A high-definition remaster based on the GameCube version, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD, developed by Tantalus Media, was released for the Wii U in March 2016.

It uses the basic control scheme introduced in Ocarina of Time, including context-sensitive action buttons and L-targeting (Z-targeting on the Wii),[9] a system that allows the player to keep Link's view focused on an enemy or important object while moving and attacking.

The speaker emits the sounds of a bowstring when shooting an arrow, Midna's laugh when she gives advice to Link, and the series' trademark "chime" when discovering secrets.

"Wolf Link" gains several key advantages in return—he moves faster than he does on foot as a human, digs holes to create new passages, and uncover buried items, and has improved senses, including the ability to follow scent trails.

[j] On his back, he also carries Midna, a small imp-like creature who gives him hints, uses an energy field to attack enemies, helps him jump long distances, and eventually allows him to "warp" to any of several preset locations throughout the overworld.

[k] Using Link's wolf senses, the player can see and listen to the wandering spirits of those affected by the Twilight, as well as hunt for enemy ghosts named Poes.

Enemies react to defeated companions and to arrows or slingshot pellets that pass by, and they can detect Link from a greater distance than was possible in previous games.

Once it has been fully restored, the Sages reveal to Link that Midna is actually the true ruler of the Twili, usurped and cursed into her current form by Zant.

However, as Hyrule Castle collapses, Ganondorf emerges from it victorious, crushing the Fused Shadow piece that Midna wore on her head, and pursues Link on horseback.

[21] Nintendo of America told Aonuma that North American sales of The Wind Waker were sluggish because its cartoon appearance created the impression that it was designed for a young audience.

[m] Early development of what would become Twilight Princess began and special care was taken to improve the realism of the horseriding, with lead character designer Keisuke Nishimori riding a horse for himself to feel what it was like.

[27] In four months, Aonuma's team managed to present realistic horseback riding,[m] which Nintendo later revealed to the public with a trailer at E3 2004 that was met with enormous praise.

Aonuma also felt the gameplay lacked the caliber of innovation found in Phantom Hourglass, which was being developed with touch controls for the Nintendo DS.

Miyamoto thought that the Revolution's pointing device, the Wii Remote, was well suited for aiming arrows in Zelda, and he suggested that Aonuma consider using it.

His team began work developing a pointing-based interface for the bow and arrow, and Aonuma found that aiming directly at the screen created a new feel, just like the DS control scheme for Phantom Hourglass.

[32] They also announced that a Zelda title would appear on the Wii (then codenamed "Revolution"),[33] but were not clear to the media if this meant Twilight Princess or a different game.

Aonuma realized that his team had implemented Wii controls under the mindset of "forcing" users to adapt, instead of making the system intuitive and easy to use.

[45] Media requests at the trade show prompted Kondo to consider using orchestral music for the other tracks, a notion reinforced by his preference for live instruments.

[44] Both six- and seven-track versions of the soundtrack were released on November 19, 2006, as part of a Nintendo Power promotion and bundled with replicas of the Master Sword and the Hylian Shield.

A specifically designed save file would cause the game to load unsigned code, which could include Executable and Linkable Format (ELF) programs and homebrew Wii applications.

Nintendo experimented with an HD version of Twilight Princess running on Wii U development kits when trying to settle on a graphical style for the new game.

At the time, most of the Zelda team was preoccupied with Breath of the Wild, so Nintendo sought a partnership with an external development studio, the Australia-based Tantalus Media, to work on Twilight Princess HD.

[54] According to Eiji Aonuma, who directed the original release and produced Twilight Princess HD, ensuring the remaster would take advantage of the Wii U GamePad was a point of focus early in the title's development.

Other enhancements include speeding up a handful of cutscenes that seemed overly long by modern standards[54] and reducing repetitive gameplay elements, such as collecting Tears of Light while in the Twilight Realm.

[54] Tomomi Sano, the assistant director of the Wii U version, noted the degree of refinement the graphics would receive required much consideration: "When we created more precise models of objects to go with the higher resolution, we found that everything was too clear and we lost that soft and delicate atmosphere that you get in particular at twilight or with the light in a forest".

[54] Certain bundles contain a Wolf Link Amiibo figurine, which unlocks a Wii U-exclusive dungeon called the "Cave of Shadows"[56] and can carry data over to Breath of the Wild.

[97] Twilight Princess' graphics were praised for the art style and animation, although the game was designed for the GameCube, which is technically lacking compared to the next generation consoles.

[65] Gaming Nexus considered Twilight Princess' soundtrack to be the best of this generation,[99] though IGN criticized its MIDI-formatted songs for lacking "the punch and crispness" of their orchestrated counterparts.

[133] As of September 2015, the game had sold 8.85 million copies worldwide across both platforms,[134] making it the best-selling single title in the series until it was surpassed by The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in April 2018.

[142] An eleven-volume manga series based on Twilight Princess, penned and illustrated by Akira Himekawa, was first released in Japan on February 8, 2016, and ran until January 30, 2022.