Ask Me Anything About the Skyward Sword Demo

[Caelus]

What were the purpose of the wing statues in the temple?

Was there any way to pause?

Do you have the option to unequip your shield and remain shieldless without shattering it?

 

[Lex_Informer]

1) Not sure, they didn't do anything in the demo. I should point out that I only found them nearby crucial areas, so they may just be guideposts of sorts.

2) Yes, bringing up the map screen pauses the game, and in the final game we'll probably see the usual "save screen" from other games.

3) Not sure since I didn't try it, but theoretically it could be possible if you drag the pointer over to the shield you currently have equipped and then release. There was no specific "un-equip shield" button or anything though, so if they don't use that means then, no, there isn't a way to remove your shield.

 

[JuicieJ]

Sword: Works extremely well, but you really do have to give your swings some flourish. I never once felt like the combat was a bunch of cheap "motion puzzles" as some people seem to have interpreted it; it's basically what Adventure of Link would be like if made in 3D. Easily the most satisfying Zelda combat out of any of the 3D games, since AT THE VERY LEAST you have to make sure you've properly angled your attack in addition to timing it right and looking for openings. Because enemies are constantly guarding and shifting their defensive stances battles seem less like scripted patterned sequences. I will be upset if they switch over to the Wii U tablet and abandon this Motion Plus setup for the next Zelda game; it's THAT good.

I own Red Steel 2, and I can agree with you in that the Wii Motion Plus is the greatest thing to happen to Zelda. I'm pretty sure SS's is better, though. (By the way, glad to hear that it's Zelda II-ish combat. That's what I figured it'd be. Zelda II was basically 2D 1:1.)

As with the Motion Control thing you said, I agree. I really don't see Nintendo abandoning the Motion Plus after revolutionizing Zelda with it. I definitely don't think the touch screen will be used, though. That would be frustrating in its own right, but it would also be next to impossible to pull off. We wouldn't be able to hold it in one hand and swipe the screen with the other and hold the controller properly. And holding it on the bottom would prevent us from moving Link. And I'm pretty sure no one wants to put it on the floor. So, really, I have no worries about the Motion Plus being abandoned.

Bombs: Didn't play with these much, but it seems like throwing them is a largely automated process, with your Motion Plus gestures only controlling HOW you throw it. Overhand swings will cause you to toss it in the traditional fashion, underhand will cause you to roll it like a bowling ball. Not much to go wrong here.

Does this mean it doesn't matter how hard we shake the remote to determine how far the bombs will go? Because that makes quite the difference.

Calibration: The only calibration issues I ever had while playing were with the Beetle, but I think this is because the device was not calibrated properly between my play and the previous play. It does not appear that you'll need to set down the Wii Remote to calibrate at any time after you start playing (although it looks like you'll need to do so BEFORE judging by the demo). If anything seems to be off, you can quickly re-calibrate by bringing up any item or feature that uses the pointer and pressing Down on the D-pad while pointing at the center of the screen. You may be able to do this in the pause or map menus also (which will be better if you're in the heat of battle or something), but I didn't get a chance to try out either to make sure. I never had to do this during gameplay, though, aside from that issue I mentioned before (which, again, was a matter of the controller not being calibrated correctly in the FIRST PLACE, not a problem with the controller getting confused while I was playing).

With the re-calibration thing, I'm assuming it will work like Red Steel 2, meaning we'll only have to do it before we start playing. And that it won't have any problems during the game.

 

[Wolf Sage]

I was never sure on this, so maybe you can tell me. Could Sword Beams be used in the demos, and if so, could they be launch from the sword while performing the Sword Spin(s?) (vertically or horizontally).

 

[JuicieJ]

I was never sure on this, so maybe you can tell me. Could Sword Beams be used in the demos, and if so, could they be launch from the sword while performing the Sword Spin(s?) (vertically or horizontally).

I saw Link using one in a screenshot. Here:

The rest I wouldn't know, of course. XD

 

[Lex_Informer]

Yeah, it sounds pretty much like a more Zelda-like Red Steel in terms of sword combat and calibration.

As for bombs: yeah, I'm pretty sure how hard you swing doesn't make a difference. I don't think it's something that they'd really be able to or even need to play with much, since using bombs is a matter of lining up the trajectory indicator and tossing or rolling it to the target. I didn't play with them very much (see: I only used them once to kill a certain enemy that I mentioned before), so there may be a way to adjust the distance while you're prepping the bombs that I don't know about.

Sword beams: were usable in the demos as long as you had full hearts. (I wonder if the Skyward Sword will always have this ability, or if you'll gain it at some point.)

Spoiler

See: when it becomes the Master Sword.

That it's in a screenshot suggests the former, though. Not sure about launching them while using sword spins. I only got a couple opportunities to use them (sword beams) since the enemies are actually kinda tough, especially compared to other games.

Spoiler

In other words, I got hit too often to have tried it.

 

[Wolf Sage]

I saw Link using one in a screenshot. Here:
View attachment 14154
The rest I wouldn't know, of course. XD

Ah, I see. Thanks JJ.

Sword beams: were usable in the demos as long as you had full hearts. (I wonder if the Skyward Sword will always have this ability, or if you'll gain it at some point.)

Spoiler

See: when it becomes the Master Sword.

That it's in a screenshot suggests the former, though. Not sure about launching them while using sword spins though. I only got a couple opportunities to use them since the enemies are actually kinda tough, especially compared to other games.

Spoiler

In other words, I got hit too often to have tried it.

Thanks. The full health thing is cool, as it reminds me of other Zeldas, and sets some restrictions on Sword Beams (to avoid spamming moves). I guess I'll just have to wait and see if Link can perform a "Spinning Sword Beam".

 

[Aero_Dynamic]

Hey Lex, did you try the Bird Flying Demo? If so, how was it?

Also to add, (if you tried every demo)how was the overall experience of the demo?
Was it fun? How was the Stalfos battle? HOW WAS EVERYTHING LOL.
(sorry for so much questions~!)

PS. does WMP work? Does the sword work well?

 

[Hero of Link]

How was the difficulty of Ghirahim compared to other early bosses?

 

[Deku-Jack]

Did the graphics look even better on the television set, and is it hard to tell what the graphics actually look like from footage we get on the internet, and from screenshots?

 

[Lex_Informer]

Hey Lex, did you try the Bird Flying Demo? If so, how was it?

Also to add, (if you tried every demo)how was the overall experience of the demo?
Was it fun? How was the Stalfos battle? HOW WAS EVERYTHING LOL.
(sorry for so much questions~!)

PS. does WMP work? Does the sword work well?

The bird-flying demo was kinda lame actually. Not in the sense that I think flying the bird is going to suck or anything, but because I hate tutorials with a giant bloody passion, and the bird demo was definitely a tutorial. Flying the bird works fine though, and is sort of a blend of horse-riding and the bird-riding we already saw in Twilight Princess. I didn't get to sample how the bird will be used outside of the tutorial, though, so I can't comment on how the sky world will be.

The Stalfos battle was fun and actually pretty tricky. I recommend avoiding special sword attacks like the Spin Attack while fighting because it's just plain more fun to just fight with regular sword swings in this game.

As for your P.S., read this post.

How was the difficulty of Ghirahim compared to other early bosses?

Depends what you're looking for in terms of difficulty. Pretty much anything I have to say about the Ghirahim boss fight I already mentioned here.

Did the graphics look even better on the television set, and is it hard to tell what the graphics actually look like from footage we get on the internet, and from screenshots?

Yes, the graphics look much better in motion than in Internet footage, and the screenshots are not the best in terms of judging how good the game looks (Nintendo is notoriously bad at taking screenshots of Wii games, I've noticed). Anyone who's ever suggested this game looks worse than Twilight Princess in terms of quality is simply mistaken.

 

[Ariel]

Hey Alex, good to see you taking this initiative.

Quick question: Do you know anything about the water meter when Link enters that room just before the treasure chest with the small key guarded by three eye door things.

I've seen it pop up but I've never seen it deplete. Do you know if it limits Link's swimming, diving, breaths or swim dashes, maybe? Would be great to know. If you don't know, I'll be more than willing to hear an educated guess. Thanks.

 

[Sage of Darkness]

Is there really that good motion control so that I can, let's say.... stab an enemy?

 

[Pen]

Was the whip in the demo? If it was, how were the controls?!

 

[Lex_Informer]

Hey Alex, good to see you taking this initiative.

Quick question: Do you know anything about the water meter when Link enters that room just before the treasure chest with the small key guarded by three eye door things.

I've seen it pop up but I've never seen it deplete. Do you know if it limits Link's swimming, diving, breaths or swim dashes, maybe? Would be great to know. If you don't know, I'll be more than willing to hear an educated guess. Thanks.

@Ariel: Gotta help the people! Anyway, I'm assuming it's an air meter and not a stamina meter since it's blue and not green. You couldn't dive in the demo so I'm guessing you get some kind of diving item (flippers) later on, and possibly a Zora Tunic at some point to keep you from running out of air (although I think I'd prefer the challenge of swimming without one this time).

Is there really that good motion control so that I can, let's say.... stab an enemy?

Yes, pretty much every sword move works exactly the way it's supposed to, at least 95% of the time.

Was the whip in the demo? If it was, how were the controls?!

No, the Whip was not in the demo. Sorry!