Differences between the Gamecube and the Wii version of Twilight Princess

Question

What are the differences between the Gamecube and the Wii version of Twilight Princess? Are they just the same game, only with another control scheme (Controller for Gamecube, Wiimote for Wii), or are there any significant differences?

Answer 1

The main difference is that the whole game is flipped, horizontally. In the Game Cube version, Link is left handed (as he was in all previous games). In the Wii version, he is right handed. In order to avoid re-doing all of the graphics in the game, they just flipped the entire game - Lake Hylia is in the southeast corner instead of the southwest corner, if there is a path to the left in the Game Cube version, it is to the right on the Wii, etc.

I recall that Nintendo stated that this had something to do with players using the Wiimote in their right hand, and the interaction with the game was odd if Link was left handed, but I'm not positive on that.

Answer 2

The Wii version doesn't have free camera mode - on the GC version you can use the C-stick to move your camera around while running and stuff.

Also I find that just holding B to release a spin attack is much more reliable than using the nunchuk/ Wiimote combo.

Answer 3

According to Wikipedia, they were released at the same time, mainly just with a different control scheme. However, since most people are right-handed, and Link was left-handed in the GC version, they decided to flip the entire world, changing West to the East and East to the West. So, just watch out for that when using a Walkthrough or trying to play on multiple versions.

Answer 4

I played on both versions, so I can speak from experience.

I'm surprised nobody mentioned the 16:9 aspect ratio, only available on the Wii version. I started on the Wii. I bought that version because I wanted 16:9, but then I decided to change to the GameCube version which has better controls (specially the camera).

Also, unlike in Skyward Sword, the motion in TP is just a gimmick / afterthought, and it's not fully integrated in the gameplay, so it feels less natural. E.g., the direction of the sword kinda follows your movement, but since this has no gameplay significance, it feels as if you're using motion to internally trigger a "button press", just because.

So in summary, the main differences are (in order of importance):

• Control scheme - classic-only on GameCube, motion-only on Wii.
  • GameCube version allows freely controlling the camera, with the C-stick; on the Wii, you have to use Z-targeting like in OoT (called L-targeting on the GameCube).
  • You have 4 items slots on the Wii (direct in B and 3 more indirect on + control pad to assign to B). On GCN, you have 2 direct item slots on the X and Y buttons.
  • On the Wii you have to use motion for the sword. For aiming, you have the option to use analog or the Wiimote pointer (requires the sensor bar).
• Aspect ratio - 4:3 on GameCube; option of 16:9 or 4:3 on Wii, as per Wii system settings.
• The world is mirrored.
  • Left-handed Link on GCN, "right-handed" on Wii (because it's mirrored).
  • Text references such as "east" and "west" were also adapted accordingly.
    Side note: Because of this, it's up for debate, lore-wise, whether the world in the Wii version is also canon (including that right-handed Link being actually right-handed in-lore).
• When emulating on Dolphin, the GCN version's performance is better (even with a 16:9 hack). This can make a significant difference on low-end hardware.

Also worth mentioning:
Save data is "compatible" (with hacking), i.e. it's basically the same between both versions, except for headers/format of the save-file. This means that, with hacking, it's possible to convert a savefile to continue a playthrough on a different version (I can confirm it works).

Answer 5

To add to other answers, there is one badass thing that you can do on Gamecube version, but not on Wii version:

Try loading your spin attack while on Epona's back. This makes Link raise his arm and sword in a very nice, stylish effect, with some sparkle going along the sword. When charging toward enemies with the B button pushed, it felt like some LOTR vibes that I wish they hadn't removed from Wii version.