Was Twilight Princess The Breath of the Wild of 2006?

 

Was Twilight Princess The Breath of the Wild of 2006?

 

Zelda games are a big deal. But some have left a bigger splash and have been more anticipated than others. And one of the most praised and anticipated Zelda games of all time is the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. But, there was another Zelda game that was just as anticipated and received similarly high praise. If you say the title then you know I'm talking about... Twilight Princess! So join me, as I take a look at the possibility of Twilight Princess being the Breath of the Wild of 2006. 

Games Before It and Fan Demand

Let's start our journey with the games that came before Twilight Princess and Breath of the Wild. Let's start with the Wind Waker. Oh, poor, poor wind waker. You see, back in spaceworld 2000 Nintendo was getting everyone hyped for there brand new system, the GameCube! One of the things shown was a realistic, (well, for 2000.) darker looking Zelda game and fans were pumped! Nintendo's competitors were also marketing stuff that looked "cooler" then Nintendo like Halo and final fantasy. So, fast forward a year and fans who were eagerly anticipating and craving a more mature Zelda game like Oceania of Time...gasped in horror! Not only was this not a realistic Zelda game, it was a vary cartoony Zelda game, and while it is now considered one of the best Zelda game nowadays, and the critics absolutely adored wind waker.... fans opinions at the time were a bit different!

 There was even a fan petition. 

Dear Miyamoto-san,

We the fans of Zelda plead to you to realize that not all Zelda fans are kids, nor do we all enjoy your new animated/anime designs. Seeing as you have shown both a mature and a cartoon graphical Zelda, we ask that both be made and released worldwide.

The people who have signed this petition are not nessicarily saying that they are not looking forward to the cartoon graphical Zelda game, but we would appreciate a Zelda game resembling the Spaceworld 2000 demo.  

It got 11,680 signatures!

Clearly what fans thought would be the best Zelda ever would be a Zelda game that they could brag to their Xbox Halo loving friends with it being epic, more realistic and being more like Oceania of Time in feel and scope. And above all, a more realistic and mature Zelda. And they sent the message loud and clear!

Now, Let's take a look that didn't quite meet the level of criticism as wind waker, and was also adored by critics. Ing's even went so far as to say in they're opening line,  

 “The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is the greatest Zelda game ever created.”  

While some Zelda fans totally agreed, others didn't see it so highly. There were two main criticisms for Skyward sward. The first, and quite possibly the biggest, is the motion controls. The game has you constantly using the motion controls to battle enemies, solve puzzles and pretty much everything else. The other complaint was that it was far too linear and had you backtrack a lot. What was missing for many was the feeling that you were organically exploring and discovering the game's world.

Clearly what fans now thought would be the best Zelda ever would be to have a more open Zelda game, where you were free to explore and roam hyrule fields once more. Oh yeah, and not relying so heavily on motion controls.
        Thankfully for both the fans of 2006 and 2011 after some waiting they both got the Zelda's they were dreaming of. And boy, when that twilight princess dropped, fans sure were excited!

Critic and Fan Reactions Upon Release

 

 Let's start with the more recent Breath of the Wild. When Breath of the Wild was finally released, everybody (including myself) were going crazy for the game!  This time it wasn't just the critics who loved the game, Everyone was saying that it was not only the best Zelda game of all time, but the best game of all time!  And you don't have to take my word for it,

 VGames

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is nothing short of a masterpiece. The changes made to this game make it both brand new and familiar. The world the game brings us to is vast, beautiful and breathtaking and the soundtrack and sound design are absolutely phenomenal. 

CD-action

I was truly shocked by how good Breath of the Wild is. Nintendo decided to wade into the sandbox games genre dominated by western developers and the result is an open world which outrivals all Assassin’s Creeds, Skyrims, The Witchers and Just Causes combined and offers unprecedented degree of interaction. Simply put, Breath of the Wild is the unbelievable new standard for open world games. 

NF magazine

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is one of those rare games. It's an Ocarina of Time-level game. It is a Super Mario Galaxy-level game. This is a game that we're going to be talking about for decades to come.

ING

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a masterclass in open-world design and a watershed game that reinvents a 30-year-old franchise. It presents a wonderful sandbox full of mystery, dangling dozens upon dozens of tantalizing things in front of you that just beg to be explored.

Now, let's switch gears to Twilight Princess. As you could tell by fans reactions, people were vary excited for this game. Ever since it was teased, everyone was counting down till the day they could finally play this new Zelda game. As Ign said before it came out,

This is the big one. The new Legend of Zelda, billed as the spiritual successor to the N64 masterpiece Ocarina of Time, is far and away the most anticipated game of 2005 across every platform.

Now, let's get into the critic and fan reaction upon release and see how similar they are to Breath of the Wild's critical acclaim.


IGN

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is, in my opinion, the greatest Zelda game ever created and one of the best launch titles in the history of launch titles -- second only, perhaps, to the at-the-time ground-breaking Super Mario 64. It is also one of the finest games I have ever played.

GamesRadar

One of the most stirring, rewarding gaming experiences in history. 

 1UP

Truly fantastic. It's not a reinvention of the genre like Ocarina was -- but it's much better, because it takes all its predecessors' raw ideas, perfects them, and creates an experience that's at once new and familiar. It's rare to find a launch game that truly justifies the purchase of a new console, but this is precisely that. 

NextLevel Gaming

Without a doubt the best Zelda title ever. 

     GameInformer

As monumental as each entry has been, nothing, and I repeat, nothing can prepare you for the adventure that unfolds in Twilight Princess. The debate that has waged for decades over which Zelda game should stand as the series’ best will at long last come to a satisfying conclusion, as this is unquestionably the greatest Zelda yet. 

Now, there are other similarities, like how they were both launch titles of big consoles and released on the last console as well. But the critic reviews really sound familiar. I bet if I mixed them up we wouldn't be able to tell which Zelda they were for! And at the end of the day, these are two, while not perfect, and despite the fact that twilight princess may not have aged the best, these are two fantastic games. Thanks for taking a look!