The Legend Continues

After a cumulative 54 hours and change, I've waded through the latest epic Legend of Zelda title, Twilight Princess.  Having been only the third game of the series that I've ever finished (I've played the old NES versions, but never owned them, fancy that)  I'm pretty used to the puzzling sword and sorcery adventure, but I wasn't at all prepared for how in-depth and puzzling this semi-next-generation game would be.

From that first moment I popped in the disc and the opening music kicked in, I figured I was in for a fun ride.  Like most of the latest adventures, Link starts off with nothing but the clothes on your back and through a crisis of circumstances, proceeds on an adventure he couldn't have imagined.  There are the requisite thrills and chills, but most fun of all are the quests, puzzles, side-quests, battles, and rewards seeded throughout the land of Hyrule, which is quite enormous this time around.  So enormous is this land, It would probably take me another 5 to 10 hours to complete this game 100%. 

Here's what I loved about it:

• Old school puzzles that aren't blatantly obvious. 
• Link's fighting mechanics.
• Enormously challenging dungeons.
• Clever AI in all enemy characters.
• Character Design
• A complex final boss battle.
• Constant reward.

That last bit is something I've discussed with another friend of mine about this game and the series in general.  If you've played one you're most likely familiar with how exquisitely designed the gameplay can be.  While the puzzles can tend towards frustrating if you're not quick to figure them out, they're always rewarding, interesting, and really motivate you to continue.  If there was less opportunity to save and warp, I would find myself shooting the Wii and the television, but the beauty behind each goal and temple is how simple it is to navigate yourself through a level once you've accomplished something.  There are so many clues littered about and that's what makes the game so enthralling and a fine addition to a stable of excellence; the game is truly more than just a fancy virtual sandbox.

You have NPC's with personality and extreme detail, foliage that breathes, weapons that excite, supporting characters that emote, and most of all, it's just fun! 

If you haven't played through it yet, or are still sitting on whether or not to buy the darn game, go out and do it.  You won't regret it for one single moment.