Welcome to Round 2 of Skyward Sword vs. Twilight Princess! Today we throw the game's namesake into the ring and let them duke it out! Sword Vs. Harp, who wins?
Alright so, for a brief recap of what each princess does in her game, lets get into the summaries of character!
The land of Hyrule has long been protected by the four light spirits. But when Princess Zelda's coronation preparations are ruined by Zant, a mysterious curtain of twilight falls over Hyrule, transforming most of the denizens of Hyrule into spirits, unaware that anything has truly changed. Only Zelda remains unaffected due to her wielding the Triforce of Wisdom. Left alone in a world of spirits, Zelda is forced to watch as her kingdom falls into darkness. If only someone would come...
So Zelda in Twilight Princess is very...well, she's not as big to the plot as she could have been. You meet her in the first twenty minutes or so and she tells Link why he's stuck as a wolf, apologizes for him being imprisoned, and then hurries you out so the guard doesn't get him and Midna. Then we don't see her until about half-way through, when she SPOILERS! gives Midna her life force so that she can continue to guide Link to the Master Sword. Then, we don't see her until the end of the game, where we have to fight her and then fight with her all in the same final battle.
So Zelda in Twilight Princess is very...well, she's not as big to the plot as she could have been. You meet her in the first twenty minutes or so and she tells Link why he's stuck as a wolf, apologizes for him being imprisoned, and then hurries you out so the guard doesn't get him and Midna. Then we don't see her until about half-way through, when she SPOILERS! gives Midna her life force so that she can continue to guide Link to the Master Sword. Then, we don't see her until the end of the game, where we have to fight her and then fight with her all in the same final battle.
While her archery skills are amazing, the problem lies in the fact she's only in the game for three scenes. And she spends most of the second half of the game as a lifeless body anyways, so that doesn't even count.
It seems like she had a lot of potential for a great character, but they just ended up rushing the game because I mean, come on, she wields a freakin' sword in her intro cutscene. They could have done so much with that. She also, like, the only brunette Zelda out there (automatically making her my favorite and making me wish I had my long hair back so I could better cosplay her one day.
There's probably a reason why they made Midna the Twilight Princess instead of Zelda (nice red herring by the way)...
Skyward Sword's Zelda is the daughter of headmaster Gaepora at the Skyloft Knights academy and long time friend of Link. On the 25th anniversary of the Wing Ceremony, Zelda is chosen to act as the Goddess Hylia's proxy at the Ceremony's end. This causes Groose, Link's rival and Zelda's abhorrent admirer to attempt to stop Link from ever having a chance at winning. Zelda reprimands Groose for doing so, even when she intitally thinks Link is faking not being able to sense his Loftwing and pushing him off of Skyloft. (Luckily she rescues him....)
Overjoyed that Link is victorious, the two finish the ceremony and then enjoy a flight around the clouds. But Zelda's hauting dreams of the world below the clouds are about to come true as a tornado whisks her away from the world she knows to a world below.
Zelda in Skyward Sword is a much more vibrant character. The game does a great job of making you feel like she's on your side and you have a history together, and you spend a lot of the early game just chatting with her. Then, when the game gets started, you spend the first three dungeons chasing her down, with the second one giving you a teaser of a reunion, and the third one getting interrupted by Ghirahim.
What happens when you finally go into the past and see Zelda is probably one of the most heart-wrenching cutscenes ever. MAJOR BIG KAHUNA SPOILERS! Zelda reveals to you that she's the Goddess Hylia reborn in a mortal form. After the first two dungeons, she remembered her past life and then she, a goddess, apologizes to Link for stringing him along because she knew he'd do anything to rescue Zelda from harm. She powers up the Master Sword, and then she seals herself away, all with Link pounding on her crystal, begging her to stay with him. I almost cried.
So this round hands down goes to Skyward Sword Zelda. She's WAY more involved in the plot than Twilight Princess, and she actually has personality that makes you like her and makes you want to go after her, even when you really don't want to face evil boss-guy of doom.
Skyward Sword: 2
Twilight Princess: 0
Don't worry, Twilight Princess is going to make a comeback next round.
