The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Overview

Link must once again save Hyrule

Story

The game begins with Link living in a small town called Ordon village when mysterious creatures come out of the darkness and kidnap the town's children. As Link tries to save them, he is pulled into a wall of black energy, where he is transformed into a wolf and locked in prison. Luckily, a being called Midna -- an odd creature of the same race that attacked the village -- frees him and tells him that her people are called the Twili, and they are being led by their king, Zant, who wants to merge Hyrule with an alternate dimension called the Twilight Realm into one land that only he would control.

Gameplay

Link and Midna, fighting as Wolf Link.

The gameplay in Twilight Princess is very similar to recent 3D Zelda games, as the player navigates a series of complex, puzzle-oriented dungeons to acquire new weapons and abilities, and track down the ultimate source of evil threatening Hyrule. Many of the traditional Zelda items are present, such as bombs and the bow and arrow, but this time around, the Wii's motion controls add a more first-person feel to playing the game. The player swings the Wii remote to make Link slash, shakes the nunchuk to slam Link's shield forward and stun enemies, and aims the bow and arrow with the Wiimote's pointer function. The player can also transform into a wolf who offers his own unique moves, such as digging to uncover items and passages, speaking with animals, picking up the scents of objects and enemies, and moving more swiftly than Link's human form.

Link's Collection

This menu is brought up by hitting the Plus ( ) button on the Wii Remote, allowing the player to look through and change the following items.  The player can also look at how big his Rupee pouch and Quiver are, how many bugs, techniques, Letters and Poe Souls he's collected, as well as look at his Fishing Journal and what scent Link has last picked up during his Wolf form.  The Game Options and Save feature are also accessed through this menu.

Swords & Shields

• Ordon Sword
• Master Sword
• Ordon Shield
• Hylian Shield

• Hero's Clothes
• Zora Armor
• Magic Armor

Link's Items

• Clawshot (later becomes Double Clawshots)
• Dominion Rod
• Ball and Chain
• Spinner
• Hero's Bow^
• Iron Boots
• Gale Boomerang
• Lantern
• Slingshot
• Fishing Rod (later becomes Fishing Rod Earring)
• Hawkeye^
• 3 Bomb Bags*^
• 4 Bottles
• Horse Call

As the wolf, the user has the ability to use Link's 'senses' and search for hidden areas and items. Doing this can solve some of the game's puzzles and

Link in his wolf form.

is a good source for acquiring some extra rupees. Another of Wolf Link's abilities is 'digging'. This is how hidden items discovered by using the 'senses' are recovered. In combat, by holding down 'b', Midna allows Wolf Link to create a circle that encloses around nearby enemies, making it so that Link will attack all of those enemies at the same time when the 'b' button is released. This is the only way to defeat some of the enemies in the game, because when in groups they can revive one another by screeching. Another ability that only Wolf Link can execute is walking along thin platforms such as ropes. This allows Link to access new areas. Wolf Link can also interact with other animals in the game. Animals often know secrets about their environments and are willing to share all the information they know with fellow animals. The final new ability gained by Wolf Link after his transformation is 'howling'. This is similar to the ocarina concept in The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. Link uses howling to interact with certain objects and characters in the game.