The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Template:Infobox CVG The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is an upcoming video game in Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda series for the Nintendo GameCube. It is tentatively scheduled to be released in Q4 2005.
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 of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, although it will still make use of the cel-shading lighting effects and a heavily modified version of The Wind Waker's engine. In a further departure from The Wind Waker, Link is once more in his "adult" form, similar to the second half 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 previously suspected rumors about the game were confirmed at E³ 2005. The official title, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess was announced, and it was explained that Link would transform into a wolf. It was confirmed that it falls chronologically "decades after Ocarina of Time", and that "the hero in the adventure is an all-new Link". [1] Interviews and a playable demo exposed many new details, such as Link beginning the game as a sort of shepherd or cowboy, Link battling on horseback, changes in the horse controls from Ocarina, thematic differences between dungeons, and so on. [2] Live feeds of this demo have also been published.
In recent interviews in 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 sword, a thin and somewhat effeminate sword, leading many fans to theorise that she will fight at some point, or at the very least defend herself. Nintendo is unclear on whether the Master Sword would be featured in the game.
Aonuma has also stated that the game will be much larger in size than Ocarina of Time, and will have many more dungeons. He stated that Link can communicate with animals, but did not elaborate on this. He also confirmed that voice acting will not be in the game. However, characters will still grunt and laugh and scream and make other such noises just as they have in all the 3D outings in the series.
Animals
Animals play a big part in the game, although the exact roles of most of them are unknown.
Link, the wolf
Link will also be able to enter the Twilight Realm and transform into a wolf, much like the transformation into a bunny 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 be tied with Midna, a small character who rides atop Link wearing an odd helmet and scarf. As the Twilight gets pushed back, Link will regain his human form, altering Link and Midna's partnership. [3]
Animal flute
In the gameplay trailers, Link picks some horse grass. It has been confirmed that this can summon both the eagle and the horse, but there may be other animals it can summon (such as cats or dogs), and it may even serve other functions (like the Ocarina or Wind Waker in past games did). Whether he later gets a better and more permanent instrument, perhaps with added functions, is unknown.
Link's horse
In this game, Link's horse is not Epona, despite looking very similar to her. While the E³ footage shows the horse's name as Epona, this time around, gamers can choose their own name for the horse. Whether or not it has a default name (as with Link) is currently unknown.
Link's eagle
The eagle can be used much like the Boomerang; Link can target objects, and send the eagle out to hit (and, probably, retrieve) things from afar. Whether the eagle can be used to attack enemies or is merely a puzzle-solving ally is unclear.
Cuccos
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 in previous games where they were always white, the cuccos in the E³ footage are brown, much like everyday chickens.
Cats
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 did not feature in either the expanded third trailer or the E³ gameplay footage.
Fishing minigame
Also returning is the popular fishing minigame from Ocarina of Time, although its exact place and purpose in the game is not yet confirmed; i.e., a mini-game sidequest or part of the larger, main quest; it has been alluded that one of its final uses may be to fish up a boss which Link must then defeat.
Enemies
Not much is known right now about the enemies in the game; while there are some enemies from previous Zelda games (as seen in the third official trailer), there are also many new creatures.
"tarantula"
The name of this creature is unknown, hence being in quotation marks. Its appearance is reminiscent of a Skulltula, in that it has a "face" on its body, although it is only on the abdomen whereas the Skulltula was entirely covered in its skull shell.
Its only known ability (thus far) is to encase Link in webbing (as demonstrated in the second trailer) but it is likely that it has a generic bite attack as well. The face is reminiscent of that of a Re-Dead, so it is possible that it can use its abdomen to freeze its prey in its tracks (just like Re-Deads do), probably followed by encasing it in webbing.
Bosses
The third official trailer shows a portal of some form opening in the sky (probably from some other dimension). Three creatures with Medusa-like tentacled heads drop through it, and it is to be assumed that these three each are the bosses of three dungeons in the game. But that can not be true because in trailer three, it shows Wolf Link using a wide dash type attack to beat three of the same creatures. They also appeard to die in that one hit also.
One of the other new bosses is a cross between Manhandla and a Deku Baba, three Deku Baba heads linked together and crawling on the ground, uprooted. While fighting these, Link also has to avoid a giant baboon, who taunts him and throws a boomerang. As demonstrated in the second trailer, enemies' attacks can hurt each other; in the trailer, Link dodges the boomerang and it hits the plants following behind him, seemingly killing two of the three.
Gohma is back, with a larger eye than in Ocarina of Time. In the second trailer, Link is running headlong from it through a network of caves looking very much like Shelob's lair in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
A new female villain (Midna) has been added. At a certain point in the game she decides to team up with Link to fight a "greater evil" that she cannot overcome alone (fans assume this is Ganon). For these parts, the player controls her while she rides on wolf-Link's back.