The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

 GameCube
User Score
9.0

Universal acclaim- based on 1052 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 932 out of 1052
  2. Mixed: 62 out of 1052
  3. Negative: 58 out of 1052
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  1. Thejodjeremie
    Dec 5, 2021
    7
    I finished the game after 40 hours and I enjoyed it although I did feel like the game was a little too long.
  2. NAYKEN
    Oct 15, 2022
    7
    Another zelda game that is exaggerated with the legendary Ocarina of time effect. Let's move on to the review without talking too much. The mechanics and gameplay are very diverse, yes, but it repeats itself too much. All the items you get in the game cannot go beyond making you do the same things throughout the game. You also use the boss of the dungeon where you bought the item. dungeonAnother zelda game that is exaggerated with the legendary Ocarina of time effect. Let's move on to the review without talking too much. The mechanics and gameplay are very diverse, yes, but it repeats itself too much. All the items you get in the game cannot go beyond making you do the same things throughout the game. You also use the boss of the dungeon where you bought the item. dungeon fights are unbelievably mediocre, completely repetitive and simple, in the open world where you use items, they do not work except for ridiculous collectibles. The fighting mechanics of the game are completely ocarina of time copy, no development. As for the map and section designs, the game makes you use the teleport in a limited way until the end of the game and this a big problem, as for the dungeon designs, you go straight as if you are in a closed box and you always do the same things, the game repeats itself incredibly. The duration of the game is quite long compared to the zelda games, but you get bored while playing it because it repeats itself. , about 20 hours of the game combined with the unnecessarily long and repetitive gameplay makes it an incredibly boring game to play. As for the score, Twilight Princess is a mediocre game, nothing new and very ordinary 73/100… Expand
  3. CraigD.
    Jan 6, 2007
    6
    Decent is the perfect word. Not something you would expect from Zelda. I think most people who give this game a 10 are just way too excited that a new Zelda game was released. No matter who you are, you have to admit that the creators could have been a little more creative on this one. I hope there will be much more to the next Zelda game.
  4. Augument
    Jan 22, 2014
    7
    The concept is there, the world is there. but the feeling isn't... I mean good story and grapichs? Go buy a movie guys... The sound is amazing as always and it's a big world but nothing to discover. It could just have been a savanah or a desert. wouldn't make any difference. Earlier Zelda games you could discover so much more and get rewarded for it. I don't feel like I'm getting rewardedThe concept is there, the world is there. but the feeling isn't... I mean good story and grapichs? Go buy a movie guys... The sound is amazing as always and it's a big world but nothing to discover. It could just have been a savanah or a desert. wouldn't make any difference. Earlier Zelda games you could discover so much more and get rewarded for it. I don't feel like I'm getting rewarded at all. And the mini games aren't so amusing either.... Just a shame to it's name. To easy, to boring. Nothing to do. The story is great and the idé of darkness it's all there yet so empty.… Expand
  5. ZachL.
    Nov 6, 2007
    6
    I am a huge Zelda fan, i have all of them, but with TP I think they could have done better, my number one complaint is that you get an item like a slingshot, use it for one dungeon and then get a bow and arrow that used for the rest of the game, you find yourself never using that first item again, same with the rod that controls statues, i only used it in that one dungeon (temple of I am a huge Zelda fan, i have all of them, but with TP I think they could have done better, my number one complaint is that you get an item like a slingshot, use it for one dungeon and then get a bow and arrow that used for the rest of the game, you find yourself never using that first item again, same with the rod that controls statues, i only used it in that one dungeon (temple of time), which was the easiest dungeon ever (hate to say it). Another thing is that this game took 4 years to make. It took Oblivion for the 360 only 3. And look at the difference between the two. I still like playing it it is good fun, but it is a let down in my opinion. It became to si-fi such as a city in the sky and a twilight world with monsters that explode into squares when they die. The colors of the world were way to muddy and gritty, no deep blue water and dark green forests. There were a few good music soundtracks, but the rest still sounded like i was playing a super NES zelda. I hated the red suit of armor that you could only wear for a few minutes because you ran out of coins so fast. Dumb idea. What about a zelda with like six different tunics (green, red, blue, yellow, black white whatever) each with special abilities and consequences much the zora outfit of TP, and a bunch different swords(fire,ice) and so on.… Expand
  6. RytangoM.
    Jan 27, 2008
    6
    I love all the bad reviews of this game, because well, they are right. my biggest disappointment was how HUGE the world is, but there is very little to do. also Zelda being a surprisingly minor character was a let down. i liked the swordsman idea, but i rarely used any of the special moves i learned. there were so many dungeons but not one gave me a challenge or sense of accomplishment. I love all the bad reviews of this game, because well, they are right. my biggest disappointment was how HUGE the world is, but there is very little to do. also Zelda being a surprisingly minor character was a let down. i liked the swordsman idea, but i rarely used any of the special moves i learned. there were so many dungeons but not one gave me a challenge or sense of accomplishment. Zelda TP gives you something to do, but once i beat it, i never felt compelled to go through it again like OoT or LttP.… Expand
  7. MikeK
    Oct 7, 2009
    7
    This game is horribly overrated. It's a decent game, but the whole world feels empty and deserted, most of the dungeons are horribly linear with little to no interesting puzzles or challenge, and the bosses are outright pathetic. I enjoyed the ride, but I wouldn't bother playing it again.
  8. Astra
    Jun 29, 2009
    6
    twilight princess is a good game, don't get me wrong, but i couldn't get into the storyline like i could with other games- yeah sure it had qualities from all the games and great graphics, but graphics aren't everything.
  9. MattM.
    Dec 16, 2006
    6
    Yeah, I agree with Jef F. It's a fun game, just a horrible Zelda game. I mean, if you really liked the N64 Zeldas this will feel/look fairly similiar, it's just the story and ideas are different; which is cool, but kind of convuluted. It feels like they were trying to go with a FFSotC emotional maturity here, but it just isn't working. The story comes out convoluted and Yeah, I agree with Jef F. It's a fun game, just a horrible Zelda game. I mean, if you really liked the N64 Zeldas this will feel/look fairly similiar, it's just the story and ideas are different; which is cool, but kind of convuluted. It feels like they were trying to go with a FFSotC emotional maturity here, but it just isn't working. The story comes out convoluted and lame. Personally, I prefered Wind Waker(minus the endless boat sailing) as it had style that didn't look like dated graphics, fun gameplay, good story, and had a lot of humor/emotion to it that made fun of stuff that Twilight Princess is. Fun to play, gives you a Zelda fix, but just have a feeling it would have been a better game if they got rid of the Zelda license in this.… Expand
  10. JoeB.
    Dec 25, 2006
    5
    Must be geek love. I wanted to like this game. I really did. 4+ years in the making just may have been a few months too many. This game was just WAY too linear for a Zelda title. Dungeon. Rinse. Repeat. Remember in OoT when you got to Lake Hylea by trying to jump the gorge between Hyrule Field and the Gerudo Fortress? The idea that you get to a new environment early was super cool. Must be geek love. I wanted to like this game. I really did. 4+ years in the making just may have been a few months too many. This game was just WAY too linear for a Zelda title. Dungeon. Rinse. Repeat. Remember in OoT when you got to Lake Hylea by trying to jump the gorge between Hyrule Field and the Gerudo Fortress? The idea that you get to a new environment early was super cool. Secrets like the Scarecrow's Song (incentive to revist dungeons). Obtaining critical items in non-dungeon diversions (a hookshot to cross the gorge -- and Dampe had it in the graveyard!). gone are the subtle hints about people's motives (if you're looking for the character complexity of Majora's Mask, you're in for a HUGE disappointment). In other words, there's just no playing "off the map" on this one. You need a bull to break fences when you just got a giant ball and chain that can smash metal armor? One change of tunic. One sword. No masks (no secret ones, anyway). What a huge disappointment. Because most of the 10's have been coupled with minimal comments, I can't for the life of me figure out why anyone not suffering from geek love (and I wanted to be that guy!) would like this game.… Expand
  11. TheJokerJulian
    Nov 29, 2011
    6
    Didn't live up to the hype, didn't innovate any game mechanics for the series and had nothing that defined it from the other games. It is also the most boring game in the series with little to do outside the main storyline. Half assed mechanics like the wolf mode and twilight realm demonstrate that the game is half finished. Its still a good game but a horrible Zelda game and anybodyDidn't live up to the hype, didn't innovate any game mechanics for the series and had nothing that defined it from the other games. It is also the most boring game in the series with little to do outside the main storyline. Half assed mechanics like the wolf mode and twilight realm demonstrate that the game is half finished. Its still a good game but a horrible Zelda game and anybody praising it as the best in the series is kidding themselves because Twilight Princess will surely fade into obscurity as soon as the next big Zelda game is released.… Expand
  12. bestbloodyday
    May 29, 2012
    7
    One of the worst modern Zelda game in my opinion. Maybe is cool in the Wii as a hardware demo but in the Gamecube, there is no sense. This game lacks a lot of originality. Wind Waker was something different, this is the same game as ever. At least, if Nintendo had made it a little bit harder would be better. Also, the wolf moments are just terrible and incredibly boring. On the good side,One of the worst modern Zelda game in my opinion. Maybe is cool in the Wii as a hardware demo but in the Gamecube, there is no sense. This game lacks a lot of originality. Wind Waker was something different, this is the same game as ever. At least, if Nintendo had made it a little bit harder would be better. Also, the wolf moments are just terrible and incredibly boring. On the good side, the rest of the game is at good level. The dungeons are fun as always and the villages are beautiful.… Expand
  13. skymati18
    Jan 4, 2016
    7
    es muy buen juego porque no me parece una obra maestra y con ser el mejor zelda de la historia, para mi el juego es muy lineal.facil, un campo gigante pero con nada de exploracion .Muy sobrevalorado
  14. RonRocker777
    Mar 5, 2020
    5
    Un Zelda sobrevalorado. Si bien no es malo, tampoco es tan bueno. Para empezar, los controles de Epona son horribles, en especial en la pelea del puente. El ambiente oscuro que tiene todo el juego, hace perder la magia de los otros Zeldas más "coloridos". Una trama que trata de emocionar, pero que en ningún momento emociona tanto como BOTW, o el aclamado OoT, Majora´s Mask, etc.
    Tiene    Un Zelda sobrevalorado. Si bien no es malo, tampoco es tan bueno. Para empezar, los controles de Epona son horribles, en especial en la pelea del puente. El ambiente oscuro que tiene todo el juego, hace perder la magia de los otros Zeldas más "coloridos". Una trama que trata de emocionar, pero que en ningún momento emociona tanto como BOTW, o el aclamado OoT, Majora´s Mask, etc.
    Tiene cosas buenas claro, como los calabozos, el cambio de Link a lobo, pero le faltó bastante. //

    An overrated Zelda. While it's not bad, it's not that good either. First, Epona's controls are horrible, especially in the bridge fight. The dark atmosphere that has the whole game, makes lose the magic of the other more "colorful" Zelda's games. A plot that tries to thrill, but at no time excited as much as BOTW, or the acclaimed OoT, Majora´s Mask, etc.
    He has good things of course, like the dungeons, the change from Link to wolf, but he lacked a lot.    … Expand
  15. hon777
    Sep 20, 2014
    7
    This game did not live up to the hype. The moment that this game was announced on E3, my immediate reaction was "Oh my god, they decided to make a game that would surpass all other games like Ocarina!" Sadly, it did not live up to my expectations. The game felt too easy, even the hardest enemies became trivial and even the challenges felt as though they were merely testing my patience. TheThis game did not live up to the hype. The moment that this game was announced on E3, my immediate reaction was "Oh my god, they decided to make a game that would surpass all other games like Ocarina!" Sadly, it did not live up to my expectations. The game felt too easy, even the hardest enemies became trivial and even the challenges felt as though they were merely testing my patience. The world felt quite empty, there was literally not much to do in such a huge world. The thing is that in a huge world you have to make things to do and not just ride on Epona and go to your destination while not even having to look at the screen. It did not much to bring anything to the series. The controls were the same as Ocarina of Time, and the exploration did not compare to Wind Waker or the first Legend of Zelda.

    The few things they did do right though was the Gerudo Desert dungeon. Even today, that dungeon is one of the best dungeons in Zelda history. Some of the characters were memorable and vibrant (though not all), and the last thing is that the music and graphics in this game were absolutely gorgeous.    … Expand
  16. LifeHistory
    May 15, 2017
    6
    Just like all the other Zelda games this game is crazy overrated. I really don't understand all the Zelda love because these games does nothing special at all.
    OK I understand that Ocarina of Time was really cool at that time but still not the world best game at all. And all the Zelda games that came after it like this Twilight Princess is just another remake of Ocarina of Time and brings    Just like all the other Zelda games this game is crazy overrated. I really don't understand all the Zelda love because these games does nothing special at all.
    OK I understand that Ocarina of Time was really cool at that time but still not the world best game at all. And all the Zelda games that came after it like this Twilight Princess is just another remake of Ocarina of Time and brings nothing new to the table nothing special with the same style and ideas.

    Cons:
    -Repetitive gameplay.
    -No voice acting what so ever.
    -Most of dungeons are boring backtracking.
    -Boring characters that they almost not existing.
    -The story and the characters are VERY childish and VERY BAD and BORING that does not give me the mood to keep playing.
    -Gimmic combat.

    All in all its playable an average game to play its mostly just puzzles and puzzles and even more puzzles that pretty much all you do the whole game. There are so many games that are much better adventure games and gives much better experience. But Nintendo fanboys are just lying to themselves to think that Zelda is the best out there.    … Expand
  17. Aelvir
    Apr 1, 2015
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I can't even begin to see how good people rate this game. I've been a long fan of the series and have played pretty much all of the Zelda games.
    Let me first of say that I hate the cheap cop-out they did with Armogohma. I was disappointed a great deal with when I finished the fight. Really Aonuma?that's the best you can come up with? Use the dominion rod on statue and it will hammer-fist him. repeat until dead. This is the most pivotal example of how heinous a change from the beta can ruin a boss-fight. What was it in the beta? A large chase scene with Gohma and a fight that was awesome. They didn't do this with other arachnid bosses/enemies in the Zelda-franchise, so, why now? The only reason I can think of to why they did this was to help with people who have Arachnaphobia. Well, if that;'s the case? Why is he even there?! if that is indeed the case why not just have a question prompt before playing the game for the first time to have the bossfight change depending on whether the player has arachnaphobia or not.
    When it comes to voices, it is so inconsistent. In the beta, Link was voiced by Hiyama, it didn't feature any rerecorded lines. They just put in his recycled lines from ssb:m. Now, alot of people were excited to see that Hiyama was still voicing Link. But, I could tell that that's not what it was. They used those recycled lines for Link for 1 of 2 reasons, (or both, perhaps) : "1 : Akira Sasanuma wasn't recruited quite yet. or 2 : Sasanuma hadn't recorded his lines yet." We were told that Link's voice is different because he's 'a different Link." and that he's not the "Hero of Time." That is quite true. Hell, in Majora's Mask, Hiyama played Zora/Fierce Deity Link, Takimoto Young Link/Deku Link. Now I'm all for that, but here's where a problem arises. Why in the world was Ganondorf's voice changed?! It is directly stated ingame that it is the same Ganondorf from during OoT, so why replace Takashi Nagasako (who officially voiced him in the beta. Chances are, though, that it was also recycled lines. But I have not seen anything of Ganondorf from the beta, as the beta is nearly impossible to play anymore. So, whether or not they used his Wind Waker, or, oot or ssm:m lines, ..I have no idea) But judging what they used for Link's, I would have to guess it would be his ssbm lines) with Hironori Miyata (Why Tingle?). If Nagasako was unavailable or they lost contact with him, I can understand that, but that is clearly not the case since he would later voice Demise. Did Hironori Miyata do a good Ganondorf? Not in the slightest. In fact, he sounds worse than another bad Nagasako replacement, Jin Urayama. Need I also say that when Miyata voices Ganondorf, he sounds like he has a cockroach infestation in his throat. He sounds like a desease-ridden zombie choking on samba dancers! I knwo, that didn't make sense. ..And neither did replacing Nagasako, let alone a far out of bounds replacement!
    What about Zelda? Was she changed? To my surprise, actually, no! With Link & Ganondorf's voices changed completely, Zelda remains unchanged?! Granted she has close to an Npc amount of voice lines, but still. Ganondorf doesn't really have much lines in this game either, yet his voice was changed. So, why was Jun Mizusawa not replaced like the others? With that logic, they could put in Hiyama and just have him voice him differently! Keep in mind if you look at all the renditions of OoT Link that Hiyama portayed he did him with a deeper tone as Adult Link&Fierce Deity, while at a higher tone for the younger rendition (SC2 being that one). Alot of people say Hiyama can't make him sound different without sounding like OoT link, but that's where they're wrong. Look at the way he portrayed Hiei in YyH, unless you know his voice like a master, you might not pick up on it. Hell, he's hardly recognizable in SoulCalbiur V!
    Out of ALL the games in the Zelda-franchise, it has the MOST mistranslated boss-names. Twilit Parasite:Diababa is actually Awoken Parasitic Species : Babarant. Twilit Igniter: Fyrus is Awoken Flame Beast: Magdoflamoth, Twilit Aquatic: Morpheel is Multi-feeler Genus: Octa-Eel, Twilit Fossil: Stallord is Resuscitated Ancient Dragon: Hahra-Zigant, Twilit Ice Mass: Blizzeta is Awoken Big/Great Lump/Mass of Ice: Freezahnya/Freezernya, Twilit Arachnid: Armogohma is Awoken Shell-eye: Shelled-Gohma, Twilight Dragon: Argorok is Awoken-wyvern: Nardobrea, but Usurper King: Zant seems to be translated properly Either way, for now that's the high points of the problems with it. Now, on with the game itself. The Story is pretty good. It's no masterpiece but it's pretty good. The Bomblings are just...No. The horseback attacks are a fine addition as well as the swinging while running is very lovely! Shame they never decided to reuse ever again. The bosses are pretty easy, but some are a decent challenge. The game itself doesn't have much replay value/enjoyability. But it can be quite enjoyable on a first-time playthrough.    … Expand
  18. zkonedog
    Mar 2, 2017
    7
    Though I don't much consider myself a "gamer" anymore, I will always have a soft spot for the Zelda series, as I consider "Ocarina of Time" to be perhaps the greatest adventure game I've ever played. In recent years, I have tried playing through "Majora's Mask" (too difficult) and "Wind Waker" (the cartoonish animation never quite suited me) and came up disappointed both times. AfterThough I don't much consider myself a "gamer" anymore, I will always have a soft spot for the Zelda series, as I consider "Ocarina of Time" to be perhaps the greatest adventure game I've ever played. In recent years, I have tried playing through "Majora's Mask" (too difficult) and "Wind Waker" (the cartoonish animation never quite suited me) and came up disappointed both times. After always kind of knowing that "Twilight Princess" was compared favorable to Ocarina, I decide to final give it a try on my old Gamecube.

    First off, I have to say that I have not completed the game (and may not ever). My interests have shifted away from the video-game playing of my youth and I no longer seem to have the patience for long adventure games anymore. So, this review will be more about the "feeling" of the experience rather than the actual nuts and bolts of the game itself.

    That being said, I still wanted to comment on the quality of the game, as I could automatically tell that it was more kin to "Ocarina" than the previous two before it. The gameplay is basically the same (except now you get the horse right from the get-go!) and I could see similar themes between the two. "Twilight Princess" is set up as an epic adventure like "Ocarina", not a race against the clock ("Majora") or a swashbuckling cartoon ("Waker").

    I couldn't give this game the full five stars, however, because it still didn't "fit like a glove" like Ocarina still does. Call me an old curmudgeon or awash in nostalgia if you will (and both of those things are probably true!), but even to this day I can still take out "Ocarina" from time to time and it seems like I can completely get swept away in it each time. I didn't have that "complete buy-in" with "Twilight Princess". Was that more because of my own personal biases...or was it that "Ocarina" is still the gold standard? I'm not sure. Either way, that doubt was even to drop it to four stars instead of a sparkling five.

    Bottom line of what you need to know if you are considering giving this game a try: It plays more like "Ocarina" than any other game in the series to that point. If you were disappointed with the frantic pace of "Majora's Mask" or the cartoon-y nature of "Wind Waker", this game will "feel like Zelda" for you right away.    … Expand
  19. SimonHofling
    Jul 30, 2021
    7
    The main dissapointing element in this game is the wolf-parts that are boring and something you want to be done with as fast as possible. Apart from that the game is pretty good, altough it feels less adventorous than other Zelda games; I didn't feel the same enjoyment exploring the world and looking for items. The music is also somewhat bland comparing to most Zelda titles. I struggledThe main dissapointing element in this game is the wolf-parts that are boring and something you want to be done with as fast as possible. Apart from that the game is pretty good, altough it feels less adventorous than other Zelda games; I didn't feel the same enjoyment exploring the world and looking for items. The music is also somewhat bland comparing to most Zelda titles. I struggled between giving this game a 7 or an 8, so consider this a strong 7. It is worth playing but it's not the best Zelda game out there. Still miles ahead of the overrated BOTW though.… Expand
  20. hileger
    Dec 3, 2022
    5
    Какое же говнище 3д Зельды , с какого столько хайпа, botw еще получилась на семерку но эти всякие мажоры со смазкой ,карина и псариаз ХУЕТА

Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Best GameCube Game of 2006
1
#1 Most Discussed GameCube Game of 2006
1
#1 Most Shared GameCube Game of 2006

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
96

Universal acclaim - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
  1. Games Radar
    100
    It's still the most cinematic, engrossing Zelda we've ever played, and as such, deserves nothing but the absolute highest recommendation. Flaws are present, sure, but we'll burn our entire library of games before we say Twilight Princess is anything but incredible.
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  2. NTSC-uk
    90
    But the moment the opening symphony plays until the concluding credits, all fear and doubt quickly vanishes like the cool whispering of an autumn's breeze. Though not flawless, Nintendo have once again demonstrated masterful craftsmanship, challenging design and imaginative artistry.
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  3. Thunderbolt
    90
    This game is more or less the latest version of a realm that has been long established and already seen. Yes, the story is darker, longer, and more character driven than anything before it. Yes, the dungeons and sidequests are remarkably well crafted. That doesn't mean that both seasoned Zelda fans and newcomers alike will enjoy the lacking difficulty and the other small problems that plague the game.
    Read full review
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