Uploaded May 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Is Twilight Princess really just a copy of “Ocarina of Time”? Or is there more to this fan-favorite Zelda game?
In this retrospective and review, NintendoUp! revisits and ranks Twilight Princess HD in comparison to the other 3D Zelda games. We’ll explore everything from the game's darker story, Link’s transformation into Wolf Link, the incredible dungeon design, Midna's unforgettable role, and how the HD remaster improves the experience.
Whether you're a longtime Zelda fan or ready to discover Twilight Princess for the first time, this video will show why it remains one of the most emotional and ambitious entries in the entire Zelda franchise.
This is the second episode of our "Best Zelda Games" series, with three more videos on the way. Don’t forget to subscribe and hit the bell so you’ll be notified when new episodes drop.
Watch the first episode, “Skyward Sword: The Last Great Zelda Game?” here: youtube.com/watch?v=1ItWSD01Oqs
Time Stamps:
0:00 Intro
0:21 Overview
0:56 Wii U Version Differences
2:29 Story
4:05 The Game World
6:49 Music
7:55 Graphics
9:51 Dungeons
11:00 Conclusion
Games featured in this video:
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD for Nintendo Wii U
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess for Wii and GameCube
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword for Wii and Nintendo Switch
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker for Wii U and GameCube
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
#twilightprincess #zelda #nintendo #LegendofZelda #retrogaming
Twilight Princess Retrospective Review
Transcript:
Welcome back to NintendoUp’s series of the five best Legend of Zelda games. Previously, we covered The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, which came in at number 5. If you haven’t watched that video, you should do so first.
Without further ado, let’s get right into the next game in the series: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD.
Overview
A decidedly darker Zelda game, Twilight Princess took Zelda into a grittier realm while retaining the series’ charm. With the introduction of Wolf Link, players could experience a transformation mechanic akin to Majora’s Mask’s Goron, Zora, and Deku forms, that added some depth to exploration and combat.
The game boasts some of the best dungeons in the series, such as the atmospheric Snowpeak Ruins. Midna, the best companion in series history, provided a deeper emotional connection than prior games, making the story one of the strongest in Zelda canon.
Wii U Version Differences
Unlike some other remakes or ports of past Zelda games, Twilight Princess HD is the definitive way to play the game. There’s really no reason, in my opinion, to go back and play the GameCube or Wii versions. This is a simple high definition port with some minor but welcome improvements.
First of all, the graphics are slightly improved, with the biggest difference being the game runs at 1080p HD instead of standard definition. The textures and lighting are better, along with the character models and environmental detail.
Although the Wii version had motion controls for sword combat, they were rather weak compared to its sequel Skyward Sword. For that reason, it was better to play Twilight Princess with button controls on the GameCube or Wii U, and the Wii U version had the GamePad for off-screen inventory and map management with its touch screen.
In terms of new additions, first there was Hero Mode—or a higher difficulty setting—in which enemies dealt double damage with no heart drops. There was also amiibo support for refilling items and unlocking the Cave of Shadows mini-dungeon, which was an exclusive Wii U area where players could fight off waves of enemies as Wolf Link. To unlock it, you’d need to use the Wolf Link amiibo. Although the rewards for completing the Cave of Shadows weren’t super compelling, it was still fun to have something new to do.
There were also other minor quality of life improvements, including faster loading times for opening chests or transforming into Wolf Link. And, since the Wii U GamePad had a gyroscope, aiming your bow was actually better than on the Wii.
Story
The story of this game is up there with the very best the series has to offer. It starts off a bit slow, but it picks up around when Midna (Link’s impish companion) is introduced.
Basically, Link has to save Hyrule from the dark influence of the Twilight Realm, a mysterious dimension that corrupts the region after seeping into the world. This dimension is where Midna came from, along with one of the main villains, Zant.
After the long prologue which introduces the characters, Link is pulled into a dark portal, transforming into a wolf…for some reason. Imprisoned in Hyrule Castle, it’s there where Link meets Midna, who frees Link and proceeds to ride on his back and complain for the entirety of the time he’s in wolf form.
Midna promises to help Link save Princess Zelda, who has been imprisoned by Zant, provided that Link does what she wants.
Is Twilight Princess really just a copy of “Ocarina of Time”? Or is there more to this fan-favorite Zelda game?
In this retrospective and review, NintendoUp! revisits and ranks Twilight Princess HD in comparison to the other 3D Zelda games. We’ll explore everything from the game's darker story, Link’s transformation into Wolf Link, the incredible dungeon design, Midna's unforgettable role, and how the HD remaster improves the experience.
Whether you're a longtime Zelda fan or ready to discover Twilight Princess for the first time, this video will show why it remains one of the most emotional and ambitious entries in the entire Zelda franchise.
This is the second episode of our "Best Zelda Games" series, with three more videos on the way. Don’t forget to subscribe and hit the bell so you’ll be notified when new episodes drop.
Watch the first episode, “Skyward Sword: The Last Great Zelda Game?” here: youtube.com/watch?v=1ItWSD01Oqs
Time Stamps:
0:00 Intro
0:21 Overview
0:56 Wii U Version Differences
2:29 Story
4:05 The Game World
6:49 Music
7:55 Graphics
9:51 Dungeons
11:00 Conclusion
Games featured in this video:
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD for Nintendo Wii U
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess for Wii and GameCube
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword for Wii and Nintendo Switch
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker for Wii U and GameCube
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
#twilightprincess #zelda #nintendo #LegendofZelda #retrogaming
Twilight Princess Retrospective Review
Transcript:
Welcome back to NintendoUp’s series of the five best Legend of Zelda games. Previously, we covered The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, which came in at number 5. If you haven’t watched that video, you should do so first.
Without further ado, let’s get right into the next game in the series: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD.
Overview
A decidedly darker Zelda game, Twilight Princess took Zelda into a grittier realm while retaining the series’ charm. With the introduction of Wolf Link, players could experience a transformation mechanic akin to Majora’s Mask’s Goron, Zora, and Deku forms, that added some depth to exploration and combat.
The game boasts some of the best dungeons in the series, such as the atmospheric Snowpeak Ruins. Midna, the best companion in series history, provided a deeper emotional connection than prior games, making the story one of the strongest in Zelda canon.
Wii U Version Differences
Unlike some other remakes or ports of past Zelda games, Twilight Princess HD is the definitive way to play the game. There’s really no reason, in my opinion, to go back and play the GameCube or Wii versions. This is a simple high definition port with some minor but welcome improvements.
First of all, the graphics are slightly improved, with the biggest difference being the game runs at 1080p HD instead of standard definition. The textures and lighting are better, along with the character models and environmental detail.
Although the Wii version had motion controls for sword combat, they were rather weak compared to its sequel Skyward Sword. For that reason, it was better to play Twilight Princess with button controls on the GameCube or Wii U, and the Wii U version had the GamePad for off-screen inventory and map management with its touch screen.
In terms of new additions, first there was Hero Mode—or a higher difficulty setting—in which enemies dealt double damage with no heart drops. There was also amiibo support for refilling items and unlocking the Cave of Shadows mini-dungeon, which was an exclusive Wii U area where players could fight off waves of enemies as Wolf Link. To unlock it, you’d need to use the Wolf Link amiibo. Although the rewards for completing the Cave of Shadows weren’t super compelling, it was still fun to have something new to do.
There were also other minor quality of life improvements, including faster loading times for opening chests or transforming into Wolf Link. And, since the Wii U GamePad had a gyroscope, aiming your bow was actually better than on the Wii.
Story
The story of this game is up there with the very best the series has to offer. It starts off a bit slow, but it picks up around when Midna (Link’s impish companion) is introduced.
Basically, Link has to save Hyrule from the dark influence of the Twilight Realm, a mysterious dimension that corrupts the region after seeping into the world. This dimension is where Midna came from, along with one of the main villains, Zant.
After the long prologue which introduces the characters, Link is pulled into a dark portal, transforming into a wolf…for some reason. Imprisoned in Hyrule Castle, it’s there where Link meets Midna, who frees Link and proceeds to ride on his back and complain for the entirety of the time he’s in wolf form.
Midna promises to help Link save Princess Zelda, who has been imprisoned by Zant, provided that Link does what she wants.
