Unfortunately, replaying this was not as fun as I hoped it would be. When I played it back in 2006/2007, I thought it was freaking dope. I loved the realistic graphics, the dungeons, and the massive world. In 2019, the graphics are still pretty decent actually, most of the dungeons are still great, but the massive world is pretty boring. Going between dungeons isn't very exciting, and side quests are uninteresting.

I've heard people complain that Twilight Princess is just a glorified Ocarina of Time remake. To that I say, Ocarina of Time is just a glorified A Link to the Past remake, and it's still an incredible game, so get over it. I don't mind that the formula is pretty much the same in this game; it still feels different enough and holds its own as a unique game. My real problem is that there's not enough excitement to hold me through 30 hours of gameplay.

Like I said, most of the dungeons are really well designed. Goron Mines was a particular favourite of mine growing up, and it's still fun to navigate to this day. Snowpeak Ruins is a masterclass is dungeon design that actually feels like it should exist naturally in the in-game world, as opposed to most dungeons that just feel like they were built to create a challenge for the player. The Arbiter's Grounds have so much history inside of them. I really can't complain much about dungeon design. It's the rest of the game that gets kind of boring.

Most exploration lands you a treasure chest with rupees, which very quickly becomes extremely annoying because rupees are freaking everywhere and there's almost nothing useful to spend them on. I think I literally only bought shields and bombs the entire game, and my wallet was constantly at max. The wallet upgrades are dumb too, because the first one is hidden behind a really stupid side quest, and the second one happens right at the end of the game, which is absolutely pointless. It's a real annoyance because when your wallet is full, you can't even take out rupees from treasure chests. I get why that would seem like a good idea, because you don't want to waste the rupees, but ultimately it just makes it so there are 5-10 chests in every dungeon that remain on your compass, making it difficult to identify the chests you haven't found yet and might actually contain something useful.

And then like I said, none of the side quests were really interesting enough to A) make me want to to do them, and B) make me want to look for more side quests. Once I got about 75% through the game, I just wanted to make a bee-line for the end and not bother with extras. That's sort of a sad way to finish a game, and not how most Zelda games feel for me, even upon replay. The final final boss was good, but the final dungeon and and the pre-final bosses kind of sucked. Overall, I wasn't left with a super great feeling upon beating the game.

Still, like I said, excellent dungeon design, and the overall feeling of the game is enjoyable. Great to play once, but I wouldn't play it again now that I've played it as an adult.

Any discussion about the quality of Twilight Princess inevitably boils down to a single question. How much do you care about the dungeons in a Zelda game? Are they the most important thing to you by far? If so, you will find Twilight Princess to be a deeply satisfying experience.

It cannot be overstated how great the dungeon design in Twilight Princess is, especially coming hot on the heels of Wind Waker, which has both the fewest and the worst dungeons of all the 3D Zelda games. The dungeons in Twilight Princess make Wind Waker look like absolute amateur hour in comparison. They made you feel, upon revisiting Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, that the intervening years were not wasted, that Nintendo had actually learned something and were moving in a forward direction of iterative improvement. In an otherwise formulaic series afraid to take risks this was incredibly important. Nobody wants to play a game with a tired and familiar formula that isn't even an improvement over past titles.

Unfortunately those improvements are marred somewhat by the fact that the dungeons are the only thing in the game that stands out. Almost everything you do outside of a dungeon is unmemorable at best, tedious and frustrating at worst. From hunting bugs as Wolf Link over and over and over again in the opening third of the game to possibly the worst escort mission in all of video games, the overworld is something you wish desperately to get away from at every turn. This is perfectly codified by the game's opening hours, which has you performing mundane chores, completing frustrating mini games, and buttoning through mountains of oppressively boring dialogue before you ever get to see the inside of a dungeon. Nintendo seems to have placed a far greater focus on story this time around. They want to set the scene, build up tension, make you care about these characters and Link's quiet little village and quiet little life and the evil that disrupts it--and it couldn't fall any flatter. If ever you needed proof that Nintendo are great game designers and terrible storytellers, look no further than Twilight Princess, the most 'movie-like' Zelda game.

It's not all bad, though. Despite being horrible storytellers, Nintendo has always had a knack for creating interesting, quirky characters, and there's still some of that, when the game deigns to stop taking itself so seriously and isn't shoving exposition and hackneyed character drama down your throat. Midna is a great new addition, full of sass and constantly insulting Link with hilarious quips. I'll take her over Navi any day of the week. The main, non-ganon antagonist, Zant, is in turns goofy and legitimately creepy. Skull kid with a sense of humor, if you will. You will cross paths with a weird little bird creature throughout the game who's...kind of disgusting to look at, only to later find out that their species live in one of the late game dungeons. I couldn't help but laugh when I spent the entire game thinking how weird and stupid looking this little creature was, only to be confronted with way more of them. It's not unlike encountering the primordial serpent Frampt in Dark Souls and then seeing a bunch more primordial serpents in one of the ending cutscenes. All you can do is laugh at that ridiculous imagery.

One of the things I found most memorable, and which most people probably didn't enjoy (if they engaged with it at all) is the cave of trials. This is a 50-level, pagoda-style combat trial with checkpoints every ten levels that is entirely optional. The reason I enjoyed this so much is two-fold. For one, Twilight Princess has the best combat of any Zelda game to date. Hidden moves compliment the standard, simplistic slash/block/jumping attack combat that all past Zeldas had. You can finish off enemies on the ground, bash them with your shield to stun and do a special followup attack, parry, and roll around to an enemy's back and do a rising slash. Unfortunately there are very few encounters in the standard game that are challenging enough to make these extra moves feel particularly necessary. The cave of trials, on the other hand, gets fairly challenging, and I enjoyed getting to put those new moves to the test.

Twilight Princess may not be the best Zelda game. With games like Ocarina and Majora still holding up fairly well, and with Breath of the Wild being a wild reinvention of the series that's arguably the best ever, it's not even a serious part of the discussion. It does, however, deserve recognition for the improvements they made to the combat and for being the high point of dungeon design in a series known for its dungeons. For me, that's enough to place it above Wind Waker, however slightly.

As I'm going through and reviewing all the zelda games I've played, I find myself at a bit of a loss on what to say about Twilight Princess. It's a great game. Dungeons, such as Arbiters Grounds, and Snowpeak Runs are some of the best in the franchise. The characters are generally interesting, with Midna representing the most inetersting in the franchise. The set pieces are mostly very fun and well done, but there was just something about this that had me stumped as to how to evaluate it.

It eventually hit me that almost all of my feelings about this game reflect how I feel about Ocarina of Time. Obviously this isn't a remake in the standard sense, but after noticing that I realized that it is certinaly a direct spirital sucessor and it does hit on so many of the same beats it might as well be a remake, just one that makes a lot of changes.

Most of those changes are for the better, as I believe the graphics fit the tone better, the soundtrack, on it's own right is more interesting, and the gameplay is significantly refined, but none of it is quite new. After 2 games in a row of Zelda team innovating in more-or-less successful ways this was a return to form, a remake of Ocarina in the same was Ocarina was a remake of a Link to the Past.

Twilight princess fails in some ways, missing some of the mystical tone of its predecessors, and adding quite a bit of unnecessary fluff, especially in the opening hours. However, I would say that the successes and legacy outweigh its failings. This, liek all 3d zelda games is absolutely worth your time, even though it's not a masterpiece.

This is a dark, cinematic adventure that blends classic Zelda gameplay with a more mature tone, this time Link must traverse both the light and shadow worlds to save Hyrule from encroaching darkness. The game features tight dungeon design, satisfying puzzles, and a unique wolf transformation mechanic. Its atmospheric visuals and sweeping orchestral score elevate the epic narrative. While some pacing issues and motion controls (on the Wii version) were divisive, and I particularly prefer the GC version because of this, the GameCube edition remains a fan-favorite for its traditional controls and immersive world, a must-play for Zelda fans.

This is a somewhat shy entry to the Zelda series because it simply refined what the N64 titles did, and add a bit of extra unique mechanics, but not as unique as something like Skyward Sword for example, or even BOTW. Though I highly recommend this for the GC platform, or really any other platform this was released on, I consider this one of the best GC titles among the few that I had any interest in playing.

Beyond its mechanics, the game succeeds because of its mood and character work. It leans heavily into melancholy and isolation, portraying a Hyrule that feels genuinely threatened rather than merely inconvenienced by evil. Midna stands out as one of the strongest companion characters in the series, evolving from a sarcastic guide into an emotionally complex figure whose arc gives real weight to the story’s conclusion. The somber color palette, haunting locations, and quieter moments of reflection help the game feel more grounded and emotionally mature than many previous entries.

As for the gameplay, combat feels more deliberate and refined, especially with the introduction of hidden sword techniques that reward exploration and mastery. It won't blow your mind with its complexity when compared to Onimusha or Soulslikes, but it is definitely not as simple as previous entries. Boss fights are memorable, emphasizing scale and spectacle without abandoning puzzle-solving roots. And while this title may not reinvent the formula, it perfects it in many ways, delivering a polished, confident experience that balances tradition with ambition. For people who appreciate a more serious tone and classic dungeon-driven Zelda design, this entry remains a standout and a defining experience of its generation.