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Twilight Princess The Twilight Princess Beta: The "real" Twilight Princess

Unlucky Monkey

The Great King of Apes
Joined
May 17, 2011
Location
NRW, Germany
zeldatpbeta10.jpg



I love Twilight Princess. It is one of my favourite Zelda Games. But it looks like the final Twilight Princess is nothing more than a fragment compared to the original planned game.
I've read an interview many years ago in some german Gaming Magazine (I think it was Miyamoto or Aonuma). The developer stated that Twilight Princess will again change the Zelda series (like Ocarina of Time did). The overworld in Twilight Princess will play a much bigger role than in any other Zelda game before. There will be even "Dungeon like areas" in the Overworld. Many of the beta stuff released in 2004 and 2005 shows exactly what the developer promised in that interview. But, looking at the final game, there isn't much left of that concept. Also, Twilight Princess haven't changed much in the history of Zelda. The game feels like a modern Ocarina of Time.

So, again, I would like to talk together with you about the planned Twilight Princess about 2004 and 2005, and the released Twilight Princess at the end of 2006. There were so many changes made. The removal of complete areas and enemys. A whole different design of the overworld. And don't forget to mention some items which didn't made it in the final version.
The big question is, why has Nintendo removed so many great ideas? Like in Ocarina of Time before. Oops! We did it again.
There has to be a reason. But maybe, Nintendo was during this time not capable to create a game with such an enormous content.

Thanks to Unseen64, many of the beta screens were analyzed. The complete article is superb written and very interesting.

Link (The article is split in three parts):

http://www.unseen64.net/articles/zelda-twilight-princess-beta-analysis/

The biggest removed areal was the well known Beta Forest. It seems this areal (maybe localized in the near of Ordon) had connected many other different areals. And it was also most likely that there was a Dungeon (featuring Armoghoma as the Dungeon Boss). An interesting quote from the Unseen64 article:

This forest it is not present in the final game, but it was probably an area of the beta Faron/Ordon Woods. It is worth noting that this forest is similar to the beta Lost Woods of Ocarina of Time.

It is really strange that Nintendo created and removed two times a very similar forest area. It almost seems like that the programmers use this wood to test the first builds of Zelda. But why it is always left out? Maybe it is too boring and confusing to explore, or there are developement issues.
The other big change Nintendo made was the redesign of the overworld. The overworld showed in early beta stuff and early trailers can be compared to the overworld in the original Legend of Zelda. The areals looked like wastelands. A very creepy and dark look.

legendofzeldabeta01.jpg


The Bridge of Eldin also played a much bigger role in the beta. The bridge originally belonged to Hyrule Castle. Hyrule Castle was later completely removed to a different location in the final version.

Yes, I know, I'm talking too much. So I will show you some videos. Pictures and videos have more meaningfulness than any of my words.


GDC Trailer 2005. The video shows footage from the GameCube version. Nearly every scene shown in the trailer, did not appear in the final version. Like the fight against ?Armoghoma thing? in the removed Dungeon. This trailer is the best proof of what Twilight Princess was meant to be:

[video=youtube;wPin8YYV5-c]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPin8YYV5-c[/video]


The E3 2005 Trailer. Also GameCube footage. This Trailer is a mix of beta footage and stuff of the final version. But you will notice many significant changes compared to the final version (The Black and White style of the Twilight World looks so great):

[video=youtube;YHu7hvxjdww]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHu7hvxjdww[/video]


The last video. Again, the GameCube version. I've posted this video before earlier this day. It's showing enemy music at the Sacred Grove. But there are no enemies around this place. What's going on? Remnants and leftovers from the beta? A proof that there is more than our eyes tell us:

[video=youtube;0l2rYkTsVOA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0l2rYkTsVOA[/video]


If you're not familiar with the whole beta story of Twilight Princess, I highly recommend you to read the article at Unseen64 (or at least, look at the pictures) and watch the videos. It is interesting. It's like there was a whole different game planned. Unfortunately, the archive of material of the Twilight Princess beta is not as big as the archive of Zelda 64 and Ura Zelda. If someone is in possession of new material not featured in this Thread or at Unseen64, please feel free to post it.

My personal statement is, the original Twilight Princess was meant to be much bigger. The Hyrule of the Beta was even much more lively. Look at the final Twilight Princess Hyrule. It really looks sad compared to the Hyrule of the beta.
 
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Cuju

私はカウントダウンを実行します。
Joined
Jan 19, 2011
Location
Canada
The word "real" means something exsists, so the "real" Twilight Princess is the one everybody owns, and actually is a real thing. Though some things in that beta looked cool, I was very satisfied by the content and experience that the game delivered...
 

Unlucky Monkey

The Great King of Apes
Joined
May 17, 2011
Location
NRW, Germany
All of the videos say "the uploader has not made this video available in your country." Ummm, USA??

Strange. All videos should work fine in every country and region. Any other got problems with the videos? The GDC Trailer is quite rare, the Beta Forest videos is unique, only available by this uploader.

@Cuju

Yes you're right. "Real" isn't the best suitable word. "Complete" may sound better. But I can't edit the title :(
My English is solid, but not flawless. So I'm sorry for some weird mistakes in my grammar. But the more I write, the better I get :)

But coming back to topic. Maybe a few of you guys didn't notice it before, but at the beackcover, there is a screenshot you even see the Magic Bar which is non existent in the final version. I've made a screenshot of my Twilight Princess. Quality sucks. You should equip your Hawkeye:

dsci1051.jpg


I think the North American box art is the same.

This is common for backcovers and booklets. Showing strange beta things. But it looks like, cutting out the Magic Bar was a last minute change. The Green Chu is useless now. And probably the Magic Armor was connected to the Magic Bar. The Rupee concept sucks and doesn't make sense for me.
 
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Lupine

Sacred Beast
Joined
Jun 10, 2011
Location
Am I here? Or here? Or here?
It's amazing that they took so much out, really... the first beta trailer really looked like a great foundation for a fantastic game world. It seemed so much less linear, and gave off a completely different vibe.

Faron Woods wasn't satisfying enough for me, I admit. It felt more like a canyon with trees than an immense forest.
 

MattWalker

Windfall Walker
Joined
Jun 14, 2011
Location
Georgia
Is it just me, or do Beta things give you... I don't know, an uneasy feeling?

I realize they're just video games, but looking a beta screenshots and video of games we know well and love... I don't know, it feels unsettling! xD

Like, pictures of the original Super Mario 64, Ocarina of Time, Banjo-Kazooie, Wind Waker, and now Twilight Princess... they just feel weird! xD
 

Unlucky Monkey

The Great King of Apes
Joined
May 17, 2011
Location
NRW, Germany
Like, pictures of the original Super Mario 64, Ocarina of Time, Banjo-Kazooie, Wind Waker, and now Twilight Princess... they just feel weird! xD

Damn, you're so right. I got the same feelings. Beta games are fascinating me. But they are also mysterious. A beta is something, unreachable for us, unobtainable.
 

Squirrel

The Rodent King
Joined
Jun 15, 2011
Location
The Tree
I also found something which I'm thinking is from the beta version that they didn't take out completely. In Lake Hylia, at Fyer's Cannon, he has a boat to the left of his cannon. He never uses it so I'm thinking you were supposed to have used that boat in the beta version.

Also, Fyer has a bullet bill from Mario on the right sleeve of the wierd shirt thing that he wears.
 

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