Welcome back to NintendoUp’s series of the five best Legend of Zelda games. Previously, we covered The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, which came in at number 5. If you haven’t read that article or watched the video, you can do so first.
Without further ado, let’s get right into the next game in the series: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD!
Overview
A decidedly darker Zelda game, Twilight Princess took Zelda into a grittier realm while retaining the series’ charm. With the introduction of Wolf Link, players could experience a transformation mechanic akin to Majora’s Mask’s Goron, Zora, and Deku forms, which added some depth to exploration and combat.
The game boasts some of the best dungeons in the series, such as the atmospheric Snowpeak Ruins. Midna, the best companion in series history, provided a deeper emotional connection than prior games, making the story one of the strongest in Zelda canon.
Wii U Version Differences
Unlike some other remakes or ports of past Zelda games, Twilight Princess HD is the definitive way to play the game. There’s really no reason, in my opinion, to go back and play the GameCube or Wii versions. This is a simple high definition port with some minor but welcome improvements.
First of all, the graphics are slightly improved, with the biggest difference being the game runs at 1080p HD instead of standard definition. The textures and lighting are better, along with the character models and environmental detail.
Although the Wii version had motion controls for sword combat, they were rather weak compared to its sequel Skyward Sword. For that reason, it was better to play Twilight Princess with button controls on the GameCube or Wii U, and the Wii U version had the GamePad for off-screen inventory and map management with its touch screen.
In terms of new additions, first there was Hero Mode—or a higher difficulty setting—in which enemies dealt double damage with no heart drops. There was also amiibo support for refilling items and unlocking the Cave of Shadows mini-dungeon, which was an exclusive Wii U area where players could fight off waves of enemies as Wolf Link. To unlock it, you’d need to use the Wolf Link amiibo. Although the rewards for completing the Cave of Shadows weren’t super compelling, it was still fun to have something new to do.
There were also other minor quality of life improvements, including faster loading times for opening chests or transforming into Wolf Link. And, since the Wii U GamePad had a gyroscope, aiming your bow was actually better than on the Wii.
Story
The story of this game is up there with the very best the series has to offer. It starts off a bit slow—or, okay, really slow—but it picks up around when Midna (Link’s impish companion) is introduced.
Basically, Link has to save Hyrule from the dark influence of the Twilight Realm, a mysterious dimension that corrupts the region after seeping into the world. This dimension is where Midna came from, along with one of the main villains: Zant.
After the long prologue which introduces the characters, Link is pulled into a dark portal, transforming into a wolf…for some reason. Imprisoned in Hyrule Castle, it’s there where Link meets Midna, who frees Link and proceeds to ride on his back and complain for the entirety of the time he’s in wolf form.
Midna promises to help Link save Princess Zelda, who has been imprisoned by Zant, provided that Link does everything she says. That might seem annoying, and sometimes it is, but Midna ends up being the best companion Link has ever had through strong character development.
There’s a lot of good, subtle moments and dialogue throughout the adventure, as well as perhaps the best portrayal of Ganondorf in the entire series. Seriously, Ganondorf is badass in this game. Even his final moments are just complete cinema.
Oh, and Zant is insane—literally.
I highly recommend playing the game or reading the manga if you’re interested in the full story, because it’s actually quite good by Nintendo standards, focusing on a theme of light vs. shadow.
The Game World
Twilight Princess was often described as a copy of Ocarina of Time. I never thought that was fair, especially nowadays where most sequels are so similar. Twilight Princess feels like the pinnacle of innovation in comparison to some modern sequels.
I was late to the game in playing Twilight Princess, only picking it up in 2009 after a three-year break from playing video games. I quickly realized after first playing the game that Twilight Princess was the follow-up to Ocarina of Time that I had been wanting for over a decade.
The areas, while distinct from Ocarina of Time, felt right as a fan of Ocarina. They looked like a proper continuation of that game’s style. There are similarities to Ocarina of Time’s locales, such as the Lost Woods and Hyrule Castle Town, but they’re different enough not to come across as mere rip-offs.
Twilight Princess, just like Wind Waker and Ocarina of Time before it, has a semi-open world divided into multiple regions like Ordona, Faron, Peak, and so on. At the time of release, Hyrule Field was the largest overworld the series had ever seen. While—you guessed it—the world was quite barren, it was still fun to ride on your horse, Epona, and—for the first time in series history—take part in horseback combat.
Horseback combat was awesome for the time, but in retrospect it wasn’t utilized as much as it could’ve been. Still, the major fights on horseback were exciting, even if a little frustrating in the beginning.
Throughout the word were hidden grottos and secrets, and a day-night cycle which affected enemy and NPC activity. My only complaint is that, while the world was big, it wasn’t packed full of things to do. Sure, you could fish, collect bugs, and do some mini-games…but I’m greedy and I wanted more.
Thankfully, unlike Skyward Sword, there were multiple hubs and towns. Ordon Village, the peaceful starting zone, was a nice farming village that felt like a home away from home. Castle Town was bustling, full of NPCs, shops, and side quests, as well as Telma’s Bar (home to the resistance group helping Link), and…Agitha.
Kakariko Village and Zora’s Domain were also really cool takes on the classic locations found in many other Zelda games. Just talking about these places makes me nostalgic and long for the days before Tears of the Kingdom.
Early on in the game, the Twilight Realm transformed sections of Hyrule into creepy, desaturated landscapes full of shadowy creatures. NPCs appeared as spirit-like ghosts, and were unable to see or interact with Link. As Wolf Link, you needed to collect Tears of Light to restore these areas, which was slightly fun.
Music
Unlike its sequel Skyward Sword, Twilight Princess features MIDI instrument samples, which sound good but a tad outdated.
While Twilight Princess’ music isn’t quite as good as the prior 3D Zelda games, I have to say that, despite its MIDI sample quality, I prefer its soundtrack over all future Zelda titles. There’s plenty of memorable music and it all fits the game’s themes perfectly.
For instance, everyone loves Midna’s music, especially the piano track that plays during an emotional near-death sequence.
That being said…the battle music against the shadow creatures as Wolf Link isn’t my favorite track. I understand what they were going for, but I believe they could’ve come up with something better that still conveyed the same feeling.
On the bright side, Hyrule Field’s music is close to Ocarina of Time’s in terms of being iconic, and all the dungeon music is outstanding. The ambience, combined with subtle melodies, are just fantastic, with Snowpeak Ruins probably featuring the best music of them all.
Graphics
Twilight Princess went for a more realistic, darker aesthetic compared to the cartoony Wind Waker before it. The art style was inspired by western fantasy and medieval art, ultimately giving the game a gritty and mature theme.
Graphically, the game is fantastic for a GameCube game, and that’s what it was originally intended to be. Of course, the Wii was just two GameCubes duct-taped together, so even for a Wii game it looks really good.
As for the Wii U port, they didn’t really improve the graphics too much but it’s certainly the best way to play nowadays in cleaner 1080p resolution. I remember the original Wii game looked quite bad blown up on my 40-inch HDTV in 2009, and the HD port fixed that issue.
Characters and environments looked realistic by GameCube standards—which you could argue has aged the game worse than Wind Waker. I won’t disagree, but I still don’t think the game looks bad even in 2025. That being said, the color palette might turn some people off with its earthy tones, foggy lighting, and deep shadows.
I really liked the dynamic lighting at the time of release. Lanterns, for example, looked realistic and “next-generation” and were especially impressive for a GameCube and Wii game.
Bloom was used extensively—perhaps to a fault. There was a soft glow around characters and light sources, which some people may not like much.
Weather effects were quite good, with Snowpeak Ruins’ snow being atmospheric, and nighttime rain in Hyrule Field being satisfyingly moody.
Link’s character design was extremely detailed for the time, with layered clothing, chainmail textures, and realistic movement animation. Likewise, other characters looked great such as Princess Zelda (who has never looked better), and the awesome Ganondorf. Maybe due to nostalgia, I still prefer Ganondorf’s Ocarina of Time design, but this one is still great.
Dungeons
Twilight Princess is well regarded in the Zelda fanbase for having what could be the best dungeons in the series. They’re large, intricate, and full of atmosphere. Each of the nine main dungeons are distinct, have unique mechanics, and usually a memorable boss fight.
My favorite dungeon is Snowpeak Ruins, which features the absolutely amazing ball and chain item. I just loved throwing this around to destroy pillars of ice. The dungeon itself felt like a real mansion, and not a traditional Zelda dungeon.
There were even funny NPC interactions in this dungeon, and a boss fight that was insane—in a good way.
I also really liked the Goron Mines—where you could use the Iron Boots to walk upside down—and Arbiter’s Grounds, which introduced the spinner item for high-speed rail movement. That item was just amazing to use against the final boss of the dungeon.
Overall, nearly every dungeon was great, and all of them were at least good. And with 9 in total, there was a massive amount of traditional Zelda gameplay to be found that would easily cure the Breath of the Wild‘s blues.
Conclusion
Twilight Princess is my fourth favorite Zelda game of all time. Its focus on dark realism, as well as its Wolf Link gameplay and items like the ball and chain and spinner makes it stand out as a timeless and unique Zelda game.
I recommend picking up the Wii U version because it improves the game in meaningful ways. The HD resolution really does help this game, and even though it’s a somewhat bare-bones port, I am grateful it exists. I hope that the Switch or Switch 2 will further enhance this game in the future.
While some may have some complaints about the graphics in 2025, the amazing story, dungeons, and music all make up for it. If this were a review, I’d award this game a 9/10.
What do you guys think? Where does Twilight Princess HD fit in your list? Let me know in the comments below!
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