Twilight Princess is definitely my favorite Zelda to date, although I can’t claim impartiality and claim that it’s technically the best of the series. I suppose the discussion about gameplay mechanics, story-telling, and overall presentation would be the best way to determine which Zelda is objectively the best, but I won’t attempt to do that (For the record, I believe Majora’s Mask to be the best designed Zelda game, and the magnum opus of the series at this point). Just consider this the gushing of a nostalgic fan-boy who has incredibly fond memories with many of the 3D Zelda games.
Almost all of my love for Twilight Princess is derived entirely from my love of Ocarina of Time. Like many around my age, OoT was the introduction to the Zelda series for me; I had dipped my toes into some others with demos and playing at a friend’s place, but OoT was the first one I went through and beat myself. I remember being completely fascinated by it the first time through; my video game experiences up to that point had been almost exclusively with Mario-esque platformers and RPGs in the vein of Pokemon, so it was a very unique blend of role-playing elements, puzzle solving, and combat. Although I find myself in the modern age growing weary of the same-old-same-old combination that seems to be growing stale, the first time be exposed to it was almost exhilarating. I was also a huge fan of the atmosphere and presentation besides being fairly young, thinking it was such a nice change of pace with the darker undertones and even somewhat disturbing imagery (Mario and Pokemon had nothing on the Shadow Temple and Dead Hand). I was also enamored with the plot, mainly because I thought the twist of going from a child to an adult in the same game and having noticeable physical differences was just the coolest thing ever. Add on top an absolutely amazing sound-track, and it was an instant favorite of mine.
I wouldn’t play Majora’s Mask until years later when I got the Collector’s Edition for the Gamecube. I had already played Twilight Princess by that time though, so I can’t really factor in what MM did into my reasons for loving TP so much. It should be noted, though, that MM was the logical continuation of OoT from a graphical and overall mood standpoint, and even pushes the boundaries further with its more mature tones and overlying theme of destruction. I say that’s worth noting because MM was the last instance we would see that type of mood and presentation until TP, at least in my point of view.
So enter in TP, a game I was beyond excited to play. I believe I got it for the Gamecube as soon as it was released, as I wanted to play it in the privacy of my own room instead of the living room where my family kept the Wii. Right from the beginning, I felt like a little kid playing OoT again (which is strange, because I think I was 13 at the time, meaning I was still kind of a little kid). I think the biggest difference for that age was that I had started hardcore gaming between when I first played OoT, and when I started on TP. I started getting into massive JRPGs like Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts, and the overall uniqueness of the Zelda formula didn’t seem all that special anymore. Regardless, TP managed to recapture that due to being, what I believe at least, to be the true spiritual successor to OoT. People seem to discount its presentation as being nothing but murky brown, and this misconception is something that I’ve never understood. Yes, a forest DOES have dark-green and brown colors, due to all the vegetation and trees. But I feel that the beginning forest area creates this stereotype that TP is “nothing but brown”, when this is hardly the case. TP does what OoT and MM did on several occasions and stylizes over-exaggerated locales to make a more identifiable landscape that isn’t too far outside of the realm of possibility. Whereas WW and later SS would go with pure over-stylization, making far too many uses of bloom effects and whimsical colors to a point where the locations no longer see like something nature could truly create or be a part of. TP has a vast snow mountain, a seemingly endless desert, a beautiful lake, and an active volcano.
A large part of what made me appreciate TP’s graphical style and tone was just how similar it was to OoT, both in presentation and just the familiar areas. Everything was back in full force, from Death Mountain to Lake Hylia, with some exciting new areas thrown in that a Zelda game had never had up to that point. The mood is also something that carried over, keeping the more foreboding undertones that OoT and MM had, making the threatening atmosphere even better with the stylized Twilight Realm that to this day is still kind of disturbing to be a part of. After the more light-hearted mood of the WW, I was glad to see that Zelda wasn’t reverting to classic “Nintendoism” of being overly colorful and hoping that barely existing subtle moods that do little to properly convey the same emotions onto the world that OoT and MM did before it. I feel TP takes it and runs with it, introducing even darker elements found in the Arbiter’s Grounds and the aforementioned Twilight Realm. Zelda seems to have reverted back to the WW style of doing things, which is fine with me, but just makes the Zelda series, personally, fade more and more into generic Nintendo-isms that do little to differentiate themselves from Kirby, Mario, Pikmin, Pokemon, and so many other Nintendo franchises.
But with mood and setting aside, I just liked how it played. Again, I first experienced TP on a Gamecube, so I had the traditional button-pressing control methods that I honestly prefer over any type of motion control. The gameplay in general felt like a logical continuation of the 3D line of games, so there’s really not too many reasons for me to prefer to other games, I suppose. I just REALLY don’t like motion controls for Zelda, and I hope it stays in the past from here on or at the very least becomes an option I can just ignore. What I really have to point out though is the music; it offered such a nostalgia trip, almost unlike any other game I can think of outside of pure fanservice games like Theatrythm Final Fantasy. Of special note are the Temple of Time and Serenade of Water themes, which I feel were done to great effect in this game, and played and the absolute most appropriate moments in the game.
And that was way too long. But yeah, I really like TP. I honestly think I’ve kind of “out-grown” the Zelda series, but not in the way that I’m too mature for it. More like I’ve slowly found out that I just no longer enjoy the formula that I’ve come to expect from it, or maybe I really just never liked it at all. My favorite games in the series seem to be purely nostalgia fueled, which makes me fear that I’ll never truly enjoy another 3D game in the series again (For the record, I thought SS was just terrible; I dragged myself through one playthrough, attempted a second one two years later, and didn’t get past the first dungeon because the only appeal of the game to me, initial novelty of never having played it, was long gone).
