The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (ゼルダの伝説 トワイライトプリンセス, Zeruda no Densetsu Towairaito Purinsesu) is an action-adventure game developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development, and published by Nintendo for the GameCube and Wii video game consoles. It is the thirteenth installment in The Legend of Zelda series. Originally planned for release in November 2005, Twilight Princess was delayed by Nintendo to allow its developers to refine the game and add more content. The Wii version was released alongside the Wii console on November 19, 2006, in North America, and in December 2006 in Japan, Europe, and Australia. This made Twilight Princess the first Zelda game released at the launch of a Nintendo console. The GameCube version was released in December 2006, and was the last Nintendo-published 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 forms of both a human and a wolf, and is assisted by a mysterious creature named Midna. The game takes place approximately 100 years after Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask.
Twilight Princess is the first game in The Legend of Zelda series to receive a T (Teen) rating from the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), which cited fantasy violence and animated blood as reasons for the more mature rating. Twilight Princess is considered by some critics to be the greatest Zelda game ever made, and won many Game of the Year awards.
Plot
The story begins with Link, working as a ranch hand in Ordon Village. One day, the village is attacked by monsters, who carry off the village’s children. Link pursues the attackers, but encounters a wall of twilight. A shadow beast pulls him beyond the wall, where he is transformed into a wolf and imprisoned.
He is later freed by a twilight creature named Midna, who guides Link to Princess Zelda. She explains that Zant, the usurper king of the Twili, has defeated the Light Spirits and conquered Hyrule. In order to restore Hyrule, Link must first restore the Light Spirits by entering the twilight-covered areas and, as a wolf, recover the Light Spirit. As he restores them, the Light Spirits return Link to human form, and he also helps Midna retrieve the Fused Shadows, relics that contain powerful magic, and Midna helps Link find Ordon Village’s children.
After Link restores the Light Spirits and Midna has the Fused Shadows, Zant attacks them; he takes the Fused Shadows, turns Link back into a wolf, and mortally wounds Midna. Link then brings Midna to Zelda. Zelda tells Link that he needs the Master Sword to be restored to human form, then heals Midna before vanishing mysteriously. After Link is returned to human form, Midna leads him to the Mirror of Twilight, the only known gateway between the Twilight Realm and Hyrule.
Once Link and Midna reach the Mirror of Twilight, they discover that Zant has broken it. The sages there explain that Zant tried to destroy it, but he was only able to shatter it into fragments; only the true ruler of the Twili can completely destroy the Mirror of Twilight. They also tell them that a century ago, they used it to send a bandit with great power named Ganondorf to the Twilight Realm.
Link and Midna set out to retrieve the missing shards of the Mirror. They use the repaired mirror to open a portal to the Twilight Realm. Before they enter, Midna and the sages tell Link that Midna is the true ruler of the Twili; Zant changed her into an imp after he usurped her. In the Twilight Realm, Zant informs Link and Midna that his god, Ganondorf, granted him great power, on the condition that he use it to conquer Hyrule. After Link defeats Zant, Midna recovers the Fused Shadows and uses them to defeat Zant.
Back in Hyrule, Link and Midna find Ganondorf in Hyrule Castle, with Zelda suspended above his head. After Link defeats Ganondorf, he and Midna help Zelda to her feet. Ganondorf then revives, and Midna teleports Link and Zelda outside the castle so she can finish off Ganondorf. Link and Zelda watch as the castle is obliterated. Moments later, Ganondorf appears before them on a horse, grasping Midna’s helmet. Link mounts his own horse with Zelda and continues the battle. Eventually, Ganondorf is knocked off his horse, and he battles Link on foot. Finally, Link strikes down Ganondorf and plunges his sword into Ganondorf’s chest, defeating him. The Light Spirits are then seen reviving Midna, who is restored to her true form after Ganondorf’s death. After a tearful goodbye, Midna uses the Mirror of Twilight to return home. As she goes through the portal, she destroys the Mirror, severing the last known link between Hyrule and the Twilight Realm.
(Source: Wikipedia)
