Hidden in Plain Sight, Part Two: Antithesis of the Skyward Sword
Posted on August 22 2011 by Alex Plant
This article was inspired by an idea from RayxConsume at Zelda Universe Forums. Thanks also to BlackOwlDog for noticing elements of this as well.
Like my last article, I am about to discuss content that is potentially heavily spoiler-ridden. If you hope to avoid ruining the storyline of Skyward Sword, I advise you not to read on beyond this bolded header so as to preserve the purity of your first impressions while playing through the game. Of course, I also want to make abundantly clear that the observations contained herein are not intended to be taken as statements of “confirmed fact,” but just that – observations. That said, read on if you’re curious about what storyline secrets I’m referring to.
As I hope you can tell from the header image, this article’s going to take a cue from my previous analysis focus largely on the scene above, which you can see at the end of the Skyward Sword Comic-Con 2011 trailer. Turns out there’s a whole different dimension to this scene that follows another possible plot thread.
If you take a look at Ghirahim’s sword in the above scene, you might notice some similarities to Link’s own Skyward Sword. The blade has a relatively straight edge, like most of the swords Link collects during his various adventures, it seems to be double-edged, and the red jewel adorning its hilt is definitely reminiscent of the blue one the Skyward Sword sports. Fancy.
Big deal, so what? We already know Ghirahim bears visual similarities to Phi, the spirit of the Skyward Sword, and diamond-shaped jewels seem to be everywhere in this game. Well, there’s more to it than this.
If you look closely at the scene from the trailer, you’ll notice that when Link jump attacks Ghirahim, he’s not wielding his Skyward Sword – he’s using the normal, non-magical sword he gets at the very beginning of the game. How can you tell? Look at the sword’s hilt: the Skyward Sword’s handle is bluish, with a blue grip. This sword has a more grayish hilt, and the grip seems to be made of brown leather – just like the Ordon Sword, which the starting sword this time around is based on.
What’s more, if you really strain your eyes, you’ll catch a glimpse of his scabbard, which is definitely the same one from his starting sword. It’s pretty plain and colored dark gray, while the Skyward Sword’s is brown and more ornate.
Some have suggested that this could mean the scene’s from the beginning of the game, but I don’t think that’s the case. In the first place, Link already has his green tunic, which means Ghirahim’s already sent his tornado up to bring Zelda down to the surface. And as we see in the trailer, Link seems to get his tunic after obtaining the Skyward Sword. But there’s another more telling detail – Aonuma said in an interview that the encounter in the Sky Temple is the first time we meet Ghirahim directly:
[About Ghirahim] The demo shows when you first meet him, and plainly he’s looking down at Link, stopping his sword with his fingers and so forth. In terms of story image he’s kind of like Dark Link; he sees right through Link’s moves in battle. You can sort of swing your sword wildly and still hold your own against a lot of foes, but there’s no way you can beat Ghiraham like that.
Bill Trinen reiterated that it was the first encounter in an interview held during Comic-Con, saying that you get the idea that you’re being followed after you land on the surface before running into Ghirahim at the heart of the temple. So I think it’s safe to say that this is an encounter from much later in the game. Why, then, is Link using his starting sword?
It could just be a coincidence. Zelda games are famously always rendered in real-time, meaning Link’s currently equipped-items will always show in cutscenes. Perhaps when recording this footage the person playing just had the starting sword equipped? This seems like the easy way out, though…
I think – and this is just speculation, mind you – that Link must have lost his Skyward Sword at some point. Perhaps it’s just being reforged into the Master Sword at this point in the game, and he’s waiting to get it back when Ghirahim attacks. Perhaps it left him for some reason, to test his mettle as a true hero. Or maybe, just maybe, Ghirahim decided that the sword was too powerful a threat and stole it from Link. He’s already proven he’s capable of doing so during the boss battle demo.
Remember how I noted some similarities between Ghirahim’s sword and the Skyward Sword? I want to explore those a little deeper – but first, allow me to direct your attention to that fateful boss battle demo. You may have noticed this already, but that sword from the trailer – it’s not the same one Ghirahim wields against you in the Sky Temple:
So, if Ghirahim’s sporting some new bling that looks a lot like Link’s sacred sword, and Link happens to be missing that sword… Could this be some kind of corrupted version of the Skyward Sword? At the very least, it seems to be some kind of anti-Skyward Sword that Ghirahim constructs (or discovers, who knows?) and pits against Link.
If this is the Skyward Sword, then one thing’s clear: either Link has to get it back from Ghirahim at some point (likely) or else the Master Sword is actually a different sword. But didn’t Eiji Aonuma say that the Skyward Sword becomes the Master Sword? Yes, but just before that he introduced Phi, the spirit of the sword, as a personification of it. If Phi somehow manages to play a role in the creation of the Master Sword, Aonuma’s statement could still ring true, whether the blade itself is part of the process or not. Of course, if it’s just an all-new sword, then we’d likely clash against it with the Master Sword in the end.
I’m not sure what the cooler scenario would be – fighting Ghirahim to get your precious sword back, then reforging it to be better than ever and defeating him, or building up the Master Sword to challenge a blade of extreme evil. I do know, however, that based on everything we’ve seen here, Skyward Sword‘s looking to have one of the most suspenseful stories in the book, and if the rumors we’ve heard from the development team are true, some of the most memorable swordfights in Zelda‘s long 25 year history. Bring on the hype train.
The Skyward Sword Speculation Series is a column that focuses on speculated possibilities for Skyward Sword‘s gameplay and storyline. The idea came from a general speculation article we published in the wake of E3 2010, and I’m bringing it back in the wake of E3 and Comic Con 2011! While I try to make my guesses based on confirmed or suggested facts, bear in mind that they are still just that – guesses – and may or may not prove to be true, or even at all accurate. I’ll be dealing with all kinds of other possibilities in future articles, so stay tuned for upcoming installments!
