This Remake Hy-RULES!
By Athena Sullins
Ever played Twilight Princess? Never played Twilight Princess? Nonetheless, Nintendo has provided the long-awaited remake of this Zelda series staple for the Wii U, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD. Journey as Link as you explore the kingdom of Hyrule and protect it from the shadows that threaten to encompass it. This game is chock-full of dungeons, puzzles, and combat both in human and wolf form! Both veterans of the game and newbies can enjoy this installment. The updated features and enhancements add new elements to explore for those of us who’ve played through the game before, but modernized controls and improved graphics make it a wonderful starting place for those who have not. Though much of this beloved game remains the same, a wealth of new changes has been added and makes for a much smoother and enjoyable play experience.
The most dramatic improvement is in the graphics. Everything is definitely much prettier than in its 2006 edition. The texturing is much smoother, the shapes less distorted, and the color scale has been brightened. Though a darker, more eerie and mysterious color scheme is a major part of the aesthetic of Twilight Princess, it’s often a bit difficult to see in the shadowy lighting of the original. I find it much easier to differentiate objects from their background in this version. The environments, buildings, and characters have all sustained this makeover and the results are impressive.
The controls have also undergone major changes. The biggest is the removal of motion controls. Your arm won’t tire as easily as it did when it was required that you swing the Wii remote to swing your sword in-game. Sword slashing is now done with the press of a button just as it is in all other Zelda games. In fact, you won’t be using the Wii remote at all. Gameplay is controlled from the GamePad which means no more sound effects from the tiny Wii remote speakers! Thankfully, there’s also been the removal of the ever-present Navi-shaped pointer on the screen that was just as much annoying as it was distracting. The camera controls are more flexible yet are still a bit choppy. As much as the elimination of gyro controls was a benefit, I think a motion control camera option would’ve made the game more intuitive and smooth. The GamePad is also a nice tool because the inventory and map are always displayed on its screen, eliminating the need to interrupt gameplay by pressing a button to bring the screen up. Switching items assigned to buttons is also now seamless.
New features have also made their way into this classic. A new game mode for those who want to be challenged has been made available called Hero Mode. In it, Link takes twice as much damage from enemies and does not have the luxury of picking up any health restorative hearts. Amiibo figures play a part in this remake too, adding bonus challenges and other special features. The special-edition version of the game comes with a Wolf Link and Midna amiibo which can be used to unlock a mini dungeon called The Cave of Shadows. The dungeon is not unlockable in any other way, so anyone downloading the game from the eShop will have to obtain a figure to play. This isn’t the only amiibo that has functionality with the game, however. The Legend of Zelda Smash Bros. amiibo can be used in-game as well for separate purposes. The Link and Toon Link figures can instantly refill your arrows, Zelda and Sheik restore health and Ganondorf deals your enemies double damage.
So if you were wondering if you should give this remake a shot, I’d say yes, you should. The improvements are substantial, making the game not only aesthetically better, but more easily controlled and the new bonus features are a fun twist. If you missed the first two releases of this game (or didn’t) you should make sure to take advantage of this one. Third time’s the charm, right?