- Joined
- Jul 22, 2011
- Location
- 'Murica
POORLY CONSTRUCTED OPINION WARNING - Grab a snack and a drink for this one folks.
I did a speed run of SS yesterday in preparation for this topic.
I'll tackle the usual suspects first:
Common Complaints
Controls - I'm sorry, but I simply never had a major problem with them. It's one thing to not like motion controls in general, but an entirely different thing to say they're outright broken.
Multiple times during the game I stopped to do a set of 100 swings (8 Directional, 1 Stab, and 1 Skyward Strike for each set of 10) and the results came out as:
Set 1: 100/100
Set 2: 100/100
Set 3: 100/100
I sped up the swings for Sets 4 and 5.
Set 4: 94/100
Set 5: 97/100
^
Obviously, that's an issue. The game simply can't keep up with a speedy succession of swings 100% of the time, but the window for error is so minimal that it hardly becomes an issue. Furthermore, most of the time the misread swing reads as an adjacent diagonal which is usually also in the hitbox of an enemy, so that really minimizes the issue.
Should this be hand waved and ignored? Hardly. It's a pretty glaring fault in the tech, but a 491/500 success rate is pretty damn good. Furthermore, when a misread swing rarely affects the outcome of the hit, the problem becomes hardly noticeable.
Next, I will admit that there is an oversaturation of motion controls use in the game. Swimming, flying, and skydiving are the most glaring:
Swimming: Works perfectly. It's a bit odd at first, and I can see why some prefer an analog stick, but once you get the hang of it it's actually pretty damn fun, and shaking the Nunchuck for a dolphin dive is always awesome.
Flying: There is absolutely zero issue with these controls. Yes, that's an immensely pretentious, arrogant, and subjective thing for me to say, but the Loftwing requires minimal movement of one's hand in order to steer. Gaining altitude is effective (And it's quite humorous to see people complain about tutorials and then not know how to gain altitude) and fun, steering is quick and easy, and the Loftwing controls beautifully.
Skydiving: If you aren't calibrated correctly, this becomes a problem, but it works smoothly otherwise.
Did we need a super-cool-hip-technological motion control for every action? No. Do they all work? Yes.
In fact, I much prefer rolling a bomb, whipping, swordplay, swinging, Skyward Strikes, etc. with motion controls. It feels more fun and satisfying, but that's entirely subjective. Point being, the game has motion controls. You either like the idea, or don't. If you hate motion controls in the first place, I question why you would play Skyward Sword in the first place.
Fi and Text-In-General
Little defense here. She's very annoying pre-Skyview, and she pops out every so often to dish out generally obvious information. Many of her most annoying traits can be completely ignored by not summoning her when she beeps, but she still does point out the obvious.
On the flipside, she is the most useful partner out there. She can give you hints, info on the area around you, enemy bios, playtime, etc.
Another thing I think people disregard about Fi is her personality. (Or rather lack thereof excluding the ending) She has a ton dry humor:
"The chances of it being the women in black is approximately 10%. Rounded Up."
"The chances of you not being the Chosen Hero are increasing."
"Kikwi's are highly intelligent creatures capable of speech...... Yes upon further analysis, clearly not Zelda."
I'm sure if Fi had a less robotic nature, her intrusions would be less despised. Hell, all text speed/Fi problems could have been avoided with a skip text option, but as it stands, she's annoying, but not completely bad.
Linearity
All right, this is a completely subjective aspect of the game, but I don't mind linearity at all. Yes, I've heard all the "Zelda shouldn't be linear", "Zelda 1 was open world", and "The story shouldn't be linear" arguments so keep your hand away from that send button, but if the game wants to have a set pathway, why can't it?
Skyward Sword never blatantly locks you out of an area by saying "No you can't go here because I said so." rather, it takes a more Metroid route by requiring the necessary items in order to progress.
Furthermore, the game is by no means as strictly linear as some seem to think. Faron Woods, the first area you go to, is completely open to exploration. Eldin and Lanayru are a bit linear during their initial run, but once you get to the "fetch quest" (and I use the phrase lightly) of each province, you're completely free to explore and complete your task in any order you want. Likewise, you're free to return and explore for the usual extra goodies such as Treasure, Rupees, and Pieces of Heart. The game is hardly as restrictive as many think.
Not to mention, when were the other 3D Zelda games such open-world masterpieces? The most exploration you'll get out of a 3D Zelda is sequence breaking the dungeons in Ocarina of Time. Majora's Mask has a set 4 dungeon pathway, (It's literally spelled out to you by Tael, and inaccessible until you've obtained the Bow, Powder Keg, Epona, or Ice Arrows.) and I always hear about the constant freedom you get in that game. Sidequests sure, but main quest? Not really, and again that's not a problem since I don't see the fault in linearity. Wind Waker had the whole ocean to explore, but the dungeon pathway was set in stone. I'm tempted to say Twilight Princess is the worst offender in terms of linearity since the overworld, while big, has nothing but rupees in it. At least in Skyward Sword you're always seeing and doing something rather than traveling through an expanse of nothingness.
Why is it that we're suddenly so opposed to a linear pathway when it's been that way since Majora's Mask? Is it that Skyward Sword has nothing to explore? That can't be it since The Sky, while it had a ton of missed potential, has a ton of Goddess Chests, Sidequests, and Mini-Games to keep the player busy. The provinces, as stated before, still have the traditional Zelda goodies to obtain.
Hell, one of the most detested aspects of the game, The Song of the Hero quest, is completely non-linear, but apparently that's all just.......... ugh........ here it comes.....
Filler
This word is slowly going into the basket of "Words Video Gamers Should Never Use" along with "overrated" and "hardcore".
Alright, Skyward Sword has a lot of blatant "This didn't need to be in the game but it's there" moments...... but.....
Is. That. Bad?
For a fanbase that constantly says story isn't supreme, it sure does complain about a lot of content that isn't related to the story, and does it really matter? As long as the content is enjoyable why should we care? Let's cycle through the questionable content shall we?
Kikwi Hunting - Great. You're in an area you've never explored before, it gives the Kikwi race character because of their cowardice and hiding skills, and you do a lot of training by vine-hopping, fighting enemies, and exploring the woods.
Key Hunting - Also fun. You visit a whole other side of the mountain, solve a few bomb puzzles, race down a mountain, ride a few air geysers, and have an enjoyable time. (In my opinion at least)
Generator Hunting - Probably the best of all the hunting quests. You get some awesome puzzles involving the Timeshift Stones and Hermit Krabs, and it tops off with a neat clock puzzle.
Everything in between Dungeon #3 and #4 - Alright, so everything involving Groose, The Imprisoned, etc. is A-OK. The Lost Windmill might seem like filler, but it's necessary in order to introduce Scrapper for sidequests. Then you got the Silent Realm, Great Tree, Lake Floria, seems good.....-wait
Skyview Revisit
Alright, a complete missed opportunity. Returning to dungeons had huge potential with new rooms, enemies, mini-bosses.... but the most we got was talking to a Mogma and fighting 3 more Stalfos. Not incredibly offensive, but not really "good" by any means.
Silent Realms - In my opinion, they're the Tears of Light quests from TP done correctly. They're short, fast-paced, simple, difficult, exciting, and fun.
As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing during the Sandsea segment that can be considered filler.
Scrapper Escort Mission - The argument against this one fair. It comes out of nowhere and is complete filler, but I enjoyed it due to the landscape changes with the Clawshots, the multiple pathways, and sniping enemies with the bow.
Song of the Hero
1.) Tadtones and The Imprisoned - Hate is completely justified. The Imprisoned is a mediocre boss battle that overstayed its welcome, and the Tadtones, while I enjoyed the music and gameplay, is completely jarring and unnecessary.
2.) Stealth Mission at Eldin - Another run up the mountain...... oh joy. Actually, this stealth mission proved to be pretty fun for me considering the items got great use, the landscape was almost unrecognizable, and it was pretty creative.
3.) Lanayru Gorge - I don't think there can be any complaints about this segment.
And that about does it for the "filler" complaints. As far as I'm concerned, only the Scrapper Mission, Tadtones, and Skyview Revisit hold water in an argument, and they're not offensively bad in the first place.
Zelda has had a lot of things that could be considered filler in the past. Why do I have to run to the Lost Woods to obtain a silly song? Why do I have to fetch these Zora eggs for this chick? Why do I have to hunt for these Triforce pieces? Why do I need to move these Owl Statues to get some sort of mystic language?
Why is everything that's NOT inside a dungeon considered filler?
"Filler" in Zelda has existed since the dawn of time and as long as its enjoyable, I don't see the problem.
Conclusion, Concession, and Miscellaneous Details
So what do I gain from writing this? Nothing. I'm just providing my two-cents.
1.) I'm not here to change your opinion.
2.) I'm not here to declare your opinion wrong.
3.) I'm not here to make you love Skyward Sword.
I'm simply here to provide a different outlook as to why people like me adore the game. In a series filled with traditional gameplay, there's just something incredibly unique about Skyward Sword that makes me want to play it all the time. Hell, two years after its release I'm still here talking about it.
I understand why people may dislike the game. The filler is too blatant, the text is too slow, it takes a while for the world to open up, the controls are not for everyone etc. etc. etc.
But people also ignore the good things Skyward Sword does:
Streamlines mundane activities with the Stamina Meter (Ladders, Vines, Climbing)
Rupees Matter (Potions, Items, Supplies, Medals)
Adventure Pouch
Orchestrated Music
Cinematic Feel
Treasure Hunting
Upgrading
Overworlds that actually have puzzles, enemies, and activity in them.
Better Focus on Character Development
Less one note FIRE, WATER, FOREST, dungeons, more of a combination of ideas.
I really wanted to talk about the story, music, and visuals, but this has gone on for far too long. I'll do that another time.
As for now, in the end:
For every little thing Skyward Sword does wrong, it does something exceptionally right.
I did a speed run of SS yesterday in preparation for this topic.
I'll tackle the usual suspects first:
Common Complaints
Controls - I'm sorry, but I simply never had a major problem with them. It's one thing to not like motion controls in general, but an entirely different thing to say they're outright broken.
Multiple times during the game I stopped to do a set of 100 swings (8 Directional, 1 Stab, and 1 Skyward Strike for each set of 10) and the results came out as:
Set 1: 100/100
Set 2: 100/100
Set 3: 100/100
I sped up the swings for Sets 4 and 5.
Set 4: 94/100
Set 5: 97/100
^
Obviously, that's an issue. The game simply can't keep up with a speedy succession of swings 100% of the time, but the window for error is so minimal that it hardly becomes an issue. Furthermore, most of the time the misread swing reads as an adjacent diagonal which is usually also in the hitbox of an enemy, so that really minimizes the issue.
Should this be hand waved and ignored? Hardly. It's a pretty glaring fault in the tech, but a 491/500 success rate is pretty damn good. Furthermore, when a misread swing rarely affects the outcome of the hit, the problem becomes hardly noticeable.
Next, I will admit that there is an oversaturation of motion controls use in the game. Swimming, flying, and skydiving are the most glaring:
Swimming: Works perfectly. It's a bit odd at first, and I can see why some prefer an analog stick, but once you get the hang of it it's actually pretty damn fun, and shaking the Nunchuck for a dolphin dive is always awesome.
Flying: There is absolutely zero issue with these controls. Yes, that's an immensely pretentious, arrogant, and subjective thing for me to say, but the Loftwing requires minimal movement of one's hand in order to steer. Gaining altitude is effective (And it's quite humorous to see people complain about tutorials and then not know how to gain altitude) and fun, steering is quick and easy, and the Loftwing controls beautifully.
Skydiving: If you aren't calibrated correctly, this becomes a problem, but it works smoothly otherwise.
Did we need a super-cool-hip-technological motion control for every action? No. Do they all work? Yes.
In fact, I much prefer rolling a bomb, whipping, swordplay, swinging, Skyward Strikes, etc. with motion controls. It feels more fun and satisfying, but that's entirely subjective. Point being, the game has motion controls. You either like the idea, or don't. If you hate motion controls in the first place, I question why you would play Skyward Sword in the first place.
Fi and Text-In-General
Little defense here. She's very annoying pre-Skyview, and she pops out every so often to dish out generally obvious information. Many of her most annoying traits can be completely ignored by not summoning her when she beeps, but she still does point out the obvious.
On the flipside, she is the most useful partner out there. She can give you hints, info on the area around you, enemy bios, playtime, etc.
Another thing I think people disregard about Fi is her personality. (Or rather lack thereof excluding the ending) She has a ton dry humor:
"The chances of it being the women in black is approximately 10%. Rounded Up."
"The chances of you not being the Chosen Hero are increasing."
"Kikwi's are highly intelligent creatures capable of speech...... Yes upon further analysis, clearly not Zelda."
I'm sure if Fi had a less robotic nature, her intrusions would be less despised. Hell, all text speed/Fi problems could have been avoided with a skip text option, but as it stands, she's annoying, but not completely bad.
Linearity
All right, this is a completely subjective aspect of the game, but I don't mind linearity at all. Yes, I've heard all the "Zelda shouldn't be linear", "Zelda 1 was open world", and "The story shouldn't be linear" arguments so keep your hand away from that send button, but if the game wants to have a set pathway, why can't it?
Skyward Sword never blatantly locks you out of an area by saying "No you can't go here because I said so." rather, it takes a more Metroid route by requiring the necessary items in order to progress.
Furthermore, the game is by no means as strictly linear as some seem to think. Faron Woods, the first area you go to, is completely open to exploration. Eldin and Lanayru are a bit linear during their initial run, but once you get to the "fetch quest" (and I use the phrase lightly) of each province, you're completely free to explore and complete your task in any order you want. Likewise, you're free to return and explore for the usual extra goodies such as Treasure, Rupees, and Pieces of Heart. The game is hardly as restrictive as many think.
Not to mention, when were the other 3D Zelda games such open-world masterpieces? The most exploration you'll get out of a 3D Zelda is sequence breaking the dungeons in Ocarina of Time. Majora's Mask has a set 4 dungeon pathway, (It's literally spelled out to you by Tael, and inaccessible until you've obtained the Bow, Powder Keg, Epona, or Ice Arrows.) and I always hear about the constant freedom you get in that game. Sidequests sure, but main quest? Not really, and again that's not a problem since I don't see the fault in linearity. Wind Waker had the whole ocean to explore, but the dungeon pathway was set in stone. I'm tempted to say Twilight Princess is the worst offender in terms of linearity since the overworld, while big, has nothing but rupees in it. At least in Skyward Sword you're always seeing and doing something rather than traveling through an expanse of nothingness.
Why is it that we're suddenly so opposed to a linear pathway when it's been that way since Majora's Mask? Is it that Skyward Sword has nothing to explore? That can't be it since The Sky, while it had a ton of missed potential, has a ton of Goddess Chests, Sidequests, and Mini-Games to keep the player busy. The provinces, as stated before, still have the traditional Zelda goodies to obtain.
Hell, one of the most detested aspects of the game, The Song of the Hero quest, is completely non-linear, but apparently that's all just.......... ugh........ here it comes.....
Filler
This word is slowly going into the basket of "Words Video Gamers Should Never Use" along with "overrated" and "hardcore".
Alright, Skyward Sword has a lot of blatant "This didn't need to be in the game but it's there" moments...... but.....
Is. That. Bad?
For a fanbase that constantly says story isn't supreme, it sure does complain about a lot of content that isn't related to the story, and does it really matter? As long as the content is enjoyable why should we care? Let's cycle through the questionable content shall we?
Kikwi Hunting - Great. You're in an area you've never explored before, it gives the Kikwi race character because of their cowardice and hiding skills, and you do a lot of training by vine-hopping, fighting enemies, and exploring the woods.
Key Hunting - Also fun. You visit a whole other side of the mountain, solve a few bomb puzzles, race down a mountain, ride a few air geysers, and have an enjoyable time. (In my opinion at least)
Generator Hunting - Probably the best of all the hunting quests. You get some awesome puzzles involving the Timeshift Stones and Hermit Krabs, and it tops off with a neat clock puzzle.
Everything in between Dungeon #3 and #4 - Alright, so everything involving Groose, The Imprisoned, etc. is A-OK. The Lost Windmill might seem like filler, but it's necessary in order to introduce Scrapper for sidequests. Then you got the Silent Realm, Great Tree, Lake Floria, seems good.....-wait
Skyview Revisit
Alright, a complete missed opportunity. Returning to dungeons had huge potential with new rooms, enemies, mini-bosses.... but the most we got was talking to a Mogma and fighting 3 more Stalfos. Not incredibly offensive, but not really "good" by any means.
Silent Realms - In my opinion, they're the Tears of Light quests from TP done correctly. They're short, fast-paced, simple, difficult, exciting, and fun.
As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing during the Sandsea segment that can be considered filler.
Scrapper Escort Mission - The argument against this one fair. It comes out of nowhere and is complete filler, but I enjoyed it due to the landscape changes with the Clawshots, the multiple pathways, and sniping enemies with the bow.
Song of the Hero
1.) Tadtones and The Imprisoned - Hate is completely justified. The Imprisoned is a mediocre boss battle that overstayed its welcome, and the Tadtones, while I enjoyed the music and gameplay, is completely jarring and unnecessary.
2.) Stealth Mission at Eldin - Another run up the mountain...... oh joy. Actually, this stealth mission proved to be pretty fun for me considering the items got great use, the landscape was almost unrecognizable, and it was pretty creative.
3.) Lanayru Gorge - I don't think there can be any complaints about this segment.
And that about does it for the "filler" complaints. As far as I'm concerned, only the Scrapper Mission, Tadtones, and Skyview Revisit hold water in an argument, and they're not offensively bad in the first place.
Zelda has had a lot of things that could be considered filler in the past. Why do I have to run to the Lost Woods to obtain a silly song? Why do I have to fetch these Zora eggs for this chick? Why do I have to hunt for these Triforce pieces? Why do I need to move these Owl Statues to get some sort of mystic language?
Why is everything that's NOT inside a dungeon considered filler?
"Filler" in Zelda has existed since the dawn of time and as long as its enjoyable, I don't see the problem.
Conclusion, Concession, and Miscellaneous Details
So what do I gain from writing this? Nothing. I'm just providing my two-cents.
1.) I'm not here to change your opinion.
2.) I'm not here to declare your opinion wrong.
3.) I'm not here to make you love Skyward Sword.
I'm simply here to provide a different outlook as to why people like me adore the game. In a series filled with traditional gameplay, there's just something incredibly unique about Skyward Sword that makes me want to play it all the time. Hell, two years after its release I'm still here talking about it.
I understand why people may dislike the game. The filler is too blatant, the text is too slow, it takes a while for the world to open up, the controls are not for everyone etc. etc. etc.
But people also ignore the good things Skyward Sword does:
Streamlines mundane activities with the Stamina Meter (Ladders, Vines, Climbing)
Rupees Matter (Potions, Items, Supplies, Medals)
Adventure Pouch
Orchestrated Music
Cinematic Feel
Treasure Hunting
Upgrading
Overworlds that actually have puzzles, enemies, and activity in them.
Better Focus on Character Development
Less one note FIRE, WATER, FOREST, dungeons, more of a combination of ideas.
I really wanted to talk about the story, music, and visuals, but this has gone on for far too long. I'll do that another time.
As for now, in the end:
For every little thing Skyward Sword does wrong, it does something exceptionally right.
