The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is easily the most anticipated GameCube game of the year, and E3 2005 was a treasure trove of new information about the game. We learned a great deal simply by playing the game for the first time, and a new trailer showed off new areas and new gameplay features that still haven't been shown in playable form. During a developer roundtable event in Hollywood, the creators of the game went into great depth to explain the game's development and what strange new things await. Participating in the event were Eiji Aonuma, the game's director, Shigeru Miyamoto, the game's producer, and Koji Kondo, the game's sound producer.

The Development Process

According to Aonuma, fan reactions to Wind Waker were about evenly split. The decision to make Twilight Princess a more realistic game in the style of Ocarina of Time was partly based on that reaction, but also on the game's focus on an adult Link and his more serious story. The realistic graphics have also prompted the development team to look for more realistic ways for Link to interact with his environment and with the player.

About a year ago, when Twilight Princess was first shown to the public at E3 2004, Miyamoto took a hard look at the project and "turned it upside-down", as Aonuma put it. The creator of the series was unhappy with various parts of the game, particularly the character animation, which he thought looked stiff and doll-like. Additionally, he was and is still concerned about how the player interacts with Link, saying that great improvements have been made but that there is still more to do.

Regarding the scope of the game, Aonuma wants the player to feel that Hyrule is a huge world that cannot easily be crossed on foot (thus the prominent role of the horse). The director is also responding aggressively to complaints that his previous Zelda games (Majora's Mask and Wind Waker) did not offer enough dungeons. Twilight Princess will surpass Ocarina of Time in both the content and the number of dungeons included, he says. And yes, the new game is still scheduled for release this year.

The Story (skip this part if you want to avoid spoilers)

As we've seen in screenshots and the E3 demo, Twilight Princess begins in Toaru Village, with Link starting his adventure as a lowly ranch hand. "Cowboy Link", as Aonuma calls him, is actually more of a shepherd. The decision to approach the character this way establishes Link as a skilled horseman, which ties directly into the expanded role of the horse throughout the rest of the game. By the way, the horse can be named whatever you like, although the default name was "Epona" at E3.

Twilight Princess takes place a few decades after Ocarina of Time, which would be some time before the events of Wind Waker. This is a brand new Link, of course; Nintendo has stated in the past that the character is like a mantle passed down among many different individuals over time. Link's adventure begins when he offers to help a young boy named Colin find his sister Ilia, who has gone into the woods near the village. Link stumbles upon an entrance into the Twilight within the forest, and his quest really takes off from there.

The Wolf and the Twilight

The game's overall theme deals with animals. You already know that the horse is back and plays a big part in the game, but there's much more. As seen in the new trailer, Link sometimes transforms into a wolf. This form allows him to learn how to communicate with other animals to unravel the story and solve puzzles. He also has heightened senses that let him detect the ghost enemies seen in the trailer, among other things. Link's wolf form is not necessarily a voluntary condition, though…

Remember how Link turned into a rabbit when he first entered the Dark World in A Link to the Past? The same thing happens when this new Link enters the Twilight. But unlike the Dark World, it seems that the Twilight is not a parallel universe existing separately from Hyrule. It's more like a plague slowly taking over the world. That tall, robed figure in the trailer is Princess Zelda, whose clothing is patterned after a kind of Japanese funeral robe. She is mourning because Hyrule is being destroyed by the Twilight, and there's nothing she can do about it. Aonuma also hinted that Zelda is somehow connected to Link's transformation.

The Twilight is presented in a striking combination of black-and-white environments and cel-shaded character designs (fret not Wind Waker haters, there’s nothing cartoony here). The strange female character is Midna, a resident of the Twilight who helps Link (stuck in his wolf form) but also has her own agenda. She uses her long, colorful hair to attack along with wolf Link. The portals seen in the trailer are used by enemies; as Link defeats those enemies, he will have access to the portals for quick transportation around the game world.

Orchestral Zelda

You may have noticed that the trailer uses fully orchestrated music. The composer, Koji Kondo, says this is his first time working with a full orchestra, and it is the first time an orchestra has been used for any Zelda game. The entire game soundtrack won't be orchestrated, but more music for cinema scenes and other key moments are being arranged for the orchestral treatment.

Kondo is also overseeing the sound effects in his role as sound producer. He confirmed that Twilight Princess will run in Dolby Pro Logic II, as did Wind Waker. He also mentioned that the changes in graphics and gameplay are affecting the game's sound design as well. All of these elements will work together, said Miyamoto, to make you feel like you are there, you are Link, you are the hero, you are cool.

Last updated: 03/29/2005 by Karl Castaneda

The Zelda series has always been known for its complex story, rich and vibrant settings, and for the open-ended exploration. However, although it has been by no means unsatisfactory, combat has never been given full focus by the folks at Nintendo. Things are set to change, though, as can be perfectly illustrated by the new trailer shown during Satoru Iwata's Keynote Speech at the Game Developer's Conference.

The most impressive addition to the combat is, of course, fighting on horseback. Whereas the E3 2004 video only showed swordplay, new information confirms that almost all facets of warfare can be handled while riding your horse (as well as a wild boar, as new screenshots indicate). During a particular scene, Link juggles a few winged foes with his fire arrows, showcasing brilliant explosion effects and slick animation.

However, that’s not all, as the trailer greatly exemplifies the importance of fighting with various other sparring scenarios, from taking down armored lizard-like enemies to battling the game’s new ghosts to vanquishing a pack of ankle-high monsters more akin to Resident Evil than Miyamoto’s creations.

From the looks of it, counter-attacks may be more vital to victory this time around. In Wind Waker, Link was able to parry his opponent’s movements by use of the A button during specific openings in his enemy’s fighting style. In this new game, though, there are multiple times where Link will put up his shield towards his adversary, followed by quickly destroying the poor sap while he’s still recovering from the recoil.

For fans out there that might be worried that the serene world of Zelda might be compromised for a combat-heavy blood-fest, take comfort in knowing that this new iteration will still feature what we all love about the franchise. Traversing through the world will still retain the series’ renowned reputation. From diving underwater and taking notice of the vibrant aquatic setting to exploring a lush and beautiful forest with large woodland creatures, Link’s still got a soft spot for his classic style of adventuring.

Closing up the video is an ominous shot of a white wolf howling at an obscenely large moon. Seeing as how the Japanese culture has always idolized the wolf and judging by how the sequence ended the trailer, you can bet that this wolf is important. Whether it’s a boss, a deity of some sort, or even your guide, this is a significant scene.

All told, this new Zelda seeks to combine a gratifying combat style with its legendary (pardon the pun) exploration gameplay and I couldn’t be more excited about it. While the new trailer and batch of screenshots hasn’t answered many of our questions, it sure has gotten all of us pumped up for E3, where the game is scheduled to be playable. This title has a truly epic feel, and rightly so, as it should be a truly epic experience.

Last updated: 05/14/2004 by Jonathan Metts

In a developer roundtable during E3, Miyamoto-san and Aonuma-san discussed the development of their biggest E3 surprise, a realistic new Zelda game. Few details were given, as the creators were reluctant to talk about the game much, but there were some interesting comments, and we know you need every bit of info there is for this game.

Miyamoto began the presentation by explaining why the game has gone back to Ocarina of Time-style graphics. He said that cel-shading was used in Wind Waker in order to best convey the story of Link as a young boy, and also to create a unique world for GameCube. But they knew that the next game should feature an older, teenage Link, so they had to consider the best style for such a game. After trying out several character models, they decided that using OoT-style graphics was the best way to present an older Link. However, Aonuma-san has not been lying when referring to this game as "Wind Waker 2". The story may not follow the last game, but the new Zelda game is actually running on the Wind Waker engine. As indicated in the video shown here at E3, Link is a teenager in the new game, and Miyamoto-san suggested that the hero will be that age for most or all of the story, unlike in OoT where he was young for the first half of the game. Now that Link is grown up, the creators are looking at ways to explore his character development in more subtle ways that are appropriate for him as young man.

Very little was said about the gameplay, but one of the big new features is Link's ability to swordfight on horseback. This was a feature they had wanted to include back on the N64 games, but it was not possible at the time. A direct consequence of this new fighting mechanic is that Link will be able to fight large groups of enemies; the video shows him plowing into a pack of enemy soldiers, with more marching over the horizon. Miyamoto-san also said he was tired of the same old gameplay ideas that are used in every Zelda game, and he wants to try some new things with this game, possibly in the kinds of puzzles Link must solve. There is a strong theme in the game (like time in OoT or wind in Wind Waker), but Aonuma-san does not want to reveal it until the game can be shown in a more complete form. The development team is considering how an older Link might benefit from some changes to the control scheme, just as the simplified controls were used in Wind Waker. Questions about a stronger story were deflected, but Miyamoto-san said he does not want Link to be talking very much, and he joked that maybe they would record his own voice for Link if the character ever did talk.

The new Zelda game is deep enough in development to be playable on the GameCube, and in fact, the video we have seen was cut from someone at NOA actually playing the game. However, we were told to expect the game in 2005, and Nintendo suggested that the game will be playable at next year's E3, making an early spring release unlikely.

Last updated: 05/11/2004

While little information is known about the newest Zelda game to be announced for the GameCube, the short trailer shown in the final moments of the Nintendo press conference was an absolute show stopper. The footage featured top of the line graphics showcasing the signature sprawling grasslands and deep forests of the Zelda franchise in exquisite detail. Of course, all is not well as darkness spreads across the land. Enter our hero, Link, racing across the fields on the back of his trusty steed.

No definite clues were shown to shed light on the story, or even the setting, but there will certainly be plenty of action. Link is shown fighting a number of enemies using classic moves such as the jumping attack, the spin attack and shooting arrows. Link can also use his shield as always, fending off sword blows and holding tight against a volley of flaming arrows from multiple surrounding enemies. It seems that Link will be facing a more cohesive force than ever before as in one telling section an inhuman army menacingly appears over a hilltop. This shouldn't be any problem for Link, who's all grown up and sporting the older look from Ocarina of Time. The fans asked for a realistic Zelda, and Nintendo is delivering in a big way.