is just a tiny slither of whats on offer. Hopefully what Ive written will excite you. If you have any questions feel free to ask but I can tell you now that I wont post anything past the Faron Woods dungeon.
