Gameplay
Twilight Princess features a stylized, naturalistic art style (similar to, but far more advanced than that found in Ocarina of Time), rather than the cel-shaded look that The Wind Waker exhibited — although it still makes use of cel-shading effects, as it uses a very heavily modified version of The Wind Waker’s engine. In a further departure from The Wind Waker, Link is once again a young man, as opposed to a child, as in the latter part of Ocarina of Time and in The Adventure of Link. The game also has a darker tone, similar to Majora's Mask.
Link transforms into a wolf when entering the Twilight Realm, a void that has ensnared Hyrule. This is not a wholly separate place like the Dark World in A Link to the Past, but a darkened Hyrule.
The Wii version uses the Wii Remote and Nunchuk's motion sensors and pointers in conjunction with buttons to operate the game. The built-in speaker on the remote is used for sounds like the bowstring of the Hero's Bow being drawn and released, Midna's laugh when using wolf Link to jump from platforms with Midna, and the "Zelda chime" when discovering secrets, though this can be optionally turned off by turning the Wii remote's volume down to zero, in which case sounds will come through the television like other sounds instead.
By comparison, the GameCube version uses a control scheme mostly identical to The Wind Waker, except the player is able to equip only two items as the Z button is used to call Midna if the player is in need of help. Free camera control, controlled using the C-Stick, is available in the GameCube version only.
In Twilight Princess, Link shares similar moves between human and wolf. For example, when an enemy is on the ground, Link has the option to finish them off by plunging his sword into their chest; in wolf form, he can do this to Poes to rip out their souls. Link can communicate with animals in wolf form as if they were people. When transformed into a wolf, Link’s sense of smell is greatly improved, allowing him to follow trails left by certain characters in the game. However, Link cannot use any of his items, open any doors with handles or climb ladders until he transforms back into a human, and will also take double damage from enemies.
There is no extensive voice acting in the game. The characters laugh, scream, and make other such noises, as they have in previous installments. In conversations, Link remains silent, and his responses are implied by nods and facial expressions, much like other The Legend of Zelda games. In the game, as in various other Zelda games, Link screams when swinging his sword, and will gasp slightly when he sees something surprising. The singular exception to this is Midna, whose dialogue is spoken in an unintelligible fictional language.
Returning from Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, a horse can again be ridden in Twilight Princess. The default name for the horse is Epona (the set name of the horse from the two aforementioned games) and is used as the main form of transport while human until later in the game, when various warp points can be used instead.
The enemy's AI of Twilight Princess is more advanced than in The Wind Waker. The enemies react to a defeated enemy and to arrows or slingshot pellets passing by. The AI can also detect the player from a much larger distance than in Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, or The Wind Waker.