Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - hands-on

So here he is, Wolf Link. The unplayable character at every event Twilight Princess has attended. You’d think we’d leave the game talking about how cool your new canine senses are (they let you see dead spirits and sniff out learned scents, both of which come up regularly), but from the first moment Midna makes her presence known, we were sucked into this world for good.

It's at this point you'll notice how emotive people's faces are. Midna's mischievous glances and rolling eyes speak more than any high-priced voice actor ever could, and her otherworldly powers make her seem an aloof, untouchable creature that exists only to torment Link in this dank prison cell. But, after some friendly jabbing, she offers her assistance in escaping the cell. As a wolf, you can dig under certain areas (lit up by your wolf senses, of course), so naturally this run-down prison cell has just such an area.

Once you escape, Midna leads you outside. A yellow and black sky blankets whatever enormous castle it is you're trapped in - it's clearly another world or dimension or some kind of crazy crap. But, after a quick trot across the rooftops, Midna introduces you to someone very special: Princess Zelda, in the very same Hyrule you were supposed to visit.

So, something has begun to take over this otherwise colorful world. A stunning cinema scene reveals very little, other than Zelda giving up in the face of certain death for everyone in the castle walls. After hearing this sob story, Zelda orders Midna to help Link, but the latter's agenda is clear - she's hiding something big, and it's probably gonna blow up in everyone's face later in the game.

Brett Elston

A fomer Executive Editor at GamesRadar, Brett also contributed content to many other Future gaming publications including Nintendo Power, PC Gamer and Official Xbox Magazine. Brett has worked at Capcom in several senior roles, is an experienced podcaster, and now works as a Senior Manager of Content Communications at PlayStation SIE.