Skyward Sword: The Worst 3D Zelda Title

[JohnFC]

Some people are labelling this game as the worst because it brings the most change. Some people will reflexively shy away from it. With a game like this, only time will tell how good it truly is.

 

[Ventus]

It takes much longer to get into the real story behind TP. Some people enjoy the opening cinematics as it allows you to get used to the world and the charactrers around you. Personally, I much prefer shorter intros. However this one didn't bug me at all as there was logic behind it (i.e. a story that actually needed to be told)

I thoroughly enjoyed the rivalry that was forged between Link and Ghirahim. It was a nice change from the standard 'kill the stranger because that sage said so' formula that dominates previous Zelda games. The final battle wasn't as easy as you are letting on though. A lot of people struggled with it.

So you'd rather have an item that you have to manually change yourself each time you want to enter a region than one that automatically protects you? Again, this would have ruined the flow of the game. The earrings protect him because this is Zelda, and magic forces are everywhere

1) No, it takes about 30 minutes to get to the Forest Temple of TP, because the game actually allows you to skip the insanely long cutscenes that hardly anyone cares about. Skyward Sword in comparison forces you to do all of this tutorial stuff that I'm 99 percent sure at least half the players of SS already know how to do. Really, do I need a tutorial on dashing? Do I have to sit through Zelda yapping her butt off? I realize the story is important to some people, but at least give us the option to skip like you did in TP. Personally, I'd rather get to the action than waste my time reading the great [again in my opinion] dialogue which just shadows the overused and abused plot.

2) SPOILERS SS' final boss was a complete joke.

3) At least it'd put some challenge in the game. You know, with the radial menu being an active menu rather than a pause screen like we're so accustomed to, having to switch in and out of tunics would be a pain but would be a lot more fun. Also, aesthetics make a difference to some. And also still, Skyward Sword almost completely erased the term "magic" from the Zelda series. If anything, a throwback in the form of tunics would be much better than the silly earrings that, more or less, Nintendo pushed in so as to make OoT Link more resemble SS Link.

 

[Shadao]

Wasn't the tutorials optional? Like the sword fighting tutorial. You don't have to practice unlike the other games, just get the sword.

 

[dargon1980]

impossible to get anywhere 100 percent completion rate on the first go !!

To be completely honest, I am not 100% complete with the game, but I have done many sidequests - I have the every gratitude crystal, upgraded everything, gotten every heart piece - and while I admit that there are probably still things to do, my total play time will not be anywhere close to 50 or 100 hours. And this again comes down to expectation management.

I'm new to all this zelda forum stuff....hmmm.....interesting?!
So, here's little old me who's been playing Zelda games across all formats since A link to the Past back in early 1992, and I come across you who claim to have finished most of the game incuding all gratitude crystals, and hearts...and you claim to be nowhere near the 50 hour mark??
I find that extraordinary....even bordering on impossible without you meeting one of the following 4 criteria....
a) you are a genius IQ 160 +
b) you are a serious hardcore gamer and play games every day....basically no wife,kids, life...etc
c) you used a guide at some point to get a heads up on some things OR
d) you have amazing co-ordination and rushed through everyhthing, and have a wii motion plus capable remote that works flawlessly......LOL

SO....which one of these is it....and no, I refuse to believe you did this.......oh wait, there is an option e...lol

e) you play a few hours per day and analyse your play afterwards looking at everything you saw and did, and planning for what you would do next....LOL

haha
regards
The true hero of time

 

[Medri]

I'm sorry to hear that you guys are having a bad experience with the game, I however had a great time with this game.

There's always the 3DS Zelda that's coming out.

 

[Wolf Sage]

To be completely honest, I am not 100% complete with the game, but I have done many sidequests - I have the every gratitude crystal, upgraded everything, gotten every heart piece - and while I admit that there are probably still things to do, my total play time will not be anywhere close to 50 or 100 hours. And this again comes down to expectation management.

I'm new to all this zelda forum stuff....hmmm.....interesting?!
So, here's little old me who's been playing Zelda games across all formats since A link to the Past back in early 1992, and I come across you who claim to have finished most of the game incuding all gratitude crystals, and hearts...and you claim to be nowhere near the 50 hour mark??
I find that extraordinary....even bordering on impossible without you meeting one of the following 4 criteria....
a) you are a genius IQ 160 +
b) you are a serious hardcore gamer and play games every day....basically no wife,kids, life...etc
c) you used a guide at some point to get a heads up on some things OR
d) you have amazing co-ordination and rushed through everyhthing, and have a wii motion plus capable remote that works flawlessly......LOL

SO....which one of these is it....and no, I refuse to believe you did this.......oh wait, there is an option e...lol

e) you play a few hours per day and analyse your play afterwards looking at everything you saw and did, and planning for what you would do next....LOL

haha
regards
The true hero of time

I actually completed Skyward Sword in about 40-something hours before the US release date. This is only because I borrowed it for a short period of time and I was rushing. I can agree with much of what you've said, as I am sure that I only beat the game up to about 70% within those hours. I seriously applaud anyone who has achieved even close to 100% in less than 50 hours. :yes:

 

[BestAlero]

By no means is this a bad game but it didn't satisfy me as other Zelda games have. It fell kind of short and right when I was expecting more it suddenly stopped with a horrible ending boss fight which was done in without breaking a sweat and leaving me thinking "That's it?". Even Majoras Mask made me feel all giggly inside with only 4 temples because you get lost within its world and while searching for the next temple are seduced into the extra content. Skyward Sword pretty much goes against this, they have available content to make up for their linear drive but it's so distant and unnecisary to the game as they are so seperated from the game and also unpleasing rewards (unlike oot or mm masks or weapons) even ww and tp had a world where you get lost in and extra rewards worth seeking (magic armor). It's that simple fact that made Skyward Sword so much worse than all the others, the world is just so unconnected and they basically said... "oh well it's there" where as there was no insentive to go curiously following it or a wonderful reward to go after as that all came from the main quest.

Quick Overview:
The only thing that really shines over other zelda games is the wii motion plus controls and they did some creative things with it. The dungeons were pretty decent and I am ok with them overall but felt in my gut there should've been more of a nice final one (or more in general) rather than the ending one that was given (the controlable maze was great but the multi theme just ruined it). As for the difficulty I was really dissapointed, I never had to use the hints or potions options available and went through the whole game without much of a thought how to solve the puzzles or losing health on bosses. Characters were pretty good and I think they did really well on a handful of them but was left disapointed with how certain ones fleshed out. The main antagonists were also disapointing, Ghirahim was a fabulous character but the whole being beaten right at the start totally ruined it for me (HE IS SUPPOSED TO STOP ME NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND) and Demise was just an utter letdown after beating him without getting hit and wondering why I went back in time to stop this 2 phase pansy.

All in all this game could've been something if it connected its content better and although a great game on its own, just doesn't compare to the grand experience other 3d zelda games have been.

 

[ShadowMoon]

1. It doesn't. You CAN skip them in Hero Mode, but not the initial one. Even in Hero Mode it makes you redo some of the more useless talking scenes. I finished the game... I don't need to learn about dashing!!!

2. Its not the fact that the boss was "easier." Its that SS Ganon was predictable and didn't really change much.

SPOILERS
SS Ganon)
You whack at him a few times and press (A) to avoid his attacks.
A storm happens, so you raise your sword and lightning hits it. You direct this lightning at ganon to stun him. Wave the nun chuck and wii-remote and stab him. Boss dead, game finished.

Oot Ganon)
Magic bridge to tower. Go in tower and do a bunch of rooms relating to each temple. Skull opens. Go inside, kill a tonne of bosses which occurred throughout the game. Reach Ganondorf. Repel his lightning bolts and then jump and whack him. He "dies" and tower starts crumbling. You have to run down the tower with zelda and kill more bosses. Reach the bottom of the tower. Then you verse Ganon. BUT you need the goron sword to kill him. Sword breaks (unless you do the eyedrops quest) and its a bit harder. Kill canon, game finished.

You can see why SS end boss was a joke. We were expecting more. I personally found it a bit confusing.
What was the lightning for? Why didn't we use the skyward strike. After collecting all of these weapons, he's killed by nature? Lightning is more powerful than the sword of the goddess?

3. I hated the non-pausing menus. You try to get a potion out, something whacks you and link puts his potion away.

4. Tunics still would have made more sense anyway. For a game that is supposed to lead into Oot, a lot of things didn't fit.
> What happened to loft wings? They are below the clouds in the ending scene.
> What happened to the fire earrings and dragon scale? Why does he have tunics in Oot?
> Where were all the gorons, zoras etc? There was 1 travelling goron, but where were the rest?
> What happened to moles, kiwis, robots and those squid things?
> What happened to the beetle, the whip?
> Why wasn't the triforce "part of the people" as it usually is?
> If the triforce is so powerful, why couldn't link just kill the demise in the past too. Couldn't link just wish for immortality?

I beat the game in 33 hours, but had gathered only about 43 gratitude crystals.

 

[Shadao]

First off, that is not Ganon, it's Demise the Demon King. Problem with that statement is that Ganondorf and Ganon are two different battles, never connected like TP. You can take break from all of the action before heading towards the ruins of Ganon's Castle, much like Demise. The Ganondorf Battle is more like Ghirahim's Final Battle before you reach the final boss. If you think of Ghirahim and Demise as one continuous battle (not to mention that you first fight your way through an army), it doesn't disappoints.

BUT you need the goron sword to kill him. Sword breaks (unless you do the eyedrops quest) and its a bit harder. Kill canon, game finished.

BUT you can also use the Megaton Hammer as well and OoT Ganon is also predictable. Just roll under his legs and strike his glowing tail. OoT is more forgiving by giving you magic in the rubble whereas SS you only have pouch with you.

What was the lightning for? Why didn't we use the skyward strike. After collecting all of these weapons, he's killed by nature? Lightning is more powerful than the sword of the goddess?

No, the lightning is there for awesome effect. It stuns Demise while the Master Sword kills Demise.

 

[jokekid]

SS had a nice plot, and obut the gorons, there are more than 1... its kinda like in WW...

also, i think before asking questions u should ask Fi a few more things... for example, you can't use the skyward thingy cuz u are in a area CONTROLLED by Demise... btw u ever tried to run away and see if the stage has a limit? IT DOESNT!!! its awesome and perfect for a final battle, no limits! ganon in TP had the weird barrier, which was REALLY random... WW was on a tower about to get flooded, OoT was first INSIDE, so obviously no exit, and ganon was on his island... and for some reason the bridge dissappeared...
Demise does a good job as final boss in the post-N64 era, ever since ganon in WW, the final battles have been actual battles with your sword against his sword, which is awesome... btw i gotta admit that WW had the best ganon fight ever..

to say the dungeons are bad is bull****, they look more like actual temples and stuff, while your precious OoT's temples had square rooms, some with a few walls and stairs...

also, best zelda graphics ever! they looked nice and smooth, animations lacked a bit, specially the one to ascend to skyloft... that looks horrible...

also, if u want a new zelda game to be like another zelda game, go play all the others... games must change and evolve...

 

[ShadowMoon]

SS had a nice plot, and obut the gorons, there are more than 1... its kinda like in WW...

Where are they? In the entire game I only saw 1.

btw u ever tried to run away and see if the stage has a limit?

I don't run away from my bosses.

to say the dungeons are bad is bull****, they look more like actual temples and stuff, while your precious OoT's temples had square rooms, some with a few walls and stairs...

Im not talking about the look of the temples. The temples in SS LOOK amazing, but the actual puzzle of solving them is a lot easier than other games.

I feel like they have unnecessarily dumbed-down the game. If I wanted an instruction manual (whats with that cheat stone next to the sparring hall?) then I would go and buy one.

also, best zelda graphics ever! they looked nice and smooth, animations lacked a bit, specially the one to ascend to skyloft... that looks horrible...

Thats the problem with modern games. They are all about the "graphics." SS has the best graphics because no 3D zelda game has been made since 5 years. The graphics are not nice and smooth, they are often blurry and the edges on everything are jagged. This is a limitation of the Wii. I still love the graphics in SS.
You want to see the best graphics in a zelda game? Go to http://www.zeldadungeon.net/Zelda-Wii-U.php

 

[thereasonbeing]

Where are they? In the entire game I only saw 1.

There are 3 Goron's that I know of in the game. Gorko (the obvious one), Golo (Digging in Lanayru Caves), and another (i'm not sure if we learn his name) who runs the Rollercoaster in Lanayru Sand Sea.

 

[Smitie]

I haven't finished SS yet (I just completed the hero song except for levias part) and I can't disagree more with this topic statement. I played every 3D zelda title and SS still managed to surprise me with new stuff. The whole design of the surface making each area more like a puzzle than a plain boring area like old fashion Hyrule field is awesome. The items (especially the beetle) work very well and are very useful in many more places than just the dungeon you find them in. The story so far is very good. I don't mind that you can't skip the cutscenes too much, except for the boss introduction after I died for the 5th time. The dungeons are also a lot of fun. OK, the first dungeon is a bit more boring than the rest, but too be honest the deku tree in OoT is also quite boring if you really look at what you have to do in the dungeon. And the dungeons in lanayru are so creative with the timeshift stones that a more plain dungeon like the skyview temple can be forgiven. I really enjoy the game so far and like I said, it still manages to surprise me with new things while being the zelda that I know. I don't know exactly how long I'm playing the game and why should I care. No matter if I finish the game in 100 hours or in 30, I enjoyed every minute of it and that is what counts.

The only downsides I have with this game is the use of the shield and dowsing. Because the shield is breakable I barely use it and it should have deflected those grass octorock stones automatically instead of a shield bash. The lack of a shield gives the game more challenge though. And for dowsing, it is pretty useful but sometimes I don't understand the signal. When I was dowsing for goddess cubes in faron woods, I got a really strong signal at some point. I walked towards it and it was a transition to another area. Then the signal was weak again. So either that cube is somewhere hidden in the loading screen or behind the rocks. It just always annoys me when I get a signal and I end up looking at a unpassable wall...just tell me how I can get find the stupid thing and not that it is on the other side of a wall -.-

 

[jokekid]

I haven't finished SS yet (I just completed the hero song except for levias part) and I can't disagree more with this topic statement. I played every 3D zelda title and SS still managed to surprise me with new stuff. The whole design of the surface making each area more like a puzzle than a plain boring area like old fashion Hyrule field is awesome. The items (especially the beetle) work very well and are very useful in many more places than just the dungeon you find them in. The story so far is very good. I don't mind that you can't skip the cutscenes too much, except for the boss introduction after I died for the 5th time. The dungeons are also a lot of fun. OK, the first dungeon is a bit more boring than the rest, but too be honest the deku tree in OoT is also quite boring if you really look at what you have to do in the dungeon. And the dungeons in lanayru are so creative with the timeshift stones that a more plain dungeon like the skyview temple can be forgiven. I really enjoy the game so far and like I said, it still manages to surprise me with new things while being the zelda that I know. I don't know exactly how long I'm playing the game and why should I care. No matter if I finish the game in 100 hours or in 30, I enjoyed every minute of it and that is what counts.

The only downsides I have with this game is the use of the shield and dowsing. Because the shield is breakable I barely use it and it should have deflected those grass octorock stones automatically instead of a shield bash. The lack of a shield gives the game more challenge though. And for dowsing, it is pretty useful but sometimes I don't understand the signal. When I was dowsing for goddess cubes in faron woods, I got a really strong signal at some point. I walked towards it and it was a transition to another area. Then the signal was weak again. So either that cube is somewhere hidden in the loading screen or behind the rocks. It just always annoys me when I get a signal and I end up looking at a unpassable wall...just tell me how I can get find the stupid thing and not that it is on the other side of a wall -.-

about the dowsing, it would ruin the fun of searching stuff if it would be like wolf link's sense...

 

[toyall123]

Is Skyward Sword enjoyable? Well, it depends. But to me, it was.

Is Skyward Sword the worst 3D Zelda Title? Well, it depends. But I liked TP less, so I guess it isn't.