Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - hands-on

Now it's back to the untainted part of the world - back to Ordon Village. But, the Twilight Realm is slowly seeping inward, so Link's most pressing mission is to stop this unholy advance. A spirit magically contacts you and says if you bring it back, it could dispel the wave of darkness that's covering this area of the land. Apparently, when that portal opened in the sky, it let loose all kinds of bad stuff, and by collecting the energy inside six tears of light, you can push it back and revive the spirit.

In other words, it's a scavenger hunt for bugs that hold these tears. Your dog senses can track 'em, though, so it's not too hard to pull off. You've gotta sniff around the better part of the map for them, so it does feel like perhaps six is too many. And this idea is used again for future dungeons, so that's a potential bit of contention too.

But once you've got the tears collected and the spirit revived, Link turns back into his human self as the light returns. There's a twist though - Link's now clothed in the familiar green tunic we all know so well. When the spirit came back, he could tell Link is from the line of heroes that have always stood against evil (or something like that), so he's magically endowed with a sword and shield. Again, we don't ask questions.

As the chosen one, it's time to hit the game's first true dungeon - a rickety, decrepit collection of rooms nestled inside a forest. It's actually a lot like the forest temple from Wind Waker, full of wind-based puzzles and toothy plant life.