Written by: Darth Coleslaw

 From the opening cinematic leading to the start menu showing Link riding his trusty Horse Epona across Hyrule, you can tell that this is going to be one epic game. And epic it is.

This is easily the darkest, most mature, and compelling Zelda story yet. Twilight Princess also has the most compelling and believable cast of characters yet in the series. It doesn't even matter that there's no voice-overs, because the level of emotion these characters project through their facial expressions and body language is incredible. You really grow to care about these characters, and see them change through the course of the story on a level that only the Metal Gear Solid series and Bioware RPG's have been able to accomplish.

The gameplay in Twilight Princess is nothing short of perfection. Only a slight flick of the wrist swings the sword, and it registers the movement flawlessly. And the targeting system has never been better. Not only is the lock on system refined to perfection, but the long range targeting for the bow and other ranged weapons is perfect as well. In fact, the long range targeting is so precise that you will be bulls eying targets from very far away distances with amazing accuracy. And again, it registers the movement of your wrist flawlessly. You wont even want to go back to targeting with analog sticks.

The controls for Horseback riding have been refined to a sheen as well. Controlling Epona feels much smoother, faster, and more accurate. Controlling Wolf Link is like a blend between the controls for Human Link and Epona. And it works wonderfully. Like Epona, there is a dash move that allows for faster movement. And like Human Link, flicking the Wii Remote will pull off standard attacks. Wolf Links attacks aren't quite as accurate as Human Links however, so targeting on to an enemy then attacking is always much more effective. Wolf Link also has an area attack that can take out multiple enemies at once. Which works so well you will probably rely on it the most for combat, even just to take out single enemies.

The dungeons in Twilight Princess are easily the most brilliant, imaginative, and toughest yet. You need at least a basic education to complete most the puzzles found in them, because some are so tricky they will humble you. The dungeon bosses are by far the most massive, imaginative, and just plain coolest yet. However, none of these bosses are nearly as tough as they look. And you probably wont lose more than a few hearts fighting most of them. Even though they don't put up much of a challenge, you will still have a blast battling them.

The graphics in Twilight Princess can best be described as a beautiful looking Gamecube game. But hey, its one of the best looking non 360/PS3 games you can find. And you will rarely ever come across a nasty texture. Plus the framerate runs as smooth as butter, and there's no texture pop in to be found. One of the most impressive parts about the graphics in Twilight Princess is the superb water effects. And, Link will actually look wet when he gets out of the water! Something that very few games have yet to master. All of this makes Twilight Princess a great looking game. But the real eye catcher is the amazing art design true to the Zelda franchise.

Anyone who has played a Zelda game before expects it sound fantastic, and Twilight Princess does not disappoint in this area. All of the classic Zelda hymns and sounds are here, and hearing that classic jingle when you complete certain puzzles is just as satisfying as ever. And even though the newly composed tracks aren't quite as memorable as those of previous Zelda titles like Ocarina of Time and Wind Waker, Its still some of the best sound work you will find in any video game. The music can be haunting, and just plain beautiful. I found myself on numerous occasions just stopping and listening to the music in places like lake Hylia. Twilight Princess reminds us why Koji Kondo is one of the best music composers in the industry.

Overall Twilight Princess is a love letter to anyone who has ever enjoyed a Zelda game before. It has a wonderful story, deep and memorable characters, perfect gameplay, great visuals, terrific sound work, a newly found cinematic flair, and those touching moments the series is known for. Add to the fact that it takes roughly 40 hours to complete the main story quest, and can last nearly twice that long to complete all of the side quests, and Twilight Princess becomes nothing short of flawless.

10/10