- Joined
- Nov 29, 2011
Skyward Sword: The Worst 3D Zelda
I am going to preface this review by stating that I have been a Zelda fan for years. I have played almost every game, and many of them multiple times. To nobody’s shock I purchased Skyward Sword first thing Sunday morning and jumped right into it.
I am always prepared to accept new ideas when it comes to Zelda – the three day cycle from Majora’s Mask turned that game into one of the best Zelda titles around – so I was initially excited to experience the plethora of changes I had read about that were coming to Skyward Sword.
Prior to Skyward Sword’s release, I had also read glowing review after glowing review (with the exception of Tom McShea’s 7.5). As a result, my expectations were high – maybe too high.
I had mixed feelings about the game while playing through it, however I feel that one cannot entirely judge a game until they’ve completed it. I just finished this afternoon, and here’s my assertion: Skyward Sword is the worst 3D Zelda home console title.
Let me begin with the positives: The controls were solid, the story wasn’t terrible, the graphics were as good as can be on a Wii, and for the most part, it was the Zelda I was used too. The absolute most genius part of the game was the use of timeshift stones – those were one of the most innovative gameplay elements I have seen in a long time. But there were so many things that I thought didn’t work.
Skyward Sword lacked a majestic over world full of things to do – sure, the sky was majestic enough, but it was entirely void of gameplay. Spotted islands – one of my issues with The Wind Waker - are nowhere near interesting enough to compete with the vast over worlds of Twilight Princess, Ocarina of Time, and Majora’s Mask. I was hoping for something of that style to emerge beneath the clouds – some sort of Hyrule or Termina Field, but unfortunately nothing of the sort emerged. I believe that this element is essential for Zelda games to succeed.
The next issue I had with Skyward Sword was the dungeon design. Except for the Ancient Cistern and the Sandship, I felt that many of the dungeons were stereotypical Zelda dungeons that could’ve been designed by a 5th grader – they lacked many innovative elements that had been present in previous dungeons – and none of them were anywhere near as good as the Stone Tower Temple from Majora’s Mask or the Spirit Temple from Ocarina of Time – two of my favorite dungeons.
Another issue I had was the use of the harp. The Ocarina in both Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask was a musical instrument that I felt like I was playing. The harp was a joke. The sad thing is I have always wanted to play a harp in a Zelda game, and I was ecstatic when I learned the Harp was the musical instrument of Skyward Sword. Playing it is an unfortunate chore that I tried to avoid at all costs – like something out of Wii Music.
The next thing I felt this game lacked was a bustling metropolis. Ocarina of Time had Castle Town, Majora’s Mask had Clocktown, Wind Waker had Windfall Island, and Twilight Princess had Castle Town. All Skyward Sword has is Skyloft – a tiny city compared to the biggest ones in other games. I was hoping for a large city beneath the clouds, but no city was there to meet my wishes.
Because Skyward Sword lacked so many different elements that make Zelda great, I have decided that it was the worst 3D title – not the worst in the series, but nowhere near the top.
This brings me to my next point – I just can’t see how people are calling this the best Zelda game when it is nowhere near as good as any other 3D Zelda title? Am I the only one who thinks that Skyward Sword was a disappointment? Or is everyone else jumping on the perfect score bandwagon?
I am going to preface this review by stating that I have been a Zelda fan for years. I have played almost every game, and many of them multiple times. To nobody’s shock I purchased Skyward Sword first thing Sunday morning and jumped right into it.
I am always prepared to accept new ideas when it comes to Zelda – the three day cycle from Majora’s Mask turned that game into one of the best Zelda titles around – so I was initially excited to experience the plethora of changes I had read about that were coming to Skyward Sword.
Prior to Skyward Sword’s release, I had also read glowing review after glowing review (with the exception of Tom McShea’s 7.5). As a result, my expectations were high – maybe too high.
I had mixed feelings about the game while playing through it, however I feel that one cannot entirely judge a game until they’ve completed it. I just finished this afternoon, and here’s my assertion: Skyward Sword is the worst 3D Zelda home console title.
Let me begin with the positives: The controls were solid, the story wasn’t terrible, the graphics were as good as can be on a Wii, and for the most part, it was the Zelda I was used too. The absolute most genius part of the game was the use of timeshift stones – those were one of the most innovative gameplay elements I have seen in a long time. But there were so many things that I thought didn’t work.
Skyward Sword lacked a majestic over world full of things to do – sure, the sky was majestic enough, but it was entirely void of gameplay. Spotted islands – one of my issues with The Wind Waker - are nowhere near interesting enough to compete with the vast over worlds of Twilight Princess, Ocarina of Time, and Majora’s Mask. I was hoping for something of that style to emerge beneath the clouds – some sort of Hyrule or Termina Field, but unfortunately nothing of the sort emerged. I believe that this element is essential for Zelda games to succeed.
The next issue I had with Skyward Sword was the dungeon design. Except for the Ancient Cistern and the Sandship, I felt that many of the dungeons were stereotypical Zelda dungeons that could’ve been designed by a 5th grader – they lacked many innovative elements that had been present in previous dungeons – and none of them were anywhere near as good as the Stone Tower Temple from Majora’s Mask or the Spirit Temple from Ocarina of Time – two of my favorite dungeons.
Another issue I had was the use of the harp. The Ocarina in both Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask was a musical instrument that I felt like I was playing. The harp was a joke. The sad thing is I have always wanted to play a harp in a Zelda game, and I was ecstatic when I learned the Harp was the musical instrument of Skyward Sword. Playing it is an unfortunate chore that I tried to avoid at all costs – like something out of Wii Music.
The next thing I felt this game lacked was a bustling metropolis. Ocarina of Time had Castle Town, Majora’s Mask had Clocktown, Wind Waker had Windfall Island, and Twilight Princess had Castle Town. All Skyward Sword has is Skyloft – a tiny city compared to the biggest ones in other games. I was hoping for a large city beneath the clouds, but no city was there to meet my wishes.
Because Skyward Sword lacked so many different elements that make Zelda great, I have decided that it was the worst 3D title – not the worst in the series, but nowhere near the top.
This brings me to my next point – I just can’t see how people are calling this the best Zelda game when it is nowhere near as good as any other 3D Zelda title? Am I the only one who thinks that Skyward Sword was a disappointment? Or is everyone else jumping on the perfect score bandwagon?