Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD Review – A remastered game with a few tweaks and add-ons

Hey guys, we are back with our review of Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD for Wii U after playing the game for a few weeks.

The good:
The game has overall improved graphics over its predecessor with the game’s graphics are based of the GameCube version of Twilight Princess. The character models and scenary looks very realistic especially areas like Lake Hylia where the details of the water looks very beautiful. However, there is a slight downside which we will discuss in the bad section.

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I also noticed a slight improvement in terms of soundtrack enhancement. One example, while Link is riding his horse Epona in Hyrule Field, the song transitions to be more valiant which is a very nice touch. Also the swimming controls did feel a little bit more easier compared to both the Wii and GameCube versions.
The storyline is defintely one of the best in the Zelda series. As the game starts off slowly, and then transitions into fast pace battles near the end of the game. It is quite memorable for those who have played the original versions of the game as it brings back memories of playing Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask and A Link to the Past.
The game also utilises the Wii U GamePad which allows for easy item changing and always-on maps similar to the Wind Waker HD. A new functionality added to the Wii U GamePad is a button where you can switch between Human Link and Wolf Link in real-time without the need to speak to Midna although I find myself still talking to Midna whenever I need to change between the two. The usage of the gyro on thr Wii U GamePad allows precise aiming which proved very useful during the second dungeon and some of the mini-games.
The additional add-ons such as the use of Amiibos and Cave of Shadows really makes the game slightly longer and more challenging. During the course of my review, I have only made it up to the 32nd floor out of 40 floors in the Cave of Shadows which is a special dungeon only accessible by tapping the Wolf Link Amiibo and the player can only use Link’s Wolf form to defeat enemies unlike the Cave of Ordeals where you can switch between the two.
The bad:
Some elements of the game felt a bit easy in terms of difficulty when compared to the original versions of the game, For example, the number of tears of light that was required to be collected to revive the light spirit in every area of the game was significantly reduced compared to the original version.
The game was advertised to be playable off-screen using the GamePad. However this is also an issue as the game was never optimised to be played entirely off-screen. One of the biggest issue was the GamePad tends to lag especially during graphic intense scenes making the gameplay slightly frustrating.
The game still retains some of the issues that I faced when playing the original version of the game which is camera issue. When battling enemies and you get pushed towards a corner, the camera sometimes fails to adjust properly even when pressing the target lock button resulting in awkward camera angles which is frustrating especially during some boss battles.
Although I mentioned the graphics have improved over its predecessor, more work on the graphics could have been done to really make this game more appealing and more worthy to buy. Earlier, I compared it to the GameCube version which has significant improvement. However, when comparing it to the Wii version whether the game is running on the Wii U, Wii or emulator, there is really not much of a difference between them which is really a let down since this game had the potential to receive a really good remake.
Conclusion:
Overall a nice addition for the Wii U. However I would not recommend this game for those who own the original Wii game as you can still play the game on the Wii U as the overall gameplay is exactly the same unless you are hard-core Zelda fan. It makes sense for Wind Waker to be remade as there was no Wii version of the Wind Waker at the time. However, this remastered game does make you wonder why did Nintendo remake the game 10 years after its original release. Furthermore, the Wii U until now does not have an original Zelda game. Even Hyrule Warriors its merely a mash up between Dynasty Warriors and the Legend of Zelda which re-visits previous titles from Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword in a more battle field-like approach. In my opinion, this game is more suited for those who did’t own the previous generation consoles(which includes me), hard-core Zelda fans and new-comers to the Zelda franchise seeking an exciting adventure filled with breath-taking storyline.
Score: 6.9/10
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