Link's Crossbow Training

Link's Crossbow Training is a spin-off of the The Legend of Zelda series for the Wii. It ships with the Wii Zapper and most likely takes place at different times during or after Twilight Princess. It was created to demonstrate the use of the Zapper. Link must pass a series of tests to perfect his marksmanship with the crossbow. Link's Crossbow Training supports a four player turn-based multiplayer mode, where the Wii Zapper is passed among the players, who play individually and compete for the highest score.

Controls
With the Wii Remote and the Nunchuk inside the Wii Zapper casing, the Zapper should be aimed as it would with the Wii Remote. The trigger must be pulled to fire the crossbow (this effectively presses the Wii Remote's B button). Holding down the trigger will cause the crossbow to charge a shot which will fire a bomb arrow (unless Link has the automatic crossbow power-up, in which case it will rapid-fire arrows). The Z button will zoom in, much like Twilight Princess's Hawkeye. The control stick will change function depending on the game mode: in defender-type stages, the stick will rotate your view. In ranger-type stages, it will move Link. In target shooting-type stages, the stick serves no purpose.

Scoring
The scores for various targets will change with the stage, from 10 to 100 points. Hitting a target will add 1 to a multiplier, so the next successful shot will earn you that target's points times the multiplier. However, a miss will cause the multiplier to reset to 1, and the multiplier will only rise when shooting a stage's designated target (i.e. the Moldorms in Stage 5-2); shooting certain other things will earn you points, but will not increase your multiplier.

Medals
At the end of each stage, Link will be awarded with a medal. These serve little purpose other than to be a "rank" of sorts. These are awarded based on the overall score for that stage (all three levels' scores added together). An overall score of at least 20,000 points will get Link a bronze medal. 40,000 points will earn a silver medal and 60,000 a gold medal. Finally, scoring at least 80,000 points will reward the young hero with a a platinum medal, the highest achievable rank within the game. Below 20,000 points will earn nothing.

Earning any level of medal in a stage will unlock the next stage.

Target Shooting
In target shooting, the goal is to shoot down targets. Most of the targets are red, and worth 30 points in the bull's-eye. However, there is a rarer gold variation that is worth 150 points in the bull's-eye. During earlier stages, the targets are stationary, but over time the difficulty increases and the targets begin to move in various ways and speeds.

All target shooting stages are split into 3 20-second segments, each taking place in a different area of the stage. Once a 20-segment is over, a whistle will blow and the timer will stop while the camera moves to the new area, at which point the timer will start again. Targets and other items can still be shot during this paused-timer session.

Most target shooting stages also feature a scarecrow in the first 20 seconds. If the scarecrow's chest is shot 8 times, and then the head is shot, the head will explode for 1000 points. This will cause another scarecrow to appear in the next 20-second segment. If the same tactic is used against this scarecrow, then the player will be taken to an alternate area for the final 20 seconds, wherein there are many more gold targets.



Defender
In this game mode the player remains in a fixed position, but may move the camera freely in 360 degrees. Most of these stages has a green enemy which can be shot to gain 100 automatic crossbow shots, which will be continuously fired for as long as the trigger is held down. Familiar enemies will appear on-screen such as Bokoblins.

Ranger
In ranger mode players have free control and may move across the environment freely by using the nunchuk attachment's analog stick. The goal is to find 25 of certain enemy (from Bulblins to Skulltula) by moving around the given stage. Many other objects can be shot in the process, and is in fact necessary sometimes as seen in Stage 5-3, wherein Link must shoot several windows to break them in order to be able to shoot the enemies.

Boss fights
There are two boss fights in later stages, both based on battles from Twilight Princess. In Stage 8-3, Link fights a Darknut in a battle similar to the one in the Temple of Time, while in Stage Finale-3 he fights a newly-resurrected Stallord in the Gerudo Mesa. The Darknut fight plays like a Ranger level in that Link can freely move to dodge the Darknut's attacks, but the Stallord fight plays like a Defender round, in that Link is immobile and must shoot oncoming enemies to prevent them from attacking him.

Development
Link's Crossbow Training came about as a result of Shigeru Miyamoto's love for First-Person Shooter games. Miyamoto and the other staff who had previously worked on Twilight Princess had wanted to do a sort of "side-story", similar to what was done with Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, trying to keep the same setting from Twilight Princess in use for those who enjoyed the game. Eventually, it was decided that trying to come up with a new "epic" story would cause game development to take too much time, and using Miyamoto's love for First-Person Shooters, the idea was eventually brought along to utilize the then-upcoming Wii Zapper for the game in some way. According to Miyamoto, many of the staff working on the game were upset by this news as it essentially destroyed everything they had come up with for the game up to that point, However, once a working prototype was created, the prototype was then given to Nintendo of America to test out, using prototype and even makeshift Wii Zappers. Nintendo of America then gathered a group of "die-hard Zelda fans" and had them test out the prototype, and it was a success. Further work on the new game then commenced, Nintendo of Japan continued to receive feedback from Nintendo of America so that they could further tweak the final product.

Miyamoto had already mentioned during the beginning of the creation process that there were certain "don'ts", such as no long cutscenes, and levels must be made as short, rapid-fire levels as opposed to long, drawn-out levels. In fact, Miyamoto had even said not to make any bosses, so that they could just focus on making the game fun; however, due to pressure from the team, he allowed them to add one boss, claiming that making one boss excellent is better than having three to focus on, which is what the team originally wanted.

Stages
The stages in Link's Crossbow Training all take place in various locations previously featured in Twilight Princess. The stages all use the GameCube orientation as opposed to the Wii orientation (as the Wii version of Twilight Princess was mirrored from the GameCube version), since the Gamecube version is canon.

Stage 1
Ordon Target Practice This stage is set in Ordon Village. It transitions between three sections, the last of which is variable, depending on whether Link has shot the two scarecrows in the first two sections. Gerudo Stalfos: Defender This stage is set in Gerudo Mesa and sees Link battling several Stalfos. Arbiter's Grounds: Ranger In this level, Link moves through the Bulblin camp in Gerudo Desert, fighting Bulblins.

Stage 2
Goron Target Practice This level transitions through three separate sections of the Goron City, similarly to Ordon Target Practice, but the targets are held by Gorons, who gradually change the targets that they hold. Zora River: Defender This stage takes place on a boat traveling down Zora River. Link cannot steer the boat itself. Several Toadpolis appear in this level, as well as Red Tektites. Skull Shooting In this stage, several white and red skulls are thrown into the air in Hyrule Field, and the player must shoot them.

Stage 3
Kakariko Target Practice In Kakariko Village, Link shoots targets in three phases, as with the previous Target Practice stages. In this stage, each time Link shoots targets, new ones appear in their place. Fruit Balloons Here, Link must shoot balloons shaped like watermelons, oranges, and strawberries, flying over Hyrule Castle Town. For every eight targets that Link shoots in succession, a meteor will fall. The Great Bridge: Defender On the Great Bridge, Link must defend himself from swarms of Kargaroks.

Stage 4
Zora River Target Practice This level is set in Zora's Domain, and in it, targets fall down waterfalls.. Hyrule Castle: Defender Taking place in the Hyrule Castle's courtyard, Link must battle Keese and Stalfos. Skulltula Woods: Ranger This stage is set in Faron Woods, and sees Link fighting Skulltulas and Deku Babas.

Stage 5
Oocca Target Practice In the City in the Sky, many Oocca will fly around carrying targets. Gerudo Moldorm: Defender In Gerudo Mesa, Link is attacked from all directions by Moldorm and Peahats. The Shootout Link must fight several Bulblins in the Hidden Village.

Stage 6
Ordon Target Practice 2 A scrolling level set in Ordon Village. The Bridge of Eldin: Defender Link is chased across the Bridge of Eldin by Bokoblins, Bulblins, Bullbos, and Kargaroks. Snowpeak Ruins: Ranger In the Snowpeak Ruins, Link must hunt down all 25 Chilfos in the area. Ice Keese also appear.

Stage 7
Underground Target Practice Link must shoot several moving targets and ReDead Knights in Arbiter's Grounds. City In the Sky: Defender In Argorok's arena in the City in the Sky, Link is attacked my several Aeralfos. Temple of Time: Ranger In the Temple of Time, Link fights Lizalfos, Keese, and Beamos.

Stage 8
Horseback Target Practice Link shoots targets in Hyrule Field while riding Epona. Snowpeak: Defender Taking place on the mountain itself, Link must defend himself from White Wolfos and Ice Keese. Darknut Battle A battle against the black Darknut from the Temple of Time, which is made of several insect-like creatures.

Stage Finale
Ranch Target Practice At the Ordon Ranch, Link battles Bokoblins, many of which are riding goats. Sacred Grove: Defender In the Sacred Grove, Link battles Skull Kid and his Puppets. Stallord Battle (Defender) The final boss fight against the Twilit Fossil Stallord, who summons Bubbles.

Multiplayer mode
A simple multiplayer mode was added into the game. It supports up to 4 players, although alternately as opposed to simultaneously. The players are chosen, followed by a choosing of the Stage to be played (note that one cannot play a full 3-level stage, but merely one stage, i.e. Stage 1-3, Stage 6-2, etc.). Each player completes the stage one at a time, passing the Wii Zapper on to the next person as necessary. Once the final player has completed the stage, one star will be awarded to the player who attained the highest score. This can be continued for as long as desired.

Multiplayer scores are not recorded in the game itself, so once multiplayer mode is left, all multiplayer scores will be erased.

Secrets and bonuses
In the midst of all the shooting of targets and enemies, there are objects in most, if not all, stages that can be shot at for extra points. These include pots and jars, doors, windows, and barrels, amongst many other background objects. Most give minor amounts of points, though Orange Rupees can give significant amounts if shot as soon as they appear, and strategically shooting scarecrows can cause the last part of Target Shooting stages to have a significant increase in targets, specifically gold targets. Certain stages have hidden fairies, which will grant 1000 points when revealed. Each stage contains a segment of the Triforce, which grants bonus points and can be found through various means, such as defeating every enemy in the stage or hitting all of the targets.



Reception
The game was received rather well, currently holding an average review score of 70% on GameRankings.com. In fact, reviewers were far more disappointed with the Wii Zapper itself. Regarding the game itself, however, many critics were disappointed with the length of the game, but forgave it given the price. IGN reviewer Matt Casamassina says that "I would have preferred more stages and more options, but for $19.99, I'm a little more forgiving." Another widely-criticized portion of the game was the multiplayer aspect, which EuroGamer says that "sadly there's absolutely nothing to it." Overall, though, most critics were pleased with the game. GameSpot mentions that "As long as you don't expect more than a short but sweet shooting game, you'll be pleased with what Link's Crossbow Training has to offer."