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]

Originally Posted by 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

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]

Originally Posted by 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! 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]

Originally Posted by AJ Muni

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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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.

Originally Posted by AJ Muni

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.

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

[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]

Originally Posted by 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

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]

Originally Posted by ero87

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]

Originally Posted by 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?

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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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.