The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: TWILIGHT PRINCESS

After initial criticism to Wind Waker’s cartoony design, Nintendo apparently took a hard left and made a game with some of the ugliest “hyper-realistic” graphics in the series. But if ugly’s the only critique I can give the game, it’s doing pretty darn good. Twilight Princess takes place thousands of years after the “child timeline” of Ocarina of Time, when Hyrule is threatened by invaders from a shadowy twilight realm.

Our main character is an adult Link, more or less akin to the standard “Link” you think of, so most of his moves will likely end up there. Across the game, he carries around the typical sword and shield, and can also grab and throw, climb, use a slingshot, fish, summon a falcon, and has such items as the Wind Boomerang, Iron Boots, Magnet Boots, Bombs, a swimming Fish Bomb, a Clawshot, a spinning top he can ride around on, a pair of gauntlets with a ball and chain attached, and the Dominion Rod, a staff that lets you control several types of statues (including some with hammers to swing around and bells that take them from place to place). The real question here is if there’s enough connection to tie those statues to Armos or not. Hmm.

Perhaps the most iconic gimmick of the game is Link’s transformation into a wolf when in the Twilight Realm. As a wolf, he can growl, dig, bite, warp from place to place with Midna, attack in a rage, carry around a stick as a torch, howl, and summon a Kargarok to carry him. Speaking of which, Midna is a small impish creature who becomes his Navi-esque companion throughout the game, eventually revealed to be the titular Twilight Princess, ousted from her throne and transformed into her current state. She is shown to be able to leap, cast energy balls, teleport, grab things with her hair, warp from place to place, float, shapeshift, become a shadow, warp heavy objects from place to place, control a Kargarok, stab with her hair, and take on a monstrous form. Toward the end, she is restored to her true body, shown with a magic tear strong enough to destroy the Mirror of Twilight but not much else. (We’ll have to wait for Hyrule Warriors to see if we can differentiate that form).

Princess Zelda is very much a minor character this time around, locked up in her castle most of the time. She is shown to wield a sword, heal with her magic, use the Triforce to let of a blast, fire light arrows, and, under the influence of Ganondorf, float and play the infamous tennis match with you. Another figure worth noting is the Hero’s Shade, strongly implied to be the spirit of Ocarina’s Link, who teaches you such sword moves as the finishing blow, the shield attack, the back slice, the helm splitter, the mortal draw, the jump strike, and the great spin.

Minor NPCs abound throughout the game. First and most importantly, we have the residents of Ordon Village, including Link’s childhood friend Ilia, brother figure Colin, father figure Rusl, local kids Malo, Talo, and Beth, and the mayor Bo, who teaches you a sumo fighting style. On top of that, the slingshot, bow, falcon, and the horse Epona are all heavily linked with your time in the village, so you could reasonably tie it all to one major member. Ilia would probably be on top of that list to inherit it, but I’ll have to think on it. Other NPCs wander around other areas, such as the rebellion leader Telma and other members such as Ashei, inhabitants of Kakariko Village such as Barnes and Renado, Gorons and Zoras such as Darbus and Prince Ralis, and notably, a certain bug-loving little girl named Agitha, who I might not mention if it weren’t for a certain role in a later warrior-y game.

I should also mention Yeto and Yeta, a pair of Yetis living up in the icy mountainous region of Hyrule. Yeto is shown to punch hard, sled down a mountain, has multiple cannons around his castle home, and can cook a mean stew. Yeta becomes possessed by the influence of the Mirror of Twilight, fighting you in a boss fight where she rises into the air, blows icy wind around, and causes ice chunks to fall. Monkeys also return to this game, helping Link out by clearing smoke with a lantern, climbing, swinging their companions, giving you a boost, and forming chains. Their chief Ook becomes possessed, similar to Yeta, and fights you by throwing a dark boomerang and knocking over pillars. Finally we have the Ooccoos, really weird bird things that can warp you to Temple entrances, plus the great spirits Ordona, Faron, Eldin, and Lanayru, and the sages that sealed away the Twilight Realm in the first place.

Zant is our initial villain, a usurper of Midna’s throne who doesn’t seem to be quite all there. He can cast a wave of light, throw a ball of red energy, use telekinesis, summon a shadow stone, wield a twilight sword, summon large Zant Heads, create portals, summon twilight bats, chase you with giant hands, take on a phantom form, teleport, cast shadow balls, spin really fast, fly, alter the world around him, and attack with twin blades. He turns out to have been serving Ganondorf, who emerges as the final boss, riding a horse, casting lighting, striking you with his elbow, and turning into a beastly Ganon form that mostly just charges and body slams.

Our most important boss has to be King Bulblin, the main enforcer of Zant who forms a sort of rivalry with Link. He always rides around on his giant pig Lord Bulbo with two big horns to skewer you with, wields an axe when off of him, can summon twilight at will, and blows a horn to command his fellow Bulblins. Other major bosses include Diababa, a giant monster plant; Fyrus, a chained fire monster; Morpheel, a giant sea monster; Stallord, a giant skeletal monster in a pit that can breath smoke and fire; Armogohma, a very realistic-looking giant spider that fires lasers, and drops eggs full of baby Gohma; and Argorok, a literal dragon. Mini-bosses include the strong Goron Dangoro, a big bloated beetle named Twilit Bloat, a giant Deku Toad, Skull Kid (who can warp from place to place and controls puppets with a pipe), a demonic goat named Death Sword, a mace-swinging enemy named Darkhammer, a Darknut wielding a sword, shield, second sword, and mace, and a winged variant of the Lizalfos called the Aeralfos.

Returning enemies include: Deku Baba (including Big Babas and Baba Serpents), Bokoblins, Keese, Skulltulas, Dodongos, Chuchus, Helmasaurs, Lizalfos, Tektites, Baris, Shellblades, Poes with scythes and blue fire, Stalfos, Gibdos, Wolfos, Freezards. New enemies include the Bulblins, who ride around on hogs, fire arrows, wield clubs, set fires, and ride around on Kargaroks; Shadow Beasts that mostly grab and claw; aforementioned Kargarok birds; Bomblings; worms that hide under tiles; icy warriors called Chilfos; and skeletal canines called Stalhounds.

Twilight Princess goes back to a more traditional Hyrule map, bringing back such locations as Hyrule Castle, Hyrule Field, Kakariko Village, Death Mountain, Castle Town, Lake Hylia, Zora’s Domain, Gerudo Desert, and the Temple of Time (now a full temple in its own right). To my knowledge, this is also the first true appearance of the names Faron, Eldin, and Lanayru, referring to the Lost Woods, Death Mountain, and Lake Hylia regions respectively (which is odd, because Lanayru will come to be linked with the desert areas in the future). Other notable areas include Link’s home of Ordon Village, the Forest Temple, the iconic Bridge of Eldin, the Goron Mines, the Arbiter’s Grounds, Snowpeak Ruins where Yeto and Yeta live, the Hidden Village, the City in the Sky, and the Palace of Twilight, with the Twilight Realm itself having a distinct look and feel to it.

All items as previously stated, with most of the other standards still in play.

Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Link: Master Sword, Hylian Shield, Epona, Iron Boots, Megaton Hammer, Pegasus Boots, bombs, fire arrows, ice arrows, light arrows, hookshot, boomerang, bombchu, lens of truth, climb, slingshot, fish, falcon, Wind Boomerang, Magnet Boots, Fish Bomb, Clawshot, Spinner, Ball and Chain, Dominion Rod

Young Link: jumping, rolling, crawling, Kokiri Sword, Deku shield, Epona, slingshot, Deku stick, bomb flowers, hookshot, boomerang, bombchu, Navi, lens of truth, mirror shield, travel back in time three days, slow time, song of soaring, song of storms, song of awakening, bunny hood, camera, heartless soldier, masks, Fierce Deity Mask

Toon Link: sword, shield, horizontal and vertical slices, thrust, spin attack, telescope, bag for spoils, bombs, grappling hook, Deku Leaf, boomerang, skull hammer, fire and ice arrows, iron boots, power bracelets, mirror shield, hide in barrels, wind waker, change winds, tornado

Wolf Link: growl, dig, bite, warp, rage, stick torch, howl, Kargarok

Princess Zelda: Zelda's Lullaby, jewel, light arrows, remove bars, spell of light, seal Ganon, sword, heal, Triforce blast, float, tennis match

Sheik: Zelda's Lullaby, Sun Song, Song of Storms, Song of Time, Epona's Song, Saria's Song, warp songs, disappear, leap, harp

Tetra: cutlass, blunderbuss, cannonballs, raising platforms, rope swinging, spoils bag, catapult, bombs, arrows of light.

King Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule: boat form, sail, cannon, grappling anchor, tornado warp.

Impa: disappear, Zelda's lullaby, Lens of Truth

Midna: leap, cast energy balls, teleport, grab things, warp, float, shapeshift, shadow, warp objects, Kargarok, stab, monstrous form, Twili form, tear

 Hero’s Shade: finishing blow, shield attack, back slice, helm splitter, mortal draw, jump strike, great spin, wolf form

Saria/Kokiri: Deku Sticks, Deku Nuts, Deku Sprouts, Great Deku Tree, Saria's song, slingshot, Mido

Darunia/Darmani/Darbus/Goron: rolling, defensive curl, strength, bomb flowers, hammer, dance, punch, ground pound, roll, drums, powder keg

Ruto/Mikau/Ralis/Zora: swim, dive, high speed swim, punch, fin blades, guitar, blue shield

Nabooru/Gerudo: twin blades, guard, spear, Iron Knuckle

Deku Scrub: launch from flower, fly with flowers, shoot bubbles, Deku Nut, spin dance, pipes

Medli/Rito: fly, lyre, reflect light, grappling hook, Valoo

Makar/Korok: violin, spinning leaf, plant a tree, spitting flowers, Deku Leaves, Deku Nuts

Happy Mask Salesman: draw in fairies, make chicks follow, milk bar, past Garos, Stalchildren, past Gibdos and ReDeads, become a giant, see hearts, detect smells, lead frogs, summon a Keaton, song of healing, shake

Ilia/Colin/Rusl/Malo/Talo/Beth/Bo: bow, slingshot, falcon, epona, sumo wrestling, cuccos

Agitha

Tingle: balloon, maps, magic dust, Tingle Tracker

Beedle: ship

Aryll: telescope

Great Fairy: Din's Fire, Farore's Wind, Nayru's Love, magical power, sword, spin attack, heal, expand pouch

Malon: Epona, Epona's song, Cuccos, Lon Lon Milk, bow

Dampe: dig, float, fire

Kafei: push

Yeto/Yeta: punch, sled, cannons, stew, rise, icy wind, ice chunks

Monkeys: clear smoke, climbing, swinging their companions, give a boost, forming chains, dark boomerang, pillars

Ganondorf: horse, blast of light, waves of darkness, ground pound, ball of lightning, horse, lightning, elbow strike

Toon Ganondorf: twin swords, slash, multi-attack, block, lunge, swoop forward, punch, dodge

Phantom Ganon: ride horse, float, lightning tennis

Beast Ganon: two giant swords, barrier of fire, charge, teleport, body slam

Skull Kid: dance, steal, float, curses, call down the moon, Tatl and Tael, warp, puppets

Majora: spins, tentacles, summon masks, laser beam, weird dance, long tentacles, top

Zant: wave of light, ball of red energy, telekinesis, shadow stone, twilight sword, Zant Heads, create portals, twilight bats, giant hands, phantom form, teleport, shadow balls, spin, fly, alter the world, twin blades

King Bulblin: Lord Bulbo, horns, axe, summon twilight, horn, other Bulblins

Gohma: climbs, drops eggs, lava, bite, lasers, baby Gohmas

Dodongo: dig, leap, breathe fire, roll around, swallow bombs

Kotake and Koume/Twinrova: quicksand, fly around on brooms, fire and ice magic, combine.

Dark Link

Iron Knuckle/Darknut: giant axe, slam, collapsing pillars, broadswords, shields, spears, punch, sword, second sword, mace

Stalfos: stalchildren, kick, sword, shield, dust breath, floating head, mace

Poe: disappearing, throwing flames, spinning with lanterns, paintings, puzzle blocks, illusions, curse, Jalhalla, scythe, blue fire

Armos: Beamos

Octoroks: Big Octo, spit rocks, projectiles, tentacles, whirlpools

Moblins: charge with spears, clubs shockwaves, spears, Helmarocs

Deku Baba: crawl, hang upside down, Mini Baba, Boko Baba, Big Baba, Baba Serpent, Diababa

Deku Scrub: hide, shoot Deku Nuts, merchants

Wolfos

Lizalfos/Dinolfos/Aeralfos: jump, swords, breathe fire, fly

Gibdo

Wizzrobe: teleport, spell of ice, staff, fireballs, fire spell, summon ally

Stalchildren

Chuchu: hopping, dropping from the ceiling, sparking with electricity, turning to stone

Gekko: punch, hop, ride a Snapper, Mad Jelly

Garo: hop, attack with swords, pop out of ground, barrier of fire, flaming swords, leap high

Bokoblins: clubs, swords, shields, broadswords, Helmarocs, burst from pots

Helmaroc

Helmasaur

Bulblins: hogs, arrows, clubs, set fires, Kargaroks (maybe King Bulbin and regular Bulblin as echoes?)

Shadow Beasts: grab, claw

Kargarok

Bosses:

Gohma

Dodongo

Barinade

Phantom Ganon

Volvagia

Morpha

Bongo Bongo

Twinrova

Beast Ganon

Odolwa

Goht

Gyorg

Twinmold

Helmaroc King

Kalle Demos

Gohdan

Jalhalla

Molgera

Diababa

Fyrus

Morpheel

Stallord

Argorok

Stages:

Lost Woods

Kokiri Village

Hyrule Field

Lon Lon Ranch

Hyrule Castle

Castle Town

Temple of Time

Kakariko Village

Death Mountain

Zora's Domain

Lake Hylia

Gerudo Valley

Great Deku Tree

Dodongo's Cavern

Lord Jabu-Jabu's Belly

Forest Temple

Fire Temple

Water Temple

Shadow Temple

Spirit Temple

Ganon's Castle

Clock Town

Termina Field

Woodfall

Snowhead

Great Bay

Ikana

Inside the Moon

Great Sea

Outset Island

Pirate Ship

Forsaken Fortress

Windfall Island

Dragon Roost Island

Forest Haven

Great Fish Island

Tower of the Gods

Earth Temple

Wind Temple

Kingdom of Hyrule

Ganon’s Tower

Faron Woods

Eldin Volcano

Lanayru Desert

Ordon Village

Bridge of Eldin

Goron Mines

Arbiter’s Grounds

Snowpeak Ruins

Hidden Village

City in the Sky

Palace of Twilight

Twilight Realm

Thanks for reading! Next up, we take to the skies in Skyward Sword!