Skyward Sword Skyward Sword is the Best Zelda Game of All Time: Agree or Disagree

[JuicieJ]

1. The sky. It was far too empty and dull. People often say this about TP's hyrule field, but the field had a great sense of exploration and it was packed with little secrets. Some people say this about WW's great sea even though it's also full of exploration and discovery.

I don't see how The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess succeeded in these regards. Both have extremely empty overworlds in comparison to their size and scope. How much of TWW's content is actually found in the water? Barely any. That's not good, considering many of its islands were smaller than an average house. How much empty stretches of land are there in TP? A lot. That's also not good, as it has a relatively large overworld overall, even if its provinces are sectioned off by hallways. Also, how does TP provide a "great sense of exploration" when it's as linear as a hack-and-slash game? You literally can't go anywhere off the beaten path until the plot says otherwise. This is a common recurring problem in Zelda, including Skyward Sword, but it still applies to TP in every fashion.

Everything is laid out in a specific order so that the "over world" feels like a large tedious dungeon section that was put outside of a dungeon. Zelda is an adventure game not a game for completing a checklist of things in big constricted room-like areas.

That's been almost every modern Zelda, honestly. It's been "go from point A to point B" for years, and only with the release of A Link Between Worlds has it stopped being that way. And, honestly, if anything, SS was slightly less offensive about it -- emphasis on slightly. It was linear as hell, absolutely, but least its surface portions had tight level design with some sort of content around every corner, whether it be an enemy, an obstacle, a collectible, or whatever else there could be, rather than having huge chunks of empty space, and at least the objectives within them were non-linear in and of themselves. In this specific manner, SS actually hearkened back to the overworld style of A Link to the Past. It only brought it back halfway, but I'll take halfway over a continued regression.

3. The gameplay pacing. Unlike the story pacing which was even and complete, the gameplay pacing was warped. Everything took too long. Wether it be finding your bird in Skyloft, or flying to a different province, or even getting to a dungeon, everything took too long. The over world made traveling feel like a complete chore due to the linearity. Making it through an area or activity to get to a new dungeon became so discouraging that after completing the task or traversing the area, you almost felt like you didn't want to enter the dungeon because you've already done so much work to get there. This made me physically less excited to play the game again which is NOT something that a video game should do.

Speak for yourself. I was actually quite pleased with the game's pacing, aside from a few allotted moments of arbitrary padding ("Protect the Robot", Song of the Hero Quest, that kinda stuff). Pretty much every prior game just had you all but waltz up to a dungeon randomly with no real effort required to get to it. ALttP and TMC are the exceptions -- like I said, SS somewhat hearkened back to ALttP's overworld style (and in this particular case, refined it). The overworld/dungeon transition was actually smooth & natural as opposed to clunky & abrupt.

I also found a very heavy sense of progression playing through the game, as there was always some sort of new challenge being introduced, but in a very cool way. It felt like every time something new was introduced, there'd be a brief moment some time after (typically around an hour later) where it seemed like the game had either run out of ideas or was just content with sticking with what it had, but just when that feeling began to sink in, BAM, another new mechanic. I haven't played very many games with that kind of expertly-crafted pacing, and I don't think I can say that any prior Zelda game had it. Zelda's never had a single entry that became a monotonous grind of repetition throughout with low amounts of creativity, of course, but I can't describe the pacing style of any other game in the series like I just did SS's.

 

[Batman]

Definitely not. I love SS's soundtrack but TWW's music is currently my favorite. No Zelda soundtrack has surpassed it in my opinion.

 

[Chelsie]

I can see what you mean when you say that the players really get to see Zelda in a different light. However, at the start, when she's a little bit childish and playful, she changes towards the end. Character development was obviously the key thing there, with her maturing towards the end to start the civilization of Hyrule. The Zelda's shown in other games such as Twilight Princess show her mature side as she has already regained throne and bears the responsibility of a kingdom.
The game in itself is pretty good, shedding light on some key factors to be used in the Zelda Timeline. Some say the game was developed for that main purpose. The game was definitely not my favourite Zelda game.

I don't think the romance aspect of the game is the idea that captured audiences, as the big Zelda fandom really started in 1998 with Ocarina of Time, before most people would even think of pairing Zelda and Link together. Instead, they share a special bond that I think most hero/heroine characters would share. There are, for me, other standout characters in the game. For example, Ghirahim, who takes on the antagonist role for the main portion. He can be pretty weak in boss fights, but his crazy demeanor really did it for me, a new, wacky antagonist as opposed to the usual Ganondorf who is seen as calm and powerful. Ghirahim seems almost desperate (like Zant,) but he is just so much more out there.

The motion controls could sometimes prove to be glitchy and problematic for me. I think it was like that with everyone sometimes, but it really did pave a new path for Nintendo in terms of motion controls and proving what they could do with the Wiimote. So yes, Skyward Sword was a good game, but not, in my opinion, the best. (The art, however, was AMAZING. Loved the water shots they used, and a lot of the time the atmosphere could be seen as calm by the way the art style looked. LOVED it.)

 

[AllieHaxorNova]

Okay I am probably going to get some hate for this but oh well. I honestly strongly disliked SS. Mostly because the controls were really hard to use, and thanks to that, it was really hard for me to enjoy the game with out getting pissed off so easily. Though to be fair, the story was pretty okay. But if you had to ask me what the best Zelda game ever made was.... It would defiantly be MM! Just everything about it made me fall in love with it. Anyways yeah. That's all I really have to say for this thread.

 

[Spiritual Mask Salesman]

And I must agree with the original poster. SS continually advertised itself as a prequel to OoT, as well as the entire Zelda series. The fact that it reference the other games very little was very disappointing to many. I think the only reason this is allowed a pass is because, like I said before, Zelda has this tradition of segmenting their games. If this were done in some other series, many others would complain about it too. Can you imagine if something like Star Wars I through III didn't have ties like Darth Vader's betrayal, Luke's birth, and the rise of the Empire, but instead told a story no one had ever heard about and only breifly mentioned some details from the original trilogy? It'd receive even more criticism than it already gets.


Still, it's kind of hard to blame Nintendo when TP receives so much grief for being too much like a sequel to OoT. They made TP do its job and got flack for it, so its only natural that SS would go back to Zelda tradition and not be connected. Still, I think it would've been a much better game if Nintendo had went with the traditional prequel instead of a story no one could relate the rest of the series with.

Ok, I understand what your saying, and I agree somewhat, I do think a prequel would have been easier to understand, skyward sword kind of just raised more questions instead of putting them to rest.

 

[Wakener]

When I first saw Skyward Sword I expected more than it was in the final version. The Gameplay was too linear, at least for me. However it had some nice dungeons and several great puzzles. The plot was also pretty well written, in my opinion. But something is missing in this game. I cannot really discribe it. Skyward Sword is a good game, no doubt, but it is not the best title of the series. At least not for me.

 

[kingofhyrule]

Are you kidding me?! Nintendo totally made that game into a joke, it was so easy.

 

[JuicieJ]

Are you kidding me?! Nintendo totally made that game into a joke, it was so easy.

Or maybe you're an experienced veteran and know what to expect in the series? Really, Skyward Sword was a substantial step up in difficulty from the GameCube entries, and was the first game to actually give me some semblance of challenge in a very long time -- since Majora's Mask, to be exact.

Also, Zelda's never really been truly hard outside of Zelda II. Even A Link to the Past isn't really all that difficult. It's challenging, but not hard. Same goes for SS.

 

[Zelda's Valor]

Or maybe you're an experienced veteran and know what to expect in the series? Really, Skyward Sword was a substantial step up in difficulty from the GameCube entries, and was the first game to actually give me some semblance of challenge in a very long time -- since Majora's Mask, to be exact.

Also, Zelda's never really been truly hard outside of Zelda II. Even A Link to the Past isn't really all that difficult. It's challenging, but not hard. Same goes for SS.

If he is a series veteran as you say, then most games in the series are not hard. This would be due to the fact that the series recycles the same game formula each and every time, yes? If that's the case, then you cannot say that, for example, Oracle of Seasons is easy if Skyward Sword is hard..

 

[RedLink]

If he is a series veteran as you say, then most games in the series are not hard. This would be due to the fact that the series recycles the same game formula each and every time, yes? If that's the case, then you cannot say that, for example, Oracle of Seasons is easy if Skyward Sword is hard..

Well yes, each game follows a set pattern, but enemy AI and puzzle complexity only increases with each installment.

 

[g-whiz]

Or maybe you're an experienced veteran and know what to expect in the series? Really, Skyward Sword was a substantial step up in difficulty from the GameCube entries, and was the first game to actually give me some semblance of challenge in a very long time -- since Majora's Mask, to be exact.

Also, Zelda's never really been truly hard outside of Zelda II. Even A Link to the Past isn't really all that difficult. It's challenging, but not hard. Same goes for SS.

I actually found SS to be painfully easy. The most difficult part was the fact that the WM+ kept coming out of calibration. Almost all of the bosses had eyes and anyone who has ever played a Zelda game knows to aim for the obvious eye. There was very little challenge. The bosses that didn't have eyes used directional blocking-gee what do we do here?

I laughed at how easy the final battle was. I went in with a Hylian shield and didn't take ANY damage until the second stage and, even then, it was minimal. I actually found the last stage of the last fight with Ghirahim (when he had the big sword) to be more difficult. By more difficult, I mean the WM+ would go out of whack, Link would swing the wrong way and I'd get it handed to me for hitting him wrong.

 

[RedLink]

I actually found SS to be painfully easy. The most difficult part was the fact that the WM+ kept coming out of calibration. Almost all of the bosses had eyes and anyone who has ever played a Zelda game knows to aim for the obvious eye. There was very little challenge. The bosses that didn't have eyes used directional blocking-gee what do we do here?

I laughed at how easy the final battle was. I went in with a Hylian shield and didn't take ANY damage until the second stage and, even then, it was minimal. I actually found the last stage of the last fight with Ghirahim (when he had the big sword) to be more difficult. By more difficult, I mean the WM+ would go out of whack, Link would swing the wrong way and I'd get it handed to me for hitting him wrong.

That sounds like a problem with your Wii mote if anything.

And are you seriously complaining about the bosses being easy compared to TP's?

 

[JuicieJ]

I actually found SS to be painfully easy. The most difficult part was the fact that the WM+ kept coming out of calibration.

Then you were doing something wrong -- most likely either calibrating poorly to begin with or flailing wildly to the point where it couldn't keep up. Either way, the Wii MotionPlus doesn't have any functional issues. If it did, it would be literally impossible to play through Skyward Sword without experiencing issues... but it isn't. I and many others have played through without experiencing any issues whatsoever, so the only logical explanation for issues occurring is human error. This is something that really can't be debated.

Almost all of the bosses had eyes and anyone who has ever played a Zelda game knows to aim for the obvious eye. There was very little challenge. The bosses that didn't have eyes used directional blocking-gee what do we do here?

There are 13 major bosses in the game. Only 5 of them had eyes as a weak point. These bosses are:

• Scaldera
• Moldarach
• Tentalus
• Levias
• Bilocyte

You're also oversimplifying the actual design of these bosses.

Scaldera's fight never revolves around his eye. Yes, it's what you have to hit to damage him, but you don't just waltz up to it with little to no opposition like you would in the GameCube Zeldas. The vast majority of the fight is a chase sequence on a narrow slope -- something no other Zelda boss has done -- alongside of fireballs being shot at you. In addition, you have to make sure you stay far enough away from him so that he doesn't catch up, but also close enough so that you're not too far away when you need to throw a bomb in his mouth. And even then, when it's time to strike his eye, it's often covered up by his exoskeleton, and it's constantly moving, especially towards the end of the fight.

Moldarach is based entirely around twitch reflexes -- as are the vast majority of SS's bosses, especially Ghirahim. You read what direction you need to swing at, then do so before it's too late, as he'll attempt to grab you relatively quickly, not to mention he sometimes shifts the angle of his claws. After that, it's all about getting him to emerge from the sand and stabbing his remaining eye, which can be dangerous, as he has a very lengthy charge attack that takes off 2 hearts. I think he could have used a little more health, as the fight doesn't last all that long, and while it's not hard, it's very active and engaging. And, come on, you're having a sword duel with a giant scorpion. How awesome is that???

Tentalus is admittedly the closest to what you described about "aiming for the obvious eye". A good amount of it is very GameCube Zelda boss-esque with the whole "shoot the eye, attack the fallen monster" routine, but you did have to cut down his tentacles while constantly being on the move just as frequently in the first phase, and in the second, you have to fend off his tentacles that are now trying to bite the ever-living **** out of you. It's probably the weakest fight in the game, but it's certainly not one-dimensional like Jalhalla or Armogohma.

Levias and Bilocyte can actually be considered part of the same boss fight, as they're fought back-to-back. Nevertheless, they play out very differently, and they both have names, so I'm treating them as separates.

Levias is unlike any boss in the series. He's a giant flying whale with eyestalks all over him that you have to destroy by charging into them with a large bird creature (Link's Loftwing). Yeah, it can be tricky nailing those eyes, as it takes pretty precise timing to do so -- and it doesn't help that you constantly risk ramming into Levias by attacking.

Bilocyte this game's Dead Man Volley boss, and he put a twist on it by making the direction you swing actually affect what part of him you hit. He also starts shifting from side to side in his second phase, during which you can either attempt to react quickly and swing in the direction he shifted, or fire away at him with Skyward Strikes that require perfect timing to land a hit.

So... yeah. Pretty far from "aiming for the obvious eye" fights. As for your take on directional swinging, are you actually complaining that a game forced you to actually read an opponent's defenses as opposed to just hacking away? Because that mindset is alien to me.

I laughed at how easy the final battle was. I went in with a Hylian shield and didn't take ANY damage until the second stage and, even then, it was minimal. I actually found the last stage of the last fight with Ghirahim (when he had the big sword) to be more difficult. By more difficult, I mean the WM+ would go out of whack, Link would swing the wrong way and I'd get it handed to me for hitting him wrong.

Well, there you go, you went in with the unbreakable shield, which is essentially hax put there to break the game as a reward for completing the Lighting Round. Try that **** with a normal shield, and you'll have it broken in no time flat if you haven't mastered the Shield Bash mechanic, especially if you haven't memorized the timing of Demise's attacks.

Also, might I recommend minimalist running this game in Hero Mode? It's actually a lot more difficult than you'd think. Even I though it'd be easier than it was.

 

[g-whiz]

I'm not the only one who's complained about the WM+. If I was, I'd be more apt to believe user error.

You are technically right about the eyes. Only 5 of 16 (including mini bosses) have eyes per se. However, I've also complained about over use of directional blocking in this game so let's go boss fight by boss fight.

Ghirahim- Dirctional Blocking.
Scaldera-An eye
Moldarch-An eye-three actually AND directional blocking.
The imprisoned-No eye or directional blocking but the toes/sealing spike replace the eye as obvious targets to hit and you have to hit the spike a certain way...
Stalmaster- Directional blocking
Koloktos- The jewel = an eye
Scervo- Directional blocking
Tentalus- The eye
Magmanos-none of the above but insultingly easy. Apparently without using an eye or directional blocking the developers couldn't come up with a challenging fight.
Ghirahim- Directional blocking
The Imprisoned- Toes/Fingernails/Sealing Spike = "eyes"/obvious targets
Levias- Eyes
Bilocycte- Eyes
The Imprisoned- The helicopter trick was new but it still had all the same obvious targets
Ghirahim- This one started out well and had promise but then reverted to directional blocking. Then you rip open his chest to find an ey...I mean jewel-doesn't matter, it's practically the same thing.
Demise-Insultingly easy.

As far as the Hylian shield being a hack, no. It's part of the game. It isn't a cheat or a code or something you get for buying the game on release day. It's IN THE GAME. That's like saying using a metal shield instead of a wooden one in the volcano is a hack...completely ridiculous. You may as well tell me I should fight Demise with my slingshot and beetle instead of the Master Sword just to make it challenging. With the Hylian shield and Master Sword in TP, the last battle sequence was a decent challenge. I don't think it's too much to ask the same from this game.

 

[JuicieJ]

I'm not the only one who's complained about the WM+. If I was, I'd be more apt to believe user error.

You're ignoring everything I said. It is literally impossible for something that is flawed to function flawlessly. That's a fact. As such, it would be impossible to play SS without experiencing issues. But you CAN play without experiencing issues. This is bonafide proof that any and all problems are human error.

You are technically right about the eyes. Only 5 of 16 (including mini bosses) have eyes per se. However, I've also complained about over use of directional blocking in this game so let's go boss fight by boss fight.

Ghirahim- Dirctional Blocking.
Scaldera-An eye
Moldarch-An eye-three actually AND directional blocking.
The imprisoned-No eye or directional blocking but the toes/sealing spike replace the eye as obvious targets to hit and you have to hit the spike a certain way...
Stalmaster- Directional blocking
Koloktos- The jewel = an eye
Scervo- Directional blocking
Tentalus- The eye
Magmanos-none of the above but insultingly easy. Apparently without using an eye or directional blocking the developers couldn't come up with a challenging fight.
Ghirahim- Directional blocking
The Imprisoned- Toes/Fingernails/Sealing Spike = "eyes"/obvious targets
Levias- Eyes
Bilocycte- Eyes
The Imprisoned- The helicopter trick was new but it still had all the same obvious targets
Ghirahim- This one started out well and had promise but then reverted to directional blocking. Then you rip open his chest to find an ey...I mean jewel-doesn't matter, it's practically the same thing.
Demise-Insultingly easy.

Once again ignoring everything I said and oversimplifying the design of the fights.

I also fail to see the problem with directional blocking/swinging being an overarching mechanic. Every game needs a consistent theme, and every previous Zelda game has had one that's self-contained to it. SS's happens to be combat that's, well, resemblant of swordplay in real life. It takes a certain level of skill to master, as is shown by you failing to do so.

As far as the Hylian shield being a hack, no. It's part of the game. It isn't a cheat or a code or something you get for buying the game on release day. It's IN THE GAME. That's like saying using a metal shield instead of a wooden one in the volcano is a hack...completely ridiculous. You may as well tell me I should fight Demise with my slingshot and beetle instead of the Master Sword just to make it challenging. With the Hylian shield and Master Sword in TP, the last battle sequence was a decent challenge. I don't think it's too much to ask the same from this game.

Being in the game doesn't make it any less OP. There are plenty of in-game items that are powerful to such a ridiculous degree that they make things too easy, such as the Biggoron Sword in OoT and Bomb Arrows in TP.

Also, if you seriously think the endgame sequence of TP is even remotely challenging... then I have no idea how to react. TP is childishly easy to a laughable degree from beginning to end, especially in the bosses category. It's still a fun game overall, but the difference in challenge level between TP and SS isn't even comparable. It's like the difference between New Super Mario Bros. 2 and Super Mario 3D World.