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Link's Crossbow Training
The Zelda franchise goes mainstream.
November 19, 2007 | 4:45 PM PSTAMN's Review Policy: Our reviews are written for you. Our goal is to write honest, to-the-point reviews that don't waste your time. This is why we've split our reviews into four sections: What the Game's About, What's Hot, What's Not and Final Word, so that you can easily find the information you want from our reviews.
What the Game's About
When Nintendo first announced Link's Crossbow Training, more than a few gamers were a disappointed. Up until this point, Zelda games have typically catered towards what Nintendo calls the "core" gamer. Not Link's Crossbow Training, though. Sure, it can be played by any kind of gamer, as it has a wide range of appeal. But it abandons everything the Zelda franchise has known – story, dungeons, puzzles, bosses – in favor of decidedly more simplistic gameplay. Essentially, Nintendo has taken the bow and arrow mechanic from its last Zelda title, Twilight Princess, and created an entire game around it. The goal here is simple: aim at the screen with the Wii-mote, and with it, fire Link's crossbow, trying to hit as many target signs as possible. Each target you hit earns you points, which you want as many of as possible.
Link's Crossbow Training is included for free with each Wii Zapper, which is $19.99.
What's Hot
When Nintendo set out to create Link's Crossbow Training, it most likely wanted to deliver a video game with the Zelda name that was simple enough to attract non-gamers – people who have probably never played a Zelda game or perhaps even heard of one before. Well, it succeeded. Link's Crossbow Training uses the bare minimums of the Wii control scheme, but it does so in a successful way. It feels as if Nintendo simply ported the winning bow and arrow controls from Twilight Princess and changed Link's bow to a crossbow. But this is hardly a total criticism. Twilight Princess' bow controls were phenomenal – perhaps the star of the show. And those controls are the foundation of Link's Crossbow Training. The easy, intuitive controls allow the game to be played by just about anyone.
Despite its basic gameplay design, there is a surprising amount of variety to the levels in Crossbow Training. You'll see a wide variety of familiar locales from the Zelda franchise as you make your way through the nine challenges (each of which features three levels). Further, there are three types of stages: rail-based, controlled third-person and free-roaming third-person, so you aren't playing the exact same thing over and over each level.
What's Not
Unfortunately for Link's Crossbow Training, its greatest success – mainstreaming Zelda – is also its chief downfall. The game's simple design backfires, as it's shallow. The gameplay isn't necessarily bad, but it's so rudimentary that is struggles to entertain for long. We wrote earlier that it feels like Nintendo simply copy and pasted over its bow and arrow mechanics from Twilight Princess, and then it was (mostly) done from a design perspective. Regrettably, this is true, and while it can stand as a compliment (the controls are great), it doubles as an insult. The premise isn't enough to keep you playing after the novelty of the first few levels wears off.
Additionally, while the three types of stages are appreciated, the third-person segments, in which you control Link with the nunchuck and aim with the Wii-mote, are mediocre. The presentation here is subpar; it doesn't look like Link belongs in his environments, as he strafes around firing at targets.
The most disappointing shortcoming of Link's Crossbow Training is that its multiplayer is incredibly limited. Despite that Crossbow Training is an obvious attempt by Nintendo to milk the Zelda cow, we would have forgiven the company if the multiplayer proved entertaining. Unfortunately, it's far too limited to please. There's no simultaneous multiplayer to speak of, for example. Instead, you must pass the same controller around, taking turns, one after the other. For something like Wii Sports, this works, but each player's turn in Link's Crossbow Training lasts considerably longer than in Wii Sports. Waiting for multiple people to take their turn before you get your own gets boring fast.
Lastly, Link's Crossbow Training is the first Wii game to make use of the Wii Zapper. This is not a review of the peripheral; however, as far as we're concerned, Crossbow Training is best played without the Zapper. Using the Wii-mote and nunchuck just works better.
Final Word
Sometimes, in a review we have to consider a game's special circumstances. Link's Crossbow Training is one of those games. Technically, it's a freebie that you get for buying the Wii Zapper, which costs $19.99. We have decided to treat this write-up as just a review of the game itself – independent of the peripheral it comes with. That being the case, as a piece of software, it's hard to recommend Link's Crossbow Training, even at the relatively low price of $19.99.
The problem with Link's Crossbow Training is unusual. It's not that it's a bad game. Instead, it's that there's just not enough to it.
What the Game's About
When Nintendo first announced Link's Crossbow Training, more than a few gamers were a disappointed. Up until this point, Zelda games have typically catered towards what Nintendo calls the "core" gamer. Not Link's Crossbow Training, though. Sure, it can be played by any kind of gamer, as it has a wide range of appeal. But it abandons everything the Zelda franchise has known – story, dungeons, puzzles, bosses – in favor of decidedly more simplistic gameplay. Essentially, Nintendo has taken the bow and arrow mechanic from its last Zelda title, Twilight Princess, and created an entire game around it. The goal here is simple: aim at the screen with the Wii-mote, and with it, fire Link's crossbow, trying to hit as many target signs as possible. Each target you hit earns you points, which you want as many of as possible.
Link's Crossbow Training is included for free with each Wii Zapper, which is $19.99.
What's Hot
When Nintendo set out to create Link's Crossbow Training, it most likely wanted to deliver a video game with the Zelda name that was simple enough to attract non-gamers – people who have probably never played a Zelda game or perhaps even heard of one before. Well, it succeeded. Link's Crossbow Training uses the bare minimums of the Wii control scheme, but it does so in a successful way. It feels as if Nintendo simply ported the winning bow and arrow controls from Twilight Princess and changed Link's bow to a crossbow. But this is hardly a total criticism. Twilight Princess' bow controls were phenomenal – perhaps the star of the show. And those controls are the foundation of Link's Crossbow Training. The easy, intuitive controls allow the game to be played by just about anyone.
Despite its basic gameplay design, there is a surprising amount of variety to the levels in Crossbow Training. You'll see a wide variety of familiar locales from the Zelda franchise as you make your way through the nine challenges (each of which features three levels). Further, there are three types of stages: rail-based, controlled third-person and free-roaming third-person, so you aren't playing the exact same thing over and over each level.
What's Not
Unfortunately for Link's Crossbow Training, its greatest success – mainstreaming Zelda – is also its chief downfall. The game's simple design backfires, as it's shallow. The gameplay isn't necessarily bad, but it's so rudimentary that is struggles to entertain for long. We wrote earlier that it feels like Nintendo simply copy and pasted over its bow and arrow mechanics from Twilight Princess, and then it was (mostly) done from a design perspective. Regrettably, this is true, and while it can stand as a compliment (the controls are great), it doubles as an insult. The premise isn't enough to keep you playing after the novelty of the first few levels wears off.
Additionally, while the three types of stages are appreciated, the third-person segments, in which you control Link with the nunchuck and aim with the Wii-mote, are mediocre. The presentation here is subpar; it doesn't look like Link belongs in his environments, as he strafes around firing at targets.
The most disappointing shortcoming of Link's Crossbow Training is that its multiplayer is incredibly limited. Despite that Crossbow Training is an obvious attempt by Nintendo to milk the Zelda cow, we would have forgiven the company if the multiplayer proved entertaining. Unfortunately, it's far too limited to please. There's no simultaneous multiplayer to speak of, for example. Instead, you must pass the same controller around, taking turns, one after the other. For something like Wii Sports, this works, but each player's turn in Link's Crossbow Training lasts considerably longer than in Wii Sports. Waiting for multiple people to take their turn before you get your own gets boring fast.
Lastly, Link's Crossbow Training is the first Wii game to make use of the Wii Zapper. This is not a review of the peripheral; however, as far as we're concerned, Crossbow Training is best played without the Zapper. Using the Wii-mote and nunchuck just works better.
Final Word
Sometimes, in a review we have to consider a game's special circumstances. Link's Crossbow Training is one of those games. Technically, it's a freebie that you get for buying the Wii Zapper, which costs $19.99. We have decided to treat this write-up as just a review of the game itself – independent of the peripheral it comes with. That being the case, as a piece of software, it's hard to recommend Link's Crossbow Training, even at the relatively low price of $19.99.
The problem with Link's Crossbow Training is unusual. It's not that it's a bad game. Instead, it's that there's just not enough to it.
November 20, 2009
