Summary
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princesswas originally released on the Nintendo Wii and GameCube on Jun 03, 2025. Despite the Wii’s prevailing reputation for being one of the most family-friendly game consoles of all time,Twilight Princessis arguably the series' darkest entry. Gone were the cartoon art style and vibrant palette ofThe Wind Wakerin favor of muted, washed-out colors. This edgier aesthetic has proven controversial with fans of the series, but regardless of how fans feel about the game overall, there are plenty of unique things inTwilight Princessthat futureZeldagames could benefit from copying.
The latest game in the series,The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, has an interesting approach to progression. LikeBreath of the Wildbefore it, much of Link’s power is determined by his gear and the amount of health and stamina he has, which players can gain by completingTotK’s shrinesand trading the acquired Light Blessings for an increase in either attribute. With the exception of the Autobuild ability and the unlockable Sage summons, most of Link’s abilities are acquired during the title’s opening hours. This allows players to fully explore the game’s massive sandbox from early on, but it takes away from the sense of progression that some older entries provide.
The Hero’s Shade is One of Twilight Princess’s Most Memorable Characters
InThe Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess,Link forms a relationship with the Hero’s Shade. The Hero’s Shade initially takes the form of a golden wolf, but after jumping onto Link, it transports him to an alternate world where he takes the form of a skeletal warrior. Throughout the story, this warrior teaches Link several different abilities, such as the finishing blow, shield bash, and great spin. These abilities combine with the unlockable key items in the game to make sure there is a constant sense of growth. The inclusion of the Hero’s Shade also opens the door for some interesting world-building.
The Hero’s Shade Ties Together Zelda’s Timeline
Hyrule Historiareveals that the Hero’s Shade is the spirit of The Hero of Time, perhaps the most iconic ofall the reincarnations of Link. This version of Link, the one fromOcarinaof TimeandMajora’s Mask, regretted that he never shared his knowledge with someone else while he was alive.
His spirit, now in the form of the Hero’s Shade, waited for generations to teach his next reincarnation all the skills he acquired during his life. This directly connectsTwilight Princessto previous entries and gives this new Link a mentor figure.
The inclusion of the Hero’s Shade helps to tie together the often convoluted lore of theZeldafranchise, and the skills he teaches work to create a greater sense of progression.
The Next Zelda Game Should Give Link a Mentor
The nextZeldagame should bring back the Hero’s Shade or give Link some other Mentor.Breath of the WildandTears of the Kingdomboth adopted a more open structure where abilities were mostly unlocked early on. This innovation created a compelling sandbox, but using this structure for a third game in a row might create fatigue for fans. Giving Link a mentor who can teach him new abilities could allow for a greater evolution in gameplay across its runtime. This could also allow Nintendo to bring back another iteration of Link as a recurring character, creating more cohesion acrossThe Legend of Zelda’s timeline.
Link’s mentor inTwilight Princess, the Hero’s Shade, is one of the game’s most memorable characters, and his role as a mentor occupies a unique space in the series. Orca teaches Link to fight inThe Wind Waker, but his role is comparatively limited. Introducing a new mentor for Link could allow for the return of past heroes in a form similar to the Hero’s Shade and allow for the next game to offer a greater sense of progression for the player’s character. Thenext open-world Zelda gamewill hopefully take inspiration fromTwilight Princessand introduce a character in the role of a mentor for Link.
