SS's Chronological Release And Placement On The Timeline Hinder Its Overworld

[A Link In Time]

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword serves as an origin story for the series. The game effectively explains Link and Zelda's earliest known relationship, their connection to the Triforce, the process through which the Master Sword was forged, the significance of bird imagery throughout the series, and more. But did it release at the wrong time especially with the transition towards industrialization in Twilight Princess and the DS games?

Prior to TP most Zelda games unraveled in a medieval setting with solely crude wooden and early iron technology available. By the events of said game, however, established locales such as Castle Town are larger than ever before with new villages springing up in previously uninhabited areas like Ordon. In addition, steel processes and improved transportation allow for the creation of more complex civilizations. Take the Gorons for example. In Skyward Sword they were mere nomads; by the events of Ocarina of Time these rock people had begun establishing villages; enter Twilight Princess and the Goron Mines are used to craft weatherproof shelter and factories with the assistance of new magnetic contraptions.

A similar situation unfolds with the DS duo. After the initial shock of the Great Flood society starts to make a rebound and develops steam ships for more efficient transit. The same technique is later adapted to land travel using trains and villages are established with access to resources via cargo loads.

After these three adventures Nintendo regresses to a primitive overworld devoid of any technology bar the Ancient Robots. But even they are figments of the past, reanimated upon striking timeshift stones. Following the evolution of Zelda lore into a more modern environment, Skyward Sword felt bizarrely out of place which contributed to the feeling that it was archaic in its design. Large tracts of land were devoid of enemies with foes sporadically appearing in small clumps. This did much to dampen enthusiasm towards exploration.

Are you of a similar mindset or was Nintendo's decision to create a series prequel after more technologically advanced installments a sound one after all? Excluding the Lanayru region, did the return to a medieval model bother you?

 

[bspurka]

I feel like they released SS at the perfect time, the original LoZ was made 25 years prior to SS's release. And they way they both fall on the timeline they wanted to show the fans what game was first.

 

[Dragoncat]

Medieval never bothers me...swords and bows > guns. ST has trains, and in the real world, guns were around by the time trains were invented. But meh. It's fantasy. Fantasy worlds tend to not technologically advance as fast as Earth. TP was still pretty much medieval. Link still used a bow instead of a gun, there were no cars, transportation was horses and carts.

So to answer your question, no.

 

[Ventus]

Nintendo's choice to go primitive with Skywerd Sord's overworld design and content, aesthetically speaking, was a bad one in my opinion. Like you mentioned, Alit, Nintendo just had so much technology built up by Spirit Tracks' release so why did Nintendo regress with the newest addition to the series? And, like you mentioned, the overworld is sparsely populated by enemies but for what reason?

I mean, I'm not saying full on tech-y world would be any bit reasonable for a prequel to the entire series --hint it isn't-- but who said Skyward Sword had to be a sequel? The origins of the Master Sword could very well have been explained in an entirely new game set after any of the games on the Timeline as we knew it. The overworld did not have to suffer from a regression into old tools and mechanics, nor from a lack of enemies populated the tense ground below. But Nintendo chose to make it suffer, and that's what matters most.

 

[Cfrock]

I don't really think Nintendo were building to something with the gradual increase in technology.

- Phantom Hourglass only had steam ships because people complained about how sailing was slow, laborious and you had to stop to fight enemies. Giving the boat an engine solved those problems. The train followed on naturally from that concept.

- The Gorons were always something of an industrial race. In Ocarina of Time, their first appearance, they may not have had magnets and cranes but they had established mines and were master smiths. Their appearance in Twilight Princess was more or less just taking that concept and applying Twilight Princess's art style to it.

- The Wind Waker had canons, colour photography, salvage equipment and diving gear, all of which serve gameplay functions.

My point is, it seems Nintendo only add advanced technologies when gameplay or aesthetics demand it. I don't think Skyward Sword was a step back because, in terms of gameplay and aesthetics, it moved the franchise forward. Having steam engines or cameras or magnets simply wasn't necessary so they weren't included. In future installments I'm sure such technologies will return, but only when they serve a function.
Again, I don't think Nintendo were deliberately trying to 'modernise' the Zelda universe so I had absolutely no qualm with such things being absent in Skyward Sword.

 

[Shadao]

While Skyward Sword is less advanced in terms of civilization and technology compare to the recent games, it does not mean that it is out of place at all. In fact the town of Skyloft seems to be even more advanced than the towns of recent Zelda games considering that Beedle's Air Shop is powered by electricity and the whole place feels like a suburban area than a primitive village or a crowded marketplace. The timeline position doesn't limit overworld of Skyward Sword at all as the game has many advanced technology that weren't seen in previous Zelda games like the Beetle or Robots. Like what Cfrock said, Nintendo only adds technology to Zelda when they feel it can enhance the gameplay rather than trying to be consistent.

I like the primitive feel of the Surface and I think that trying to add on technological advancements (that are not lost and ancient in Lanayru Desert) from previous Zelda games wouldn't have produced the same feeling. The lack of technology and people gives the world of the Surface a sense of mystery, waiting to be discovered. Lanayru Desert wouldn't have felt right if the place was already bustling with civilization rather than a ruined world with mere hints of what it was like in the past. It has that Indiana Jones vibe which I truly enjoy in this game.