| 1 | For the 2016 manga, go [[YMMV/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess2016 here]]. |
| 2 | ---- |
| 3 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 4 | [[folder:Tropes A-D]] |
| 5 | * AccidentalInnuendo: |
| 6 | ** ''Most'' of whatever Agitha says is [[{{Pun}} bug-crazy]]. |
| 7 | --->'''Agitha''': Li'l stag beetle, li'l stag beetle, your spiky pinchers are so sharp! They must feel so good...\ |
| 8 | "Li'l snail, li'l snail, [[HeadTiltinglyKinky just once I'd like to take a bath in that slime...]]" |
| 9 | ** As Ilia is scolding Link for injuring Epona's leg: |
| 10 | --->'''Mayor Bo''': Now, now, Ilia. There's no need to get so hot with him. |
| 11 | ** The battle against Ook has you [[VisualPun literally]] spank the monkey. |
| 12 | * {{Adorkable}}: |
| 13 | ** Shad may not show much confidence to Link at first, but he's a good character and helps him find the necessary clues to reach the City in the Sky. His big glasses, peculiar fashion sense, and obsession with the Oocca plant him firmly in 'nerd' territory. However, he's also got huge blue eyes, thick auburn hair, and a decent physique. |
| 14 | ** Link himself also has his moments. Whenever he opens a dungeon chest containing the map, the compass, the boss key, or the dungeon item, he has a look on his face reminiscent of a little kid on Christmas morning. He just seems so excited about whatever it is he's going to find in the chest. |
| 15 | * AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: |
| 16 | ** Lanayru. The visions it gives Link of the past create a thought-provoking and intelligent cut-scene (nightmare fuel not withstanding). But is Lanayru a benevolent guardian who is looking out for Link's well-being, or just a {{jerkass god|s}} who is berating and scolding the wrong person for seeking a dangerous power? Midna is the one collecting the Fused Shadows for her own selfish motives, not Link! |
| 17 | ** Link's face falters when he finds the wrong items in the Snowpeak Mansion instead of the bedroom's key, those being an Ordon Pumpkin and Ordon Goat Cheese. Is he disappointed Yeta pointed him to find the wrong items? Or is he ''[[TearJerker homesick]]''? |
| 18 | ** Whenever Wolf Link dies or falls into lava/quicksand, Midna sighs and shakes her head. Is she doing so because she's disappointed at Link for failing, or is she mourning him after realizing that she can't help him? |
| 19 | ** Just what was Zant to Midna before his days as the Usurper King? A retainer, mentor, or blood relative, even? |
| 20 | * AngstWhatAngst: By the time you reach Kakariko Village, there are only ''three surviving residents''. Apart from Barnes relaying a story about the shopkeeper's transformation into a twilight monster, no one seems particularly broken up that the only people left are the village Shaman, his daughter, and the owner of a bomb shop, with the last on that list showing more sorrow for the fact that his storehouse was blown up. |
| 21 | * AntiClimaxBoss: Zant. While he is the most diverse boss in the game and has an awesome battle theme to go with it, he is not that difficult if one [[FinalExamBoss remembers what weapon or move to use]], not helped that Zant doesn't exactly have a vast repertoire of attacks[[note]]He mainly fires energy blasts and when you get to Blizzeta's phase, he tries to stomp on you[[/note]]. Also, the sword duel at the end was pretty lackluster due to him only having about three attacks at his disposal, all of which are results of his insane breakdown and thus lacking finesse and unpredictability. Finally, his damage output is quite weak. |
| 22 | * ArcFatigue: |
| 23 | ** The Mirror of Twilight arc during the second half. While it does take the same amount of length as the Fused Shadows arc during the first half, the story's progress itself practically grinds to a halt. No meaningful story events happen during that time, many of the characters introduced during the first half lose their importance (except Midna and Ilia, and Malo for a sidequest), and the characters introduced during the second half have little importance beyond showing Link where the dungeons are. It isn't until you finally travel to the Twilight Realm that the story resumes progress. |
| 24 | ** Getting the third piece of the Fused Shadow. First there's the long horseback ride to the opposite side of the map before you reach the Twilight. Then once in Wolf form, you soon stumble on a RedHerring in the form of a scent trail leading to a location you don't really need to visit until later. There's a short sequence on a burning bridge where you can actually die if you fail to realize you're supposed to jump off the side. Getting to Zora's Domain requires a minigame with an UnexpectedGameplayChange required to progress, and in addition to having the largest area yet to hunt all the bugs, you have to play that minigame ''again'' to find them all. And if that wasn't enough, this time you have to fight a MiniBoss on open water to get the last Tear. This itself is followed by a short EscortMission with a merciful shortcut back, and all of this is just to ''open'' the third dungeon. |
| 25 | * AssPull: |
| 26 | ** The main reason why some fans reacted so negatively to the reveal of Zant's [[PsychopathicManchild true nature]] was the fact that the story does ''absolutely nothing'' to foreshadow it. For most of the game, you're led to believe Zant is a [[KnightOfCerebus cold, aloof, almost menacing figure]]. But when we fight him in the Palace of Twilight, Zant suddenly [[VillainousBreakdown breaks his earlier persona and reveals his true nature]] without any warning. And though a flashback reveals he was insane from the start, it's shown ''during'' said villainous breakdown. However, it was revealed that this was a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=au4ZGt1MReA&t=1m50s last-minute addition in the game's development]], so there's at least a meta-justification for it. |
| 27 | ** The catalyst in this plot for Ganondorf's rise and eventual defeat is that he gains the Triforce of Power right in the middle of his attempted execution, then loses it after being defeated by Link. His obtaining the Triforce piece was only mildly foreshadowed by a FreezeFrameBonus at the end of ''Ocarina of Time'', and is otherwise handwaved as a "divine prank" by the sages. Likewise unexplained is why he loses it at the end after it had been keeping him alive for so long. |
| 28 | * [[AwesomeBosses/TheLegendOfZelda Awesome Bosses]]: |
| 29 | ** All four fights with King Bulblin, a RecurringBoss done remarkably well who utilizes very different strategies for each and who serves as the [[ItsPersonalWithTheDragon personal nemesis]] of Link himself. The first fight against him upon returning with the Iron Boots stands out: first you must pursue him while being hounded by his Bulblin army, then you engage with what is essentially a jousting match with him on the Bridge of Eldin. |
| 30 | ** Stallord has been very well received, with its fight making good use of the incredibly fun spinner item: The first part of the battle being a game of pinball on its skeleton minions and the second involving bouncing between walls until you knock its levitating skull out of the sky, all while having a kickass remix of [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Volvagia and King Dodongo's theme]] playing. |
| 31 | ** Blizzeta. A bit on the easy side? Sure. But it's just so cathartic to slam a giant ball-and-chain into giant icicles and a massive ice palanquin while some really kickass organ music plays in the background. |
| 32 | ** Fighting your first Darknut in the Temple of Time. The fight is just wonderful (assuming you're not overpowered or resorting to the AntiClimaxBoss method), you feel like you're fighting a worthy ''evil human'' opponent, rather than just another G-rated monster. His cries of pain/shock ring out as you strike him. His armor goes flying off, and when you reduce him to chainmail, he proves how much of a badass he is when he's had enough of your antics. Throwing his broadsword and shield at you, [[LetsGetDangerous he comes at you with a longsword]] and is now quite agile. |
| 33 | ** For those with arachnophobia, Armogohma may prey on their fear for just a moment. But then you use the Dominion Rod to take possession of the giant statues around the room and slam a massive stone fist into the thing's chest. |
| 34 | ** Argorok is first seen when it takes down a bridge (and very nearly Link along with it) in the City in the Sky. It creates a pretty effective paranoid atmosphere as the players wonder if it's going to come back and try to finish the job, and confronting it at its nest is quite relieving. It's also got some neat gameplay to its boss battle, particularly the fact that you have to latch onto its tail with your Clawshots and then literally stab it in the back so that it falls out of the air. |
| 35 | ** The penultimate confrontation against Zant is one big FinalExamBoss requiring the use of all your weapons. Zant warps the arena into recreations of boss and miniboss arenas from previous dungeons and uses a wide variety of tactics to get the jump on Link. The fight ends with a swordfight in which Zant gets faster and more frantic as he takes damage. |
| 36 | ** Ganondorf's battle takes the form of a four-phase MarathonBoss and continues ''The Wind Waker'' and ''Ocarina of Time'' tradition of intense sword fights with him in the final section of the battle. And [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments being able to distract him with your fishing rod]] for free hits is another plus, even if doing so makes him much easier to fight against. |
| 37 | * [[Awesome/VideoGameLevels Awesome Levels]]: Many fans consider the dungeons in ''Twilight Princess'' to be among the best in the series. |
| 38 | ** The [[UnderTheSea Lakebed Temple]] is a treat for those appreciate more complex challenges due to its gimmick of transferring water to different rooms via a giant central staircase. The fact that it marks the first appearance of the fan-favorite Clawshot definitely helps. |
| 39 | ** The [[BigBoosHaunt Arbiter's Grounds]] is a [[ShiftingSandLand desert]] [[PrisonLevel prison]] full of ghosts and traps where Ganondorf was once held, capped off by a great boss fight. This dungeon in particular stands out so much that [[spoiler:it received appearances in ''Breath of the Wild'' and ''Tears of the Kingdom'', albeit with little left of the original building except for a few fragments of its architecture]]. |
| 40 | ** [[SlippySlideyIceWorld Snowpeak Ruins]] is a creepy, yet oddly cozy, abandoned mansion on a snowy mountain, inhabited by an adorable yeti couple that guide Link through and share their freshly-cooked soup with him. |
| 41 | ** The [[spoiler:[[NostalgiaLevel Temple of Time]]]] is an expansion of the very same location from ''Ocarina of Time'' and often cited as an example of linearity done right. Link gets to manipulate giant, robotic statues and use them to find shortcuts through the dungeon and smash enemies with their massive hammers. |
| 42 | ** The [[LevelInTheClouds City in the Sky]] is often hailed as one of the series' strongest dungeons. A enormous floating city styled after the works of Creator/MCEscher, the City in the Sky offers some insight into the bizarre culture of the Oocca with loads of puzzles and a second Clawshot, allowing Link to swing from ledge-to-ledge like Spider-Man. |
| 43 | ** The [[DiscOneFinalDungeon Palace of Twilight]] earns points for its eerie GothicHorror atmosphere, [[spoiler:MiniBoss battles with phantom Zants]] that include SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic, [[spoiler:intense chases to get both of the light orbs back to the start of the dungeon that play out like games of "Capture the Flag", and all capped off by the CatharsisFactor of finally getting to take down Zant, who served as [[TheHeavy the direct source of most of the game's conflict]] in a fight in which he [[AllYourPowersCombined uses the fighting styles and arenas of over half of the game's previous bosses.]]]] |
| 44 | ** [[TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon Hyrule Castle]] is no slouch either. The game pulls out all the dramatic stops, with a BattleInTheRain against [[ArchEnemy King Bulblin]] in the courtyard, eerie castle halls building the dread and tension, wave after wave of strong enemies to fight, a scene in which the Resistance— who up to this point have been somewhat off to the side— rescue Link from an ambush, a climb up to the top of the central tower while the castle theme fades into an ominous rendition of Ganon's theme the higher you climb, the storm clouds around you growing more thunderous as you reach the peak, one last battle against ''two'' Darknuts, and then one of the best (and most emotional) FinalBoss sequences in the series. Until ''Breath of the Wild'' came out to contend for it, the ''Twilight Princess'' incarnation of Hyrule Castle was considered the best final dungeon in the series for a little over a decade! |
| 45 | * SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: A series staple of course, but special mention goes to "Midna's Lament" and "Lake Hylia". |
| 46 | * BaseBreakingCharacter: |
| 47 | ** Zant, partly due to him being HijackedByGanon, but especially because of his rather sudden VillainousBreakdown right before he fights Link. Does him being a PsychopathicManchild hiding behind a calm facade undermine his previous badassery, or does it add depth to a previously bland and generic villain? Or was he better when he was still a seemingly completely cold, composed, and heartless antagonist, and should he indeed have been the only BigBad? Others like Zant as a whole, seeing the shift as a compelling portrayal of a MaskOfSanity breaking down when things don't go his way. Still others dislike Zant as a whole, seeing him as both generic and bland pre-breakdown, goofy and unthreatening post-breakdown, and jarringly shifting in personality between the two phases. |
| 48 | ** Ilia, due to being portrayed by the game as Link's primary ImpliedLoveInterest. Either she's a cute and heartwarming character who is charming by virtue of being [[GirlNextDoor the most down to earth major character in the game]], or she's a prime example of an UnintentionallyUnsympathetic figure by seemingly caring more for Link's horse than Link himself[[note]]Which happened [[NeverLiveItDown one time]], and was only because she assumed Link pushed Epona too hard - once she finds out the truth, she feels ashamed for how she spoke to Link.[[/note]] and getting annoyed because Epona keeps choosing Link over her, and as a result doesn't have any chemistry with Link at all. It doesn't help that a particularly long segment required to unlock the City in the Sky centers on her. |
| 49 | ** Malo. Some find the aspect of a 5-year-old with the maturity and mannerisms of a grown adult amusing, while others find him [[CreepyChild disturbing]] for the same reason. |
| 50 | ** The Bulblin race as a whole is this. Some love them for their surprisingly detailed society, varied methods of attack (melee club, shooting arrows, riding Bulbos, and alerting groups to Link from a watchtower), and the HiddenDepths of their leader King Bulblin. Others dislike them for being little more than generic [[OurOrcsAreDifferent orcs]], lacking the charm that other ''Zelda'' enemies have, and being redundant when the Bokoblins already exist. Nintendo seems to have agreed with the last point, as their societal traits have been incorporated into the Bokoblins in later games, and aside from a very minor role in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSpiritTracks Spirit Tracks]]'', their participation in ''Link's Crossbow Training'' as living targets and appearing in ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriors'' (where the Bokoblins outnumber them), the Bulblins haven't been seen since. |
| 51 | * BigLippedAlligatorMoment: Ganondorf's death via the Master Sword [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice impaling him]] is punctuated by a scene of Zant breaking his own neck. There's little explanation to this scene, with even Creator/EijiAonuma himself stating [[ShrugOfGod he didn't understand the meaning of it]]. |
| 52 | * BreatherBoss: |
| 53 | ** Morpheel. The fight is sandwiched between a very frustrating dungeon and the emotional/plotline climax of the first half of the game. If anything, the fight is more finnicky than hard. In fact, you have to really try in order to take damage from the second form. |
| 54 | ** Blizzeta is fought halfway through the game, but it's near impossible to die against her for two reasons: First, the dungeon in which she's fought provides Link with an endless supply of soup, which can be stored in bottles and restores 8 hearts' worth of health. Second, her main form of attack is to spawn Mini Freezards and icicles to hurl at Link, but they shatter when attacked or collide with a wall, dropping hearts at a faster rate than she can damage the player. |
| 55 | ** The heavily-armored Darknut in the Temple of Time can be easily taken out by strafing around the room and chucking bombs behind it until all of its armor is gone. And when all of the armor is gone, the Back Slice staggers it and leaves it open for a quick sword combo, while the Jump Strike always breaks its defense and hits it, giving an opening for some more free hits afterwards. Come the end of Hyrule Castle, or the Cavern of Ordeals, when you have to fight more than one Darknut and the ones you aren't attacking can block your attacks and interrupt your damage on the vulnerable one, this becomes more and more necessary to use. |
| 56 | ** Armogohma. The first phase of the battle is incredibly straightforward and the second phase is literally a joke. As with Morpheel, you really have to try in order to get hurt in this fight. |
| 57 | ** Argorok. He's after one of the most challenging dungeons in the game. And he's a giant dragon you fight on top of the City in the Sky during the middle of a big storm. Despite the absolutely breathtaking setting and circumstances, he goes down with very little fight in a rather simple boss battle, to the point that many players will switch back to the Ordon Sword just to drag the fight out a little longer. |
| 58 | * BreatherLevel: The entire second half of the main game after the Sacred Grove. With no more Twilight in Hyrule, the ability to transform into a wolf at will, and the fact that you've grown stronger at a much faster rate than your adversaries, life is ''good''... until you get to the [[MarathonLevel Temple of Time]] (which is also infested with some DemonicSpiders, literally and metaphorically) and [[ThatOneLevel City in the Sky]] (where the backtracking to obtain stuff is real). |
| 59 | * BrokenBase: |
| 60 | ** The overworld, due to it being ''much'' bigger, albeit less dense than ''Ocarina of Time'' and ''Majora's Mask'' in particular. Detractors often blame the overworld for bringing the game down, as they feel that it's just ''too'' big and has nothing interesting to find or explore. Fans, on the other hand, defend the overworld for giving the game an unprecedented sense of scale for the ''Zelda'' series, and fire back at detractors for ignoring the vast number of caves and grottoes that pepper the overworld. Some TakeAThirdOption and say that the overworld is good in theory and does have much to explore, but it gets bogged down by forcing the player to go through the dungeons, slowly [[OpeningTheSandbox open it up]] (which isn't helped by the dungeons being considerably longer than in previous installments), and having rather [[MoneyForNothing paltry Rupee rewards]] and/or not enough things to find per area. It was partly due to this debate that ''Skyward Sword'' went so far in the opposite direction, which itself is an even more divisive choice. |
| 61 | ** A common criticism of this game is that it's an ItsTheSameSoItSucks rehash of the games that came before it. For instance, back with the release of the 3DS ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]'' UpdatedRerelease, an often repeated TakeThat among detractors was usually something along the lines of "A remaster? [[SerialNumbersFiledOff Didn't they already do that with]] ''Twilight Princess''?" Meanwhile, fans of the game will often defend the familiarity as a highlight in what they perceive as a series that experiments "too much". |
| 62 | ** Is a realistic style the 'correct' look and appearance for a colorful fantasy game such as ''Zelda''? Many were divided. Some loved being able to see the world of ''Zelda'', warts and all, while others find those details less appealing at times (read: [[{{Squick}} the Gorons]]). Other points of debate are whether the graphics are indeed more colorful and vibrant than many people believe them to be, and [[TechnologyMarchesOn how well the graphics have held up over the years]]. Fans also tend to forget that ''Twilight Princess'' broke the ''Zelda'' series out of the AnimationAgeGhetto after ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker The Wind Waker]]'' came under fire for its "Disney-like" graphics, which had many people believing at the time that ''Zelda'' would skew in a more kid-friendly direction from that point forward. |
| 63 | ** One that is debated among both detractors and fans is [[HijackedByGanon Ganondorf's inclusion]]. It is either one of the greatest boss battles in the series or an unnecessary addition which undermines Zant's character. |
| 64 | ** Wolf Link is either an awesome NobleWolf and welcomed addition that sets ''Twilight Princess'' apart from other games in the franchise, or an annoying ScrappyMechanic that feels clunky and slows the game down when you're forced to use it. |
| 65 | ** The Wii vs. [=GameCube=] argument. While the game was focused on the [=GameCube=] throughout most of its development, it ended up being released on Wii first. Some fans really enjoyed the then-new Wii Remote controls, while others preferred to wait for the [=GameCube=] release since they felt it more closely represented the developers' intention (which would make it something of a MythologyGag later, with a mirrored world in ''Ocarina of Time 3D Master Quest'' and a definitely right-handed Link in ''Skyward Sword''), along with having [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking a free camera]]. For the record, outside of the two major changes (control scheme and game orientation), they really aren't that different, but this came up again when the HD version was leaked, about which version it should be based on, and subsequently when it became apparent it was using the [=GameCube=] version as a basis, at least by default. |
| 66 | ** When [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZG8Zzn27YM Link's artwork for the HD version]] was accidentally revealed during a publicized press conference, it was revealed to have more saturated colors than [[http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/zelda/images/c/ca/Link_Artwork_2_(Twilight_Princess).png/revision/latest?cb=20090726020350 the equivalent from the original]]. This created a debate on whether the game should be brightened up for the HD version using the bloom lighting system from ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker HD'' and the ''Twilight Princess''-based Wii U tech demo, or whether that would spoil the "atmosphere" of the game. When the game proper was revealed, it was revealed to be only a ''little'' brighter than the original, calming the debate down, [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks but also bringing up complaints that the remaster looks too same-y without a major revamp in the art style]]. |
| 67 | ** Some of the smaller gameplay tweaks in the HD remaster: |
| 68 | *** The removal of Link going off balance when Clawshotting to walls. Some find it less annoying and more convenient for speedrunning, while others think it makes the game feel less realistic. |
| 69 | *** Link's sword no longer bounces off against walls; instead, it simply goes through them in the HD remaster. Some gamers complained about the realism, others saw this ''as a blessing''. It can be hideously evil to face down Darknuts in the Cave of Ordeals, finding your sword repeatedly striking the wall instead of them. Combat is now much more manageable in close quarters. |
| 70 | ** The game's SlowPacedBeginning is a major point of contention. Many players consider it a boring slog that gives a poor first impression, containing a lot of mechanics, forced mini-games, and plot points that aren't relevant to the larger game. However, the intro has garnered several defenders who contend that it gives a sense of context and atmosphere to Link's adventure, even if some in this crowd believes that it's still too long. Overall, opinions are split depending on player preference of either experiencing the story as it comes or exploring the game on the player's own time. |
| 71 | ** The game has one of the most divisive stories in the series, primarily because of its litany of subplots that are integrated into the main campaign. Fans of the story consider it one of the strongest narratives in the franchise, showing the effects of the Twilight invasion from many different perspectives and making the world feel alive. Detractors instead consider it one of the weakest stories in the franchise, seeing the increased attention on side-stories slowing the pace of the game and/or wasting its good ideas due to lack of development. |
| 72 | ** Zelda's characterization in this game is heavily divisive. Defenders point out that it adds to the game's overall tone, does a good job of getting across the seriousness of the situation at hand (she had just witnessed several of her soldiers die and was forced to surrender), and her relationship with Midna is an interesting dynamic, while detractors point out that her lack of emotion makes her boring and forgettable, and gives little reason to care about saving her. Not helping matters is that most of Zelda's interactions with Link in this game are in his wolf form, so the two barely have any actual interaction or relationship with each other. |
| 73 | * CatharsisFactor: |
| 74 | ** Despite its frightening appearance, [[GiantSpider Armogohma]] is a very satisfying boss to defeat because you get to bring down the hammer on it with the Dominion Rod. For arachnophobes, it's essentially like playing whack-a-mole against NightmareFuel incarnate. |
| 75 | ** The DiscOneFinalBoss against [[TheHeavy Zant]]. Not only is the fight itself incredibly fun and one of the best in the series, but it also serves as a VillainousBreakdown for Zant himself. Considering just how much of an [[CompleteMonster evil, pathetic, and power-hungry bastard]] Zant had proven himself to be throughout the game, being able have Link repay him with a long, painful HumiliationConga is immensely satisfying. |
| 76 | * CommonKnowledge: |
| 77 | ** A common assumption about Midna is that she'd planned to abandon or even double-cross Link once he'd recovered the Fused Shadows, leaving the Light World to whatever fate it succumbed to, before her change of heart. This is based on her confession later in the game that she only wanted to help her own realm at first and "didn't care" about what happened to the world of light, but at no point did she say she was going to condemn or turn her back on it. |
| 78 | ** The large town just south of Hyrule Castle is often erroneously called “Hyrule Castle Town”, despite that in-game it is only ever referred to as Castle Town. “Hyrule Castle Town” is what the town was known as in ''Ocarina of Time''. |
| 79 | * CompleteMonster: [[PsychopathicManchild Zant]] is a maniacal member of the Twili who [[DealWithTheDevil aligns himself]] with [[Characters/TheLegendOfZeldaGanonGanondorf Ganondorf]] in exchange for power, before overthrowing Midna and conquering the [[Characters/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincessTwilightRealm Twilight Realm]], earning the title of "[[TheUsurper Usurper King]]". After [[ForcedTransformation transforming]] Midna into an imp and turning the rest of their kind into mindless Shadow Beasts, Zant begins extending his tyrannical reign into Hyrule. There, he executes the Zora queen in front of her people and freezes them all, leaving them to die; invades Hyrule Castle and forces Princess Zelda to surrender in exchange for the lives of her people; envelops Castle Town in Twilight, turning all of its citizens into terrified spirits; and attempts to permanently trap Link in a wolf form and kill Midna by forcing her into the light. When confronted in his palace, Zant calls the duo "traitors", ranting about how he alone deserves the throne before viciously attacking Link in a final battle. Despite being a mere [[PuppetKing pawn]] in Ganondorf's scheme, Zant stands out due to his sheer depravity and treacherous nature. |
| 80 | * ContestedSequel: To ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]'' '''and''' ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker The Wind Waker]]''. Considering that this and the latter are very different, and this and the former are quite similar, disputes over this game predictably end up contested by either party. Most of the debate comes from whether ''Twilight Princess'' is an EvenBetterSequel to ''Ocarina of Time'' that takes its formula and improves on it, or whether its structural similarities to ''Ocarina'' and its RealIsBrown aesthetic [[ItsTheSameSoItSucks don't make it unique enough]]. It's only gotten worse as time has gone on, due to ''Wind Waker'' being VindicatedByHistory, especially with its graphics style nowadays being considered unique and charming, and ''Twilight Princess'' catching increasing flak for its similarities to ''Ocarina of Time'' and its graphics which many feel have not aged well. It really got bad after both ''Twilight Princess'' and ''Wind Waker'' received HD remasters on the Wii U, leading to arguments about which game received the "better" remaster treatment, particularly in areas relating to the graphics and gameplay streamlining. |
| 81 | * CriticalDissonance: ''Twilight Princess'' is one of the best-selling (tied with ''Ocarina'' for second place behind ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'') ''and'' best-reviewed games in the acclaimed ''Zelda'' series, but fan opinion is more divided. |
| 82 | * CrossoverShip: Link is often shipped with Amaterasu from VideoGame/{{Okami}}, since both are humanoids with some connection to the divine trapped in the form of wolves. |
| 83 | * DemonicSpiders: |
| 84 | ** The [[UndeadMooks Gibdos]] in this game are some of the hardest enemies to deal with. If you get in a certain range of it, it instantly does [[ThatOneAttack its infamous shriek]], leaving you defenseless, then proceeds to cleave you with its {{BFS}}, which takes off a notable portion of your health. Once you get the Jump Strike, though, killing them becomes easier since they're [[OneHitKill one-shotted]] as long as both hits land — of course, this assuming you can land it before the Gibdo screams. |
| 85 | ** Dynalfos. They're taller and far stronger versions of Lizalfos. Unlike their small counterpart, you barely have any time to perform the ending blow on Dynalfos and one-shot them. They also infest one of the later dungeons in the game, the Temple of Time. While you can hit them from afar with your weapons, they will take much longer to kill up close. |
| 86 | ** Aeralfos, when found later in the Cave of Ordeals and Hyrule Castle. They fly out of your reach and, while you're supposed to bring them to the ground with your Clawshot when they raise their shield, there's a chance you will latch to the shield instead, get pulled, and get attacked with no fault of your own. They're also quite durable, like the Dynalfos above. |
| 87 | ** Facing two or more [[BossInMookClothing Darknuts]] at any one time. You better have come prepared and mastered those optional Hidden Skills, otherwise ''[[CurbStompBattle they will trample you]]''. |
| 88 | * DieForOurShip: The three most prominent female characters all get shipped with Link, inevitably resulting in this for all of them: |
| 89 | ** ''Ilia''. Both Link/Zelda and Link/Midna shippers [[RonTheDeathEater blow her overreaction to Epona's minor injury out of proportion to generalize her as a complete]] {{Jerkass}}, even though in-game, Ilia herself immediately admitted she overreacted and apologized to Link for it. |
| 90 | ** There's also some of this toward Zelda and Midna, depending on who you ship Link with; the former is made to be controlling and obsessively believe she and Link are destined to be together by rabid Link/Midna shippers, while the latter regresses and becomes a far more manipulative and self-centered jerkass than she was prior to her CharacterDevelopment by zealous Link/Zelda shippers. Generally though, the two groups tend to get along. |
| 91 | [[/folder]] |
| 92 | |
| 93 | [[folder:Tropes E-N]] |
| 94 | * EnsembleDarkhorse: |
| 95 | ** The Hero's Spirit is a big one, as Link has never had such a badass mentor before. It helps that the Spirit himself is [[PreviousPlayerCharacterCameo actually]] [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime another]] [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask Link]]. |
| 96 | ** Agitha, the [[CloudCuckooLander bizarre]] [[{{Moe}} but cute]] "Bug Princess", was apparently so popular that she made it into ''[[VideoGame/HyruleWarriors Hyrule Warriors]]'' as the only playable character from this game aside from Midna and Zant. |
| 97 | ** While he doesn't get much fanart, most fans agree that King Bulblin is one of the best minor antagonists in the ''Zelda'' series. He serves as the first true villain who overcomes Link, making him a RiteOfPassage before Link begins truly falling into the role of the hero of Hyrule. King Bulblin's HiddenDepths, [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy surprisingly honorable spirit]], his HeelFaceTurn after [[IFightForTheStrongestSide coming to respect Link]], and epic battle setpieces and theme song all serve to make an otherwise generic-looking orc character one of ''Twilight Princess'''s strongest points. |
| 98 | ** The four members of LaResistance are generally enjoyed by the fans and frequently appear in fan works. |
| 99 | ** Hena has no role in the main story and simply runs the fishing hole, meaning that you will only see her if you do the fishing or Rollgoal sidequests there. But because of her amusing antics (such as her reaction to the [[BerserkButton sinking lure]]), her beautiful character design, and her connection to the owner of the fishing pond in ''Ocarina of Time'', she tends to be much better-remembered by fans than sidequest characters typically are. |
| 100 | * EpilepticTrees: Since the eye on the Fused Shadow resembles the eyes on Majora's Mask, many fans have speculated that the tribe of interlopers who created the Fused Shadow and became the Twili were also the tribe who used and/or created Majora's Mask. |
| 101 | * EvilIsCool: While fan opinions on [[HijackedByGanon his role in the story]] are mixed, [[Characters/TheLegendOfZeldaGanonGanondorf Ganondorf]] himself remains as badass as ever, with yet another devious scheme, a four-phase boss battle, and a new, manlier design. |
| 102 | * FanficFuel: Because of the heavy implication that the Hero's Shade is the Hero of Time, a theory confirmed by ''Literature/HyruleHistoria'', a common subject among fan writers is what the Hero of Time did after his adventures in [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask Termina]] and returned to Hyrule. Commonly explored aspects of this subject include who the Hero of Time settled down and started a family with, given that the Hero of Twilight is his descendant, and how he lost his right eye, and injury he seemingly retains as a ghost. |
| 103 | * FanNickname: |
| 104 | ** So, this Link is the "Hero of Twilight/the Gods/Light," right? He must be, because three of the numerous other Links throughout the series had similar titles[[note]]He's referred to as the "Blue-Eyed Beast" in-game, but that hasn't really caught on because it's specific to his wolf form[[/note]]. "Hero of Twilight" [[AscendedFanon became official]] when said hero was referenced in bonus costume descriptions in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild''. |
| 105 | ** The ''Twilight Princess'' {{speedrun}}ning community has come up with nicknames for certain enemies and creatures in the game. While these can vary between runners, the most universal ones seem to be Hugo (a bulblin encountered near Ordon Spring, who is used in some categories to perform a trick called [[https://www.zeldaspeedruns.com/tp/msb/sword-shield-skip Sword and Shield Skip]]) and Howard (any goats that run off in random directions and waste the player's time during the goat herding minigames). |
| 106 | * FandomRivalry: For one year and a half since its release, fans of this game often debated with fans of ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}'', as the latter was inspired by the ''Zelda'' series and yet there were players who felt the latter game felt more fresh and unique than the former. Creator/HidekiKamiya feeling disappointed over ''Twilight Princess'' didn't help. It was mitigated when ''Okami'' was ported to the Wii in 2008, allowing players to play and enjoy both games on the same system, but it's still common for fans of ''Okami'' to call their game "what ''Twilight Princess'' should have been". |
| 107 | * FandomSpecificPlot: [[spoiler:Link finds a way back into the Twilight Realm and maintains a romantic relationship with Midna. [[BabiesEverAfter Pregnancies]], before or after he makes the trip, are not uncommon.]] |
| 108 | * {{Fanon}}: ''Twilight Princess'''s Link is often referred to by fans as the Hero of Twilight or other similar titles akin to [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Hero of Time]] and [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker Hero of Winds]]. The game itself never gives him any such title, only referring to him as the "Chosen Hero" or (in the case of his wolf form) "Blue-eyed Beast". However, later games do [[AscendedFanon confirm the "Hero of Twilight" title]], such as ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'' referring to the Amiibo exclusive gear based on this Link as such. |
| 109 | * FoeYayShipping: In a rather creepy scene with Midna right after the Lakebed Temple, Zant refers to her as "my Midna" and says he needs her "not just for [himself], but for all of [their] people". Midna even looks like she's listening to him for a moment, but is otherwise quick to refuse. |
| 110 | * FriendlyFandoms: In contrast to their relationship with ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker Wind Waker]]'' fans, the ''Twilight Princess'' fanbase generally gets along well with that of its spiritual predecessor, ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]'', due to how similar the games are and how both games were surrounded with similar hype, anticipation, and praise at the time of their release. |
| 111 | * GameBreaker: |
| 112 | ** The [[OneHitKill Mortal Draw]]. It takes a little practice, but is by no means difficult — if you can perfect re-sheathing your sword mid-battle, you can one-shot any regular enemy, and kill bosses in three or four hits. And you can get it about midway through the game. |
| 113 | ** The Great Spin. Once Link learns it, he can [[InstantDeathRadius one-shot entire waves of enemies at once]]... as long as he has full health. This turns the StormingTheCastle segment at the end into a cakewalk. |
| 114 | ** In the remaster, the Magic Armor[[labelnote:*]]It makes you invincible in exchange for [[CastFromMoney Rupees]][[/labelnote]] becomes this. In the original game, the only thing slowing it down is that the largest wallet only holds 1000 Rupees, not helped by Rupees draining by two per second; now, however, the wallet sizes now include the Colossal Wallet, which holds ''9,999'' Rupees. The armor can run for ''an hour and a half'' if you avoid getting hit, and even then you get practically handed Rupees constantly, so do the math. |
| 115 | * GeniusBonus: For a loony side character, Agitha has a lot of cryptic references revolving around her: |
| 116 | ** "Agitha" comes from [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agatha_(gastropod) Agatha]], a small genus (regroupment of species) which includes sea snails and marine gastropods, while her French name "Machaon" comes from [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papilio_machaon a species of butterflies]]. |
| 117 | ** The description for the male and female golden snails ends with "it might actually be a [opposite gender]" in small text. This is a reference to the fact that real-life snails are {{hermaphrodite}}s. In fact, both snails are found in the exact same place as one another, just at different time periods via TimeTravel, suggesting that they're one and the same. |
| 118 | * GoddamnedBats: |
| 119 | ** Bulblins in the overworld, mainly because of how they overpopulate Hyrule Field. After some time, having to avoid the arrows they shoot becomes annoying as hell, and they're not even that difficult of an enemy, falling to [[OneHitKill a single arrow]]. |
| 120 | ** Mini-Freezards slide and bounce around like hockey pucks after you strike them, requiring you to either be quick with hitting them again when they slide back towards you, or back into a corner and defend until they calm down. |
| 121 | ** Chilfos in the Snowpeak Ruins. They love chucking ice spears at you, making fighting them from a distance or getting close to them a painful prospect. Though if you manage to get close, you can just OneHitKill them with a Helm Splitter. |
| 122 | * GoddamnedBoss: Argorok. He is paradoxically an AntiClimaxBoss that dies too quickly, and yet a frustratingly slow fight. This is because the player must adjust their speed ''and wait for him to attack'', which is a beginner's trap as you will likely be hyped at this point. Going crazy with the Clawshots means... he won't attack, and you circle him like a merry-go-round. And you have to go slower than you'd think you'd have to dodging his fiery breath. And when his HP is low and only one more round of sword attacks is needed to defeat him, he'll trick Link by changing the direction of the flame attack AND doing it ''twice'', so unless you switch to Clawshotting to the opposite direction as well, the flame ''will'' burn you and make you fall to the ground, forcing you to climb to the top again. |
| 123 | * GoodBadBugs: |
| 124 | ** It only works in the second dungeon, but switching out the boots just before landing on a magnetized surface allows you to walk at normal speed across the ceiling (putting them back on and off to drop). You can't roll or use items, but it is a lot faster and quieter. |
| 125 | ** There's a glitch that allows you to use infinite bombs and arrows (and thus infinite bomb arrows) through exploiting the minigames on Zora's River. |
| 126 | ** Early American copies of the Wii version left in a debug feature where putting out the torches in the [[BonusDungeon Cave of Ordeals]] opens the door on the floor below, allowing players to skip most of the fights. |
| 127 | ** Among [[{{Speedrun}} Low% Speedrunners]], there's the "Pickup Slide". Link's pose for when he is holding an item after picking it up is missing the final frame of its animation. This is imperceptible in normal gameplay, but if you leave the game idle for a long time during the animation Link will very slowly slide backwards, letting him clip through walls and doors as the game doesn't perform any collision checks aside from the floor's while in the item pickup state. Emphasis on "very slowly"; the Low% run is 25 hours, of which around 17 hours is spent with Link staring at a rupee. |
| 128 | ** The back in time glitch, which involves restarting the console at a specific moment during Link's falling or sinking death animation, thus allowing the player to warp directly to specific parts of the game. It's commonly part of speedruns since it skips most of the game's infamously long prologue and automatically gives Link the sword and shield, and several other glitches can be performed after doing it. |
| 129 | * HeartwarmingInHindsight: Midna's comment about the Master Sword accepting you as its master becomes much more emotional [[spoiler:after you consider the ending of ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword Skyward Sword]]''.]] |
| 130 | * HilariousInHindsight: |
| 131 | ** ''Twilight Princess'' has some amusing similarities to the ''Zelda''-like ''VideoGame/StarFoxAdventures'', including: both games being on the [=GameCube=] and the first Teen-rated entries in their respective franchises; a plot twist that involves [[spoiler:the respective overarching BigBad of the series revealed to be TheManBehindTheMan, [[AGodAmI posing as a god]] to manipulate the apparent main villain to help him return]]; how Link can turn into a wolf, which is a canine like Fox, and the protagonist of ''Star Fox Adventures'' was originally going to be a wolf before the ''Star Fox'' theme was applied; the comparatively more realistic graphics from the rest of the series that were praised upon release; and the protagonists of both series being playable in all four ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' games. Even more amusingly, both games are regarded exactly the opposite way by their respective series' fanbases: ''Twilight Princess'' is sometimes criticized for being too formulaic for a ''Zelda'' game, while ''Star Fox Adventures'' is criticized for being too much of a departure from the rest of the ''Star Fox'' series. |
| 132 | ** Zant is occasionally cited as a more psychopathic and childish take on the Darth Vader archetype. Nine years later, ''Film/TheForceAwakens'' would introduce Kylo Ren, who is a Darth Vader expy ''in-universe'' and is frequently seen as the ''Franchise/StarWars'' equivalent of Zant, right down to becoming a BaseBreakingCharacter due to his inexperienced PsychopathicManchild nature behind a menacing masked façade and being overpowered by a female protagonist with the same powers who is TheHero despite not being marketed as such. Similarly, him being set up as the BigBad only to be revealed as pawn of [[HijackedByGanon the returning regular Big Bad of the series]] calls to mind the BrokenBase over ''Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker''. |
| 133 | * HypeBacklash: Inevitable, but when released, ''Twilight Princess'' received acclaim from critics and audiences alike for returning to the roots of ''Ocarina of Time'' instead of being another "experimental" entry like ''Majora's Mask'' or ''The Wind Waker'', and along with it being an early KillerApp for the mega-successful Wii, ended up being the best-selling ''Zelda'' game until that point. Years down the line, as favor for those games became more favorable and earned more critical prestige for their originality and willingness to experiment with the ''Zelda'' formula, ''Twilight Princess'' received increasing criticism for being [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks too similar]] to ''Ocarina of Time'', too linear for a ''Zelda'' game, and [[RealIsBrown too brown]]. |
| 134 | * IKnewIt: |
| 135 | ** It was heavily suspected by most fans that the Hero's Shade is actually the [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Hero of Time]], due to strong yet cryptic in-game hints (along with the fact that he and the Hero of Time were [[SignificantDoubleCasting both voiced]] by Creator/NobuyukiHiyama). ''Literature/HyruleHistoria'' eventually confirmed this to be the case. |
| 136 | ** After the game was shown at E3 in 2005, a letter in Magazine/NintendoPower Magazine issue 195, asked if [[spoiler:Midna was the game's titular Twilight Princess]]. Nintendo Power said in response that the developers aren't saying anything so that they wouldn't spoil anything for the audience. Later, after the game was finally released, [[spoiler:Midna turned out to actually be the Twilight Princess]]. |
| 137 | * ImprovedSecondAttempt: The Morpheel fight feels like an apology for the oft-criticized battle against Morpha in ''Ocarina of Time'', due to their very close similarities, and even though it's a very easy boss, it executes the idea much better. Morpha was disliked for being simultaneously too difficult to target and too easy to stunlock, with the former being caused by janky Hookshot timing that made pulling out its nucleus a chore, and the latter by letting you back the nucleus into a corner of the room to get extra hits on it. Morpheel is the same basic concept, making you pull a traveling sphere out of some tentacles, but the Clawshot is much better at grabbing the eye as long as it's targeted, and the eye is recalled after you get in a hit, with a large enough room that you can't isolate it. The boss also has a second phase, possibly to make up for the lack of variety in Morpha's fight. |
| 138 | * InferredHolocaust: |
| 139 | ** Kakariko Village has only ''three'' native residents left when you reach it. Outside of [[AndThenJohnWasAZombie Barnes' story about the shopkeeper]], it's never made particularly clear what happened to everyone else. |
| 140 | ** Also, as Barnes' and Midna's stories tell, many Twilis and some humans were turned into Shadow Beasts. This means that to save both worlds, Midna has to kill her own people, and that the Twilight Realm will probably be much emptier at the end of the game. |
| 141 | * ItsEasySoItSucks: One of the game's noted weaker points by veteran ''Zelda'' players is that the main game is considered easier than most other games, especially after the Sacred Grove. Unless you play Hero Mode or scan the Ganondorf Amiibo, enemies don't deal much damage. And while there are a couple points where the difficulty gets a spike, they do not last for too long. |
| 142 | * ItsTheSameNowItSucks: The most common criticism about the game is that ''Twilight Princess'' feels too much like a rehash of ''Ocarina of Time''. The story is very much a SamePlotSequel involving getting the first set of {{Plot Coupon}}s, then the Master Sword, then the second set of Plot Coupons, and much of the dungeons (particularly up to and including the Arbiter's Grounds) use largely the same level tropes as ''Ocarina of Time''. Some fans even feel that hewing close to ''Ocarina of Time''[='=]s tropes wasn't bad in itself, they also feel that the game failed to feel like a "scaled up" version of ''Ocarina of Time'', especially when the [[MediaNotes/TheSixthGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames sixth generation]] as a whole introduced many games such as ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIII'' and ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'' which featured larger and more densely populated worlds. |
| 143 | * ItWasHisSled: |
| 144 | ** Ganondorf is [[HijackedByGanon the true big bad]]. While the original game does attempt to hide this by treating Zant as the BigBad until revealing at the end of Arbiter's Grounds that [[TheManBehindTheMan Ganondorf is the true villain]], it quickly became widespread knowledge amongst the fandom that he is the one responsible for the game's threat. Likely because of this, the HD remaster doesn't even attempt to hide his presence like the original game did, with the HD remaster having him on the cover. |
| 145 | ** Midna's true form, to a lesser extent, also became well-known in the years following its release; it is present on the box art and splash screen of the HD remake, and said appearance was DLC in the Wii U release of ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriors'' (and is a default option in all other future versions). |
| 146 | * JustHereForGodzilla: Some people mostly enjoy the game for its characters; the core trio of Link, Zelda and Ganon are DarkerAndEdgier versions that run on RuleOfCool (and got more exposure via ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl''). In particular, this was Ganondorf's last appearance in his popular Gerudo form prior to ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTearsOfTheKingdom Tears of the Kingdom]]'', and his design and boss battle are popular for depicting him as a [[EvilIsBigger gigantic]] [[BlackKnight Black]] MagicKnight of a king. Midna is also widely praised as the best ExpositionFairy character in the series, even by those who aren't fond of ''Twilight Princess'' as a whole. |
| 147 | * LesYay: Midna and Zelda exchange plenty of meaningful dialogue and looks and are very motivated in helping one another, to the point of HeroicSacrifice. Midna often gives Zelda a grin. |
| 148 | * LoveToHate: For his fans, Zant is such an imposing yet despicable villain that it makes it all the more urgent to save Hyrule from him. And when you finally unravel his plans and come directly to him, his VillainousBreakdown just makes finally killing him all the more satisfying. |
| 149 | * MagnificentBastard: [[Characters/TheLegendOfZeldaGanonGanondorf Ganondorf]] was once a fearsome Gerudo thief who [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime plotted to take over Hyrule]] and escape the harsh conditions of his desert homeland, only to be arrested and banished to the Twilight Realm. Wielding the Triforce of Power, Ganondorf spends the next 100 years plotting his revenge, eventually [[ManipulativeBastard manipulating]] the maniacal [[TheUsurper Zant]] into helping him escape by granting him the power to overthrow Princess Midna. Returning to the Light World, Ganondorf uses Zant as a distraction to take over Hyrule Castle undetected, turn it into a fortress, and capture Princess Zelda, allowing him to spread his darkness across the land. When confronted by Link and Midna, Ganondorf [[WickedCultured welcomes them to his castle]] before engaging in a lengthy battle, during which he [[NoSell shrugs off]] the power of the Fused Shadow itself and nearly kills Midna. Facing Link in a brutal one-on-one duel, Ganondorf finally meets his end on the edge of the Master Sword, [[DefiantToTheEnd refusing to surrender to the kingdom that took everything from him even in the face of death]]. |
| 150 | * MemeticBadass: |
| 151 | ** Malo, a conniving child who single-handedly opens a business that (if the player helps) gets rid of Hyrule's economic corruption and comes up with a catchy song and dance to promote his business. |
| 152 | ** The Postman, for being the only person in the game able to recognize Wolf Link and Human Link are the same person on sight, and (somehow) reaching the bottom floor of the Cave of Ordeals ''all by himself'' before Link did. |
| 153 | * MemeticMolester: |
| 154 | ** When Ganondorf possesses Zelda, a few people have to ask themselves if he "enjoys being inside Zelda". |
| 155 | ** Zant also gets this treatment. The moment where he brings Midna closer to him and leans in menacingly to whisper "I need you" in her ear is probably the main reason. The fact that he also calls her "''my'' Midna" adds fuel to the fire. |
| 156 | * MemeticMutation: |
| 157 | ** Twilight 8.8 [[labelnote:Explanation]]The fan rage when ''Twilight Princess'' was given a score of 8.8 out of 10 was large enough to spread across the internet. It also gave a name to a now disambiguated trope.[[/labelnote]] |
| 158 | ** "I know you have bugs...." [[labelnote:Explanation]]Said by [[CreepyChild Agitha]] the [[CloudCuckooLander Bug Princess]] whenever you leave her house with new bugs you haven't given her.[[/labelnote]] |
| 159 | ** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JPuiS3-TWs NOT TAKE MIRROR!]] [[labelnote:Explanation (Spoiler)]]After getting to the second mirror shard in Snowpeak Ruins, Yeta the Yeti gets corrupted by its influence and does not allow Link to take it, screaming the quote to them with a [[NightmareFace terrifying face]].[[/labelnote]] |
| 160 | ** "Wait, is that a fishing rod?" [[labelnote:Explanation (Spoiler)]]When fighting Ganondorf, you can get him to be distracted by your fishing rod. The fact that the villain of the series gets distracted by something so silly is very comical.[[/labelnote]] |
| 161 | ** GET A JOB! GET A JOB! [[labelnote: Explanation]]The music that plays when fighting [[spoiler:Beast Ganon]] has some strange chanting in the background. Fans joke around about what the chanters are saying, with many believing that it sounds like [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Homer Simpson]] saying "get a job".[[/labelnote]] |
| 162 | ** Jokes involving [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Princess Twilight Sparkle]] also cropped up. |
| 163 | ** Just as this was invoked in-universe, the Malo Mart dance also became a meme online -- see [[https://www.youtube.com/results?search=Search&search_query=malo%20mart%20dance here]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/user/MaloMartUDC2007/videos here]]. |
| 164 | * MemeticPsychopath: |
| 165 | ** Many fans like to exaggerate [[ChildProdigy Malo]]'s CreepyChild aspects to portray him as a [[HumanoidAbomination demonic]], calculating mastermind who is an even bigger threat to Hyrule than ''[[TheAntiChrist Ganondorf]]''. |
| 166 | ** Similarly, Agitha is a harmless NiceGirl, yet her [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} off-putting behavior]], strange dialogue, and [[BeetleManiac bizarre obsession with bugs]] make it easy to claim that she's harboring some kind of dark secret. |
| 167 | --->'''Agitha:''' ''(whispering)'' I know you have bugs… |
| 168 | * {{Moe}}: |
| 169 | ** Midna, at least whenever [[NightmareFuel she's not sporting a full on]] SlasherSmile [[spoiler:or appearing in her (quite attractive) true form]]. |
| 170 | ** Ilia, the [[EarthyBarefootCharacter earthy barefoot girl]]. |
| 171 | ** Agitha, the self proclaimed Bug Princess. |
| 172 | ** All three of the fishing hole siblings could qualify for being cute and kind. Hena seems to get the most attention from the fanbase for being the cutest of the three, but Coro and Iza aren’t far behind either. |
| 173 | * MoralEventHorizon: Zant crosses it when he traps Link in wolf form and exposes Midna to Lanayru's light, knowing full well she'll be weakened to the point of near death. And that's if turning the Twili into Shadow Beasts or executing Queen Rutela in front of the Zora didn't ''already'' count as having crossed it. |
| 174 | * SugarWiki/MostWonderfulSound: |
| 175 | ** The sounds Link makes when putting his sword in his back, especially after a hard battle. |
| 176 | ** There’s something melodious in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kVhCMvHc3s&ab_channel=Mr.WesleyJack Midna’s yawn]]. |
| 177 | ** The triumphant little snippet that plays when you start attacking a boss's weak point is ''incredibly'' gratifying. |
| 178 | ** The sounds of the grasses used to summon both Epona, and hawk respectively. They just sound so sweet, and peaceful. |
| 179 | ** The jingle that plays when you take advantage over Ganondorf in the final duel. |
| 180 | * {{Narm}}: |
| 181 | ** Zant [[spoiler:popping like a balloon thanks to Midna. Sure, he's been nothing but a total asshole, but that still doesn't make it any less funny, especially since Midna's dumbfounded reaction makes it clear she didn't expect that to happen either.]] |
| 182 | ** Ganondorf's appearance in this game for some. He looks like he has his hair in curlers, and his raspy voice makes him sound like a chronic smoker instead of a baritone. Also, when he gets up from his chair, he does it very slowly, like an old man having difficulty standing. |
| 183 | ** Ganondorf's face after Link stabs him in the chest. It's clear he's screaming in pain, and the fight itself was epic (assuming you didn't use the fishing rod and we all know ''that'' could very well count as this), but could Ganondorf's mouth get any wider or more Muppet-like? |
| 184 | ** A moment from the flashback showing Midna being turned into an imp. The next scene afterwards shows Midna staggering away from her castle, looking like she's ''drunk''. |
| 185 | * NarmCharm: |
| 186 | ** There's something adorably silly about Link running around with a gaggle of monkeys in the Forest Temple, his stoic, determined face unchanging all the while, even as they come together to form chains to help him swing across gaps. |
| 187 | ** Mere moments into the game, Link is given the heroic task of... herding goats. Made even better by the jaunty music that plays and the fact that the words "Goat in!" appear in big, early 2000s Word Art-esque letters each time a goat is successfully chased into the barn. |
| 188 | * NeverLiveItDown: Ilia snapping at Link ''one time'' for accidentally injuring Epona's leg, and assuming it happened from him doing something far more stupid and selfish than what actually caused it. Her hatedom took the incident and [[RonTheDeathEater ran away with it]]. Likely due to the scene's infamy, [[ImprovedSecondAttempt it was axed out of]] [[Manga/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess2016 the manga]]. |
| 189 | * NightmareRetardant: |
| 190 | ** Two examples involve the dreadful Shadow Beasts: |
| 191 | *** When you enter in Twilight corrupted Faron Woods, you happen to be trapped by barriers, a black and red portal pierces the sky, and Shadow Beasts fall from it... upside-down, then they stand up in a cartoonish way. |
| 192 | *** The same happens if you observe them in Eldin Bridge: they steal one big piece of it before falling from the sky and running to Link like if they were in a desperate attempt to prevent him from bringing light again in the last Twilight corrupted region... then they stop when they reach the land, waiting for you to come. Even funnier, if you fight them, they don't reach barriers like they usually do for some reason. |
| 193 | ** Zant is supposed to be the BigBad, the dark lord of the Twilight Realm. His long arms and his squidlike helmet make him look downright goofy, and the sounds he makes during his battle are very timid. |
| 194 | [[/folder]] |
| 195 | |
| 196 | [[folder:Tropes O-S]] |
| 197 | * OlderThanTheyThink: |
| 198 | ** As listed below under TheyChangedItNowItSucks, complaints were leveled at the fact that fairies don't give you a full heal in this game. Veterans who played ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast A Link to the Past]]'' had a good laugh at that, since fairies only healed a maximum of 7 hearts in that game. |
| 199 | ** Midna humming a snippet of her own theme music is not the first instance of a character doing such a thing. That trend harkens back to ''Ocarina of Time'', wherein Saria was the one playing the Lost Woods theme on her ocarina, Zelda's Lullaby was an in-universe melody that Impa teaches to Link, Malon sang along to the Lon Lon Ranch theme, and the dungeon theme for Ganon's Tower was being performed on an organ by Ganondorf himself. |
| 200 | * OnceOriginalNowCommon: |
| 201 | ** Similar to ''[[VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBros1 New Super Mario Bros.]]'' released in the same year, ''Twilight Princess'' was highly anticipated and unanimously praised at its time of release for being a return to ''Ocarina of Time''[='s=] beloved formula after the unconventional and controversial (at the time) ''Majora's Mask'' and ''The Wind Waker''. Its RealIsBrown aesthetic was also praised for being a return to the "mature" ''Zelda'' style for which fans had been clamoring, especially since ''The Wind Waker'' and ''Minish Cap'' had raised fears that the series was falling into the AnimationAgeGhetto. Nowadays, ''Twilight Princess'' is more contested for these very reasons: some feel that [[ItsTheSameSoItSucks its formula is too derivative]], and that its "realistic" graphics come across as dull, drab, and [[TechnologyMarchesOn slightly outdated]], especially since ''Zelda'' games have shown a much wider variety of formulas, art styles, and tones ever since. Despite this, the game's very high production values and creative ideas show through, and it still has a lot of fans. |
| 202 | ** The gigantic game world - one of the game's biggest selling points, yet one that was contested due to its emptiness and lack of cohesiveness - was overshadowed by that of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'', which introduced an even bigger, less linear and more cohesive overworld with more things to do and much higher interactivity. |
| 203 | * OneTrueThreesome: Midna / Zelda / Link, or "Midzelink". It helps that Zelda decides that the goddesses must have left the Mirror so the three of them could meet, and Midna agrees. |
| 204 | * PanderingToTheBase: The game was intentionally designed by Nintendo to evoke the same mood and atmosphere of ''Ocarina of Time''. The latter is the highest-rated game of the franchise, so when ''Twilight Princess'' was announced, it was heaped with praise from both critics and fans alike as being a return to form for the series after [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask two more]] [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker experimental games]]. Upon release, it became a major commercial and critical success, but some players started accusing the game of trying to focus too much on the ''Ocarina of Time'' prestige and nostalgia instead of being its own entity. |
| 205 | * PlayerPunch: |
| 206 | ** [[spoiler:Ganondorf crushing Midna's Fused Shadow helmet.]] |
| 207 | ** Zant mortally wounds Midna, who, while still a jerk, had likely grown on the player by that point. You then have to carry her to Zelda as she begs you to hurry. When you reach Zelda, you learn that the reason she was so anxious for you to reach Zelda was so that Zelda could help ''you'', not her. You then watch as Zelda sacrifices herself for Midna, despite her pleas against such a thing. |
| 208 | ** Arguably, getting into the castle and realizing that you have to literally [[spoiler:fight ''Princess Zelda'' (or at least her body)]] counts as this, since the majority of first-time players never saw it coming. |
| 209 | * PopularWithFurries: Perhaps unsurprisingly, in the UsefulNotes/FurryFandom, an anthropomorphic version of this game's Wolf Link is one of the most popular ways to portray him, even for incarnations of Link that aren't the Hero of Twilight. |
| 210 | * RealismInducedHorror: Some of [[BigBad Zant]]'s actions are pretty disturbing by real life standards[[note]]for starters, he usurped the throne and started a war that costed more to his own kind than the ones he attacked[[/note]], but one particular detail is [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil how he treats Midna like a lust object]]. The Lakebed spring scene where he drools into her ear and where she's too afraid to move makes him look like a sexual predator holding his victim under his claws and trying to submit her to his will (he even calls her "''[[EntitledToHaveYou My]]'' [[EntitledToHaveYou Midna]]" in the process), and during the flashback before the Twilight Realm, he looks like he's about to physically assault her. |
| 211 | * RonTheDeathEater: Some people like to {{flanderiz|ation}}e Ilia into a short-tempered shrew who cares more about Epona than Link after the infamous cutscene where she snaps at Link for Epona's accidental leg injury; further strengthened by how that it wasn't the first time Ilia took away Epona without asking, and that she was upset that Epona still chose Link over her. Of course, this is completely ignoring the fact that she apologized to Link only minutes later, nevermind that he and Mayor Bo shrug it off humorously. |
| 212 | * SacredCow: [[{{Deuteragonist}} Midna]] is widely considered to be not only the best [[ExpositionFairy companion character]] in the series, but one of the series' best characters ''period''. Many cite her strong CharacterDevelopment, memorable design, and [[DeadpanSnarker snarky attitude]] as major improvements over Link's previous (and following) partners. Even [[BrokenBase those who dislike]] ''Twilight Princess'' will gladly concede that Midna is one of the series' strongest characters. Her popularity within the fanbase led to her inclusion in ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriors'' and her helmet being found as a collectible in both the DLC for ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild Breath of the Wild]]'' and the base game for ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTearsOfTheKingdom Tears of the Kingdom]]''. |
| 213 | * SalvagedGameplayMechanic: The HD remaster alleviates a few issues present in both the Gamecube and Wii versions: |
| 214 | ** The remaster incorporates both versions of the game world, so this way people more familiar with one version can play the map they're most familiar with (with the Gamecube map being the one for the main game mode, and the Wii map for the harder Hero Mode). |
| 215 | ** The Wolf Link mechanic received some criticism for being slow and clunky as you had to literally pause and talk to Midna in order to change forms. The remaster rectifies this by having you simply press a button, allowing you to change forms on the fly. |
| 216 | ** Rupees don't constantly remind you what value they are every time you pick up any other than a green. On top of that, rupees in chests don't get put back if you have too many (something that greatly annoyed completionists and forced you to use Magic Armor if you wanted to drain the rupees without leaving). |
| 217 | ** While finding Poes is still a tedious task, the remaster introduced the Ghost Lantern to signal if there's a Poe present in an area and the map now lists the Poes you have discovered, making the Poe sidequest a little less painful. |
| 218 | ** The overworld map now contains more information to help you find points of interest, such as horse and hawk grass, the place you started the game at, the aforementioned discovered Poes, and so on. |
| 219 | ** The inclusion of a harder difficulty, titled "Hero Mode", was this to players who felt the game was too easy. |
| 220 | ** When it was revealed the Ganondorf Amiibo's main function in the HD remaster is that it makes enemies hit harder, people worried that this meant Hero Mode was only accessible via owning said Amiibo. Nintendo later confirmed this to ''not'' be the case, and Hero Mode does not require Amiibo in order to play. In fact, the two can actually ''stack'' with each other, making you take quadruple damage. |
| 221 | * ScrappyMechanic: |
| 222 | ** The way Rupees are handled in this game irritates most players. If he doesn't have space for a Rupee you find in a chest, Link puts it back in the chest. Since the game practically hands Link Rupees, he'll run into this often, leaving a lot of dungeons from being 100% cleared until Link empties his wallet. Since unopened chests ''do not'' disappear from the map, neither does it differentiate them from the rest of the chests, i.e. containing important items such as heart pieces, this can also confuse players. Moreover, every time players start up the game, due to a bug, [[ViewersAreGoldfish it will always remind them how much differently-colored Rupees cost... even the blue and yellow ones]]. Both of these mechanics were removed in the HD remaster, on top of increasing the size of Link's wallet. |
| 223 | ** Usually, changing into a wolf takes only a few seconds, but Midna will not allow you to change at free will if an NPC can see you. It does not help that it was responsible for a potential game-breaking bug in the Wii and GCN versions. |
| 224 | ** ''Twilight Princess'' is the only ''Zelda'' with a day/night system that does not give you the ability to change the time of day at will (the only practical way to accelerate time, which is mentioned nowhere, is to use the portals repeatedly). This can be annoying since the Poe Souls sidequest can only be done at night, and the Golden Bug hunt is easier at night because the glowing insects are more visible. Like in ''Ocarina of Time'', the day/night doesn't change in non-overworld areas (the whole Ordon region, Faron Woods, Kakariko and the cemetery), requiring you to backtrack to other areas where it changes and wait it out. |
| 225 | ** Hero Mode in ''HD'' uses the mirrored map of the Wii version. You cannot play Hero Mode with the [=GameCube=] map (or the standard mode with the Wii map). |
| 226 | ** You cannot [[WarpWhistle Warp]] using the Twilight Realm Portals unless you first ask Midna to transform you into a wolf. Then ask her to warp Link, then ask her ''again'' to transform you back into human form. This unnecessary switching back and forth gets repetitive on a 100% run. To further rub salt in, Midna Warps Link away ''in human-form'' during in the final battle and after clearing each dungeon, so there was never any [[GameplayAndStorySegregation story or gameplay]] prerequisite to change into beast form. |
| 227 | ** Ooccoo normally warps you just outside the entrance of any dungeon you find her in and warps you back to the same room, only resetting if you go into the dungeon's entrance. But in the City in the Sky, she warps you back to the shop, and if you leave the shop, considers that you reentered the dungeon normally, meaning a long slog back to wherever you left off. |
| 228 | * ScrappyWeapon: The Slingshot is hit hard by this since it has horrible range, only does scratch damage, and its ammo is extremely rare to come by outside the first area of the game. Its only required uses are for a tutorial in Ordon Village and a handful of times in the first half of the Forest Temple. Once the Gale Boomerang is obtained, its usefulness immediately drops off the face of the earth, doubly so when the Hero's Bow is obtained in the very next dungeon. Heck, it's considered this ''in-universe'', with the shopkeeper chewing out Link for playing with a children's toy when he buys it. |
| 229 | * SelfFanservice: While [[CuteMonsterGirl Midna's imp form]] is already pretty curvy, especially her hips, a lot of fanart, SFW and NSFW alike, tend to take her proportions to the extreme, going full "short-stack". It's very common for fan artists to draw her with even wider hips, a huge butt, and much larger breasts despite her in-game model having a very small chest. Unfortunately, amusingly enough, there's a downside to drawing her imp form - ''that freaking helmet'', which is ''incredibly detailed'', and the bane of a lot of artists who tend to simplify it when drawing her. |
| 230 | * SelfImposedChallenge: The Ganondorf Amiibo in ''HD'' doubles the damage you take until you quit or get a GameOver. It stacks with the double damage you get naturally in Hero Mode, which means that if you use it in that mode, you take ''four times'' the damage. |
| 231 | * {{Shipping}}: |
| 232 | ** The fandom has tons of it for this game, especially since (except for the ones listed under HappilyMarried) there are no {{Official Couple}}s. This is the one game in the franchise where it can be questioned if Link/Zelda is the majority ship, Link/Midna shippers (and Midna/Zelda shippers) rivaling them in numbers thanks to Link and Zelda having the least interaction in this game than almost any other in the series. Of course, there's the [[OneTrueThreesome Link/Zelda/Midna threesome option]]. Sadly, And then there's Ilia to factor into the equation... |
| 233 | ** Shad's also very popular with the shippers, being the only other {{Bishonen}} in the game. He's paired with both Zelda and Midna as often as Link, and also with fellow LaResistance member Ashei. Yaoi fans also enjoy slashing him with Link. |
| 234 | * ShipsThatPassInTheNight: The Ilia and Zelda ship was really popular on Website/DeviantArt, often nicknamed "Zelia", despite the two never even ''meeting'' each other in the game. This is compounded with ''[[VideoGame/HyruleWarriors Hyrule Warriors]]'', where part of the ''Twilight Princess'' DLC was an Ilia skin for Zelda. |
| 235 | * SignatureScene: Midna's rescue is probably the most remembered segment of the game due to the dramatic tension of seeing her on the verge of death and Link having to infiltrate Hyrule Castle as a wolf who's unwittingly scaring everyone. |
| 236 | * SilentMajority: If poll results and game and merchandise sales are any indication, one would be surprised to find out that ''Twilight Princess'' is one of the most popular games in the series with general audiences, and was a longtime contender for second place behind ''Ocarina of Time''. However, the core ''Zelda'' fanbase is far more divided, often praising prior console entries more vocally while deriding ''Twilight Princess'' (and later also ''Skyward Sword''). Meanwhile, the actual ''Twilight Princess'' fans are generally less vocal about their game preference. |
| 237 | * SlowPacedBeginning: The game's stretch of time between the beginning of the game and the ability to explore Hyrule Field is notorious among fans for being very long-winded and uneventful. Before you even get a taste of combat, you have to, in order: herd goats, retrieve a baby basket with a hawk, catch two fish to feed the cat, accumulate enough money to buy the slingshot, and then undergo a tutorial showing how to aim weapons and use the sword. Even then, said combat section is incredibly brief, involves little exploration, and has you fight essentially fodder enemies. After said section, you have to herd goats again and talk to Ilia, leading to the introduction of the Wolf form, which leads to a very linear and simplistic mini-dungeon. Then you need to hunt for Faron's Tears of Light, all just to finally enter the first proper dungeon. Many will say the game finally picks up here, but the Forest Temple is also one of the longest first dungeons in the series, not helped by the game refusing to let you set foot in Hyrule Field until you complete it. |
| 238 | * {{Squick}}: |
| 239 | ** Everything about the Deku Toad, from its weak point being its tongue, to it vomiting up the chest containing the Clawshot, is just gross. Midna is so grossed out by it that she refuses to give Link advice during the fight. |
| 240 | ** There's a bulblin at the Gerudo Desert camp roasting an entire Bullbo over an open fire. Seeing a Bullbo roasted completely whole is disturbing enough, but you can also interact with it. [[RefugeInAudacity If you slice it enough times with your sword, you get a Piece of Heart.]] |
| 241 | * SuspiciouslySimilarSong: |
| 242 | ** The Ordon village theme sounds as if it is about to turn into the theme from "Last of the Summer Wine". |
| 243 | ** There is a hidden area in the form of a town that's been abandoned for years, composed of one main street lined with buildings... with dust and tumbleweeds everywhere... and the buildings full of enemies launching arrows at you, necessitating a big bow-and-arrow shootout through the town. The music for this set-piece did a wonderful job of capturing the feel of Music/EnnioMorricone's spaghetti Western scores. |
| 244 | ** The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0bKZ9yV7B8 Twilight theme]] is this to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYb9kSCkjE8 Giygas's theme]] from ''[[VideoGame/EarthBound1994 EarthBound]]''. |
| 245 | ** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXEnAuzjgKU Midna's theme]]: |
| 246 | *** The tune resembles a slowed-down, non-8-bit version of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bkh3mx-b6h4 the village theme]] from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemGaiden''. |
| 247 | *** The song is also stylistically similar to some of Edvard Grieg's music for ''Theatre/PeerGynt''. The slow strings are very reminiscent of [[https://youtu.be/ATBwxG20Umc Aase's Death]], and the melody sounds like a slower, less lively [[https://youtu.be/gcEnSITNaGM Anitra's Dance]]. |
| 248 | ** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSoTsfU102o The Hyrule Castle Town theme]] sounds suspiciously like the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhka7eDS_7o Jig]] from Disney's ''WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid1989''. |
| 249 | ** The [[https://youtu.be/vmrNDQVxZ9w?t=64 1st phase music]] of Blizzeta's battle sounds a lot like "This is Halloween" from ''WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas'', particularly the ending "[[https://youtu.be/VnyigpFSai4?t=167 la la la la-la la la la]]" in the latter song. |
| 250 | [[/folder]] |
| 251 | |
| 252 | [[folder:Tropes T-Z]] |
| 253 | * ThatOneAttack: In the final phase of the final boss, [[spoiler:Ganondorf has a two-hit combo that is fast, can reach you in middle distance and the second attack always breaks your defense and hits you.]] This guarantees you will get hit in middle distance. Normally, it's merely annoying since it has low damage output, but Hero Mode removes hearts from the battlefield and doubles the damage, making this attack far harder to deal with. If you add Ganondorf amiibo too? Make absolutely sure you are very far or close to the final boss. |
| 254 | * ThatOneLevel: |
| 255 | ** If not for the inclusion of Midna, insect-hunting as the wolf in the Twilight areas would be far more tedious. |
| 256 | ** Escorting the Zora prince to Kakariko Village features constantly-respawning boar riders who shoot burning arrows to set the wagon on fire, and flying enemies who keep dropping bombs that send the wagon off-course, and can easily lead to looping around the same map because you weren't fast enough to kill the birds before the dropped their bombs. Thankfully, the wagon can be put out by extinguishing the fires with the Gale Boomerang. |
| 257 | ** The Sacred Grove. A twisting labyrinth of same-looking chambers and passageways where you have to chase after the Skull Kid while fending off the endless Deku Puppets he summons, made even worse by Skull Kid's annoying giggling and trumpet playing. The first time, you're forced to get through it as a wolf and track down Skull Kid ''by sound alone''. Mercifully, the second chase allows Link to use both of his forms and has Skull Kid carry a lantern so you can track him down more easily. |
| 258 | ** Snowpeak Ruins. SlippySlideyIceWorld, block puzzles, and [[GoddamnedBats a bunch of enemies that can freeze you]] — Freezards [[BreathWeapon breathe long streams of ice]], Ice Keeses fly into you to freeze you, and Mini-Freezards slide and bounce around the room constantly. Not to mention the Chilfos, who are a total pain to hit from a distance. Plus, there's the deep snow on which only Wolf Link can walk freely; Link sinks up to his knees and trudges around ''very slowly''. |
| 259 | ** The City in the Sky, if you're short on time and can't complete the dungeon in one sitting. In any other dungeon, Ooccoo will warp you out of the dungeon, where you can save and later reload the game, using Ooccoo to teleport back into the dungeon and pick up precisely where you left off. Unfortunately, the City in the Sky does not allow you to do this; if the player warps to the shop with Ooccoo and saves, the game reloads just outside the shop and causes Ooccoo to forget Link's warp point. While Ooccoo does say that she can only warp Link to the shop and back (rather than warping in and out of the city), the game doesn't actually warn you that the usual "warp and save" trick won't work here. This can result in a lot of unnecessary and frustrating backtracking for unfortunate players who didn't have enough time to finish the dungeon and thought that they could simply continue it later as usual. The dungeon also includes one of the most durable mini-bosses in the game, as well as [[GoddamnedBoss Argorok]] as the dungeon's boss. |
| 260 | * ThatOnePuzzle: The Sacred Grove's Master Sword puzzle. You have to guide two statues back to their positions in order to be granted access to the Master Sword, and their movement is tied to yours. It's often seen as one of the hardest puzzles in the game and even the series. Even worse, you can inadvertently get yourself crushed by them if you both end up on the same pillar, or stuck, sandwiched in a corner by one of the golems, meaning you have to [[ResetButton reset the puzzle]] for another attempt. |
| 261 | * ThatOneSidequest: |
| 262 | ** Beating Yeta in a sled race. The first race, against Yeto, is fairly easy, as long as you're careful. The race against Yeta is more difficult in comparison. To beat her, you have to take the high-up shortcut, which '''A)''' has a ''very'' small entrance point, and if you miss it you'll smack into the wall and thus never, never catch up and beat Yeta; and '''B)''' takes extreme precision to avoid falling off the edge. And though easing up on the control stick can make it easier to control yourself and thus avoid sailing over the edge, that's not an option here, as you won't beat Yeta to the finish line unless you go full-speed the whole way. And the controls often leave Link either refusing to turn or veering suddenly to the side. And if you get close to Yeta, she can bounce you off-course. |
| 263 | ** Bringing a barrel of spring water across Hyrule Field. Not only is the barrel a OneHitPointWonder that doesn't survive being hit by enemies or thrown, the enemies are [[GiantFlyer Kargaroks]] (who flap in very close, making it difficult to see what's going on), Bulbins (who shoot your barrel full of arrows), and especially ''Leevers'' (who circle around you in ever-tighter circles). And to top it all off, it's a TimedMission - killing all the enemies before moving on only ensures the water cools down and is therefore useless. Fortunately, you get a Piece of Heart out of it. There's also a way to cheese it: running along the edge of the cliff prevents the Leevers from spawning, and makes it much easier to avoid the Kargaroks and Bulbins provided you keep moving. |
| 264 | ** Collecting all 60 Poe Souls. They only appear at night in the sole 3D ''Zelda'' game where you have no control over the day/night cycle, and completing the sidequest mostly leads to a BraggingRightsReward. |
| 265 | ** Talking to 20 cats in the Hidden Village, if only because you can't tell which cats you have or haven't spoken to until you actually interact with them, since they linger regardless, and all look practically alike. Worse, some of the cats actually ''follow'' you, making it that much more confusing to distinguish ones that you have and haven't talked to. |
| 266 | ** "Fruit Pop Flight Challenge". It's a mini-game that's harder to play than watch. The objective looks so simple: pop as many Fruit Balloons as possible to gain points. Get 10,000 points and you're rewarded with a Piece of Heart. But the controls of the Kargarok are sluggish regardless of which version you're playing, and you need maneuverability to get all those fruits. If you crash, ''and you will'', you're taken back to Lake Hylia, rather than the beginning of the course, which increases load times AND you get the bird, Plumm, who organizes this event, continually [[{{Jerkass}} insulting your failure]]. Moreover, '''DON'T''' go for a perfect score: an insane '''61,454''' points, which will only net you a pathetic 200 Rupees reward. However, the exponential multiplier system that exists for consecutive pops of the same type of fruit means the challenge is much easier if you avoid every fruit but the strawberries, which have the highest point value and multiply much higher when the other fruits are ignored. |
| 267 | * TheyChangedItNowItSucks: |
| 268 | ** People from the "they changed it" camp complain that ''Twilight Princess'' is not 'Zelda' enough due to being somewhat linear in comparison, especially towards the beginning where it has to [[OpeningTheSandbox open the sandbox]]. |
| 269 | ** Fairies no longer give [[GameBreaker full-health restores upon death]]. Many veteran players believe they can tank out whatever challenge the game provides and [[PerfectSolutionFallacy keep only one in reserve for the unexpected]]. Here, however, fairies aren't much of a back-up strategy considering that blue potions/jellies have greater healing capacity. While not worthless, they are effectively neutered. Bringing fairies to the Cave of Ordeals is ''not'' recommended. |
| 270 | ** Milk is traditionally a low-level healing item, only recovering five hearts; it's only really useful at the beginning of the game, when it would feel wasteful to use anything with more recovery strength. In ''Twilight Princess'', it only recovers ''three'' hearts. |
| 271 | * TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: |
| 272 | ** [[LaResistance The Resistance]], a cool team of rebels who actually care about Zant and Ganondorf's takeover of Hyrule, do barely anything other than show Link where dungeons are and unlock new areas. Even when Link finally storms Hyrule Castle, they only appear in a brief scene where they take out a small group of enemies Link could have easily handled himself before vanishing entirely, meaning they never learn about Ganondorf's involvement or the existance of Midna and the Twilight Realm. Link doesn't even have the ability to tell them what he saw after they help him, making them feel even more tacked on as a result. |
| 273 | ** The entire absence of the Gerudo. While one of the Sages of the Arbiter's Grounds mentions Ganondorf being the king of a tribe of thieves, said tribe is nowhere to be found. This is particularly glaring since they still lend their name to their homeland, which is still in the game, but its only sentient inhabitants are the [[{{Mooks}} Bulblins]]. The only hint of the Gerudo tribe is the bartender Telma, whose dark-skinned redhead design implies that she is one, but it's never explicitly stated. |
| 274 | ** One Shadow Bulblin in Twilight Carrier (drained Lake Hylia) is shown to be smart enough to use the hawk grass to summon a Shadow Kargorok and use it as a mount, like Blins use boars in Hyrule Field. However, except for a mini-boss fight, this is never brought again with the excuse that this Shadow Kargorok is bigger than others. |
| 275 | ** Princess Zelda herself is pretty underutilized by the game's story. She has a beautiful design and contrary to nearly all other versions of Zelda, she seems to have been the current ruling monarch in Hyrule before Zant took over. Cutscenes show her holding a sword, perhaps suggesting some prowess as a swordsman, and at the end of the game can weild a bow with impressive skill. However, Zelda is left locked up in a tower in Hyrule Castle throughout most of the game, with the story offering no indication she did much beyond stand there the whole time and wait for Midna and Link to come by. She meets Link once as a wolf at the start of the game, then disappears again until the 2/3rds point when [[spoiler:Zant nearly kills Midna, after which she sacrifices herself to revive her and points Link in the direction of the Master Sword]], which, of course, removes her from the story ''again'' until the climax. After her prior 3D appearances in ''Ocarina of Time'' (who managed to be proactive in the story through her disguise as [[spoiler:Shiek]]) and ''Wind Waker'' (who showed a more courageous incarnation as [[PirateGirl Tetra]]), some fans felt this version of Zelda was reduced back into a straight forward DamselInDistress--a regression some of her predessors had bucked ''long'' before. Many fans feel that her character had a lot of good and interesting potiential that was throughly wasted by just how scarce and disempowered she is in the story. |
| 276 | ** Near the end of the game, King Bulbin grows to respect Link for his strength and tells him he "fights for the strongest side" before riding off. It seems like Link now has a powerful ally that will help him in his fight against Ganondorf... except King Bulbin completely disappears from the game after this outside of a brief appearance in the credits, and his troops still attack Link on sight after defeating him, so his HeelFaceTurn barely even accounts for anything other than having him give Link a small key to open the front door of the castle. What makes it even more egregious is King Bulbin was working for Ganondorf and Zant and was the one responsible for spreading twilight at the beginning of the game, yet he doesn't show up at all in the final battle despite turning against Ganondorf, and the final battle between Ganondorf and Link taking place in the same location where Link fought King Bulbin much earlier in the game. |
| 277 | * TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: |
| 278 | ** The Twilight Realm could have been used as an avenue for more story and several more dungeons, but it's visited near the very end of the game and the player doesn't explore it beyond the Palace of Twilight. Midna mentions there are [[GuardianEntity Guardian deities]] in her world (acting like counterparts to the Light Spirits), yet we never see them. You can't even interact with the Twili outside the palace. |
| 279 | ** The same goes for the City in the Sky. It's this legendary, mythical place you learn about bit by bit before you go there, as Ooccoo is slowly revealed to be more important than she seems... so when you go there, you'd expect to find a place with a lot to do and explore as you get to know a new, important, never-before-seen race before entering the dungeon and tackling the search for the last MacGuffin piece. Instead, like the Twilight Realm, said dungeon is all there is to the place and you can't talk to any of the other Oocca. |
| 280 | * UglyCute: |
| 281 | ** While Yeto is a big, brutish and '''[[NoIndoorVoice LOUD]]''' yeti, his goofy face and genuinely friendly personality make him fall into this trope. |
| 282 | ** While [[spoiler:in her imp form,]] Midna has a big head, big pointy ears and CreepilyLongArms, she couples this with CuteLittleFangs, big eyes, and a [[MaleGaze curvaceous figure]]. |
| 283 | ** Despite Zant being weird and rather disturbing in both appearance and manners, he still has a very clear PrettyBoy aura hanging over him, an aura the fandom definitely have taken note of. |
| 284 | ** The Helmasaurs look and sound a lot like baby dinosaur-lizards, which makes them unusually cute despite their aggressive nature and reptilian design. |
| 285 | * UnintentionalUncannyValley: In general, the game's character designs are often too caricatured to fit with the dark, realistic textures and lighting. Even some of the normal designs like ''Link himself'' can go into creepy territory by virtue of poor facial animations. |
| 286 | * UnderusedGameMechanic: |
| 287 | ** The Spinner and Dominion Rod are both rather infamous for how underused they are. While they start off with strong showings in their introductory dungeons — being implemented extensively and in clever ways throughout -- their uses after that immediately fall off the face of the earth. Only three puzzles in the overworld require the Spinner, and the other dungeons that need it involve sparse token applications. The Dominion Rod gets it far worse, as it's only really used for a couple basic overworld puzzles and an ''optional'' area of Hyrule Castle. The two items also lack any combat applications outside of their dungeon bosses. |
| 288 | ** Also infamous is the Horse Call, which is received from Illia after restoring her memory. The item acts like a portable horse grass that Link can use to call Epona at any time... except by the time you get it, you're already 3/4 of the way through the game, and have had the ability to warp and turn into a wolf for the past several hours, making Epona redundant for traveling. Not only that, but the call only works in areas that Epona can reach, which pretty much limits it to Hyrule Field. Even worse, the game actively teases you with it by first labeling it "Illia's Charm", and it can't be used whatsoever until you show it to Illia. Not only that, but it's heavily implied that the call was what Illia was going to give to Link at the beginning of the game (when it actually ''would'' have been useful), but she ends up with amnesia for most of the adventure, meaning it's unobtainable until long after it would have had a genuine use. |
| 289 | ** Because most of the Hidden Skills are optional, enemies are largely not designed around them and their use cases are thus uncommon. While the Ending Blow and Back Slice remain useful throughout the game, the [[ShieldBash Shield Attack]] has poor range and enemies rarely ever block to make it worthwhile. The Helm Splitter, due to being tied to the Shield Attack, isn't very useful either; with the exception of a few enemies like Chilfos, there's not much reason to use it over the Back Slice. The Mortal Draw, Jump Strike, and Great Spin all do heavy damage, but enemies almost never have enough health to make it worthwhile, and the enemies that do have massive health such as the later bosses can guard against all of them. |
| 290 | ** Sumo Wrestling is used in precisely two places: Mayor Bo's house, where you learn how, and the Gorons' chamber in Death Mountain, where you prove your ability so you can pass into the Goron Mines. It is never even seen again until the credits. |
| 291 | * UnnecessaryMakeover: Some fans have claimed this of Midna's true form, finding her imp form to be cooler, more unique, and more fitting to her character. It even goes to the point that people find Midna's imp form [[CuteMonsterGirl to be more attractive]], along with the more expressive of the two. |
| 292 | * SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome: While slightly dated, the graphics are absolutely ''breathtaking'', with tons of SceneryPorn and effects such as realistically textured, clear water. |
| 293 | * WinBackTheCrowd: After the huge success of ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]'', between hands was a ToughActToFollow, which neither ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask Majora's Mask]]'' nor ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker The Wind Waker]]'' managed to surpass (in fact, the former was for the most part overlooked due to its BizarroEpisode nature and coming out on an almost dead Nintendo 64, and the latter significantly fractured the fanbase due to its art style and sea travel concept[[note]]years later, funnily enough, [[VindicatedByHistory both would receive similar praise]] to ''Ocarina of Time''[[/note]]). Then ''Twilight Princess'' was released and managed to put the series back on top in sales, critical acclaim, awards, and nominations; it very nearly eclipsed ''Ocarina'' as the most beloved game in the series at the time, became one of the best-selling ''Zelda'' games, and retroactively helped bring more attention to said "experimental" titles. |
| 294 | * WTHCostumingDepartment: As noted in under {{Narm}}, Ganondorf's "headress" is this to many people, since it makes it look like he has his hair in curlers. |
| 295 | [[/folder]] |
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