let's be honest... isn't Zelda way too hard!? [**SPOILERS!**]

[ero87]

Hey guys,

I've been stoked to play Twilight Princess ever since I beat Ocarina of Time years ago. Now that I've played a few hours on it, I gotta say...

This game is so hard! I can barely get anywhere without constantly checking the guidebook (I never needed a book for Ocarina!) Also, it's so gloomy... Ocarina of Time was bright and cheerful at most parts, while Twilight is much darker and scarier.

I hate to admit it, but I'm having less fun! Anyone see a light at the end of this tunnel - maybe the game suddenly become lighter/easier?

And honestly, do any of you play Twilight without a guidebook? I can't see how this would be possible.


[MOD WARNING: This thread includes spoilers. If you are going to include spoilers in your own reply, please hide them by writing them in white text with a note in black text telling people you have hidden part of your post in white.]

[srobert]

I'm pretty much at the end and haven't checked a guide once.

People got used to easy games this past decade. Puzzles aren't much more complicated that the ones that were in Link to the Past. Twilight princess simply requires you to think a little more than most games these days. Sure, I will probably miss a few bugs, poes and heart pieces but I'll keep looking once I beat the game. Solving puzzles on your own is very rewarding… but I have to admit there was one or two that took me more than an hour of thinking. (Jumping statues) still, I would'nt want it to be any easier.

[eva01]

It took me forever to find where the hell the ice temple was :P but other than that not to bad, I am happy it is taking forever. Some 30 odd hours in

[SilentPanda]

No guidebook here. 25 hours in I think and I just got past the Yeti's House "dungeon". A few of the puzzles were hard but I just thought about them for a while and got them.

If the game were too easy, why not just make it a movie instead?

[AJ Muni]

I think it has to do alot more with impatience. I have the guide book as well, and I just finished getting out of the forest lake temple (Not sure if thats the right name) and I've looked at the book about 3-4 times. The game does require for you to think, and I actually do try to do it on my own, but sometimes I just get stuck and I really dont have the time to sit there for like 45 minutes trying to figure it out. Some puzzles have been easy, some are real tough (moving the 2 guards back into place), but overall I think the game is great. I never plaed OoT, but IMO I do believe this might be the best game ever after mario 64.

[dalvin200]

so would you guys recommend this game to anyone who has never played zelda before? and what about to someone who doesn't usually play puzzle games?

and yeah, that someone is ME :P

[AJ Muni]

so would you guys recommend this game to anyone who has never played zelda before? and what about to someone who doesn't usually play puzzle games?

and yeah, that someone is ME :P

That was me too. But this is a real great game. So different from what I'm use to (FPS, and sports games). Dont get me wrong the game isnt "Hard" at all times, it just makes you think more than the average game. But its a GREAT game.

[Flowbee]

Hey guys,

I've been stoked to play Twilight Princess ever since I beat Ocarina of Time years ago. Now that I've played a few hours on it, I gotta say...

This game is so hard! And honestly, do any of you play Twilight without a guidebook? I can't see how this would be possible.

You're just out of practice. Playing games like Zelda just takes a certain mindset, and it can take some time to get your bearings. You're right that the Zelda games have gotten progressively harder, but I think a lot of that is due to the fact that worlds have gotten bigger and a bit more open-ended. Once you get the hang of it again, it gets to be more obvious what you're supposed to do next and how to solve puzzles, beat bosses, etc.

Mostly I would suggest that you take your time, do some exploring, and forget that you have the guide book for a while. You'll eventually have that "AHA" moment where things start coming together. If you beat Ocarina of Time, you've got the skills to beat Twilight.

[dalvin200]

That was me too. But this is a real great game. So different from what I'm use to (FPS, and sports games). Dont get me wrong the game isnt "Hard" at all times, it just makes you think more than the average game. But its a GREAT game.

i might have to pick it up then..

i'll wait till i've played wii sports and rayman for a bit, and use zelda for the serious game then :) that's when i get the wii this weekend :)

[Sky Blue]

Hey guys,

I've been stoked to play Twilight Princess ever since I beat Ocarina of Time years ago. Now that I've played a few hours on it, I gotta say...

This game is so hard! I can barely get anywhere without constantly checking the guidebook (I never needed a book for Ocarina!) Also, it's so gloomy... Ocarina of Time was bright and cheerful at most parts, while Twilight is much darker and scarier.

I hate to admit it, but I'm having less fun! Anyone see a light at the end of this tunnel - maybe the game suddenly become lighter/easier?

And honestly, do any of you play Twilight without a guidebook? I can't see how this would be possible.

Ever played Wind Waker? It was so easy I think my cat finished it in under a week. I don't really want a Zelda game like that again.
Personally i think OoT is a bit harder than TP. I have no idea why you would need a guide book, defeats the purpose if you ask me.
A couple of times I've been stuck, if just gone back over the area in case I missed anything.

it just makes you think more than the average game. But its a GREAT game.

indeed.

[bobber205]

I tried soooo hard not to look at a guide.... and I ended having to last weekend. :p

The darn chandelier in the desert... stand in the middle you say? D'oh! :D

[Malus]

Nintendo said it was going to be significantly darker than the others previous. But I don't think that is the case, the color in the game is mostly an earthly color, and I think that is fine. Remeber the third temple in Lake Hylia? The bright purple and blues everywhere? I think Nintendo was able to blend both dark and light in this game.

As for the difficulty level, I say is a sigh of relief. Too many games now I've grown tired of because of the easiness of it. Kingdom Hearts II comes to mind. Yes its for kids mostly, but they could've had a "harder" option in the begging of the game. So far I've used a guide once, on the puzzle to *SPOILER*





get the master sword, you know the puzzle with the 2 big statues



*END SPOILER*



I dunno, I like TP, its not as good as OoT, but I was only 13 I think when I played OoT and that was one of my first 3d games i've played other than Mario 64.

[gloss]

so would you guys recommend this game to anyone who has never played zelda before? and what about to someone who doesn't usually play puzzle games?

and yeah, that someone is ME :P

It's a quality game. Not necessarily as earthshakingly brilliant as some people are saying, but well-crafted. I do have some annoyances with the control scheme (just give me a jump button already) and the camera control is irritating, but in general I'm having a good time.

[Sdashiki]

if you could play majoras mask without a guide and get 100% completion, I commend you.


I had a hard time getting used to the time mechanics and ideas behind Majoras Mask, and I was 20+ at the time. I thought, damn, little kids are gonna have a hell of time playing this all the way thru.


I think Majoras (the last 3D zelda ive played) was the most difficult I have ever played, only because of the 100s of timing variables one had to contend with to get things to work.

[Krevnik]

I was actually disappointed towards the end of the game at the /lack/ of difficulty. I went through the trouble of getting the Great Fairy (Cave of Ordeals), so I could get her tears in the final fight. I also grabbed two Blue Potions, and wound up not using any potions for Zant, and one potion for Ganon, mostly because I couldn't figure out the fight and was refusing to let Midna tell me. :P

[BurtonCCC]

I haven't used a guide. 24 hours in and getting the 4th mirror piece now.

I think with Zelda games, it appears to be getting easier, but really your mind just gets more "in tune" with the style of how the puzzles for the game usually go. This doesn't mean they're completely predictable. Still, if you're stuck in a room, cycle through your weapons and gadgets until you find the one that usually does the trick.

Daniel.

[rtdgoldfish]

I'm 30 hours into the game and haven't used a guide yet. I'm in the Temple of Time now. The game isn't really that difficult, its just figuring out what needs to be done to advance to the next room or defeat a boss. Once you get the pattern down, simply repeat a couple times and thats it.

The bosses in Twilight Princess are really cool but I found them insanely easy to beat. I think the only one that actually killed me was the Goron boss.

The puzzles are just complex enough to make me think "wow that was cool" when I complete them.

[benpatient]

crap. best game since mario 64, best game ever?

does that mean I'm going to hate TP?

cause I sure as heck hated M64.

[Laslo Panaflex]

I just beat the temple of time, once you get into the groove the puzzles aren't that hard.

The only time I have used help were the gamefaqs message boards for getting get that damn cat at the very beginning, catch 2 fish? Oh duh!

Really though, the boss in the Arbiter's Grounds was fun as hell, all of the bosses really, but so far the Arbiter's Grounds boss is my favorite.

[ChrisBrightwell]

This game is so hard! [...] And honestly, do any of you play Twilight without a guidebook? I can't see how this would be possible.No guidebook for me. I'm 20 hrs into it and, by my guesstimate, am probably halfway through.

[ChrisBrightwell]

so would you guys recommend this game to anyone who has never played zelda before? and what about to someone who doesn't usually play puzzle games?If you can, I'd recommend playing through some of the older games first. A Link to the Past can be beat in a weekend and, IMO, is a good place to start. If you have time, get a copy of Ocarina of Time and play through that. :)

The Legend of Zelda is one of those franchies that, at this point, tends to be very self-referencing. There are subtle things that happen in TP (esp in the music and the cutscenes) that you either wouldn't catch, wouldn't understand, or wouldn't appreciate without a good foundation of Zelda lore.

At the very least, find the 6-part retrospective (it was posted on Joystiq) from GameTrailers and watch that.

You shouldn't have to terribly difficult a time w/ TP as your intro to Zelda, but there are a lot of things that, to me, are easier to see and more fulfilling w/ 20 years of Zelda experience.

[Chaszmyr]

crap. best game since mario 64, best game ever?

does that mean I'm going to hate TP?

cause I sure as heck hated M64.

Mario 64 was a truly great game... I'd say N64 was definitely Nintendo's worst console release ever, but Mario 64 pretty much made it worth it. With that said, I think almost anyone who liked Ocarina will like TP... and TP is definitely a better game than Ocarina.

[aidanpendragon]

I've used a hint or two so far on Zelda (make sure I'm not missing lots of Heart Containers, etc.) Before I could really feel guilty, I remembered playing Zelda I and Zelda II, and how every scrap of info, every Nintendo Power tip, every map we could get our hands on, was fair game. Granted, games now are probably more intuitive, and you can (and should) solve most of the puzzles on your own. But so what if you use a little help here and there? As long as you're having fun.

[seenew]

The only guide I checked was some GFAQ's walkthrough for that puzzle before you get the Master Sword. That was ridiculous! I tried for an hour and a half. :(

And the game doesn't stay gloomy, just wait till you're deeper in.

edit: someone should go through and mark for spoilers in this thread; cause there's quite a few!

[SilentPanda]

The only guide I checked was some GFAQ's walkthrough for that puzzle before you get the Master Sword. That was ridiculous! I tried for an hour and a half. :(

And the game doesn't stay gloomy, just wait till you're deeper in.

I was sooooo tempted on that puzzle. But I worked it backwards instead of forwards. That's also how I figured out a few other things... sometimes backwards just works better. Or at least you can work backwards and forwards and arrive at a common middle and merge the two thoughts.

[ChrisBrightwell]

The only guide I checked was some GFAQ's walkthrough for that puzzle before you get the Master Sword. That was ridiculous! I tried for an hour and a half. :(Really? I had ZERO trouble with that puzzle. :cool:

[AJ Muni]

Really? I had ZERO trouble with that puzzle. :cool:

Showoff.:p

[evilgEEk]

Twilight is much darker and scarier.

Well... it is called "Twilight" Princess. That could indicate that the story and environment would be a little darker. ;)

I've played it for about seven hours, but I haven't had to check a guidebook at all. Maybe I'm just not far enough in to the game yet, but it doesn't seem really difficult. Definitely challenging at parts, but not so hard that I can't think past it.

Great game though! :D

[Oblivious]

I beat the game in 45 hours, and not once did I seek help from a guidebook or online. It's really not that difficult, the puzzles are all in the same Zelda fashion and are logical if you just stop and think for a minute.

Having the guidebook in a way makes completing the game more difficult. I know that whenever I have one my ability to work through puzzles is eliminated because in the back of my mind I always know that the guidebook is right there if I run into trouble.


Anyway, with that said, Twilight Princess is a ****ing amazing game.:)

[tbrinkma]

I'm only about 13 hours in right now, but so far the only 2 spots where I've had trouble are the 'guard the carriage', and the cat puzzlein the beginning.

With the carriage, the difficulty was caused by not being able to steer the horse while aiming with the bow or boomerang. (trouble hitting targets, and falling behind the carriage)
With the cat, I ended up over-thinking it because I did the right thing about 5 times, but I was standing too close to the water, so the fish fell into the lake. The next hour was spent trying to lure/force the cat through the cat door. My wife got tired of watching me play with the darned cat, and checked on line for the answer. Our initial response was, 'already tried that, what are we missing', and after a couple more tries, I ended up seeing the cat jump in the water, and tried backing up from the end of the dock.

[GFLPraxis]

Hey guys,

I've been stoked to play Twilight Princess ever since I beat Ocarina of Time years ago. Now that I've played a few hours on it, I gotta say...

This game is so hard! I can barely get anywhere without constantly checking the guidebook (I never needed a book for Ocarina!) Also, it's so gloomy... Ocarina of Time was bright and cheerful at most parts, while Twilight is much darker and scarier.

I hate to admit it, but I'm having less fun! Anyone see a light at the end of this tunnel - maybe the game suddenly become lighter/easier?

And honestly, do any of you play Twilight without a guidebook? I can't see how this would be possible.

I've had the opposite experience. I agree on it being overly gloomy though.

The first two dungeons were CAKE. Only one room actually stumped me in the first dungeon (I couldn't figure out to roll into the pillar) for a couple minutes, and I walked through the second dungeon without pause.

However, the third dungeon (15 hours into the game) is where I am now, and it's had me stop and think a few times, and I love it. I love Zelda games that stump me and frustrate me while I try to figure out the brilliantly designed puzzles, and I hate it when I can walk through them.

NO GUIDES FOR ME!

I'm in the Temple of Time now.

COME ON PEOPLE, USE SPOILER ALERTS!:mad:

Mario 64 was a truly great game... I'd say N64 was definitely Nintendo's worst console release ever, but Mario 64 pretty much made it worth it. With that said, I think almost anyone who liked Ocarina will like TP... and TP is definitely a better game than Ocarina.

Where does this come from? I wasn't that deep into any gaming forums in the era, so I never heard people bashing the N64 until I was well into the GameCube.

I always loved the Nintendo 64 and never once regretted buying it...we're talking about the console that gave us Super Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, StarFox 64, Rogue Squadron, and Super Freakin' Smash Bros!

[Antares]

I don't think it's that difficult. I finished the Forrest Temple a few days ago and now am about to make my way to Death Mountain. I died a few times but the puzzles haven't really been a problem....well, other than that cat which which people already mentioned.

I always loved the Nintendo 64 and never once regretted buying it...we're talking about the console that gave us Super Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, StarFox 64, Rogue Squadron, and Super Freakin' Smash Bros!

And Mario Kart 64, Banjo Kazooie, Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, Wave Race 64, etc., etc. etc.. The only thing it really lacked were rpg's. Everything else about the N64 was sensational.

[AmbitiousLemon]

edit: someone should go through and mark for spoilers in this thread; cause there's quite a few!

The best way to hide your spoilers would be to write them in white text and indicate to others that there is a spoiler in white. i'll add a warning to the thread title.

[twistedlegato]

COME ON PEOPLE, USE SPOILER ALERTS!:mad:



ouch.....But its a pretty lame temple!

[madog]

Hey guys,

I've been stoked to play Twilight Princess ever since I beat Ocarina of Time years ago. Now that I've played a few hours on it, I gotta say...

This game is so hard! I can barely get anywhere without constantly checking the guidebook (I never needed a book for Ocarina!) Also, it's so gloomy... Ocarina of Time was bright and cheerful at most parts, while Twilight is much darker and scarier.

I hate to admit it, but I'm having less fun! Anyone see a light at the end of this tunnel - maybe the game suddenly become lighter/easier?

And honestly, do any of you play Twilight without a guidebook? I can't see how this would be possible.



I'm so pumped now! I can't wait until I play it [probably next year sometime]. It's refreshing to here this about a Zelda game, I really need a challenge. No offense, but I don't think there is any game out there that NEEDS to be played with a guidebook at your side. That's half of the fun of the game itself! Once you start checking out gamefaqs or looking at any other guide it's hard to stop and it almost isn't a game anymore at that point.

Difficult AND brooding AND dark........ for Zelda!

YES!

[viccles]

It actually looks like a pretty complicated game to play but then I'm not so good at them :o Took me awhile to finish Ocarina of Time and my friend had to help me.

[Chaszmyr]

Where does this come from? I wasn't that deep into any gaming forums in the era, so I never heard people bashing the N64 until I was well into the GameCube.

I always loved the Nintendo 64 and never once regretted buying it...we're talking about the console that gave us Super Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, StarFox 64, Rogue Squadron, and Super Freakin' Smash Bros!

N64 changed things, no doubt. In fact, the analog stick started with N64, we'll all agree that the analog stick was an important innovation. However, N64 had a pretty weak catalog compared to SNES, and in my opinion (and the opinions of a lot of others) the graphics of N64 were just awful. The games went 100% 3D with "immersive" environments, and the technology just wasn't ready for it yet.

As for the games you mentioned, I never played Rogue Squadron, so I can't comment on it. Starfox 64 had a fun multiplayer, but the game didn't have the same impact as the original Starfox did. I was not and am not a fan of super smash bros, but I will not deny it was a phenomenon. Still, these handful of games don't make a console. SNES by contrast had one classic after another.

As added evidence of what I'm saying, Nintendo pitted N64 against Playstation, and got hammered hard. It was because of that matchup that Nintendo was playing catchup until now.

[GFLPraxis]

However, N64 had a pretty weak catalog compared to SNES, and in my opinion (and the opinions of a lot of others) the graphics of N64 were just awful.

Depends how you define awful; compared to the competitors, they were spectacular. N64 graphics blew away Playstation and Saturn graphics.

Nintendo got hammered because of the loss of third party support (especially Square Enix) because of their retarded and strict policies with their third parties, and Yamauchi being stuck up (a la Sony this generation). Add to that Nintendo's "kiddie" image among teens and the PS1's CD's (useful for FMV and high quality music, and not much else; really only Final Fantasy fully utilized disks) and you have a recipe for a disaster.

Even then, I knew more kids with N64's than PS1's and had WAY more good N64 games than the kids with PS1's had PS1 games. I never even thought about buying a Playstation and when I got older was surprised to learn that Nintendo got pwned so badly in the marketplace.

[Chaszmyr]

Even then, I knew more kids with N64's than PS1's and had WAY more good N64 games than the kids with PS1's had PS1 games. I never even thought about buying a Playstation and when I got older was surprised to learn that Nintendo got pwned so badly in the marketplace.

I don't know how old you are, but your age might have had something to do with it. It was when N64 and PS1 were on the market that there started to be a division in consoles drawn along the line of market age. It's certainly not absolute, but ever since N64, Nintendo has had a market which is, on average, younger. I was fairly young myself, and when the consoles launched I was in the Saturn camp, and I knew a lot of people who had N64s, but it was clear at my school that PlayStation was the console of choice.


EDIT: As a side note, they did lose third party support, and it did hurt them badly. Square and Enix were separate companies at the time, and Nintendo lost both of them, along with a few other companies. Also, I don't know how true it is, but I have often heard the lack of optical disc support blamed for Nintendo's slide.

[takao]

It's certainly not absolute, but ever since N64, Nintendo has had a market which is, on average, younger. I was fairly young myself, and when the consoles launched I was in the Saturn camp, and I knew a lot of people who had N64s, but it was clear at my school that PlayStation was the console of choice.

well that depends where you lived and what games are prefered roughly where you live/what school it was etc.
in my school/class PC gaming was the thing to do since i guess it was mostly a school where middle/upper class was dominant(and where PCs have been available easily)
while some had consoles as well, most people only had a few games ...

with the ps1 a lot of people bought it who hadn't a console/PC before just liek with the ps2 a lot bought it because of the DVD

personally from the gamers i know that they either have playstations or have nintendo consoles and are also playing games on the PC
but that is mostly in my age group around 22-27 (in which i know 1 xbox owner who isn't happy with it)

[thugpoet22]

I truthfully haven't palyed Zelda in years. On the old NES in the 80's i played that game it was by far the hardest game back then. And i guess after that i didn't purchase any other nintendo systems so i've been missing out. But i always thought that its better that a game is difficult to beat because then at least you feel like your getting your money's worth. If you beat a game in one day you should take it back to the store and get your money back. Now that im a big PlayStation fan i have bought ever Final fantasy that has been released since FF7, In that one game alone i put in 90 hours of game play. If you going to pay 60 bucks for game it might as well take time to beat it.

[bowens]

I haven't really played a zelda game since The Adventures of Link on the NES. I am just through the second dungeon, about 15 hours in, but I haven't found TP very difficult at all. There really has been 1 spot, that I can think of, where I had to sit there and say "what do I do now?" That was in the first dungeon and I had to get the boomerang first to unlock a door. Other than that, it's been pretty easy.