Zelda Informer’s Official Skyward Sword Review: Now With Second Opinions!

In many ways I can hardly believe I am typing the words “Skyward Sword Review”. Trying to reflect back on what 46 hours and 32 minutes of game play is a tough cookie chew on, especially when I know there are at least another 15 to 20 hours in side content I haven’t done yet. Skyward Sword very well may now be my favorite Zelda game in the series, but it’s not necessarily a perfect game all around, nor will it please every Zelda fan out there.

Before I get into what makes this game tick, lets do a bit of nitpicking. Right off the bat: Wii MotionPlus is simply overused and forced at times. It adds nothing to flight or swimming as an example, and until you get use to using it such things may annoy you a tad. It’s not that the controls for these aspects of the game don’t work, it’s more so that they don’t enhance the experience. While it’s a nice alternative to the usual joystick controls, it doesn’t enhance or improve the game play. Thus I was left wondering what the point of the controls were.

There are also going to be a few instances in which some fans are going to be rather put off. I wont go complaining about jagged edges (this is the Wii, after all), but Skyward Sword in many ways tries to establish an all new formula for the series. A lot of fans, I am sure, wont be happy with this decision, and may even go as far as to say this is a great game, but it’s not really a Zelda game. I am not among that group of people.

This game does a lot things within the story (best in the series) that are both risky and extremely refreshing. It’s a tale of Link and his childhood “crush” Zelda. They have been best friends forever, and really the big driving force in all of this is saving Zelda. Sure, there is this subplot about saving the world from this ancient evil the Goddess sealed away, and that story in that of itself does intertwine very well with your main driving motivation to push forward. In a way, the developers have succeeded in taking Zelda story telling to an unheard of level within the series. This is the first game that truly earns the title “The Legend of Zelda”.

What may be the most impressive aspect of the game however isn’t the fantastic story, but rather the character development cycle. Link himself is an actual character in the game world. He is not you, you are not him. He has conversations, he has reactions to every situation, and he shows a lot of emotion. He is clearly not mute in this game, despite the fact you never can read what he is saying. To some this may be a disappointment, but to me it’s about time. I have never once cared for Link as a person as much as I do now. How can I believe there are any feelings for Zelda, as an example, unless Link expresses them? This is a big change to what Link has traditionally been, and for me this is a welcomed change.

It doesn’t stop there: Zelda’s progression as a real character in the game is both awe inspiring and touching (and at times, it makes you tear up with glee). Beyond Zelda, Groose is likely the most entertaining and all around greatest side character in any game. He has a role to play in this game, and while important to the story, his importance shines even more in showing that this is a living, breathing, world. A world in which characters and NPCs are not simply drones.

All the characters in Skyloft and the other sky islands all have unique and interesting personalities, and their thought process progresses through the game as you do. They have something new to say almost every time you visit Skyloft, and if they don’t it’s likely because there is a side quest they told you about that you haven’t done, such as the daughter being kidnapped. Believe me when I say this: There are a lot of side quests in this game if you are willing to look for them. They do not throw it in your face and distract you from your mission, but they are there, and the fact they are adds a lot of replay factor to the game.

As for the actual evolution of the controls: They are so perfect I really don’t want to go back to traditional buttons, which I will have to do more than likely on the 3DS. There are definitely a few areas where a traditional controller does in fact outshine the controls, but it is definitely not in aiming or in fighting with a Sword. The controls are precise, and the responsiveness is not only impressive, it’s extremely refreshing. This is the first advancement of the controls since Ocarina of Time, and I don’t know how Nintendo can not go forward with them in the next game. However, this is Nintendo, so maybe they still have some tricks up their sleeves for something like the Wii U tablet controller.

Speaking of the combat: What makes this game shine when fighting enemies is simply how fun it is. In fact, it so fun you may find yourself completely ignoring shield blocking the entire game, rather choosing to dodge and directional slice your way to victory over and over again. Rest assured that combat is not a puzzle as some fear, but rather, it’s a realistic approach to combat. The enemies gradually get smarter and smarter as the game progresses. Remember Ghirahim from the demo? He is not the only baddie to eventually follow your strikes instinctively for blocks, and this even falls into the most basic of enemy: The Bokoblin.

There are not a ton of different types of enemies in the game, but each type of enemy does in fact show progression as you do. Bokoblins? They advance in difficulty, amount of hits they take, AI responsiveness, gaining electrical blades (god damn those electrical blades!), becoming undead, and eventually jacking all of your items and throwing you in prison. They are there from start to finish, and they never feel tiring or old.

Bigblins advance in their difficulty, so do Lizalfos. Even the Keese become increasingly annoying in all the right ways. Everything about the enemies in this game has been perfected to a point of extreme gratification in every kill. Wait till you face a 4 armed, armored, Stalfos while fighting 5 undead Bokoblins. It’s simply awesome.

The bosses themselves bring a familiar Zelda charm while introducing entirely new concepts. From start to finish, this arguably is the most consistently pleasant the boss fights have been. Only Scaldera was a let down for me, only because the fight was stupidly easy and, in earnest, it is also the fight that motion controls had the least amount of impact on. Still, repeat encounters felt fresh every time, and the bosses themselves are not just epic in scale, but epic in combat. You may or may not die to some of them, but this is the first time that the prospect of dying has mattered to me.

Still, the greatest change to the world has to be the overworld. While I have read many people say it’s not there and that the Hyrule field aspect is lost, I would argue this game provides the best of both worlds. You get the amazing feeling of exploration in The Wind Waker with flight, but in a more compacted way so as to not have the main transportation method become a chore. Yes, there are three separate zones, but it’s not really that different from say, Ocarina of Time.

In that game, like many other Zeldas, things are sectioned off. Hyrule field connects the zones, but they are still their own sections independent of the field itself. In many ways, the sky serves this exact same purpose, and while the ground itself doesn’t have such connecting factors, frankly it doesn’t need it. Nothing can replicate that feeling of entering Hyrule Field for the first time in Ocarina of Time, and I think Nintendo knows that. So, they forgo trying to recreate that experience completely and just go for a great feeling flight mechanic that has room to grow if it returns in future installments.

The zones themselves, specifically before the dungeons, are very compact, but extremely full of new challenges. As you progress through the game there is a lot of backtracking both in the zones and within the dungeons, but it feels fresh every time. The land grows more and more as you progress, and the dungeon like way of progressing through them is revitalizing. There is absolutely nothing to take away from this experience other than a major step forward in terms of game design. Nintendo knows what it does best with Zelda, and it takes it an all new level in Skyward Sword.

If you notice, I haven’t even touched base on the dungeons themselves. They are wonderfully designed, and the last one will present you the most unique, and definitely hardest puzzle the Zelda series has ever displayed. The atmosphere is near perfect, and the pacing in the dungeons, and in the entire game, is near flawless.

The other topic I will only briefly touch on is music. It is gorgeous, but it’s not memorable. In many ways, that is how game music is these days. As the arrangements get more complex a resounding memorably melody generally gets lost. The orchestrated music definitely sounds great, so the quality isn’t the issues. None of the music feels wrong, or even bad, but it’s not the reason you play this game. Playing the harp is pointless, and it is the worst excuse for a musical instrument in the entire series. There is nothing fun about playing it, and you can’t even really create music. Thankfully, the game rarely forces it to be needed, so a lot of its use is completely optional.

As for replayability, there is a second quest. It is much harder than the first, and it includes a boss rush mode and a silent realm mode (by the way, I won’t go into great detail, but Nintendo fucking NAILED the Silent Realm. It’s tons of fun). I have not completed this mode yet, but I have been told their is a great surprise in store for those that do, so I am definitely looking forward to that!

I could go on and on about the changes and the amazing way Nintendo instills them into the game, but in the end a reviews purpose serves to convey my experience to the readers and let them make an educated purchasing decision. This is a must buy title, arguably the best in the series, and definitely the best game the Wii has to offer. For completely pointless reasons, this game get’s 4.5 Reggies out of 5. Why not a 5? Simple really: ratings are irrelevant and saying the game is perfect means it can’t get better. Trust me, it can. I am looking forward to it.

Alex Plant’s Thoughts:

Skyward Sword succeeds where many other Zelda games have failed, at least relatively speaking – it tears down stale old conventions and completely regenerates the franchise. We haven’t seen an effort that’s so clearly and solidly nailed what it means to provide a compelling new gameplay structure since Ocarina of Time’s leap into the 3D world, and in many ways the game’s changes to the formula are even more momentous. Wii Motion Plus finally gets its long-overdue moment of glory, and the results are so satisfying that, even after over 30 hours of play time, I don’t think I ever want to go back to a more traditional scheme. Moving my sword free-handed, lifting up my shield for a quick, well-timed parry, precisely aiming my Slingshot and Bow, and lashing out at foes with a flick of my Whip are now so instinctual that I can truly say they’re part of my core Zelda gamer DNA. What’s more, the motion controls never feel as though they’ve overstayed their welcome.

As someone who is keenly interested in the Zelda series storyline and lore, so far I can assure that while the game may not seem as cutscene-driven as Twilight Princess, there’s still definitely a strong story being told here. The pacing is very different than what we as longtime fans might be used to, but this inevitably is a credit to the intricacies of the story. That said, this is a game that very much hearkens to fans who’ve stuck with the series since Ocarina of Time, so expect to see tons of exciting surprises as you play.

That’s not to mention the sheer quality of craftsmanship on the part of the game’s content designers. Every square inch of the game’s seriously vast world has a purpose and direction, whether you’re cruising around Skyloft or questing on the surface. Never once did I get the sense that there was nothing to do – there’s always loot to be gathered, new secret treasures to unlock, and pound for pound these areas are the most well-utilized spaces in the entire series.

Oh, and for those of you wondering about difficulty – I famously criticize Twilight Princess for being too easy, but while I haven’t died yet in Skyward Sword I have found myself rushing to pull out a healing potion or tempted to run away and restock in the sky several times already. Puzzles will make you think, but aren’t frustratingly difficult – a good balance between the fast-paced dungeon exploration of Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks and the more traditional 3D Zelda fare. Graphically speaking it doesn’t stand up very well compared to the other games coming this holiday, but at the same time this still places its visuals a mile ahead of the rest of the series. All in all, however, is this the best Zelda game I’ve ever played? I think it’s safe to say that the answer to that question is a resounding Yes!

Halilović Damir’s Thoughts:

After well over 40 hours I put down the controller and ask myself – was the wait worth it? Was all the hype, all the speculation, all the hopes, fears and anticipation worth it? After much thought, comparison and endless pondering, the answer I come to is yes. Nintendo wanted us all to know that this is their most ambitious project, from the 25th Anniversary symphony, the promotional material, and now recently even the Penny Arcade collaboration, and for good reason. THIS is their Magnum Opus. This is the ultimate Zelda experience, this is what we’ve all been waiting for all these years.

I could tell you how the gameplay is not only unique to the Zelda series, but unique to all of gaming, and that it proves that Nintendo makes the best games if only they put their mind to it. I could tell you that the story will move many of you to tears and that it seems like a fan fiction writer’s dream come true. I could tell you all of that, but I won’t, Nathan and Alex did all that. So what will I tell you? I am going to nitpick my way through the stuff I did not like. Note that these are not decremental to the experience as a whole, but simply small complaints on my part that I believe could have been handled better.

First off, whenever you pick up a new collectible item, the game stops, Link picks it up and you get a small message what the item you picked up is. Then the menu appears, and the item slowly fades into its slot, followed by the number next to it increasing by one. This is obviously standard stuff… The problem is that, when you reset the game and start a new session, it will do this for items you’ve already picked up, every single goddamned time. You might recall that Twilight Princess had this same issue with rupees. It’s a simple programming oversight that could have, and should have been fixed before release.

Secondly, and most importantly, the music, while both appropriate and neatly atmospheric, isn’t really that memorable aside from a few specific tunes. The harp songs you learn especially are downright bad. Not the wishy-washy kind of bad, where they simply don’t compare to Zelda quality music – they’re just bad. The exception to these are the first one and the last one you learn. The harp overall is really a lackluster instrument, you can only play the songs during specific plot points, and even the playing itself is only swinging the Wii remote from one side to another in rhythm with the circle on the ground. The rhythm for every song is identical as well. All in all it’s just one step above pressing a button, i.e. the grass playing in Twilight Princess.

My last “big” disappointment was Fi’s character, as she never really progresses from her number-crunching robotic persona, although she does rectify herself somewhat in the end. This isn’t as much of a game flaw as it’s my personal unmet expectation. Overall however, I never enjoyed a Zelda game more than this one. I want to say that it’s tied to my favorite, Majora’s Mask, but that wouldn’t be fair. The content and experience on Skyward Sword simply cannot be compared to anything. It’s tenfold better than any other Zelda experience, and definitely the perfect direction for the series’ future installments. Now excuse me, the second quest awaits.

P.S. Pompadour is now officially my favorite word ever.