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Which is better? Skyward Sword Vs Twilight Princess!

thePlinko

What’s the character limit on this? Aksnfiskwjfjsk
ZD Legend
Skyward Sword no contest. While Twilight Princess isn’t the worst game in the franchise, it’s still not a good game. Nearly every decision made here is mind bogglingly stupid. The characters are all awful. The story is downright nonsensical. The visuals are among the ugliest I’ve ever seen in gaming. The mechanics are all scripted and useless. There are very few good things you can say about TP

SS on the other hand, was fine. Not amazing, not horrible, just fine. It’s a game of high highs and low lows. What the game does well, it does really well. Conversely what the game does poorly it does really poorly. Even with all of its flaws it still beats TP by a mile.
 
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Twilight Princess. Great as it is, it doesn't even need to be mediocre to be better than SS. I played SS only once in my life for about a half hour and I never will again.

SS is rock bottom for Zelda. Motion controls, (not even good ones at that) repulsive graphics, lame soundtrack, terrible characters with the bold exception of Groose. An absolute disaster by all accounts.
 

Mamono101

生きることは痛みを知ること。
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Definitely TP over SS. It’s no secret to those who have known me a while, but SS bores me. It’s tedious fetch quests strung together with plot in between that feels extremely drawn out. Unlike most people, I’ve never had an issue with the motion controls and the temples themselves were pretty imaginative (especially Ancient Cistern), but everything you do getting to the temples is boring, including the story. There are also little nitpicks I have about repetitiveness and exposition that exist in SS has that are less noticeable on a first playthrough of TP.
 

Pik

Joined
Jun 27, 2018
People on ZD forums seem to have such volatile opinions, lol. One minute I'm reading BoTW is the worst game in the series, the next I'm reading that TP is the spawn of the devil. Seems a little extreme, but I do appreciate the passion....I think.

For me, I really like the aspects Twilight Princess brought to the table - it's got a really solid Link design (he's got a good balance of youthfulness and toughness, and his outfit design is really well thought-out: decorative stitches added to the tunic, the addition of chainmail, etc: his TP design also brought back the classic side hair-part from the first three games, which is a nice nod. Zelda's design is graceful and regal, and the designs of the Twili are one of the most interesting things Zelda had in a long time. You can make the argument that the designs didn't translate well to the obsessive "gritty realism" graphics the mid to late 2000s had, especially on aging hardware like the GCN, but the general designs are still amazing and still influence modern Zelda designs to this day.

I also appreciate all of the spins TP brought to traditional Zelda items, too - it has some of the most imaginative items in the series. The dual clawshots take the game's verticality to a new level, and the spinner gave interesting ways to interact with the map. One could make the argument that these good mechanics were underutilized, which I think is true; but it's still nice that they're in the game at all. Speaking of underutilized mechanics, all of the extra battle moves you can aquire in TP make it Link's best moveset in the entire series. However, since they're optional, they're also underutilized...the exception to me in that regard is anytime Link encounters a Darknut - those make full use of his expanded moveset, and are some of the most fun enemy encounters in the game. I have a lot more I could say about TP, but I really like those aspects of it in particular. (and it has some really solid dungeons)

Skyward Sword is good, but underwhelming. Link's design is just the Twilight Princess one with stylistic tweaks, when each Zelda game should be thought of as a new opportunity to explore new stylistic ground. The watercolor / impressionist visual style is a fantastic idea, but I don't think the Wii had enough graphical fidelity to really push that idea to its full potential. The direction-based combat is also cool in theory, but it really just slowed down combat to a halt...and I felt most puzzles that utilized the direction-based swinging were just mindless to complete.

On top of that, navigating around the sky is also disappointing, as the flying controls weren't as good as they could've been and there was an extreme deficit of interesting islands to encounter. Again, it's a really good idea, but one that could be executed much better. Among the most baffling things in Skyward Sword is the bow controls: they were literally perfect in Twilight Princess, and are noticeably worse in SS.
SS's biggest sin, however, is the the reuse of content. Backtracking is not inherently bad, as the PS1-onward Castlevania games use them to tremendous success, as does Metal Gear. It doesn't come off as charming when it happens in Skyward Sword, for one reason or another, and the Imprisioned is simply not a fun encounter, either. (one that happens way too many times)

There are things to like, however: the climbing mechanic literally broke new ground for Zelda, the timestones make for immensely interesting dungeon scenarios, the dungeon design in general is fantastic, and so on. So, as a whole, I definitely like it: it just stands out to me as "the game that made everyone temporarily tired of the Zelda formula" (thus ushering in the changes that would lead to BOTW)
 

MapelSerup

not actually Canadian
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People on ZD forums seem to have such volatile opinions, lol. One minute I'm reading BoTW is the worst game in the series, the next I'm reading that TP is the spawn of the devil. Seems a little extreme, but I do appreciate the passion....I think.

For me, I really like the aspects Twilight Princess brought to the table - it's got a really solid Link design (he's got a good balance of youthfulness and toughness, and his outfit design is really well thought-out: decorative stitches added to the tunic, the addition of chainmail, etc: his TP design also brought back the classic side hair-part from the first three games, which is a nice nod. Zelda's design is graceful and regal, and the designs of the Twili are one of the most interesting things Zelda had in a long time. You can make the argument that the designs didn't translate well to the obsessive "gritty realism" graphics the mid to late 2000s had, especially on aging hardware like the GCN, but the general designs are still amazing and still influence modern Zelda designs to this day

I also appreciate all of the spins TP brought to traditional Zelda items, too - it has some of the most imaginative items in the series. The dual clawshots take the game's verticality to a new level, and the spinner gave interesting ways to interact with the map. One could make the argument that these good mechanics were underutilized, which I think is true; but it's still nice that they're in the game at all. Speaking of underutilized mechanics, all of the extra battle moves you can aquire in TP make it Link's best moveset in the entire series. However, since they're optional, they're also underutilized...the exception to me in that regard is anytime Link encounters a Darknut - those make full use of his expanded moveset, and are some of the most fun enemy encounters in the game. I have a lot more I could say about TP, but I really like those aspects of it in particular. (and it has some really solid dungeons)

Skyward Sword is good, but underwhelming. Link's design is just the Twilight Princess one with stylistic tweaks, when each Zelda game should be thought of as a new opportunity to explore new stylistic ground. The watercolor / impressionist visual style is a fantastic idea, but I don't think the Wii had enough graphical fidelity to really push that idea to its full potential. The direction-based combat is also cool in theory, but it really just slowed down combat to a halt...and I felt most puzzles that utilized the direction-based swinging were just mindless to complete.

On top of that, navigating around the sky is also disappointing, as the flying controls weren't as good as they could've been and there was an extreme deficit of interesting islands to encounter. Again, it's a really good idea, but one that could be executed much better. Among the most baffling things in Skyward Sword is the bow controls: they were literally perfect in Twilight Princess, and are noticeably worse in SS.
SS's biggest sin, however, is the the reuse of content. Backtracking is not inherently bad, as the PS1-onward Castlevania games use them to tremendous success, as does Metal Gear. It doesn't come off as charming when it happens in Skyward Sword, for one reason or another, and the Imprisioned is simply not a fun encounter, either. (one that happens way too many times)

There are things to like, however: the climbing mechanic literally broke new ground for Zelda, the timestones make for immensely interesting dungeon scenarios, the dungeon design in general is fantastic, and so on. So, as a whole, I definitely like it: it just stands out to me as "the game that made everyone temporarily tired of the Zelda formula" (thus ushering in the changes that would lead to BOTW)
Everyone has their own thing to share. The more extreme opinions seem to stand out, but I think it’s good to have a wide range of opinions here.

Personally, I feel like Twilight Princess is just mediocre. I always feel like it does little new from games like OoT, and what they added just doesn’t feel fresh. For that reason, I’m going to have to go with SS because, while it really, really sucked in some cases, it pushed things forward. I also feel that, without it’s critisism, we wouldn’t have BOTW; it’s certainly an important game in the series. While SS is boring in some parts, concepts are just more interesting in general to me, and so it edges out TP.
 

Pik

Joined
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Everyone has their own thing to share. The more extreme opinions seem to stand out, but I think it’s good to have a wide range of opinions here.

Personally, I feel like Twilight Princess is just mediocre. I always feel like it does little new from games like OoT, and what they added just doesn’t feel fresh. For that reason, I’m going to have to go with SS because, while it really, really sucked in some cases, it pushed things forward. I also feel that, without it’s critisism, we wouldn’t have BOTW; it’s certainly an important game in the series. While SS is boring in some parts, concepts are just more interesting in general to me, and so it edges out TP.
That’s definitely fair, but I challenge the commonly cited belief that TP is too similar to OoT. All of the similarities, which I admit are numerous, are mainly superficial similarities in nature; how they operate in the game itself is quite different. I’m wondering which similarities you think hold it back the most.
 

Mellow Ezlo

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My opinions of both these games have fluctuated wildly over the years.

Skyward Sword impressed my the first time I played it, but I think the game has terrible replay value, and has fallen for me upon every subsequent playthrough. Twilight Princess, on the other hand, felt like an Ocarina of Time remake when I first played it, but over time I have grown to really appreciate the game and what it brought to the series.


First, I'll talk about characters, because this is something I think both games struggle with. Twilight Princess has some great characters; Midna, Zant, Malo, Zelda, The Postman, Telma, to name a few. But it also has its fair share of really bland characters, and the ones that should be interesting (the resistance crew instantly comes to mind) just fall short due to lacking much personality and not really standing out amongst each other. Then there are the gay stereotypes that run the cannon minigame in Lake Hylia who are just creepy.

In the case of Skyward Sword, the standout characters are Ghirahim, Gorko, Batreaux, Groose, maybe (and reluctantly) Fi, and that's really about it. It suffers from the same problem in that characters that should be interesting, such as Impa or Gaepora, just end up being rather bland to me. Additionally, the character design in Skyward Sword is just downright awful. The vast majority of Skyloftians look horrendous, and there is something about Link's face that really makes me want to punch it. So in terms of characters, I gotta give the edge to Twilight Princess.


Next, gameplay. This one is much easier for me.

Twilight Princess has top-notch gameplay. Not only is the swordplay - with the intense sword-sword combat in the game and the many Hidden Skills making for a highly diverse move set - the best in the series bar none, but also the items, limited in use as some of them may have been, are among the most inventive we've seen yet. From bomb arrows to the ball & chain, and then the double clawshots, the game went all out on its items. Yes, many of them do suffer from a certain amount of uselessness past the dungeon they are received in, but that does not make them any less innovative and interesting. Additionally, Twilight Princess is home to the best horseback combat in the entire series. Then we get into Link's Wolf form, which shy of unique attacking methods as it is, Wolf Link nevertheless is a really cool and unique aspect of the gameplay that makes Twilight Princess stand out. My main gripe is that the motion controls in the Wii version are clunky and feel tacked-on (which they were); the gamecube version is far superior, and the gamepad for the HD remake also feels nice.

Skyward Sword was developed with motion controls in mind. As such, the entire game, from the gameplay to even the story, revolves around the motion controls. I never really had a problem with them myself, but I do wish they were optional. In any case, how does this game compare to Twilight Princess? Looking at the swordplay, while the motion controls do make the swordplay unique and fun, there really isn't much to the combat beyond swinging in the proper direction at the right time. In fact, that's all it is. It was a neat idea, and certainly fun, but after the first couple hours of the game it just got boring. The items are also not that interesting in Skyward Sword, with the exception of the Beetle, which is also the only truly unique item in the game. Did the game do a better job utilizing its item pool than Twilight Princess? Sure, for the most part I can concede that. But its relative lack of innovation and originality puts it a step behind because the items just aren't that interesting. I do appreciate being able to roll bombs, however.

So, from a gameplay perspective, that is another point for Twilight Princess.


Next, I'll discuss the stories. This section will probably be comparatively short.

Both Skyward Sword and Twilight Princess have fairly simple and typical stories; people close to Link get kidnapped and Link must rescue them, discovering himself as the chosen hero on the way. It is a concept that is used to death in Zelda games at this point. I have always felt like Twilight Princess had a slightly more immersive story, though I know this can be a rather polarizing opinion. I like the nitty gritty of both stories, as both are very personal for Link and feature some dark themes and emotional moments. However, I have to give the edge to Twilight Princess for telling not only Link's story, but I would argue the story as a whole is more Midna's story than Link's, which is a nice change. Additionally, I feel more attachment to the Ordon kids than I ever did to Zelda in Skyward Sword as I never found her that interesting and, as a result, never felt much of a sense of urgency. As a much larger minus for Skyward Sword, for a game that was supposed to be a prequel to the entire series, it takes a few good measures to shatter the established lore of the franchise.


Dungeons are one thing I will endlessly praise both games for. I think both Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword did an excellent job in giving us interesting, well-designed dungeons that are more than just an elemental Temple. From a mine in a volcano to a mansion in the mountains, a buddhist-themed cistern, a pirate ship, etc., both games excel at creating some of the most creative dungeons in the series. It is difficult to give either one an edge as there are very few dungeons in either game that I dislike, so I am going to give it to Twilight Princess simply because there are more of them. Skyward Sword definitely has a fantastic batch of dungeons, though.


The last topic I will discuss here is art and music.

In terms of artstyle, I will be blunt; I don't think either game looks astonishing. Twilight Princess is too dark and lacks colour, just being presented as rather bland, while Skyward Sword is a bit too bright. The latter is more colourful, and I feel like its artstyle does stand out a bit more and gives the game more of an identity than Twilight Princess's does. I especially love the way Eldin Volcano and the lava areas look in Skyward Sword. So, for art, I will give the edge to Skyward Sword even though I don't think either look particularly great.

For music, it is a tough call. Twilight Princess has far more memorable tracks, but it is hard to beat Skyward Sword's fully orchestrated soundtrack. It makes the game come to life more in my opinion and it has some really fitting area themes, even if they lack in memorability. Additionally, Skyward Sword has one of the largest music libraries of any Zelda game, even possibly coming in at number 1 due the fact that many locations have more than one theme. I find myself listening to the music of Twilight Princess more, and in terms of which soundtrack is best outside the context of the game, I would have to give it to that game immediately. However, with the music of Skyward Sword being orchestrated and so fitting for most areas, I will give it a slight edge. So, in the art and music department, Skyward Sword wins.


Other areas I considered discussing are just too close. For instance, both games have slow openings that often feel like a drag, but incredible finales; both games have a fantastic villain in the form of Zant and Ghirahim and a significantly weaker "main" villain; both games feature a good overworld with nice environments (though Skyward Sword would definitely lose some points for only having three themed areas and each of them being disconnected from each other); and both games are genuinely fun experiences when it comes down to it. In my own opinion though, Twilight Princess is just a better game, both within the Zelda series and the video game market as a whole.
 

MapelSerup

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That’s definitely fair, but I challenge the commonly cited belief that TP is too similar to OoT. All of the similarities, which I admit are numerous, are mainly superficial similarities in nature; how they operate in the game itself is quite different. I’m wondering which similarities you think hold it back the most.
Twilight Princess had some amazing combat, art, and just gameplay in general; it has plenty of its own ideas that separate it from OoT, but these don’t add up enough in my opinion to make it better than SS. (I especially loved the little quests in between dungeons, like the escort missions and hidden villiage.) I’m not saying that Twilight Princess didn’t make changes, it just didn’t make as many as SS did; and so looking back, while TP is probably the more well- polished game, SS remains more interesting to me.

Some similarities between SS and TP, since you asked:
  • Combat
  • Traversing the overworld
  • Collectible items that don’t do a ton (Poe souls; the bugs did actually help)
  • Horse riding and archery
  • Hyrule Field, Lake Hylia, Death Mountain
  • Similar enemies
  • A few similar bosses (though I think TP had some great, unique bosses, I feel like SS is better in this regard)
  • dungeon themes (Forest, Fire, Water, Ice, Desert, etc.)
  • Fairies and great fairies
  • Zoras and Gorons
  • Castle Town
  • Formula for gameplay
All of these things are part of most other Zelda games, too. But I feel like these things added up (mainly the method of traversing the overworld) cause the game to just feel a lot like OoT to me. But that’s just my opinion.
 

Pik

Joined
Jun 27, 2018
Twilight Princess had some amazing combat, art, and just gameplay in general; it has plenty of its own ideas that separate it from OoT, but these don’t add up enough in my opinion to make it better than SS. (I especially loved the little quests in between dungeons, like the escort missions and hidden villiage.) I’m not saying that Twilight Princess didn’t make changes, it just didn’t make as many as SS did; and so looking back, while TP is probably the more well- polished game, SS remains more interesting to me.

Some similarities between SS and TP, since you asked:
  • Combat
  • Traversing the overworld
  • Collectible items that don’t do a ton (Poe souls; the bugs did actually help)
  • Horse riding and archery
  • Hyrule Field, Lake Hylia, Death Mountain
  • Similar enemies
  • A few similar bosses (though I think TP had some great, unique bosses, I feel like SS is better in this regard)
  • dungeon themes (Forest, Fire, Water, Ice, Desert, etc.)
  • Fairies and great fairies
  • Zoras and Gorons
  • Castle Town
  • Formula for gameplay
All of these things are part of most other Zelda games, too. But I feel like these things added up (mainly the method of traversing the overworld) cause the game to just feel a lot like OoT to me. But that’s just my opinion.
You acknowledge that those elements are shared throughout all of Zelda, but I disagree that they add up to be the same - Gorons and Zora, for instance. Does Ocarina of Time Link wander through caverns with magnetic boots and sumo wrestle other Gorons as the key moment of that arc? No, not even close. That might seem like just one area of difference, but the same thing extends throughout most of the recurring elements you listed; that they’re more or less the same in-name-only, and if they didn’t share the same name, their differences would be more clear. The premises in which they show up in TP are entirely different, and people tend to gloss over that.

In regards to world traversal: the common denominator is that you have Link traversing Hyrule field on Epona to reach new areas. But the world structure is wildly different: In TP, Hyrule field is a “ring” that encircles Hyrule Castle with other areas shooting off from that. In OoT, it’s not like that. The focus on horseback combat with horseback bokoblins near Eldin Bridge (a landmark unique to TP) make the horseback experience feel very different.

Twilight Realm and Wolf Link sections also don’t have a proper equivalent in OoT, which makes up for a very sizable chunk of Twilight Princess’ playtime. (for better or for worse, lol)

The latter half of TP also gives it a distinct ground that makes it different than OoT: Skyview Temple and Snowpeak Manor are both aesthetically and mechanically distinct, with both of their Boss fights being nothing like anything that’s in OoT. Even the bosses that are shared, like Gohma, operate differently: in TP, she utilizes bow combat. Even the Temple of Time, something that theoretically should totally feel like a rehash, serves a different story role and becomes a dungeon totally unlike its Ocarina iteration.


As for the general combat, I mean, it’s a 3D Zelda game. Every 3D entry has had the same combat system at its roots. TP added all of those special moves, which makes it feel distinct.

Still, I agree with you that out of SS and TP, TP shares way more aspects with OoT. Maybe it makes my whole point a bit moot since I agree with you there, aha, but I still think people tend to overgeneralize their similarities. Apologies if this post seems rambly - I think I’ve gone on for long enough lol (there’s more to dispute in the things you listed that make them different, IMO, but this post is already long enough as it is)
 

MapelSerup

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You acknowledge that those elements are shared throughout all of Zelda, but I disagree that they add up to be the same - Gorons and Zora, for instance. Does Ocarina of Time Link wander through caverns with magnetic boots and sumo wrestle other Gorons as the key moment of that arc? No, not even close. That might seem like just one area of difference, but the same thing extends throughout most of the recurring elements you listed; that they’re more or less the same in-name-only, and if they didn’t share the same name, their differences would be more clear. The premises in which they show up in TP are entirely different, and people tend to gloss over that.

In regards to world traversal: the common denominator is that you have Link traversing Hyrule field on Epona to reach new areas. But the world structure is wildly different: In TP, Hyrule field is a “ring” that encircles Hyrule Castle with other areas shooting off from that. In OoT, it’s not like that. The focus on horseback combat with horseback bokoblins near Eldin Bridge (a landmark unique to TP) make the horseback experience feel very different.

Twilight Realm and Wolf Link sections also don’t have a proper equivalent in OoT, which makes up for a very sizable chunk of Twilight Princess’ playtime. (for better or for worse, lol)

The latter half of TP also gives it a distinct ground that makes it different than OoT: Skyview Temple and Snowpeak Manor are both aesthetically and mechanically distinct, with both of their Boss fights being nothing like anything that’s in OoT. Even the bosses that are shared, like Gohma, operate differently: in TP, she utilizes bow combat. Even the Temple of Time, something that theoretically should totally feel like a rehash, serves a different story role and becomes a dungeon totally unlike its Ocarina iteration.


As for the general combat, I mean, it’s a 3D Zelda game. Every 3D entry has had the same combat system at its roots. TP added all of those special moves, which makes it feel distinct.

Still, I agree with you that out of SS and TP, TP shares way more aspects with OoT. Maybe it makes my whole point a bit moot since I agree with you there, aha, but I still think people tend to overgeneralize their similarities. Apologies if this post seems rambly - I think I’ve gone on for long enough lol (there’s more to dispute in the things you listed that make them different, IMO, but this post is already long enough as it is)
You’re completely right. I agree with you that TP added a lot of new things. I feel like a lot of those were adding on to things in OoT, rather than completely new like SS. TP definitely isn’t as similar as people treat it sometimes.
 
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Skyward Sword for sure. It's in fact so interesting that I've written an entire book on it (as of later today). I've never beaten it (I've gotten to the very, very end), but I've played most of both games and I can honestly say that Skyward Sword was interesting because of its story. I love it! #SkywardSword

Twilight Princess. Great as it is, it doesn't even need to be mediocre to be better than SS. I played SS only once in my life for about a half hour and I never will again.

SS is rock bottom for Zelda. Motion controls, (not even good ones at that) repulsive graphics, lame soundtrack, terrible characters with the bold exception of Groose. An absolute disaster by all accounts.
Maybe you sucked at using the motion controls..have you seen Chuggaaconroy man? That dude had more problems with the buttons! And every character was absolutely amazing! Maybe you didn't give it a chance. Get past the intro, and it is the best game in the franchise.
 

twilitfalchion

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Maybe you sucked at using the motion controls..have you seen Chuggaaconroy man? That dude had more problems with the buttons!
The user error argument in favor of SS's controls being good is one of the flimsiest. Saying that "maybe you sucked at using them" invalidates the opinions and experiences of others simply because you disagree or did not have the same issues. It's a very low effort conclusion, quite honestly.
 
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The user error argument in favor of SS's controls being good is one of the flimsiest. Saying that "maybe you sucked at using them" invalidates the opinions and experiences of others simply because you disagree or did not have the same issues. It's a very low effort conclusion, quite honestly.
The Wii Motion Plus was built for 1:1 Controls. So, maybe the person above wasn't using Wii Motion Plus, or something was wrong with his remote (or the game). And, if that doesn't work, then really, recalibrate them. And also, the controls aren't even bad. It's just people want something to complain about. They run smoothly. Actually, they're built just to run smoothly.
 

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