The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

As one of the hero’s elders says to him of the world he is about to explore: "You should look upon it all with your own eyes." The Wii debut of this classic role-playing adventure is simply marvellous. On every level we noticed that Nintendo’s standard bearer has reached new levels of maturity with graceful storytelling worthy of a best-loved children’s tale, awe-inspiring fantasy visuals and a player interface that brings us closer than ever to experiencing the world of our young hero Link.

A notable charm of The Legend of Zelda series has always been trouble-free gameplay. Not surprisingly Zelda fans have been concerned that quirky Wii controls would stand in the way of enjoyment; adding an unwelcome obstacle for the sake of being different. Four hours into the game we wouldn’t have exchanged our fabulous new adventuring tools for anything less. The familiar pastime of swishing with the sword in long grass to search for hidden gems feels great, mimicking this action with the remote. When the time comes to practice swordplay during battles there are many clever moves accessed by clearly intuitive motions combining nunchuck and remote – spinning attacks at the shake of the nunchuck; lunges and vertical strikes combining nunchuck, analogue stick and remote. None of these physical actions are required to be so dramatic, just gentle flicks of the wrist. And because the majority of Zelda gameplay is problem solving you’ll spend most of your time relaxed with the controllers resting lazily in your lap or by your side – in fact it feels more natural than clutching a pad with all its buttons and triggers to perform the same acts.

Twilight Princess is a must-have game for Wii and a shining example of videogame artistry, period. If you think that’s far-fetched just play the game.

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