There have been some rumors recently thatThe Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princesswill be getting a second remake, and I can’t think of a betterZeldagame to get this treatment. Although my first twoZeldagames - theinfluentialA Link to the PastandOcarina of Time- will always hold a special place in my heart,Twilight Princessis my favorite of the series. However, it isn’t just my personal bias that makes me thinkTwilight Princessis the most deserving game for a remake.
Although it was released more recently thanremakes of olderZeldagames likeOcarina of TimeorMajora’s Mask, the remake ofTwilight Princessis not easy to find. Re-releasing it wouldn’t only make it more accessible to players, and I think it could also impact the future of theZeldaseries if it is a major success. Of course, I also just wouldn’t mind being able to play my favoriteZeldagame on the Switch, as opposed to having to pull out my Wii U just to play a single game.
The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess Is The Pinnacle Of The Original Zelda Formula
Zelda’s 3D Formula Has Changed Over The Years
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildintroduced abrand-new style of 3DZeldagames, but I’m still partial to the original formula. I like the mixture of open-world elements and more linear dungeons that was originally introduced inOcarina of Time. This classic 3DZeldastructure was a best-of-both-worlds situation becauseit offered the sense of adventure that open-world games have, but also offered the tight level design of more linear gameswhen inside dungeons. I think there is no better example of this formula thanTwilight Princess.
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Compared to other pre-Breath-of-the-Wild Zeldagames,Twilight Princesshad a large map. Its greater sense of scale added more weight to Link’s adventure, because Hyrule felt like a whole kingdom.Twilight Princessalso did a good job including a variety of different biomes, from the scorching sands of the Gerudo Desert to the frozen tips of Snowpeak. These different regions also had beautifully realized dungeons that made sense as part of the world. One example of this is the Goron Mines on Death Mountain, which really felt like a mining facility and not just a random dungeon full of monsters.
Twilight Princessalso has some of my favoriteZeldaminigames. As someone who enjoys white water rafting, Iza’s Rapid Ride down Zora River has always been a series highlight for me. Snowboard racing against Yeto also brought back fond memories of playing1080° Snowboardingfor the N64. While I enjoyed some ofBreath of the Wild’s minigames, they just don’t feel as complete as the ones fromTwilight Princess, where the world was built specifically around them.
A Successful Twilight Princess Remake Could Convince Nintendo To Reintroduce Some Classic Zelda Elements
Sales Seem To Influence The Course Of The Series
Aside from just wanting a chance to play an updated version of my favoriteZeldagame, I also think aTwilight Princessremake could be good for the series as a whole. Since it came out, I have been less than thrilled with the direction of the 3DZeldagames.Skyward Swordstands out as my biggest disappointment, as it felt much too linear for my liking. Skyloft felt less like an overworld in the way that Hyrule field is inTwilight Princess, and more like an old-school level select screen with extra steps.
Breath of the Wildwas a huge relief after playingSkyward Swordthanks to its freedom. It was also a huge departure for the series, and that novelty helped me really enjoy the game the first time through. However, due to its massive scale and somewhat empty world,I revisit it far less often than otherZeldagames. I would hope that, if aTwilight Princessremake was a financial success, it would show Nintendo thatZeldafans miss certain elements of the olderZeldadesign.
While I know the ship has probably sailed for getting aZeldagame exactly likeTwilight Princess, I still think there is room for the series to reintroduce certain elements of the older games. Namely, I would love more elaborate dungeons with a stronger theme. In a perfect world, a futureZeldagame would also scale down the world a bit to create more deliberately designed areas like the Zora River inTwilight Princess, instead of going for a large but somewhat less distinct map.
The Original Twilight Princess Is One Of The Best-Selling Zelda Games
A Twilight Princess Remake Could Be Very Popular Based On Previous Sales Numbers
It isn’t too much of a stretch to thinkaTwilight Princessre-release could be a big hit for Nintendo. According to theNintendo Wiki,Twilight Princessis the third best-sellingZeldagame. Were aTwilight Princessremake to perform well again, Nintendo may be more likely to consider adding back in some elements from the game in a future installment that are currently missing from the series.
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I don’t think it’s unreasonable to say that sales numbers influence the direction of theZeldaseries.Skyward Swordhad one of the worst-performing initial releases for a 3DZeldatitle, which led to the complete reimagining of the series inBreath of the Wild. In contrast,Breath of the Wildsold incredibly well, leading to the series staying the course withTears of the Kingdom. Although the firstTwilight Princessremake is one of the worst-selling games in the series, I don’t think a newer version would have the same issue.
The Previous Twilight Princess Remake Was On An Unpopular Console
The Wii U Sabotaged The Last Twilight Princess Remake
Twilight Princess HDwas originally released on the Wii U, which is the worst-selling Nintendo console, according toNintendo’s own metrics. Looking at the number of consoles sold and software sold, the Nintendo Switch has over 10 times the sales of the Wii U in both categories. Not only did far fewer players own a Wii U than own a Switch, butTwilight Princess HDcame out right near the end of the Wii U’s lifecycle. At that point, nobody was going to get the console to play the game with a new Nintendo console on the horizon.
This also means that finding copies ofTwilight Princess HDhas become difficult. Because fewer players bought it originally, there are far fewer in circulation, which has driven the price of the game way up. Trying to snag a copy online will cost players around $200, which also comes with the risks of buying a game secondhand. A remake ofTwilight Princesson the Switch would make it much more accessible. Even if I’m wrong about it being one of the bestZeldagames, I still thinkTheLegendof Zeldafans deserve to playTwilight Princessand decide for themselves.
Sources:Nintendo Wiki,Nintendo
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is an action-adventure title that continues the long-running Zelda saga and centers around a new Link. While handling ranch duties one day in his peaceful village, Link is attacked, and the children of Ordon are kidnapped. Link is pulled into a mysterious and dark place known as the Twilight realm during his pursuit. Finding himself inexplicably turned into a wolf; he is freed by a strange creature named Midna, who can drag the two back and forth between the realms, where he can turn from wolf to human again. Learning from Midna that Princess Zelda is being held captive by a dark sorcerer named Zant, Midna requests Link’s help restoring order to her realm, which will help him get back to his own.
