117-789: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is a 2006 action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the GameCube and Wii . Originally planned for release exclusively on the GameCube in November 2005, Twilight Princess was delayed by Nintendo to allow its developers to refine the game, add more content, and port it to the Wii. The Wii version was a launch game in North America in November 2006, and in Japan, Europe, and Australia
234-627: A fantasy " setting. Tutankham , debuted by Konami in January 1982, was an action-adventure released for arcades . It combined maze, shoot 'em up, puzzle-solving and adventure elements, with a 1983 review by Computer and Video Games magazine calling it "the first game that effectively combined the elements of an adventure game with frenetic shoot 'em up gameplay." It inspired the similar Time Bandit (1983). Action Quest , released in May 1982, blended puzzle elements of adventure games into
351-625: A jidaigeki -themed martial arts action game where player samurai fight a number of swordspeople before confronting a more powerful boss samurai. SNK 's Sasuke vs. Commander , released in October 1980, is a ninja-themed shooting game where the player character fights enemy ninjas before confronting bosses with various ninjutsu attacks and enemy patterns. It was one of the earliest games with multiple boss encounters, and one of SNK's earliest games. Phoenix , released in December 1980,
468-446: A joystick -controlled, arcade-style action game, which surprised reviewers at the time. While noting some similarities to Adventure , IGN argues that The Legend of Zelda (1986) by Nintendo "helped to establish a new subgenre of action-adventure", becoming a success due to how it combined elements from different genres to create a compelling hybrid, including exploration, adventure-style inventory puzzles , an action component,
585-571: A monetary system , and simplified RPG-style level building without the experience points . The Legend of Zelda series was the most prolific action-adventure game franchise through to the 2000s. Roe R. Adams also cited the arcade-style side-scrolling fantasy games Castlevania (1986), Trojan (1986) and Wizards & Warriors (1987) as early examples of action-adventure games. Games like Brain Breaker (1985), Xanadu (1985), Metroid (1986) and Vampire Killer (1986) combined
702-767: A subgenre of open world action-adventure video games in the third-person perspective . They are characterized by their likeness to the Grand Theft Auto series in either gameplay or overall design. In these types of open world games, players may find and use a variety of vehicles and weapons while roaming freely in an open world setting. Metroidvania is a portmanteau of Metroid and Castlevania ; such games are sometimes referred to as "search action", and are generally based on two-dimensional platformers. They emphasize both exploration and puzzle-solving with traditional platform gameplay. Survival horror games emphasize "inventory management" and making sure
819-556: A "boss song" that is more difficult, or a high-difficulty, computer-controlled opponent in sports games . In multiplayer online battle arena games, defeating a map boss usually requires teamwork of two or more players, but it brings various benefits to the team, such as buffs or lane push power. Some games, such as Cuphead , Furi and Warning Forever , are centered around continual boss fights. Bosses are usually harder to beat than regular enemies, have higher health points, hence can sustain more damage and are generally found at
936-494: A GameCube copy of Twilight Princess was played on the Revolution, it would give the player the option of using the Revolution controller. Miyamoto confirmed the Revolution controller-functionality in an interview with Nintendo of Europe and Time reported this soon after. However, support for the Wii controller did not make it into the GameCube release. At E3 2006 , Nintendo confirmed that both versions would be available at
1053-536: A boss battle, but later appear as a regular enemy, after players have become stronger or had a chance to find more powerful weaponry. Many games structure boss battles as a progression of distinct phases in which the boss produces different or additional hazards for players. This is often reflected by a change in the appearance of the boss, or by a boss displaying increased frustration. The Legend of Zelda series and games inspired by it are recognized for having dungeons with bosses that are specifically vulnerable to
1170-810: A boss. They come in many variations, such as the Chargin' Chuck Swarm encountered in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam , the Armos Knights from The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past or the Battle of 1000 Heartless from Kingdom Hearts II . A main requirement with most wolfpacks is that the whole group must be defeated in order to win; in order to prolong the fight, many wolfpacks, particularly in games with turn-based combat in lieu of real-time, will summon reinforcements to replenish their lost numbers. An example of this
1287-401: A bow and arrows, a boomerang, and bombs. While L-targeting, projectile-based weapons can be fired at a target without the need for manual aiming. The context-sensitive button mechanic allows one button to serve a variety of functions, such as talking, opening doors, and pushing, pulling, and throwing objects. The on-screen display shows what action, if any, the button will trigger, determined by
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#17327723884041404-414: A century after Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask , in an alternate timeline from The Wind Waker . Twilight Princess was critically acclaimed upon its release, received numerous game of the year awards, and has been called one of the greatest video games ever made . By 2015, it had sold 8.85 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling Zelda game until being overtaken by Breath of
1521-545: A choice of what to say. The NPC gives a scripted response to the player, and the game offers the player several new ways to respond. Due to the action-adventure subgenre's broad and inclusive nature, it causes some players to have difficulty finishing a particular game. Companies have devised ways to give the player help, such as offering clues or allowing the player to skip puzzles to compensate for this lack of ability. Brett Weiss cites Atari 's Superman (1979) as an action-adventure game, with Retro Gamer crediting it as
1638-448: A complex text parser and no free-moving character. While they share general gameplay dynamics, action-adventures vary widely in the design of their viewpoints, including bird's eye , side-scrolling, first-person, third-person , over-the-shoulder, or even a 3/4 isometric view . Many action-adventure games simulate a conversation through a conversation tree . When the player encounters a non-player character , they are allowed to select
1755-454: A concept that Kung-Fu Master designer Takashi Nishiyama later expanded on when he created the fighting game Street Fighter (1987) at Capcom . The term "boss" was used in reference to the game's final boss by Mike Roberts in a review of the game published in the May 1985 issue of British magazine Computer Gamer , while he used the term "super baddies" for the end-of-level bosses. Sega's arcade game Fantasy Zone (1986) popularized
1872-510: A downloadable title for the Nintendo 3DS . Midna, in both her imp and Twili forms, Zant, and NPC character Agitha, all appeared as playable warriors in the Zelda crossover title Hyrule Warriors and its various iterations. Since the release of Hyrule Warriors , Agitha has been recognised as a "main character" of Twilight Princess . Action-adventure game An action-adventure game
1989-488: A final boss in Zelda II: The Adventure of Link ). A superboss is a type of boss most commonly found in role-playing video games . They are considered optional enemies and do not have to be defeated to complete the game. However, not all optional bosses are superbosses. They are generally much more powerful than the bosses encountered as part of the main game's plot or quest , more difficult even than
2106-414: A game. Boss battles are generally seen at climax points of particular sections of games, such as at the end of a level or stage or guarding a specific objective. A miniboss is a boss weaker or less significant than the main boss in the same area or level, though usually more powerful than the standard opponents and often fought alongside them. A superboss (sometimes 'secret', 'hidden' or 'raid' boss)
2223-507: A heartfelt goodbye, Midna uses her powers as true ruler of the Twili to permanently destroy the Mirror of Twilight. Some time later, Hyrule Castle is being rebuilt, and Link returns the children and Ilia to Ordon before departing to parts unknown. In 2003, Nintendo announced a new The Legend of Zelda game for the GameCube by the same team that had created the cel-shaded The Wind Waker . At
2340-417: A human, digs holes to create new passages, and uncover buried items, and has improved senses, including the ability to follow scent trails. On his back, he also carries Midna, a small imp-like creature who gives him hints, uses an energy field to attack enemies, helps him jump long distances, and eventually allows him to "warp" to any of several preset locations throughout the overworld. Using Link's wolf senses,
2457-777: A more detailed version of the regular ending. Examples of a "true final boss" include the Radiance in Hollow Knight and the Moon Presence in Bloodborne . The term "Foozle" is used to describe a cliché final boss that exists only to act as the final problem before players can complete the game. Scorpia stated in 1994 that "about 98% of all role-playing video games can be summed up as follows: 'We go out and bash on critters until we're strong enough to go bash on Foozle. ' " A precursor to video game boss fights
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#17327723884042574-503: A number of titles in the Dance Dance Revolution rhythm game series contain "boss songs" that are called "bosses" because they are exceptionally difficult to perform on. In combat-focused games, a boss may summon additional enemies, reinforcements, or minions ("adds") to fight players alongside the boss, increasing the boss fight's difficulty. These additional enemies may distract from the boss battle or give time for
2691-465: A pointing-based interface for the bow and arrow, and Aonuma found that aiming directly at the screen gave the game a new feel, just like the DS control scheme for Phantom Hourglass . Aonuma felt confident this was the only way to proceed, but worried about consumers who had been anticipating a GameCube release. Developing two versions would mean delaying the previously announced 2005 release, still disappointing
2808-597: A score of 86/100 at the review aggregator Metacritic , indicating "generally favorable" reviews. The title received the Nintendo Game of the Year award at the Golden Joystick Awards in November 2016. Twilight Princess received the awards for Best Artistic Design, Best Original Score, and Best Use of Sound from IGN for its GameCube version. Both IGN and Nintendo Power gave Twilight Princess
2925-592: A seemingly lifeless Zelda as a puppet. After a struggle, Midna restores Zelda before teleporting her and Link outside of the castle to face Ganondorf alone. Nevertheless, Ganondorf soon arrives on Hyrule Field, crushing the Fused Shadow in his hands, implying that he has killed Midna. Link manages to defeat Ganondorf with the Master Sword; before dying, Ganondorf witnesses Zant breaking their oath. Midna, having managed to survive, returns into her real form. After
3042-711: A side-scrolling platformer format with adventure exploration, creating the Metroidvania platform-adventure subgenre. Similarly, games like 005 (1981), Castle Wolfenstein and Metal Gear (1987) combined action-adventure exploration with stealth mechanics, laying the foundations for the stealth game subgenre, which would later be popularized in 1998 with the releases of Metal Gear Solid , Tenchu: Stealth Assassins , and Thief: The Dark Project . The cinematic platformer Prince of Persia (1989) featured action-adventure elements, inspiring games such as Another World (1991) and Flashback (1992). Alone in
3159-400: A single avatar as the protagonist . This type of game is often quite similar to role-playing video games . They are distinct from graphic adventures , which sometimes have free-moving central characters, but also a wider variety of commands and fewer or no action game elements and are distinct too from text adventures , characterized by many different commands introduced by the user via
3276-407: A small number of Nintendo DS game cards containing a preview trailer for Twilight Princess . They also announced that a Zelda title would appear on the Wii (then codenamed "Revolution"), but were not clear to the media if this meant Twilight Princess or a different game. The team worked on a Wii control scheme, adapting camera control and the fighting mechanics to the new interface. A prototype
3393-415: A special "lookaround" mode required on the Wii; however, in the GameCube version, only two of Link's secondary weapons can be equipped at a time, as opposed to four in the Wii version. The game features nine dungeons—large, contained areas where Link battles enemies, collects items, and solves puzzles. Link navigates these dungeons and fights a boss at the end in order to obtain an item or otherwise advance
3510-616: A special item that is located within that dungeon. Player(s) typically acquire this item while exploring the dungeon and is given opportunity to learn to use it to solve puzzles or defeat weaker enemies before facing the boss character. Boss battles are typically seen as dramatic events. As such, they are usually characterized by sometimes quite theatrical cutscenes before and after the boss battle and unique music. Recurring bosses and final bosses may have their own specific theme music to distinguish them from other boss battles. This concept extends beyond combat-oriented video games. For example,
3627-499: A temple) and fighting a boss character at the end of each level; in turn, this end-of-level boss battle structure was adapted from the Bruce Lee film Game of Death , where Lee's character fights a different boss character on each floor as he ascends a pagoda. The game was distinctive for giving both players and each boss a health meter , which leads to the game temporarily becoming a one-on-one fighting game during boss battles,
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - Misplaced Pages Continue
3744-514: A theme of two separate, yet connected, worlds. In A Link to the Past , Link travels between a "Light World" and a "Dark World"; in Ocarina of Time , as well as in Oracle of Ages , Link travels between two different time periods. The Zelda team sought to reuse this motif in the series' latest installment. It was suggested that Link transform into a wolf, much like he metamorphoses into a rabbit in
3861-429: A time limit by having a large number of players or parties working together to defeat the boss. Examples of such superbosses can be found in games like Pokémon Go and World of Warcraft , and are generally referred to as a raid . Toby Fox 's games Undertale and Deltarune both feature superbosses in the form of Sans , Jevil, and Spamton NEO. Some major video game series have recurring superbosses such as
3978-494: A typical dungeon campaign there would be one powerful enemy acting as the boss of the weaker minions that players would face beforehand, in the same sense as a crime boss, which later inspired the boss battles of role-playing video games . The first interactive video game to feature a boss was dnd , which was released in 1975 for the PLATO system . dnd was one of the earliest dungeon crawl video games and implemented many of
4095-463: Is Astaroth in Diablo IV . Many other wolfpack bosses empower themselves when one of the other enemies in the battle is killed to keep the threat level from falling over time. The final boss, last boss or end boss, is typically present at or near the end of a game, with completion of the game's storyline usually following victory in the battle. The final boss is usually the main antagonist of
4212-456: Is Bruce Lee 's Hong Kong martial arts films , including The Big Boss (1971), in which Lee fights a criminal gang before battling the eponymous "big boss", and Game of Death (1972), where Lee fights a different boss on each level of a pagoda , which later inspired the boss battles of martial arts action games such as beat 'em ups. Another precursor is tabletop role-playing games starting with Dungeons & Dragons (1974), in which in
4329-547: Is a fixed shooter where players's ship must fight a giant mothership in the fifth and final level. At several points in Namco's vertically scrolling shooter Xevious (1982), players must defeat an Andor Genesis mothership to advance. In side-scrolling character action games such as beat 'em ups, Irem 's 1984 arcade game Kung-Fu Master established the end-of-level boss battle structure used in these games, with players progressing through levels (represented by floors of
4446-447: Is a video game hybrid genre that combines core elements from both the action game and adventure game genres. Typically, classical adventure games have situational problems for the player to explore and solve to complete a storyline, involving little to no action . If there is action, it is generally confined to isolated instances. Classical action games, on the other hand, have gameplay based on real-time interactions that challenges
4563-557: Is a game that has enough action in it not to be called an adventure game, but not enough action to be called an action game." In some cases an action game with puzzles will be classified as an action-adventure game, but if these puzzles are quite simple they might be classified as an action game. Others see action games as a pure genre, while an action-adventure is an action game that includes situational problem-solving. Adventure gamers may also be purists, rejecting any game that makes use of physical challenges or time pressure. Regardless,
4680-449: Is generally much more powerful than the bosses encountered as part of the main game's plot and is often an optional encounter. A final boss is often the main antagonist of a game's story and the defeat of that character usually provides a conclusion to the game. A boss rush is a stage where players face multiple previous bosses again in succession. For example, in a run 'n' gun video game, all regular enemies might use pistols while
4797-424: Is heavily reliant upon the player character's movement, which triggers story events and thus affects the flow of the game. Popular examples of action-adventure games include The Legend of Zelda , God of War , and Tomb Raider series. There is a good deal of controversy over what actually constitutes an action-adventure game. One definition of the term "action-adventure" may be '"An action/adventure game
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - Misplaced Pages Continue
4914-486: Is included with the limited-edition bundle in other regions. A three-disc original soundtrack consisting of 108 pieces from the game was released in Japan in July 2016. Twilight Princess was released to critical acclaim and commercial success. It received perfect scores from major publications such as 1UP.com , Computer and Video Games , Electronic Gaming Monthly , Game Informer , GamesRadar and GameSpy . On
5031-594: The Kirby games. Others may be a recurring version of a previous boss, who is either weaker than previously encountered or is less of a challenge later in the game due to character or equipment progression. An example is Castlevania: Symphony of the Night ' s Gaibon and Slogra. Other video game characters who usually take the role of a miniboss are Vile ( Mega Man X series), Allen O'Neil ( Metal Slug ) and Dark Link ( The Legend of Zelda series, though he appears as
5148-532: The Uncharted franchise, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Ark: Survival Evolved . Boss (video games) In video games , a boss is a significantly powerful non-player character created as an opponent to players. A fight with a boss character is referred to as a boss battle or boss fight . Bosses are generally far stronger than other opponents the players have faced up to that point in
5265-501: The Master Sword to break Zant's curse. After obtaining the sword, Link is able to transform into a wolf at will. Without Zelda's presence, Hyrule Castle becomes surrounded by a powerful barrier. The pair reaches the depths of Gerudo Desert to use the Mirror of Twilight, the only known way that connects Hyrule and the Twili's realm, only to discover that Zant has broken it into fragments. Ancient beings known as Sages appear and reveal
5382-576: The Wii Remote . The speaker emits the sounds of a bowstring when shooting an arrow, Midna 's laugh when she gives advice to Link, and the series' trademark "chime" when discovering secrets. The player controls Link's sword by swinging the Wii Remote. Other attacks are triggered using similar gestures with the Nunchuk . In the GameCube version, players can control the camera freely, without entering
5499-499: The Wii launch , and had a playable version of Twilight Princess for the Wii. Later, the GameCube release was pushed back to a month after the launch of the Wii. Nintendo staff members reported that demo users complained about the difficulty of the control scheme. Aonuma realized that his team had implemented Wii controls under the mindset of "forcing" users to adapt, instead of making the system intuitive and easy to use. He began rethinking
5616-489: The Zelda team settled on an HD remaster of Twilight Princess . At the time, most of the Zelda team was preoccupied with Breath of the Wild , so Nintendo sought a partnership with an external development studio , the Australia-based Tantalus Media , to work on Twilight Princess HD . According to Eiji Aonuma , who directed the original release and produced Twilight Princess HD , ensuring
5733-479: The execution of custom code from a Secure Digital (SD) card on the console . A specifically designed save file would cause the game to load unsigned code , which could include Executable and Linkable Format (ELF) programs and homebrew Wii applications . Versions 3.3 and 3.4 of the Wii Menu prevented copying exploited save files onto the console until circumvention methods were discovered, and version 4.0 of
5850-818: The "first to utilize multiple screens as playing area". Mark J.P. Wolf credits Adventure (1980) for the Atari VCS as the earliest-known action-adventure game. The game involves exploring a 2D environment, finding and using items which each have prescribed abilities, and fighting dragons in real-time like in an action game . Muse Software 's Castle Wolfenstein (1981) was another early action-adventure game, merging exploration, combat, stealth, and maze game elements, drawing inspiration from arcade shoot 'em ups and maze games (such as maze-shooter Berzerk ) and war films (such as The Guns of Navarone ). According to Wizardry developer Roe R. Adams, early action-adventure games "were basically arcade games done in
5967-490: The Dark (1992) used 3D graphics , which would later be popularized by Resident Evil (1996) and Tomb Raider (1996). Resident Evil in particular created the survival horror subgenre, inspiring titles such as Silent Hill (1999) and Fatal Frame (2001). Action-adventure games have gone on to become more popular than the pure adventure games and pure platform games that inspired them. Recent examples include
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#17327723884046084-568: The Dark World of A Link to the Past . The concept for Link to transform into a wolf and its surrounding narrative elements came from a dream that Aonuma had while overseas on a business trip. He dreamt that he was a wolf, locked inside a cage, and, after he woke up, he was confused and disoriented and it took a while for him to remember where he was. The story of the game was created by Aonuma, and it later underwent several changes by scenario writers Mitsuhiro Takano and Aya Kyogoku . Takano created
6201-516: The Nintendo DS. At the same time, the Wii was under development with the code name "Revolution". Miyamoto thought that the Revolution's pointing device , the Wii Remote, was well suited for aiming arrows in Zelda , and he suggested that Aonuma consider using it. Aonuma had anticipated creating a Zelda game for what would later become the Wii, but had assumed that he would need to complete Twilight Princess first. His team began work developing
6318-600: The Ruby and Emerald Weapons. Some superbosses will take the place of the final boss if certain requirements are met. Some superbosses can yield special items or skills that cannot be found any other way that can give players a significant advantage during playthrough of the rest of the game, such as added experience or an extremely powerful weapon. For example, the "raid bosses" from Borderlands 2 give rare loot unavailable anywhere else. Some superbosses in online games have an immense amount of health and must be defeated within
6435-486: The Twilight Realm. A commitment to "preserving the feel of the original" inspired several design decisions, such as keeping the frame rate at 30 frames per second. Tomomi Sano, the assistant director of the Wii U version, noted the degree of refinement the graphics would receive required much consideration: "When we created more precise models of objects to go with the higher resolution , we found that everything
6552-838: The Ultima Weapon and Omega Weapon in Final Fantasy and the Amon clan in Yakuza . The Warden from Minecraft could be considered a superboss, as it is vastly more difficult to fight than the final boss, the Ender Dragon. However, Mojang, the developer of Minecraft, has explicitly stated that the Warden was not intended to be fought by players. A wolfpack boss is a group of enemies who may be considered weak on their own, but in large groups can be considered strong enough to be
6669-556: The Wii Menu patched the vulnerability. A high-definition remaster of the game, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD , was developed by Tantalus Media for the Wii U . Announced during a Nintendo Direct presentation on November 13, 2015, it features enhanced graphics and Amiibo functionality. The game was released worldwide in March 2016. The idea for a high-definition version of Twilight Princess first originated during
6786-690: The Wii and GameCube in the US that year. In the United Kingdom, the Wii version received a Platinum sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA), indicating sales of at least 300,000 copies in the UK. The game had sold 5.82 million copies on the Wii as of March 2011, and 1.32 million on the GameCube as of March 2007. As of September 2015, the game had sold 8.85 million copies worldwide across both platforms, making it
6903-584: The Wii version, but has a section in the back with mirror-image maps for GameCube users. The game's score was composed by Toru Minegishi and Asuka Ohta, with series regular Koji Kondo serving as the sound supervisor. Minegishi took charge of composition and sound design in Twilight Princess , providing all field and dungeon music. For the trailers, three pieces were written by different composers, two of which were created by Mahito Yokota and Kondo. Michiru Ōshima created orchestral arrangements for
7020-532: The Wild in April 2018. In 2011, the Wii version was rereleased under the Nintendo Selects label. A high-definition remaster based on the GameCube version, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD , developed by Tantalus Media , was released for the Wii U in March 2016. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is an action-adventure game focused on combat, exploration, and puzzle-solving. It uses
7137-619: The Year ", " Outstanding Achievement in Game Design ", and " Outstanding Achievement in Gameplay Engineering ". The game placed 16th in Official Nintendo Magazine ' s list of the 100 Greatest Nintendo Games of All Time. IGN ranked the game as the 4th-best Wii game. Nintendo Power ranked the game as the third-best game to be released on a Nintendo system in the 2000s decade. In North America,
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#17327723884047254-546: The action-adventure label is prominent in articles over the internet and media. The term "action-adventure" is usually substituted for a particular subgenre due to its wide scope. Although action-adventure games are diverse and difficult to classify, there are some distinct subgenres. Many games with gameplay similar to those in The Legend of Zelda series are called Zelda clones or Zelda -like games. Popular subgenres include: A Grand Theft Auto clone belongs to
7371-478: The awards for Best Graphics and Best Story. Twilight Princess received Game of the Year awards from GameTrailers , 1UP.com , Electronic Gaming Monthly , Game Informer , GamesRadar , GameSpy , Spacey Awards , X-Play and Nintendo Power . It was also given awards for Best Adventure Game from the Game Critics Awards , X-Play , IGN , GameTrailers , 1UP.com , and Nintendo Power . The game
7488-526: The basic control scheme introduced in Ocarina of Time , including context-sensitive action buttons and L-targeting (Z-targeting on the Wii ), a system that allows the player to keep Link 's view focused on an enemy or important object while moving and attacking. Link can walk, run, and attack, and he will automatically jump when running off of or reaching for a ledge. Link uses a sword and shield in combat, complemented with secondary weapons and items, including
7605-499: The best ever in Zelda games". Regarding the Wii version, GameSpot ' s Jeff Gerstmann said the Wii controls felt "tacked-on", although 1UP.com said the remote-swinging sword attacks were "the most impressive in the entire series". Gaming Nexus considered Twilight Princess ' soundtrack to be the best of this generation, though IGN criticized its MIDI -formatted songs for lacking "the punch and crispness" of their orchestrated counterparts. Twilight Princess HD holds
7722-409: The best that Hollywood has to offer". GamesRadar praised Twilight Princess as "a game that deserves nothing but the absolute highest recommendation". Cubed3 hailed Twilight Princess as "the single greatest videogame experience". Twilight Princess ' graphics were praised for the art style and animation, although the game was designed for the GameCube, which is technically lacking compared to
7839-456: The best-selling single title in the series until it was surpassed by The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in April 2018. The remaster sold 52,282 copies during its first week of release in Japan, which placed it at second place in the video-game sales charts. The following week, it came in at number 9 on the charts, selling an additional 7,705 copies. By comparison, 30,264 copies of The Wind Waker HD were sold in its first week in Japan. In
7956-400: The boss in question becomes progressively stronger and/or less vulnerable as their health decreases, requiring players to use different strategies to win. Some bosses may contain or be composed of smaller parts that can be destroyed by players in battle, which may or may not grant an advantage. In games such as Doom and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night , an enemy may be introduced via
8073-444: The boss to regain or regenerate health, but may also give players opportunity to regain health from health boosters and ammo dropped by the boss's defeated minions. A miniboss, also known as a "middle boss", "mid-boss", "half-boss", "sub-boss" "semi-boss", or occasionally "tank", is a boss-like enemy weaker or less significant than the main boss in the same area or level. Some minibosses are stronger versions of regular enemies, as in
8190-517: The boss uses a tank. A boss enemy is quite often larger in size than other enemies and the player character . At times, bosses are very hard to defeat without being adequately prepared and/or knowing the correct fighting approach. Bosses usually take strategy and special knowledge to defeat, such as how to attack weak points or avoid specific attacks. Bosses are common in many genres of video games, but they are especially common in story-driven titles, and are commonly previously established antagonists in
8307-653: The completion of specific additional levels, choosing specific dialogue options or after obtaining a particular item or set of items, such as the Chaos Emeralds in the Sonic the Hedgehog series or performing a series of tasks in Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker . These bosses are generally more difficult to defeat. In games with a "true" final boss, victory leads to either a better ending or
8424-434: The concept of a boss rush, a stage where players face multiple previous bosses again in succession. Michael Fahey of Kotaku noted in a podcast that usage of the term "boss" by Nintendo Power grew sharply around 1988, and that there was no clear single etymology of the term. In the same podcast, former Kotaku editor-in-chief Stephen Totilo speculated that bosses became known as such because they were "in charge of all
8541-405: The consumer. Nintendo President Satoru Iwata felt that having both versions would satisfy users in the end, even though they would have to wait for the finished product. Aonuma then started working on both versions in parallel. Transferring GameCube development to the Wii was relatively simple, since the Wii was being created to be compatible with GameCube software. At E3 2005 , Nintendo released
8658-404: The controls with Miyamoto to focus on comfort and ease. The camera movement was reworked and item controls were changed to avoid accidental button presses. In addition, the new item system required use of the button that had previously been used for the sword. To solve this, sword controls were transferred back to gestures—something E3 attendees had commented they would like to see. This reintroduced
8775-564: The core concepts of Dungeons & Dragons . The objective of the game is to retrieve an "Orb" from the bottommost dungeon. The orb is kept in a treasure room guarded by a high-level enemy named the Gold Dragon. Only by defeating the Dragon can players claim the orb, complete the game and be eligible to appear on the high score list. In 1980, boss battles appeared in several arcade action games. In March 1980, Sega released Samurai ,
8892-476: The end of a level or area. While most games include a mixture of boss opponents and regular opponents, some games have only regular opponents and some games have only bosses (e.g. Shadow of the Colossus ). Some bosses are encountered several times through a single game, typically with alternate attacks and a different strategy required to defeat it each time. A boss battle can also be made more challenging if
9009-573: The experience. Aonuma left his team working on the new idea while he produced The Minish Cap for the Game Boy Advance . When he returned, he found the Twilight Princess team struggling. Emphasis on the parallel worlds and the wolf transformation had made Link's character unbelievable. Aonuma also felt the gameplay lacked the caliber of innovation found in Phantom Hourglass , which was being developed with touch controls for
9126-482: The final boss and often players are required to meet certain conditions in the game or complete a sidequest or the entire game to fight the superboss. The first such superboss (or secret boss) was Akuma in Super Street Fighter II Turbo , that required players meet certain conditions before he would appear as the final boss. In Final Fantasy VII , players may choose to seek out and fight
9243-574: The first week of Twilight Princess HD ' s United Kingdom release, the remaster was the second-best-selling game and the best-selling game released for a single platform in the country. Twilight Princess HD ' s sales dropped 84% in its second week in the UK, making it the ninth-best-selling game in the country. In the United States, it was the third-best-selling game sold in brick-and-mortar retailers throughout March 2016, according to market-research firm The NPD Group . As of December 2022,
9360-424: The following month. The GameCube version was released in December 2006 as the final first-party game for the console. The story focuses on series protagonist Link , who tries to prevent Hyrule from being engulfed by a corrupted parallel dimension known as the Twilight Realm. To do so, he takes the form of both a Hylian and a wolf, and he is assisted by a mysterious imp named Midna . The game takes place over
9477-409: The following year's Game Developers Conference , director Eiji Aonuma unintentionally revealed that the game's sequel was in development under the working title The Wind Waker 2 ; it was set to use a similar graphical style to that of its predecessor. Nintendo of America told Aonuma that North American sales of The Wind Waker were sluggish because its cartoon appearance created the impression that
9594-472: The fragments of the Mirror. Once the Mirror is complete, they cross into the Twili Realm to confront Zant, who reveals that his oath has revived Ganondorf. Upon retrieving the Fused Shadow, an angered Midna inadvertently kills Zant with its power. Returning into Hyrule, Midna uses the Fused Shadow to break the barrier surrounding Hyrule Castle. Ascending through the castle, they confront Ganondorf, now using
9711-573: The fragments' locations, and explain that Zant could not permanently destroy the Mirror as he is not the true ruler of the Twili. Before Link leaves, the Sages reveal that the Mirror was used to banish Ganondorf , leader of the Gerudo; Ganondorf was convicted of an attempt to steal the Triforce and nearly escaped execution before his banishment. Link and Midna travel through Hyrule once more and retrieve
9828-421: The game has sold 1.17 million copies worldwide. An eleven-volume manga series based on Twilight Princess , penned and illustrated by Akira Himekawa , was first released in Japan on February 8, 2016, and ran until January 30, 2022. The series was made available via physical copies, online bookstores, and publisher Shogakukan 's MangaOne mobile application. While the manga adaptation began almost ten years after
9945-724: The game was designed for a young audience. Concerned that the sequel would have the same problem, Aonuma expressed to producer Shigeru Miyamoto that he wanted to create a realistic Zelda game that would appeal to the North American market and meet Miyamoto's original vision of realism for the series. Miyamoto, hesitant about solely changing the game's presentation, suggested the team's focus should instead be on coming up with gameplay innovations. He advised that Aonuma should start by doing what could not be done in Ocarina of Time , particularly horseback combat. Early development of what would become Twilight Princess began and special care
10062-417: The game was sold with three of every four Wii purchases during its first week. The Wii version sold 412,000 copies in the United States during November 2006, representing 87% of Wii launch sales that month, the highest attach rate for a launch game since Super Mario 64 launched with the Nintendo 64 in 1996. It went on to become America's fifth-best-selling game of 2006 with 1.5 million copies sold for
10179-479: The game; however, there are exceptions, such as in Conker's Bad Fur Day , in which the final boss is the antagonist's alien pet. Final bosses are generally larger, more detailed or better animated than lesser enemies, often in order to inspire a feeling of grandeur and special significance from the encounter. In some games, a hidden boss, referred to as the "true" final boss, is present. These bosses only appear after
10296-406: The gameplay still follows a number of adventure game genre tropes (gathering items , exploration of and interaction with one's environment, often including an overworld connecting areas of importance, and puzzle-solving). While the controls are arcade-style (character movement, few action commands) there is an ultimate goal beyond a high score. In most action-adventure games, the player controls
10413-570: The hunt for Tears of Light the player partakes in when in the Twilight-covered world. The atmosphere of the Twilight-covered Hyrule, as well as the Twilight Realm dungeon later in the game, were intended to make players feel uncomfortable. Special care was taken, however, to ensure that this was balanced right, so that it did not make the player so uncomfortable that they did not want to progress further or could not enjoy
10530-508: The initial release of the game on which it is based, it launched only a month before the release of the high-definition remake. Viz Media began releasing an English localization of the series in 2017 and was finished in March 2022. To commemorate the launch of the My Nintendo loyalty program in March 2016, Nintendo released My Nintendo Picross: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess , a Picross puzzle game developed by Jupiter as
10647-480: The main reasons for the decision. Both six- and seven-track versions of the game's soundtrack were released on November 19, 2006, as part of a Nintendo Power promotion and bundled with replicas of the Master Sword and the Hylian Shield. Following the discovery of a buffer overflow vulnerability in the Wii version of Twilight Princess , an exploit known as the "Twilight Hack" was developed, allowing
10764-411: The next generation consoles. Both IGN and GameSpy pointed out the existence of blurry textures and low-resolution characters. Despite these complaints, Computer and Video Games felt the game's atmosphere was superior to that of any previous Zelda game and regarded Twilight Princess ' Hyrule as the best version ever created. PALGN praised the game's cinematics, noting that "the cutscenes are
10881-440: The optional "Cave of Ordeals" present in the original release, opportunities to recover health during the trial are sparse. Other Zelda -related Amiibo figurines have distinct functions: Link and Toon Link replenish arrows, Zelda and Sheik restore Link's health, and Ganondorf causes Link to take twice as much damage. A CD containing 20 musical selections from the game was available as a GameStop preorder bonus in North America; it
10998-610: The pair to revive the Light Spirits in the Twilight-engulfed regions of Hyrule. After reviving the nearest Light Spirit, Link returns to his human form and is deemed the hero of the gods. Link and Midna travel through Hyrule and revive the Spirits of each region, who reveal information about the Fused Shadow, a relic holding powers as strong as Zant's. On their way, Link also finds the children and Ilia, who wait within
11115-526: The player can see and listen to the wandering spirits of those affected by the Twilight, as well as hunt for enemy ghosts named Poes . The artificial intelligence (AI) of enemies in Twilight Princess is more advanced than that of enemies in The Wind Waker . Enemies react to defeated companions and to arrows or slingshot pellets that pass by, and they can detect Link from a greater distance than
11232-489: The player has enough ammunition and recovery items to " survive " the horror setting. This is a thematic genre with diverse gameplay, so not all survival horror games share all the features. The Resident Evil franchise popularized this subgenre. Action-adventure games are faster-paced than pure adventure games, and include physical as well as conceptual challenges where the story is enacted rather than narrated. While motion-based, often reflexive, actions are required,
11349-400: The player's reflexes and eye-hand coordination . Action-adventure games combine these genres by engaging both eye-hand coordination and problem-solving skills. An action adventure game can be defined as a game with a mix of elements from an action game and an adventure game , especially crucial elements like puzzles inspired by older adventure games. Action-adventures require many of
11466-459: The plot of the video game. Action-adventure games , beat 'em ups , fighting games , platform games , role-playing video games (RPGs), and shooter games are particularly associated with boss battles. They may be less common in puzzle games , card video games , racing games , and simulation games . The first video game with a boss fight was the 1975 RPG dnd . The concept has expanded to other genres, like rhythm games , where there may be
11583-598: The plot. The dungeons are connected by a large overworld , across which Link can travel on foot; on his horse, Epona ; or by teleporting with Midna's assistance. When Link enters the Twilight Realm, the void that corrupts parts of Hyrule , he transforms into a wolf. He is eventually able to transform between his Hylian and wolf forms at will. As a wolf, Link loses the ability to use his sword, shield, or any secondary items; he instead attacks by biting and defends primarily by dodging attacks. "Wolf Link" gains several key advantages in return—he moves faster than he does on foot as
11700-438: The problem of using a right-handed swing to control a left-handed sword attack. The team did not have enough time before release to rework Link's character model, so they instead flipped the entire game—everything was made a mirror image. Link was now right-handed, and references to "east" and "west" were reversed. The GameCube version, however, was left with the original orientation. The Twilight Princess player's guide focuses on
11817-435: The production of Breath of the Wild . Nintendo experimented with an HD version of Twilight Princess running on Wii U development kits when trying to settle on a graphical style for the new game. This ultimately led to the production of The Wind Waker HD , whose success encouraged the Zelda team to pursue other high-definition remasters. After its release, which was developed internally at Nintendo in only six months,
11934-547: The remaster would take advantage of the Wii U GamePad was a point of focus early in the title's development. The control scheme used in the GameCube version was adapted for the remaster due to similarities between the button layouts of the two consoles ' controllers. Aonuma considered underwater gameplay in the remaster to be significantly improved. Other enhancements include speeding up a handful of cutscenes that seemed overly long by modern standards and reducing repetitive gameplay elements, such as collecting Tears of Light while in
12051-623: The review aggregator Metacritic , Twilight Princess holds scores of 95/100 for the Wii version and 96/100 for the GameCube version, indicating "universal acclaim". It is the highest-rated game of 2006 on Metacritic . GameTrailers in their review called it one of the greatest games ever created. On release, Twilight Princess was considered to be the greatest Zelda game ever made by many critics including writers for 1UP.com , Computer and Video Games , Electronic Gaming Monthly , Game Informer , GamesRadar , IGN and The Washington Post . Game Informer called it "so creative that it rivals
12168-521: The safety of Kakariko Village. After restoring the regions to their glory and retrieving the Fused Shadow pieces, the pair are ambushed by Zant, who steals the relic and curses Link into his wolf form. Midna calls him out for his abuse of power, but Zant reveals his power to be from another source, and exposes Midna to the Light. Link brings a dying Midna to Zelda, who uses her sacred power to heal her; before mysteriously vanishing, Zelda informs Link to locate
12285-439: The same physical skills as action games, but may also offer a storyline, numerous characters, an inventory system, dialogue, and other features of adventure games. They are typically faster-paced than pure adventure games, because they include both physical and conceptual challenges. Action-adventure games normally include a combination of complex story elements, which are often displayed for players using audio and video. The story
12402-434: The script for the story scenes, while Kyogoku and Takayuki Ikkaku handled the actual in-game script. Originally, Link was planned to be a wolf from the game's start to bluntly contrast the Ocarina of Time formula, but this was changed so that new players could be eased into the Zelda series' traditional gameplay and narrative formula. The narrative premise in the story regarding the children of Ordon village getting kidnapped
12519-406: The situation. For example, if Link is holding a rock, the context-sensitive button will cause Link to throw the rock if he is moving or targeting an object or enemy or place the rock on the ground if he is standing still. The GameCube and Wii versions feature several minor differences in their controls and gameplay. The Wii version of the game makes use of the motion sensors and built-in speaker of
12636-467: The three compositions, later to be performed by an ensemble conducted by Taizo Takemoto. Kondo's piece was chosen as music for the E3 2005 trailer and for the demo movie after the title screen. Midna has the most voice acting—her on-screen dialogue is often accompanied by a babble of pseudo-speech, which was produced by scrambling English phrases sampled by Japanese voice actress Akiko Kōmoto . Media requests at
12753-460: The time. The game was developed with having a large convincing world in mind, one with a vast scale to meet the expectation for fantasy worlds that audiences had become accustomed to with The Lord of the Rings . In four months, Aonuma's team managed to present realistic horseback riding, which Nintendo later revealed to the public with a trailer at E3 2004 that was met with enormous praise. The game
12870-430: The trade show prompted Kondo to consider using orchestral music for the other tracks in the game as well, a notion reinforced by his preference for live instruments. He originally envisioned a full 50-person orchestra for action sequences and a string quartet for more "lyrical moments", though the final product used sequenced music instead. Kondo later cited the lack of interactivity that comes with orchestral music as one of
12987-412: Was an example of the game featuring darker story elements than any past iteration. From a gameplay perspective, the Twilight Realm portions of the game were vaguely inspired by the fact that prior Zelda games had always distinctively separated dungeons from the overworld. The team wondered what the result would be if a traditional Zelda dungeon was placed inside the open world instead. This resulted in
13104-655: Was considered the Best Console Game by the Game Critics Awards and GameSpy . During the 10th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards , Twilight Princess was awarded with " Outstanding Achievement in Story and Character Development " by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences , while also receiving nominations for " Overall Game of the Year ", "Console Game of the Year", " Action/Adventure Game of
13221-535: Was created that used a swinging gesture to control the sword from a first-person viewpoint but was unable to show the variety of Link's movements. When the third-person view was restored, Aonuma thought it felt strange to swing the Wii Remote with the right hand to control the sword in Link's left hand, so the entire world map was mirrored for the Wii version. Details about Wii controls began to surface in December 2005 when British publication NGC Magazine claimed that when
13338-541: Was possible in previous games. Princess Zelda is forced to surrender when Zant, the usurper king of the Twili, invades Hyrule Castle and begins to engulf the land into Twilight. In Ordon Village, ranch hand Link pursues Bulbins who have kidnapped his childhood friend Ilia and the village's children, and encounters a wall of Twilight. Pulled beyond the wall by monsters, Link transforms into a wolf and collapses before being imprisoned. An imp named Midna offers to free Link if he assists her. Midna guides Link to Zelda, who instructs
13455-498: Was scheduled to be released the next year and was no longer a follow-up to The Wind Waker ; a true sequel to it was released for the Nintendo DS in 2007, in the form of Phantom Hourglass . Miyamoto explained in interviews that the graphical style was chosen to satisfy demand and that it better fit the theme of an older incarnation of Link. The game runs on a modified The Wind Waker engine . Prior Zelda games have employed
13572-457: Was taken to improve the realism of the horseriding, with lead character designer Keisuke Nishimori riding a horse for himself to feel what it was like. Just as the original Legend of Zelda game was inspired by J. R. R. Tolkien 's The Lord of the Rings novels , the aesthetic of Twilight Princess was inspired by the Lord of the Rings films, as they had just come out and were very popular at
13689-470: Was too clear and we lost that soft and delicate atmosphere that you get in particular at twilight or with the light in a forest". Certain bundles of the game contain a Wolf Link Amiibo figurine, which unlocks a Wii U-exclusive dungeon called the "Cave of Shadows" and can carry data over to Breath of the Wild . In the Cave of Shadows, Link fights waves of enemies while restricted to his wolf form. Comparable to
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