Zelda: Twilight Princess Has A Sequel Nobody Remembers

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is a notable entry in the series as it perfected the original 3D Zelda formula started by Ocarina of Time, before the mainline series departed from it. Skyward Sword's environments were too linear to give the same feel of a grand adventure, while Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom prioritize freedom over having a series of larger, deliberately crafted dungeons. Twilight Princess is also notable for another reason: its sequel.

Having a direct sequel is not unheard of for a mainline Zelda game. Ocarina of Time had Majora's Mask, and most recently Breath of the Wild was followed up by Tears of the Kingdom. However, Twilight Princess' sequel stands out from these, and not necessarily for the best reasons. One glaring example of how this sequel differs from previous ones, is that many players probably don't even remember it, or might not realize that it was originally meant to be more of a narrative follow-up than we ended up getting.

Zelda: Twilight Princess Has A Direct Sequel

Unlike previous Zelda sequels, Twilight Princess was followed up, not by a traditional 3D Zelda title, but by a shooter. Link's Crossbow Training reuses environments, enemies, and other assets from Twilight Princess to deliver a mixture of rail shooting and third-person shooting set in the world of the original game. In an interview with former Nintendo Global President Satoru Iwata, Shigeru Miyamoto revealed this wasn't the first time he'd wanted to make a first-person Zelda game.

Miyamoto discussed how he enjoys exploring 3D environments from a first-person view. "At first, when we were developing The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, I even proposed using a first-person perspective," Miyamoto revealed in the interview. While I'm personally glad the series didn't move in that direction, it's clear Miyamoto never gave up on the idea of using FPS elements in a Zelda game, which ultimately led to the development of Link's Crossbow Training.

While Miyamoto likens Link's Crossbow Training to Majora's Mask in terms of giving players a new Zelda game in a familiar setting, with a quick turnaround, it falls short of the Ocarina of Time sequel in basically every other regard. The game consists of 27 short, self-contained levels with no real overarching narrative connecting them. This is a far cry from the strong atmosphere and powerful storytelling found in Majora's Mask.

There Are A Few Strange Zelda Spinoffs

Link's Crossbow Training isn't the only spinoff in the Zelda series. While some, like Hyrule Warriors, seem like a natural direction to go in, others are a bit stranger. Tingle's Balloon Fight DS, for instance, is simply a remake of the NES title Balloon Fight, with a fresh coat of Zelda-themed paint. There's also the adventure game Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland, an adventure game starring Tingle that has little to do with the mainline series.

Twilight Princess even had a second, albeit much smaller, spinoff in the form of My Nintendo Picross: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. This was a Zelda version of the puzzle game Picross, where players solve grid-based puzzles to reveal themed images. While Link's Crossbow Training isn't quite as strange as some of these spinoffs, it is still disappointing that The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess' attempt at a sequel in the vein of Majora's Mask didn't offer a richer experience.