- Joined
- Apr 4, 2012
- Location
- Hidden Village
Its the ANNIVERSARY! just thought i'd put that out there
even if I hate its guts
A Link In Time said:While Skyward Sword is often lauded for advancing motion controls on the grandest scale of any game on the market since the dawn of the Wii in 2006 and redefining the franchise's gameplay through the upgrade system, shield meter, stamina gauge, and adventure pouch, it's the minor refinements to the formula which made the experience truly worthwhile. As the popular saying goes, "It's the little things which matter the most".
In tandem with Spirit's recent thread concerning Silent Realms, the areas were a natural progression of the stealth mechanics permeating TP and the DS games. The Goddess Trials in these areas were a welcome challenge rather than a chore as in SS's console predecessor and the DS games, namely its central dungeons.
Another interesting throwback appeared in the form of dowsing. Similarly to the Lens of Truth from Ocarina of Time and TP's wolf senses, dowsing allowed Link to detect objects and auras invisible to his naked eye. The mechanic flowed better than ever before since the sole requisite for activating the feature was pulling out Link's sword.
Bomb rolling was the change fans always desires to reach lower grounded dilapidated crevices. Rather than undergoing the cumbersome process of positioning Link far enough from a certain base so that a bomb reached the area at the bottom of its trajectory or moving up close and putting down a bomb, rolling the item allowed for impediments to be removed without slowing Link down in his path of travel.
Speaking of decelerating the green protagonist, the new item selection screen contributed to SS's well jointed progression, never halting the action in the middle of an intense fray, lending an air of realism.
While certainly a new and brilliant idea in execution, the Timeshift Stones were in concept an evolution of the time travel mechanic first popularized by Ocarina of Time. In the spirit of fluidity, however, SS incorporated this new element strategically, altering areas to their past semblances in mere seconds. This time change is certainly appreciated in light of the tedious seven year travel required to complete OoT's Spirit Temple.