The Legend Of Zelda - Ranking Every Gameplay Gimmick

After the backlash which surrounded the “childish” cartoon graphics of Wind Waker, Nintendo decided to go far in the opposite direction for the next entry in the series.

Twilight Princess, as the name suggests, was a dark game, not just tonally, but literally as well. Whilst Wind Waker was bursting with bright and vivid primary colours, the palette of this game had more in common with the war-torn locations of Call of Duty than the Hyrule we’re used to. This mature makeover gave the game a gritty, bleak and brown aesthetic which was full of the “bloom” visual effect that was trendy at the time. Thankfully, the introduction of Wolf Link was classic Zelda inventiveness.

The story of Twilight Princess featured some dark story elements as well. The game swapped the upbeat Navi for the sassy and cynical Midna, and included a creepy and trippy cutscene where Link came face to face with some dark versions of himself. Couple this with the skeletal swordsman who just might be the undead version of an earlier Link, and you’ve got more than enough fuel for your nightmares. Zelda is usually a pleasure to play but this game’s tone sucked some of the joy out of it.

Fans said they wanted a darker, more mature Zelda, and Nintendo certainly delivered.