Harp-Worst Instrument Ever?

[Bastian]

I actually predicted the harp like four years ago on another Zelda fan site, but the way I thought it would work was not the way Nintendo made at all. Rather than plucking arpeggios preset to each piece of music, I thought that (like the Ocarina and the wolf howl and the Spirit Flute) we'd get to play melodies. The way I imagined it would have worked was that after selecting the harp, it would pull up a huge graphical representation of the harp on screen and you would have to move the Wiimote from side to side to cause the correct string to light up (maybe they would be color coded) and then "pluck" that string with the trigger button. This would allow you to play melodies quickly and as efficiently as in real life.

Unfortunately, not so much.

Rather than a melodic instrument, they decided to go with a rhythm-based device. Seems like a waste. Why not then have it be the Goddess Bongos or something?

Also, only about halfway through the game did I realize that rather than a diagonal motion like I thought was being suggested on screen, I was actually supposed to move evenly horizontal. Then the control was perfect. I think this might be the issue for those who claim it wasn't working right for them.

Anyway, it's not the worst instrument. The worst was the howling wolf. By far. The best, in my opinion, was the Spirit Flute which not only sounded nice but the gameplay element made you feel like you really were playing that sort of instrument.

 

[67ghost]

i thought it was amazing but put pretty good cause of lumpy pumpkin

 

[xGummiBearsx]

I hated the Harp. All Link did was move it from one side to another. Also you only had songs for the story, unlike previous instruments which we actually USED. It was a big step down from what we have already had. ): It was such a huge dissapointment. In fact they could have just made it where we could ONLY use it just before the cutscenes, it sure wouldn't have changed that much as we can't even perform songs.

 

[Gizmo]

Okay that harp probably doesn't make much sense since you learn quite a lot of songs but you can't actually choose one and play it. Also you can't play own tunes. Jingling the musical scale up and down for no good reason was gettin on my nerves after two tries. But at least the harp is a bit better than whisteling on flowers or howling songs without striking a single right note.

All in all it makes me sad how simplified everything is in the "modern" Zelda games.

Did anyone else try to play the harp for the baby of that potion refinement guy?

 

[Link428]

It was ok i guess. The most fun i had with it was playing the final fantasy theme with it lol.

 

[Mastik]

it's not as good as the ocarina or wind waker, but it's sure as hell better then howling at these stones at TP, plus the moments when you actually get to play it are the most cinematic in the game, and song of the her was epic...

 

[Langer of Time]

I think you should all keep in mind that, while the harp wasn't the BEST, Twilight Princess had no musical instrument unless you count blowing on a horseshoe plant or the howling stones(which didn't serve the purpose of an instrument). As far as I'm concerned, it was one of the most, if not the most, creative instrument in Zelda.

 

[SpiritGerudo]

I didn't REALLY hate it, but I hated how you could play it anywhere, yet just go up and down and up and down and up *gasps for breath* . . . and down and u-- well you get the idea. The whole beat/rhythm based thing turned the harp into a minigame, not a tool. It would be like having one ocarina song. Because of how you couldn't play songs anywhere except for scarce, designated areas, it restricted all you could do with it, like things reacting differently, or having multiple tools accessible through which song you played, or stuff like the Scarecrow's Song that you had to find it to get this extra stuff. And the last thing that disappointed me was how the lack of songs just made the music not as memorable-- I don't know the melodies to any harp songs played, but I still remember just about every melody from Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, since you just used it way more, along with the fact that the music played was a lot of the time music that you hear in different places in the games and are around even when you don't need to play them. The harp really was NOT a good instrument.

 

[Wolf Sage]

Most of the instruments in the Zelda series didn't involve actual gameplay. For instance, the ocarina just involved memorizing pre-played songs; the conductor's baton of WW was much less an actual musical instrument, but pretty much involved the same mechanic as the ocarina. Sure, the ocarina did give you the ability to play a few real world melodies, but...

To the point: The only "instruments" that involved gameplay, as if you were actually playing the instrument are the Howling Stones (TP), the Harp (SS), and possibly the Spirit Flute(I say possibly, because I have yet to play Spirit Tracks). The ocarina and the wind baton were both awesome, but it is always a refreshing departure from the norm when I actually get to "play" the instrument. This is why I thought strumming to the beat with the Harp along with the motion controls were great additions to Skyward Sword. Sure, it could have been better implemented; there are some things that could have been done differently, but all in all it was not terrible. To be honest, I don't think Nintendo ever intended to go the ["main instrument"] route with the harp anyway.

 

[Dukusword]

I liked the harp, I do agree though that the Ocarina is still the best instrument Link had though.

 

[harda toenail]

Link needs a banjo. You are picturing this now.... You are loving it.... Strum with the wii mote, the analog stick on the left hand determines the tone. rock on

 

[AwesomeTingle]

I loved the sounds the harp made, it always seemed to sound correct. But I don't know if that was the best choice for an instrument. Imagine conducting (Wind Waker) with the Wii Motion Plus! That would've been cool.

 

[Griffin08]

the harp was okay. better than the howling stones for sure

 

[mortelkill]

playing the harp is fun but not on the main quest

just freestyling with the harp is really fun

 

[dazzsheil]

AS AN Instrument,the harp was great!It sounded nice and on that front is better than the ocarin.On the CONTROL Front,It's horrible!