Well, I think I've kept some of you waiting long enough for this. ^__^ (I know one or two were interested in seeing my in-depth thoughts on this game)
To be honest, I find it quite fantastic for a collaboration spin-off. (Said type being something Shigeru Miyamoto recently stated there will be more of to help pad the wait between the main major installments)
As per usual, I'll start off with the visuals.
Honestly, I think the different levels/battlefields...whatever you wish to call them...have pretty good aesthetic to them. I think so for both the original stuff from this game (such as its incarnation of Hyrule Field/Castle, the Valley of Seers, Temple of Souls, etc.) as well as the maps that came from previous Zelda entries. Granted, those had to be rearranged a bit to accommodate the Keep System, so they're not completely accurate to their original incarnations in terms of layout...but that's not really a bad thing.
Seeing different boss monsters in HD was a treat. Particularly in cases like Gohma (in what is probably the most accurate translation of the original Gohma from LoZ into 3D) or even Manhandla.
Manhandla, I was especially pleased to see. Manhandla has never left the top-down 2D Zeldas (specifically the original Legend of Zelda, Oracle of Seasons, and Four Swords Adventures). So this isn't just an HD debut. This is Manhandla's 3D debut...and it's awesome. ^___^
The character designs were also top-notch. Again, I'm including both the familiar characters from the main franchise as well as the original characters introduced in this game (Lana, Cia, etc.), whom I think definitely could fit in the Zeldaverse proper.
I like how Eiji Aonuma put this next point. While he said this fits into no part of the main Zelda timeline, he says to think of it as similar to the Avengers. That's actually a good analogy since a big part of the game is assembling a group of heroes (many of whom are from different time periods) to save the worlds from the game's main threat.
Speaking of which, I think it's time for me to give my thoughts on the story. Spoiler tag time. :) (Don't open unless you've played through the game's story mode or you just don't care about spoilers)
Story: I honestly think this was a very fitting narrative for a Zelda title, even as a spin-off crossover.
We of course start off with the Prologue scenarios.
It opens with Zelda having a nightmare that has both her and Impa thinking there are troubling times ahead for Hyrule.
While visiting the training barracks of Hyrule Castle, she sees a particularly talented recruit that seems to be different from the others. Thus we have our introduction to this game's incarnation of Link However, her attention is quickly directed to a massive army of monsters approaching the castle. Zelda personally leads the defense of her castle (a move I found to be highly awesome). Link impresses Impa by felling dark forces quite easily despite being a fresh recruit with the Hylian soldiers. He then rescues a fairy (the OOT style ball of light with wings) by the name of Proxi (very subtle, developers. XD) who acts as his voice from that point forward.
After a confrontation with one of main antagonist Cia's generals, the Dragon Knight known as Volga, Link is revealed as the reincarnation of the Legendary Hero through possession of the Triforce of Courage, which discourages Volga into fleeing. After this and acquiring bombs following helping out a Goron Captain against a Lizalfos (the bombs which you immediately get to test out as the enemies seal the mine entrance containing the chest), Link is able to destroy the boulders blocking the way to the area Zelda herself is defending. Zelda even recognizes Link as the promising trainee she observed in the castle courtyard just before the invasion began.
After at least two key keeps are captured by Hyrulean Forces, Zelda gets the idea to summon the Great Fairy to help turn the tide. After both her and Link do so, the Great Fairy pretty much bombs the whole battlefield to decimate the enemy forces (where was that power in the main series? XD), raising the morale of Zelda's forces.
In response, Wizzro (another general of Cia's and known at this point as the 'Dark Wizard') summons King Dod*ngo (I swear, this censor filter is so stupid. .___.) to turn the tides in the enemy's favor by destroying allied keeps and heading for Hyrule Castle.
Anyone who's played Zelda knows what to do. Wait for him to take in a big breath before tossing the newly acquired bombs into his mouth and then strike away.
After dealing with King Dod*ngo, it's revealed that it was just a distraction for the dark wizard to take command of Hyrule Castle when all the attention was focused on King Dod*ngo. Following this, Zelda has disappeared and Impa recruits Link to help search for her, granting him the green tunic we've all come to know as his trademark attire (along with a fancy blue scarf) to symbolize his worthiness as the legendary hero.
From this point on, Impa becomes a playable character. (and is even the recommended character for the next level)
In the next chapter, we head to the Eldin Caves as Link and Impa begin their search for Zelda after hearing a rumor about a young woman leading a group of Hylian Soldiers against the dark forces in Faron Woods. Taking a shortcut through the caverns, Impa (the recommended character for this chapter) and Link come across an obstacle in the form of a stone spire blocking their way. Apparently, conventional means are useless and the only way to destroy this obstacle is to use a Bombchu.
Now anyone who's played Ocarina of Time/Majora's Mask knows what a Bombchu is...but here, they are much bigger and pack a much bigger punch. (which is to your disadvantage when you're defending against enemy Bombchus in adventure mode) Though allied Bombchus are essentially escort missions. You have to protect them until they reach their destination.
After finding themselves surrounded by enemy forces, a female Sheikah Warrior by the name of Sheik comes to their rescue by dispatching the enemies before reassuring them that Zelda is safe and they'll see her later in their quest. Impa, though, is suspicious as her Sheikah tribe has nobody that goes by the name 'Sheik.' (Once again, those who've played OOT or just know about Sheik will know where this is headed)
After Link defeats the 'Spirit of the Cave' (actually a Big Poe in the OOT style of the enemy) and escorts two more Bombchus while holding off Wizzro, the group finally make it to the exit of the caves.
This is also where Link acquires the Fire Rod.
Now in Faron Woods, Link, Impa, and new ally, Sheik, find a village in the forest under attack by Dark Forces. True to the rumors, they do find a young woman leading Hyrulean soldiers against the enemy. This woman identifies herself as Lana, a sorceress from the same clan as Cia who promises to disclose the latter's plans once they've secured the village.
Wizzro attempts to stem things by summoning Deku Babas to the field, which are dealt with after finding a chest containing a bow and arrow subweapon (No other weapon works). When that doesn't work and the allied forces retreat to the Great Deku Tree, Wizzro then summons Gibdos. When those are defeated, he sets the Great Deku Tree on fire.
Proxi senses a Great Fairy in the area and after making it to the fountain, said Great Fairy uses her power to make it rain hard, putting out the flames. Pushed to his limit, Wizzro retreats and summons Gohma to wipe out the allied forces instead.
Funny thing being that this Gohma is dealt with in a manner reminiscent of the original appearance in the first Zelda. Shooting its eyes with arrows (Four Sword Adventures also handled its Gohmas this way). Though in this game, that's only to stun it and leave it vulnerable to damage.
With that done, the search for Zelda continues as Lana joins the party. She reveals to them that it was Cia who opened the Gate of Souls to summon monsters to invade Hyrule. The four (Link, Impa, Sheik, and Lana) march on to the Valley of Seers with an army of Hyrulean Soldiers to close the gate and stop the flow of monsters pouring out from it.
With Lana as this chapter's prime character, you get to have some fun with her Book of Sorcery and her rather endearing personality (she's just so happy). As Cia continues summoning dark forces, the first objective is to gain a foothold by capturing a couple of enemy keeps.
After repelling Volga (who challenges Impa at a point in the chapter) and capturing the keeps, the main entrance is blocked by vines. This forces the allied forces to escort an engineer to a bridge on the east side to lower it so they can gain access to the enemy base. After the bridge is lowered, Cia dispatches summoners (a special class of enemy that can summon numerous reinforcements) to halt the allied forces' advance. And as it turns out, more vines block the way to Cia. After finding a treasure chest containing the Boomerang, the vines become a non-issue.
The next big thing, though, is it turns out that Cia is the bearer of the Triforce of Power. When the allies get closer, she senses the remaining Triforce pieces coming from Link and Sheik. In response, she summons Manhandla in said boss's 3D debut.
Manhandla's weakness as it turns out is your freshly acquired Boomerang. Convenient. LOL
After dealing with Manhandla and making it to Cia, she shows some ingenuity in having laid out a trap that engulfs the allies and steals the remaining Triforce pieces (Courage and Wisdom) to form the complete Triforce. Using its power, Cia opens three Gates of Souls across three different timelines and frees fragments of an evil spirit contained within her. More on that point later.
Left with no other choice, our heroes split up with their own battalions of Hylian Soldiers to go through the three portals and close them simultaneously. Each going to a different era in Hyrulean history.
That closes the prologue.
Up next is the different timeline eras. I'll be going with production order in covering them.
Impa and Sheik arrive in the era of Ocarina of Time, marching up Death Mountain. When they get there, a fairy by the name of Navi (neat little reference) tells them that the once gentle Gorons and their chief, Darunia, have abducted the Zora Princess, Ruto. She also cites that Darunia changed around the time Princess Zelda arrived. Though the primary focus of the allied forces is to close the Gate of Souls, they decide to rescue Princess Ruto and find out what's going on with Princess Zelda.
The Gorons are hostile and immediately begin attacking the Hyrulean forces. Darunia is angered when he sees his fellow Gorons being attacked and joins the battle himself. After a fairly lengthy battle, we discover that Darunia is being influenced by Big Poes. Defeating them and then Darunia brings the Goron Chieftain back to his senses as he releases Princess Ruto.
He is a playable character at this point. (While Ruto is also a playable character, she can only be unlocked through Adventure Mode)
Next, they head to Lake Hylia when they learn that the Gate of Souls is located inside the Water Temple at the lake's bottom. To their shock, the monsters there (Stalchildren and Stalfos mostly with some Lizalfos and Poes in the mix) are presumably being commanded by Princess Zelda herself. This can't be right.
Joined by Princess Ruto and Darunia, the group makes their way to the frozen Zora's Domain. After ambushing some enemies inside, they walk right outside to Lake Hylia (Yeah, that definitely wasn't the case in OOT. These two places were not adjacent unless you count the underwater passage you can only reach with the Silver Scale or higher) where they assist Ruto as she's the only one who knows how to access the Water Temple.
Nope. Not Iron Boots. This time, you have to claim a certain keep on the lakeside so that Ruto can open the floodgates, which drains the water and opens a direct entrance to the temple. Quite the creative liberty they took with this map. XD
Unfortunately, the supposed Princess Zelda is commanding the Hyrulean Forces to follow her instead of fighting against her, which lowers their morale, despite Impa warning them not to fall for the words of the now obvious imposter. With the fact they were dealing with an imposter brought to light, Ruto suggests they use the Mirror of Truth (pretty much the Lens of Truth in function) to reveal the imposter's identity. However, while the Hyruleans use the main entrance, Ruto takes the underwater route and immediately tracks down the mirror. Unfortunately, the fake Zelda traps her in the room and summons monsters to attack her. While Ruto is able to hold her own for a while, the next primary objective is to capture the keeps that contain the switches that will allow the room to be reopened and help her out.
When this is accomplished, Ruto hands the Mirror of Truth to Sheik (the prime character of this chapter) before retreating.
Using it, the room containing the false Zelda and the Gate of Souls is revealed. Said fake princess then summons King Dod*ngo to use as a distraction (you can either fight it or not).
Neat note. The King Dod*ngo here uses the OOT design for the monster. The developers really thought of everything. :)
After Sheik and Impa defeat the fake Zelda, Sheik uses the mirror to reveal that it's Wizzro in disguise. He doesn't see how they could have guessed otherwise...and you all pretty much know what's coming. XD
Sheik reveals that she knew there was no way he could be Zelda....because she is Zelda herself in disguise. Like I said, anyone who knows about Sheik knows this little secret. lol
Wizzro escapes and Zelda apologizes to the overjoyed Impa for keeping her identity secret even from her before the two close the Gate of Souls in this era, cutting off the flow of monsters from the Era of the Hero of Time.
Here's my only gripe with this. I kinda would have liked it better if the Zelda imposter were a dark doppelganger like Dark Link instead of Wizzro in disguise. They could have just as easily made him its summoner. I thought that would be a neat twist for the Water Temple to just have that curse of evil duplicates.
Next, we join Lana as she makes her way to the Twilight Princess era. As she finds herself in a certain village being attacked, she hears the distress of a young girl. Specifically, the princess of the insect kingdom (likely to be more of a self-titled thing than an actual title), Agitha. After rescuing her and wondering how to navigate this land of Twilight, Agitha gives Lana a Goddess Butterfly, saying it can lead someone anywhere they want to go as long as it is asked kindly.
On their way to Cia's keep, however, the Butterfly is abducted by Midna, the Twilight Princess herself. She at first thinks it's a weapon against her troops, but after hearing from Agitha what the Goddess Butterfly can do, she fully intends to use it to track Cia, who turned her into an imp. Ouch. Poor Midna just can't escape that particular fate.
After Lana advises Agitha to go to Kakariko Village, she pursues Midna while attacking Cia's forces. Although successful in reaching Cia, the sorceress immediately flees. This angers Midna who attacks the Hyrulean forces thinking they're on Cia's side. Agitha, desperate to rescue the Goddess Butterfly, heads away from Kakariko to confront Midna. Concerned for this, Lana faces and defeats Midna herself. After the misunderstanding is cleared up (Midna even chides Lana for not saying something sooner about being an enemy of Cia), Midna joins the Hyruleans in their fight to stop Cia and close the Gate of Souls.
Midna is now playable, but Agitha needs to be unlocked in Adventure Mode.
The next battlefield is the Twilight Palace where Cia has joined forces with Zant. Lana, Agitha, and Midna's forces invade to take back the Palace and close the Gate of Souls.
After securing a couple of vital keeps alongside Agitha, Lana is called to another emergency as Zant summons Argorok to the battlefield. Argorok, however, is untouchable until the Hookshot is retrieved from a chest somewhere in the palace.
Yeah, that wasn't the weapon from TP, but it's close enough.
Although it's not that simple. Argorok starts off so high in the air that the only way to attack him is through magic circles conjured by Midna.
However, by visiting the Great Fairy, a giant chain hooks the Moon (Yes, the Majora's Mask Moon) and brings it down, slamming Argorok to a lower level.
After Argorok and then Zant are defeated, Lana and Midna are about to close the Gate of Souls when Cia comes in. After a remark from her angers Midna, the latter assaults Cia and knocks off her mask, revealing something quite big. Cia has the same face as Lana, though everything else about her is different. Just before closing the Gate of Souls in the Era of Twilight, Lana reveals to Midna that she and Cia were once the same person.
Finally, we have Link and some forces heading to the Skyward Sword era. Skyloft to be exact.
Skyloft, as it turns out, is under the combined assault of both Volga and Ghirahim. Entering a specific shrine from where a voice calls to him, Link finds the spirit of the Goddess Sword, Fi. Fi senses that he's not her master, but she still considers him as such (he is the reincarnation of said master, after all) and joins in the fight to protect Skyloft.
At some point, a Great Fairy is called in order to summon Levias with his favorite soup, which allows him to rearrange the floating landmasses to open more regions of the map previously inaccessible.
After successfully defending Skyloft from Volga and Ghirahim, the group heads to the Sealed Grounds on the surface where the Gate of Souls lies in wait.
After capturing a vital keep, a disturbing fact is revealed. You have some traitors in your midst. After dispatching the traitors and the turncoat leader in the allied base, Ghirahim proceeds to summon the Imprisoned. What follows here is a giant boss fight that's similar in function to the fights from Skyward Sword.
After attacking the Imprisoned enough, it will make a charge towards a keep you then have to capture and use the Groosenator within to counter the Imprisoned.
After defeating the Imprisoned and then Ghirahim, Link sends the latter into the Gate of Souls before he and Fi close the gate together.
With all three Gates of Souls closed, it's time to head into the next chapter. Named 'Epilogue' as a presumed book-end to the journey.
All three groups reconvene in the present era with their next plan being to retrieve the Blade of Evil's Bane (aka the Master Sword) from its resting place, seeing it as the only way to combat Cia.
Speaking of whom, Cia is angry that her plans aren't going quite as she hoped when we get another huge appearance. Ganondorf, as it turns out, was the one who corrupted Cia to begin with...using her affections for the Legendary Hero as the base. After revealing to Cia that he's been using her as a pawn this whole time (even calling her his favorite puppet), Cia pulls a fairly bada** move and subdues Ganondorf, even stopping him from getting the complete Triforce by unwittingly sending Courage and Wisdom back to Link and Zelda respectively.
After a situation of awakening sealed statues and fighting off ghost soldiers (under the control of a Dark Lana), Link gets into the temple and draws the Master Sword.
Wizzro makes the mistake of fighting the group head-on before being defeated by Link and his new weapon.
Next, the group heads to the Temple of Souls, Cia's current residence. Notable is all the statues, portraits, etc. of Link himself.
Now here's where a very strange storyline choice comes in. Link (with boastful words from Proxi) has grown arrogant from the power he commands with the Master Sword in hand. I mean, it's a very human emotion, but it's just strange for Link to grow full of himself from being worthy of wielding the legendary weapon when no previous hero exhibited this. Of course, this plotline does have its overall purpose if only for this stage.
After capturing some keeps, the way to Cia opens. When confronting her, Cia casts a spell that manifests Link's darker emotions born of his overconfidence as Dark Link. I will say that I am glad we have a proper Dark Link appearance in this game. Proxi apologizes to Link for egging him on in how invincible it felt to wield the legendary Master Sword. Yeah...oops.
After defeating it, though, it's still not over. Cia summons three more Dark Links. As the three attack and catch Link off-guard, we get a Big D*** Heroes moment where Lana comes in and repels the three with a barrier before they could harm Link. Following this, two of them attack simultaneously but are blocked by duos Darunia/Midna and Impa/Fi respectively. In this moment, Link pretty much learns the lesson you could see from that moment. His true strength is his camaraderie with his allies, not the power granted by a magical blade alone. He learns he needs to work as part of the team rather than try to handle everything himself with his new power. It's not a bad lesson, but it just felt strange here.
After the Dark Links are defeated, Ganondorf warps in, seeking the remaining Triforce pieces. Defeating him completes the level.
Now heading to the Valley of Seers to defeat Cia once and for all, it's made evident that she's becoming more and more unhinged as time passes.
After capturing some vital keeps, Link (or the playable character you're using) has to escort Zelda to the Fairy Fountain. This particular Great Fairy rains fiery death on the enemy.
Up next is Volga. After one last fight, Zelda gets through to him that he threw away his warrior's pride to become a pawn. After he's defeated, he refuses to be Cia's puppet any longer before passing on.
Cia's final gambit failed, she pours her own life energy into her magic, endangering her life in the process to Lana's dismay. She even splits herself into four copies for the stage's final fight.
After a long fight, Cia is on the ground at the very edge of her life. She questions how Lana, despite having the same affection for Link as her (they are two halves of the same person), can just accept that she can never have him because his destiny is entwined with another (Princess Zelda...like I actually have to say it, LOL). Lana replies that she can live with the fact that you sometimes can't have the one you want and believe you deserve (and we see this throughout the story as Lana is sad whenever she notices Link and Zelda growing closer). Cia smiles and tells Lana that she was always the better half before fading out of existence, entrusting her Triforce of Power to Lana.
Now this was a very tragic part to me. Leading up to this, you see that Lana does care about Cia and never wished her any harm despite knowing she had to be stopped. Lana's sadness following Cia's death was just a heartbreaking contrast to the bubbly character we had gotten to know.
So we then have the heroes from the past (Darunia, Ruto, Agitha, Midna, and Fi) returning to their respective eras before the portals completely close, and Lana wishes everyone well before she heads back to the Valley of Seers to continue Cia's original position of watching over the balance of the Triforce.
All's well that ends well, right?
Nope. They did a good job of fooling you into thinking the 'Epilogue' was exactly that....but in a twist, it's not over yet. Ganondorf hasn't been dealt with.
With all of his soul fragments reunited (the last one was held prisoner by the Master Sword in its pedestal), Ganondorf reforms himself with all of his power now intact in Gerudo Desert before summoning Zant and Ghirahim to his side, promising them that they will perish all over again unless they serve him to which they instantly comply.
In the "Ganondorf" scenario, you play as said villain in a new POV (I really like games with alternate perspective scenarios, so this pleasantly surprised me.) in his ascension to the new and final primary antagonist of the game.
Starting off in Gerudo Desert, Ganondorf, Zant, and Ghirahim essentially wipe out the remainder of the monsters summoned by Cia (having since fled to the desert following their master's defeat) while recruiting evil forces of their own to command.
Neat little tidbit. Ghirahim remarks at one point that Ganondorf's power and ruthlessness reminds him of his own master, Demise. Fitting, seeing as Ganondorf is a reincarnation of Demise's hatred that the latter cast as a curse against the descendants of the Link and Zelda of his era.
After this, Ganondorf and his two commanders march to the Valley of Seers to steal the Triforce of Power that resides in Lana. Although the Hyrulean Forces arrive on time to give Ganondorf's forces some trouble, they're ultimately unable to keep him away from Lana.
Although Impa arrives to stall Ganondorf, Ganondorf defeats her and forces her to retreat before focusing back on Lana, who is using a trick from Cia's book to make copies of herself to aid in her escape plan. Though she's ultimately defeated by Ganondorf, who forcibly takes her Triforce of Power for himself.
The next and final level of 'Ganondorf' has his forces invading Hyrule Castle. Zelda launches a counterattack along with Link and Impa while Ganondorf, Zant, and Ghirahim attack.
The Hyrulean Forces do everything they can (Impa even attempting to use the Fairy Fountain as before), but Ganondorf's forces overwhelm them in the end and he gains the other two Triforce pieces from Link and Zelda after defeating them.
A unique aspect about this level was that Link and Zelda had to be defeated in close time to one another. If only one falls, he or she will recover after a short time unless the other is defeated before that can happen.
With that wrapped up, Ganondorf has scored ultimate victory and the complete Triforce is his. Is this the end? Why, of course not. ;)
In the next and final Scenario, Grand Finale (one of the shortest due to having just two levels), it's time for the good guys to strike back.
The first chapter in this final scenario (fittingly named Enduring Resolve) has Zelda, Link, Lana, Impa, and their forces regrouping in the Gerudo Desert following Ganondorf's victory at Hyrule Castle. The plan being to rout Ganondorf's forces in the area, including Zant and Ghirahim and send them back to their worlds.
Midway through the chapter, Lana and the Hyrulean Soldiers in her vicinity are being overwhelmed by the enemy forces and you can't seem to get there on time when she casts a spell to open portals to the past, allowing the heroes from Hyrule's history to come back and lend their support once more. Now the odds are more in your favor.
After this, Zant and Ghirahim are defeated for good and it's time to head to Ganon's Castle for the final battle.
In truth, it's the same map as Hyrule Castle...though given quite the dark makeover to reflect Ganondorf's dark desires.
Zelda leads Link, Lana, and the rest of the Allied Forces into battle against Ganon's forces to take back Hyrule Castle and defeat Ganondorf once and for all.
After dispatching a couple of Argoroks and escorting a Bombchu to blast a hole in the east wall, it's time to take the West and Castle Keeps. During the latter, Ganondorf takes to the battlefield and starts summoning Lightning.
After capturing the Castle, he's weakened and it's time to fight him. It's just a slightly more difficult fight than the first one against him at the Temple of Souls.
Following this, I'm sure most can guess what happens next. Ganondorf uses the power of the Triforce to transform into a giant beast, known only as Ganon.
This is a very nice final boss. Not only is the design great, but the battle itself has a pretty interesting setup. Ganon has attacks that correspond to all the different giant bosses faced thus far (King Dod*ngo, Gohma, Manhandla, etc.), and the trick to beating him is to use the weakness weapon corresponding to the boss whose ability he's using (specifically, his variant of said attack).
After he's significantly weakened, your remaining allies (assuming you didn't let any flee in battle, though Zelda fleeing is an automatic failure) grant you light arrows. The more that remain, the stronger the arrows. Specifically, it's Zelda who gives Link the Light Arrows, but their power is dependent on remaining allies.
In combination with the light arrows and Master Sword, Ganon falls once and for all.
As Ganon falls in defeat, the complete Triforce emerges before splitting back into Power, Wisdom, and Courage and returning to their respective owners. Lana, Zelda, and Link then unite their Triforce pieces and use it to vanquish Ganon once and for all (until the next time, of course).
What happens next is a slight mirror of how the Epilogue scenario ended. The Heroes from Hyrule's History wave goodbye before going back to their own worlds before Lana says goodbye to Link and Zelda to go back to her job of watching over the Triforce as the Guardian of Time.
Though what really clinches things is the final scene.
Link goes to put the Master Sword back into its pedestal as per usual (Let's face it, he never keeps the thing...and Hyrule's probably better off for it since another hero can always take it up in times of need). And once again, it's to act as a seal protecting against Ganondorf's return.
However, as he goes to put it in, some force seems to be preventing him from putting it back in all the way. In response, Zelda rushes over and she and Link both force the Master Sword back into the pedestal together as one.
Their job accomplished, the two walk out of the temple side-by-side. And as the doors to the temple close, so too do the pages of this story. The end credits roll and all's well that ends well. :)
Whew. I thought my Wonderful 101 story impressions took a long time to type. O.o
Even still, Legend Mode was great. I think it's a story very worthy of the Zelda franchise that even feels like a Zelda story itself.
The plot was quite good, the characters (both familiar and original) were fantastic, and the scenarios flowed quite nicely and with great twists along the way.
Now for the gameplay.
Let me just get this out of the way right now.
http://www.vg247.com/2014/08/05/hyru...y-differences/
Hyrule Warriors is not purely a Dynasty Warriors game with a Zelda skin. Not even close.
It contains many DW gameplay elements, true, but it does differ from the Omega Force formula in a number of ways. Has things that DW does not.
Gold Skulltulas, Cuccos, Hookshot as a means of climbing (in places where a hookshot target exists), cutting grass for goodies, and items/equipment being used to defeat bosses (plus the iconic Zelda treasure chest opening sequences and Boss subtitles) being the chief Zelda elements that separate this from other games in the Warriors franchise.
Another big one, of course, being the presence of the Adventure Mode. While I'm sure opinions will vary on Legend Mode, I think we can all agree that the majority of your time playing this game will be spent here.
Adventure Mode contains a map based on the original Legend of Zelda where you can unlock new Warriors, pieces of heart/heart containers, and even new and more powerful weapons. On top of that, the stages contain more gold skulltulas for you to kill and claim illustration pieces for new rewards.
The way it works is kind of hard to sum up, but you're essentially on a board game where you complete specific challenges to get your prizes and unlock more squares on the map. The ultimate aim of the map is to locate and defeat the Dark Ruler.
Adventure Mode's also a fantastic place to farm for new materials to use for making badges for your characters. (This includes attack, defense, and assist badges)
So what's the same with Dynasty Warriors in regards to gameplay? As the article says, pretty much everything else. Unique characters with their own movesets (including for different weapons) mowing down armies of enemies, capturing enemy keeps (and defending allied keeps), and meeting objectives which can change at the drop of a hat.
To again quote the article, all of that is pure Dynasty Warriors. Though I don't think it's a bad franchise in and of itself, though my experience is mainly confined to the crossover spin-offs like Hyrule Warriors and Dynasty Warriors Gundam.
Honestly, I find battling (especially with the different weapon sets) to be quite fun. The dialogues and situations are especially enjoyable in the main story campaign in Legend Mode.
Charging up for Focus Spirit and Special Attacks is always a joy. Especially when you just want to really sock it to the enemies.
Plus, we even got some original enemies (not just characters) out of the deal, such as the Icy Big Poe (Exactly as it sounds, a Big Poe with an ice element) and Fiery Aeralfos enemies.
I have to say that I have really missed Poes and Stalchildren (especially the latter since they didn't leave the 64 era in the main series) appearing as enemies.
Giant boss battles are great and make use of the respective boss's weakness weapon quite well for the most part. This is especially true of the final boss (which I won't mention outside of the spoiler tag.)
The music was great for the most part as well. Some remixes and some classic tracks with orchestrated music.
And how could I not mention the game's long-term support. Along with the occasional update, we're also treated to DLC packs that one could buy individually or all at once as part of the Hero of Hyrule pack.
So far, we have the Master Quest and Twilight Princess packs. The former even gave us a new scenario for Legend Mode. Cia's Tale, which shows some unseen events from Cia's perspective.
For example,
how she recruited Volga and Wizzro and that she destroyed Wizzro just before her final battle in the story when he tried to betray her for the last time.
The actual contents of the DLC is something I feel more belongs in that particular thread, so I'll just leave it with the note that we have two packs remaining thus far. The Majora's Mask Pack and the Boss Pack. The latter of which is supposed to give us two new game modes to go along with Legend Mode, Free Mode, Adventure Mode, etc. I will say that the DLC packs are quite the bargain and are very rewarding in what they provide. (Each so far even coming with their own Adventure Mode map among other gifts)
Let me just say that I loved Lana. She's probably my favorite of the original characters. I won't hold my breath since she probably belongs to Koei-Tecmo, but I would not mind at all seeing her in a main Zelda title.
What's my progress on the game? Well...
-Beat Legend Mode
-Unlocked all of Link's Sword, Magic Rod, and Gauntlet weapons
-Unlocked all of Zelda's Rapier weapons
-Unlocked all of Impa's Giant Blade and Naginata Weapons
-Unlocked all of Sheik's Harp weapons
-Unlocked all of Lana's Book of Sorcery and Spear weapons
-Unlocked all of Darunia's Hammer Weapons
-Unlocked all of Fi's Goddess Blade weapons
-Unlocked all of Ruto's Scale Weapons
-Unlocked all of Midna's Shackle weapons
-Unlocked all playable warriors thus far
Needless to say, I still have a long way to go to 100%.
In closing, I found Hyrule Warriors to be a fantastic experience. Is it the HD Zelda we were waiting for? Well, no. Nobody ever said it would be either. It was advertised from the beginning as a fun collaboration spin-off (again, something we've been promised more of by Nintendo to fill the space between major first-party releases), and I find it to be a well-made one at that.
If nothing else, I find it an excellent tide-over before the main course that will be the Wii U Zelda installment coming next Holiday season. And I know some actually prefer HW over the primary Zelda formula...and that's fine too.
Now, I know there are some even within the Zelda fanbase that find this game objectionable. And that's fine if it's not your thing (be it because you dislike DW itself or for whichever other reason), but please respect that I am a Zelda fan who found this fun.
It took me nearly half a day to type up these impressions, so even if one finds my opinion disagreeable, please don't be cruel about it. I found the game fun, and my main reason for typing these impressions is to share my personal opinion on the game itself. I don't expect everyone will agree, and I'm by no means trying to convince anyone. How one receives my impressions is something of their own.
For those who were looking forward to reading my impressions on this game, I hope I didn't disappoint. ^___^
Let me just sign off by saying that I give Hyrule Warriors, an overall solid game by its own merit, an 8 out of 10.
Until next time, my friends. :)