20 Things You DIDN'T Know About The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
The Zapper Killed Its Sequel
Twilight Princess was an incredibly popular entry in the Zelda series, and the development team had plans to give players more. Ideas for a sequel were floated around, but only briefly. They wanted to create a full-scale, epic follow-up. However, series creator Shigeru Miyamoto had other plans. With the creation of the Wii Zapper, a gun-shaped peripheral, Miyamoto instructed them to create a smaller side story that showcased its capabilities. In actuality, there isnt much story found in Links Crossbow Training, released the year after Twilight Princess and bundled with the Zapper. It isnt a bad game, but a true sequel couldve been really interesting.
A Famous E3 Showing
Twilight Princess was revealed to the world at E3 2004, and it would remain a highlight of the expos history for years to come. Shots of Link riding Epona across Hyrule field and clashing with enemies, and Miyamoto coming out with the Master Sword and Hylian Shield, still give us goosebumps. Even if youve never seen it, it birthed a meme thats so popular, it transcended the gaming space and is still widespread today. The Reaction Guys meme consists of two pictures of four IGN staff members, including co-founder Peer Schneider; one looking bored, and another having their minds blown with excitement. While the disinterested picture was taken during Nintendos 2003 E3 conference at the reveal of Pacman Vs. for GameCube, the other is of them reacting to this reveal.
A Different Beginning
One of the things Twilight Princess gets flak for is its long intro, which could have been very different. The team originally thought to have players start as Wolf Link immediately. But they then decided that players should be eased into it, to get used to the more traditional Zelda gameplay. After this change, the intro was written to have Link in Ordon Village for a single day before leaving on his adventure. This was changed again in consideration for the Wii version. Since this was a completely new way to play video games at the time, Miyamoto decided Link should stay in Ordon Village for three days so players could grow accustomed to it.
Forever Locked
Speaking of Ordon Village, theres a locked house there that will never open. No matter how far you progress in the story, Link can never enter. Its said to be the house of Fado, the ranch owner who gets Link to help out by herding goats. The reason you cant enter this house, barring the use of glitches where youll only find a black room, was given by director Eiji Aonuma during an interview with Nintendo World Report. He said they ran short on time and were unable to design the inside. But he also gave an in-universe reason, claiming Fado is always on the ranch, and doesnt want to share too much about his personal life.
NPCs Adapt to the Story
The dialogue of NPCs, such as the kids in Kakariko Village, will change depending on where you are in the story. However, its a bit more interesting with the villagers in Links home, Ordon Village, and more easily missed since its out of the way to visit most of the time. You can return as soon as Link is back in his normal form. Though, morale will be low since all of the children are missing. This is the only time you can hear one of the sadder pieces of music in the series, Our Children Missing, as Link hears about each parents sorrow. If you wait to return until the story takes you back, after Link has already found most of the missing children, youll miss out on this music and dialogue.
Ridiculous Casting Rumors
Leading up to the release of Twilight Princess, there were some insane casting rumors under the assumption that the game would include voice acting beyond the traditional grunts and moans. Fitness guru Richard Simmons was rumored to be voicing Tingle, a character who doesnt actually appear in the game. Even stranger was that 50 Cent was said to be taking on the role of Links horse, Epona. Additionally, then Nintendo of America President, Reggie Fils-Aime, was rumored to voice a mysterious character known only as The Man. While these were clearly untrue, they did appear on IMDb, a usually reputable source. Where these rumors came from and why they were listed on the site is a mystery to us.
Aonumas Dream
The idea to have Link transform into a wolf came from director Eiji Aonuma, but it didnt come out of nowhere. According to him, while once overseas for work, he dreamt of being a wolf trapped inside a jail cell. From this dream, a desire to put this into a game grew. But when he initially suggested it, he thought of it as merely a jumping off point. He wanted some kind of twist on the traditional formula, and suggested making Link a wolf as a way to, in his words, get the ball rolling. The idea stuck, however, and this caused some frustration in Miyamoto, who gave Aonuma a hard time since creating a four-legged animal is more difficult than a two-legged human.
The Birth of Midna
Nintendo always thinks of gameplay first and story second. Even though Midna is one of most well-written characters in the series, and the story shines brighter because her, she too was born out of what could theoretically be fun for the player. After Wolf Link was settled on, Miyamoto noticed a problem with his design. He felt it would be boring for the player to constantly look at the wolfs back since, with the way the camera is positioned, it isnt as interesting to watch a four-legged animals movements compared to a humans. So, he suggested they create a character to ride on Wolf Links back, to be more visually appealing. And that was the first step to Midna.
It Was Inspired by The Lord of the Rings
J.R.R. Tolkien has influenced a lot of fantasy, with his Lord of the Rings novels even influencing the original Legend of Zelda game. By the time Twilight Princess entered production, Peter Jacksons film adaptations had just been released. With more players vocally craving a more realistic art style following The Wind Waker, and with The Lord of the Rings showing the benefits of a large-scale fantasy world, the team decided to, once again, take inspiration from Tolkien. The trilogy is the reason Twilight Princess feels so cinematic, and that it has such a grand scale. This wasnt without its challenges of course, with Aonuma saying the games size caused issues right up to the end of development.
Hidden Rupees
Every Zelda game features hidden ways to earn rupees, so here are a few of our favorites in Twilight Princess. In several areas across Hyule, youll spot large swarms of Guays, crow-like enemies. Should you shoot every one of them down, youll be rewarded with a group of rupees raining down from the sky. In Kakariko Village, a silver rupee worth 200 can be found inside the bell on top of the Sanctuary, which you can make fall with a bomb arrow. Back in Ordon Village, an orange rupee, worth 100, is very sneakily hidden behind Rusls house and can be grabbed with the Gale Boomerang. Also, inside the goat pen is a hidden grotto Wolf Link can reach, with a few rat enemies, a ton of breakable pots, and a chest with 50 rupees.
An Easier Flight-by-Fowl
Flight-by-Fowl is a mini-game Link can play at Lake Hylia. By giving Falbi 20 rupees, he can glide using a Cucco, collecting rupees through the sky, before landing on a platform with several levels for different rewards. There are ways to make this game easier if youre aiming for a specific level. One is to wear and remove the Iron Boots, adjusting the speed at which Link descends. Another, which I didnt know for the longest time, is by using the Gale Boomerang on the weather mane on top of Falbis hut. This causes the very small, rotating level on the top of the platform to stop, making it much easier to land so you can grab 100 rupees.
Sales Numbers
We all know Twilight Princess was popular, but you may be wondering just how popular it was. When it was released in November of 2006 alongside the Wii, it made up a whopping 87% of the consoles launch sales, which was the highest attach rate for a launch game since Super Mario 64 a decade before it. Understandably, Wii version sales were higher than those on GameCube. But together by 2015, it had become the best-selling entry in the series with 8.85 million copies. It only got to hold that title for a few years, though, since Breath of the Wild claimed it by selling nearly 10 million copies in just over a year, a number that has only grown astronomically.
Ocarina of Time Musical Cues
Since Twilight Princess has a lot in common with Ocarina of Time, it makes sense that there are a ton of musical Easter Eggs in the game. When the sun rises in Hyrule Field, the music begins with the same notes as in Ocarina of Time, which are used for the Suns Song. The theme music for Rutela, the dead Zora queen, features notes from the Serenade of Water, used to warp to Lake Hylia in Ocarina of Time where the Zora-centric dungeon is. Every song Wolf Link howls to summon the Heros Shade to learn a Hidden Skill is also an Easter Egg. While one is based on music from Twilight Princess, one is the Ballad of Gales from Wind Waker, and another is Zeldas Lullaby, first heard in A Link to the Past, all the rest are tied to the Hero of Time. This makes these sequences sadder, since the Heros Shade is confirmed to be the spirit of that version of Link. The songs are Song of Healing and Gorons Lullaby from Majoras Mask, and Requiem of Spirit and Prelude of Light from Ocarina of Time.
The Origin of the Oocca
The Oocca are one of the franchises strangest races, with their chicken-like bodies and human heads. You may have seen what many believe to be the inspiration for their design, a painting from M.C. Escher called Another World, which features very similar looking creatures. But there are some more fun facts about them you may not know, including how what theyre called in different languages just describes them. In the Japanese version, the Oocca are called the Tenkuujin, meaning sky folk. In French, theyre known as the Célestiens, and in Italian, theyre known as the Eterei, derived from celestial and ethereal respectively, and somewhat tying in with the games lore. In German, theyre called the Kumulaner, derived from kumulus cloud formationwell, they do live in the sky. Furthermore, the main member of the race, Ooccoo, gets her name from the hex code, or color value, for the green in Ocarina of Time Links concept art: 00cc00. Just another nod to the Hero of Time.
The Hidden Sheikah Eyes
Early in the games development, concept art for Sheik was created. Even though the character was never used, this art formed the basis for Sheiks appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. The Sheikah dont play a big role in Twilight Princess. Theres Impaz, the lone citizen in the Hidden Village heavily implied to be old Kakariko Village. Theres Madame Fanadi, a fortune teller who bears the iconic Sheikah Eye on her forehead. This symbol shows up twice more. You can see it on the back of Zeldas cloak, when Link and Midna visit her in the castle. Even harder to see is the eye on the back of Midnas helmet, which is part of the Fused Shadow. Since this is an ancient relic linked to the Twili people, who were banished from Hyrule long ago, it creates some interesting, mysterious threads between the two races.
The Smallest Details
As is the case with most Zelda games, Nintendo clearly put a lot of love and care into crafting the world of Twilight Princess. There are all kinds of small details the player probably doesnt think about. For example, there are an exact number of goats in Ordon Village to match the number of pens inside the barn. So when one escapes later in the story, you can go find an empty pen. Signs can be cut down, just like in previous games. Only now, they can be picked up and will float in water, even though theres no reason for this. Patterns have been designed for the sides of ladders, even though most players wont see them. And one of the coolest small details is dust falling from doors inside dungeons, which wont happen when Link goes back through them, implying that no one has been through here in a long time.
Fishing Pond Details
Zelda has had its fair share of fishing holes. But the one in Twilight Princess is definitely the most detailed. Inside Henas hut, there are all kinds of secret interactions. The most well-known being that shes a descendant of the fishing hole proprietor in Ocarina of Time, even having the same back-scratching animation. She also has a pet bird, who will say very rude things to Link and call Hena very old, which she takes offense to. Hena clearly has no time for rudeness, calling Link out for cheating in the Roll Goal mini-game and kicking him out if he rolls into things too much, forcing him to apologize when he returns. By looking at her canoe, you can hear about Henas love life. And by looking out the window while its raining, shell tell you that its ideal for fishing. Interestingly, the water inside the fishing hole will be muddy after it rains. And the area cycles between different seasons, causing different fish to appear.
Hidden Postman Sightings
The Postman is one of the games sillier NPCs, always excitedly running up to Link to deliver him letters. But this isnt the only time youll see him. He can be found in several spots across Hyrule, crouched and reading something. Though, in some cases, hes more easily missed than others. Hes out in the open inside Telmas Bar, wondering aloud about what to order. Hell also appear in the Kakariko Village Inn, trying to dry a letter he dropped in a Hot Spring. Off the beaten path, you can find him in the Ordon Village goat pen, thinking of letting one of them eat a messy-looking letter, and behind the throne in Zoras Doman, trying to figure out who Mr. Zora is. The most easily missed locations are within the Cave of Ordeals, where he shows up lost on the 49th floor only after youve already beaten it, and hidden on one of the bridges during the Fruit-Pop-Flight mini-game on Zoras River.
Midnas Voice
Voiced by Akiko Kmoto, Midna gets some of the more extensive voice acting in Twilight Princess. She has a unique way of speaking, though it will sound like complete gibberish to you while playing. In reality, Kmoto voiced her lines in English, but they were just chopped up and scrambled to create this otherworldly sense behind the character. Several fans have pieced her lines together since the games release to see what shes actually saying. Some are simple phrases like I have a request or Which one will it be? Others are for specific scenarios, like Youll never become king, said to Zant, and Ive been dying to meet you, said to Ganondorf. My personal favorite? I guess you arent stupid, probably said to Link.
Homage to the Rito
In the original version, stone block carvings around Hyrule Castle Town were too blurry to make out what was shown. However, in the HD version, you can see several figures representing different races, including Zoras and Gorons. Interestingly, there is also a member of the Rito, a race which doesnt appear in this game, nor any others in its respective timeline. This design came from Jack Kirby Crosby of Tantalus Media, the company who refreshed the games graphics. He imagined these carvings telling a story hed want to see, but that he left it up to the interpretation of the players. The existence of these carvings, built into the world of Twilight Princess but not necessarily coinciding with established lore, puts their images in a weird in-between of canon and non.
Are there any other great secrets or fun facts you feel most players dont know about Twilight Princess? Share them with us in the comments!
