It is time to bringThe Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princessto the Nintendo Switch. The Nintendo Wii classic is thefourth highest-rated game inThe Legend of Zeldaseries, but it is trapped on non-modern consoles. This year is the 35th anniversary of the beloved series, but Nintendo does not seem to have much planned withZeldain mind.
The brunt of the work has already been done from Nintendo’s perspective, as an HD remake ofThe Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princesswas created for the Wii U. The Nintendo Switch is a smashing success with around 80 million units having been sold and software sales that have been record-breaking in many cases. There is a yearning for moreZelda,andTwilight Princesscan be that answer.
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Twilight Princess is Trapped On Older Consoles
Currently,The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princessis among themanyZeldatitles that are trapped on older consoles. Whether it beThe Legend of Zelda: The Minish CaporMajora’s Mask, there is a long list of Link’s adventures that are not available on modern consoles. ButTwilight Princessis an interesting game in that it had a recent second chance; it is just likely that not many were able to try it.
Twilight Princesslaunched on the Nintendo Wii and GameCube back in 2006, which is 15 years ago already. It is very possible that many younger Nintendo fans have never had the opportunity to enjoy the grim take on Zelda and Link.So when Nintendo brought backTwilight Princesswith an HD remake on the Wii U, many were excited. However, with the Wii U not performing as well as most Nintendo home consoles, the game still did not get in the hands of many players.
The Nintendo Wii U isone of the more disappointing consolesin recent memory and most estimates putThe Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD remake sales at just over one million copies sold. Lesser known games that were brought back on the Switch likePikmin 3 DeluxeandDonkey Kong Country: Tropical Freezeboth cracked 2 million, so one would assume thatTwilight Princesswould smash its Wii U output. Meanwhile, a game likeNew Super Mario Bros. U Deluxesold over 10 million copies after being made available again on the Switch. IfTwilight Princesswas no longer trapped on outdated consoles, it could succeed in terms of sales and many would be able to play it for the first time.
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Skyward Sword Alone is Not Enough to Celebrate the 35-Year Anniversary of The Legend of Zelda
IfTwilight Princesswere to release on the Nintendo Switch, now would be the time. The announcement ofThe Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HDcoming to the Switchwas an exciting one, but also something that left fans yearning for more. The firstZeldatitle launched in 1986, which makes this the 35th anniversary of the series. Nintendo made a big deal of the 35 years ofSuper Mario, and that same type of celebration is expected forThe Legend of Zelda.
Nintendo commemoratedSuper Mario’s anniversary with a 3D collection, limited-time physical collectibles, a brand new online multiplayer game, a re-release and expansion (Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury), and more. Compared to all of that forThe Legend of Zelda,Skyward Sword HDlooks very lonely.
Whether it be more information on the sequel toBreath of the Wild, another third-party spin-off (likeHyrule Warriors), or something else exciting, many areexpecting a lot fromThe Legend of Zeldain 2021to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the series. If the year comes and goes and all there is to show from it isSkyward Sword HD, there will be disgruntled fans. The sequel toBreath of the Wild, unfortunately, just may not be ready. But to help fill the gap,Twilight Princess HDfor the Switch may be part of the answer.
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Twilight Princess May Have Perfected the Classic 3D Zelda Model
TheLegend of Zelda:Breath of the Wildbroke records as one of the highest-rated video games of all time. And part of the reason it did is because it reinvented the formula in incredibly unique ways. Players were dropped into the world and able to explore Hyrule at their own pace; in their own way. But before this,Twilight Princessmay have perfected the classic 3DZeldaformula.
The classic 3DZeldaformula uses dungeons, required items/weapons to take down bosses and or reach new areas, a narrative that pushes the game forward, and more linearity. These are things that something likeBreath of the Wilddoes not have; for better or for worse.
The reveal ofTwilight Princesswasone of the biggest E3 moments of all time,and the game lived up to that hype for many. WhatTwilight Princessdid was take theOcarina of Timeformula and expand on it as an epic action adventure. So while it may not have felt as fresh as a game likeBreath of the Wild, Twilight Princessinnovated in areas of gameplay, scale, story, music, and more.
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In many areas, one could argue thatTwilight Princessis chief amongThe Legend of Zeldatitles. Its music is superb, the gameplay is clean and evolving (especially as Link is able to expand on his abilities by learning “Hidden Skills”), the Wolf Link mechanic is unique and exciting, and it may have thebest dungeons in all ofZelda.The size of the map and world to explore was much bigger than anything Nintendo had put together at that point as well. Additionally, the tone of the game is very different from the likes ofWind Waker, Skyward Sword,or evenBreath of the Wild.
The story ofTwilight Princessis dark and grim, closer to perhapsMajora’s Maskthan anything else. The difference between the Twilight Realm and the world of Hyrule is shocking; depressing even. The narrative is filled with twists and turns that mostZeldatitles do not attempt, as the game very much feels more adult than most in the series. Zelda has a tangible weight upon her, and Midna is a character that is very memorable thanks to her mix of charm, wit, and her badgering of Link.
All of whatTwilight Princesshas to offer adds up to an experience that may not be better or worse than the otherZeldatitles that are on or will be on the Switch, just different than them.Breath of the Wildmissed out on key featuresfrom the classic 3D formula, andSkyward Swordby itself is not enough to celebrate a monumental occasion like the 35-year anniversary ofThe Legend of Zelda. MoreZeldaon the Switch would be a good thing.
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princessis out now for GameCube, Wii, and Wii U.
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