With the release of the second installment to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, gamers are starting to reminisce and discuss some of their favorite titles. Each Zelda game brings something unique to the franchise, with Breath of the Wild (BOTW) demonstrating some of the biggest revolutions in the games. While fans are excited to see the continuation of this series, there are some features they feel should return from earlier in the franchise.
One specific Zelda game has come up in discussions on Reddit as an example of features that players would like to see. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (TP), which was first released on the Game Cube and Wii, is a favorite amongst Zelda games, with many Redditors even claiming that it is superior to Breath of the Wild for various reasons.
Better Dungeons
A common complaint in Breath of the Wild is that it subverted the basic dungeon format that Zelda fans had grown used to. One Reddit felt that if Breath of the Wild had dungeons similar to Twilight Princess they'd "be even happier with it."
The dungeons in TP had a lot of variety, making it one of the best Legend of Zelda games. Each dungeon had a unique appearance inside and out, with bosses that required a great deal of problem-solving to defeat. While BotW had shrines and the Divine Beasts that contained puzzles and enemies, the lack of variety left gamers missing the older traditions.
Better Equipment
TP had a lot of the familiar items from previous games, such as a slingshot and clawshot. It also introduced some new and exciting items such as the spinner, dominion rod, gale boomerang, and more. These tools allowed Link to interact with different parts of Hyrule at different times in the game, making puzzle solving even more interesting.
These types of tools are another thing BotW did away with, however. Instead, they introduced a large number of swords, spears, and bows that could only be used for a short time before breaking. "I'd much rather have a small selection of unique items," said a Reddit biggest changes fans want to see in Breath of the Wild 2.
More Combat Options
The combat in the Zelda games has evolved since the days of simple sword jabs in the NES and SNES titles. In Twilight Princess, Link can have up to 4 weapons equipped at a time and effortlessly switch between them. This combined with the variety of tools keeps the combat full of options.
"In BotW the Boomerang is another type of Weapon, in TP it's a tool you can also use in battle," said Redditor Gamer-chan, going on to explain how the ability to turn into a wolf at will gives even more fighting options in TP that is just superior to BotW.
Superior Story
Twilight Princess has one of the most in-depth storylines of any of the Zelda titles. The threat of the falling Twilight over Hyrule, Zelda's stand against Zant, the revelation of Ganondorf's resurrection, and course, the twist that Midna is the Twilight Princess all result in an almost theatrical experience for gamers.
In comparison, the storyline of BotW falls flat. "TP has the story," said Redditor unpopular opinion about Breath of the Wild, the story just felt lacking to this Redditor.
Midna As A Companion
While Link doesn't always have a companion, most Zelda games see him with some sort of useful pal that accompanies him on his journey. Navi from Ocarina of Time is one of the most noteworthy, with her annoying voice becoming a memorable staple of the game.
Breath of the Wild did away with the companion. Instead, Link has the occasional help of the Champions to help him along his way. However, some players, like Redditor Gamer-chan, recall Midna fondly as the "least annoying companion." In addition, Midna's value to the story and her almost soothing voice made her a quick series favorite.
Art Style
Every Zelda game brings something new to the table in regards to art, with no two games looking quite the same. Wind Waker embraced the fully cartoon-like art style, while BoTW focused more on breathtaking landscapes.
Redditor Rebelarch86 feels that TP's "appeal is the art style." The game went the most realistic in its style and incorporated the dark theme of Twilight in its design. In addition, the characters of this title look by far the coolest in comparison to other games. The result of this design work was a beautiful world that gamers could look at for hours.
Easy To Replay
BotW is the first fully open-world title in the Zelda franchise, which created endless opportunities for exploration. However, games like Twilight Princess that function like an interactive story allows gamers to play again and again.
Redditor Aus01515 felt that TP was superior in that it was "replayable," also stating that they have "seen Hyrule in botw enough to not enjoy the exploring aspect anymore." So while the world is large in BotW, the lack of a complex story results in a lack of drive in gamers to repeat the game.
Better Music
The Zelda franchise is known for its music, with titles like Ocarina of Time and Wind Waker even using it as a mechanic for puzzle solving. However, BotW steered away from this Zelda cliche. While the game still features relaxing music to explore, it is missing a lot of the nostalgic tunes that gamers are often looking for.
Redditor Aus0115 felt that Twilight Princess "will always have its story, bosses, dungeons, [and] music." The game only somewhat used the original Ocarina of Time songs to manipulate gameplay, but it also included new deeply beautiful songs, such as "Midna's Theme", that instantly became a part of the Zelda classic.
Unique Dungeon Themes
Most Zelda games will feature temples that correlate with different elements, such as water, fire, and even spirit temples. Twilight Princess took this further, adding in a Snowy-themed temple, and even a temple in the sky. With each temple containing unique enemies and puzzles that follow this theme, gamers like Vados_Link "prefer" Twilight Princess for this reason.
BotW still had many of the regions that other Zelda games did, such as deserts, lakes, and planes, and the Divine Beats of those areas fit with the themes of those regions. However, the puzzles within these beasts were all fairly similar, eliminating the variety that gamers loved about TP.
Unlockable Combat Skills
In Breath of the Wild, players quickly learn what combat moves they have available. For example, if gamers time their moves right they can dash at opponents and get in a larger number of strikes.
In Twilight Princess, however, Link gains more abilities as the game goes on. Redditor SuperfightingRobit preferred this, feeling that they served as a sort of "leveling up" function as opposed to an "auto-execution 'I win the fight button.'" While neither way seems to be easier or harder, the development and growth of combat in Twilight Princess made for more satisfying victories.
