Looking For Our Reactions to the New Skyward Sword Information? Have We Got a Treat For You
Posted on September 28 2011 by Nathanial Rumphol-Janc
There was just a blast of Skyward Sword information from Nintendo Power, but as usual there is likely “some” detail you missed over the past couple years. Don’t fret! No need to sift through google searches and interviews for the needed quotes. We have it all for you, right here in our official Skyward Sword Compendium. We also have some bare bones information available on our local Wiki, via our The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword page.
Oh, you want speculation? Check out our massive Skyward Sword Article backlog. Wondering which walkthrough to bookmark for tips, hints, and secret-finding purposes? Our Skyward Sword Walkthrough is a great start, as with what we did with our Spirit Tracks Walkthrough back in 2009, we plan to provide the first complete Skyward Sword guide on the Internet.
Then again, maybe none of that interests you. That’s fine, so read on to see some of our top staff members’ reactions to the new stuff presented this evening.
Nate’s Reactions:
Is it possible to like Skyward Sword any more than I do right now? The new details really shed some light onto what we can expect from this game, especially story-wise. Knowing there is an enemy above Demon Lord Ghirahim on the evil chain is a common twist for a Zelda game, but exactly who that might be in a pre-Ocarina setting is totally up in the air. Is it Vaati? Could it be Majora? Who really knows, but the possibilities are enticing. I am a tad sad to know Ghirahim isn’t the ultimate evil, but at least this time I know it heading in, that way I can’t be disappointed when the “twist” happens late in the game.
One part I found extremely intriguing is that Zelda and Link appear to actually be on the path to becoming an “official” couple. Nintendo Power tells us that Zelda was about to confess something to our hero right before getting knocked off her bird. They also talked briefly about the obvious flirtation, and how there’s a special moment they share together while standing on the Goddess statue. This kind of almost-explicit romantic friendship is a first for the Zelda series and essentially a confirmation of what Nintendo reps told Alex back at E3 2011.
I there are a lot of other things I could expand on, but I’ll let our most veteran writers take the floor for this discussion.
Dathen’s Reactions:
While there was nothing amongst the new info that I’d really call “spoilers” there were some nice little bits of news nevertheless. First off the bat, and the point that really stood out to me, is the ability to choose from three interfaces. Choices in gaming are always a positive thing in my opinion, and I’ve been wondering what happened to the interface between E3 2010 and 2011. The option to display the whole remote on the screen to help beginners is great, and is made only greater when you consider that more experienced players can choose the standard or even to have their screen nice and empty. Good idea there, Nintendo.
On that point of making things more welcoming to inexperienced players, I really thought Ocarina of Time 3D‘s hint system was the best in-game “Super Guide” seen to date, and to have that reappearing in Skyward Sword is another good thing. The point of Fi’s name, I also found slightly interesting, as I was already under the impression that her name was spelled “Fi” and not “Phi”.
On to the more exciting aspects – those within the game world. I’m really warming to both the scope of Skyward Sword and it’s more mature attitude. Ghirahim’s lust for bloodshed and Link’s relationship with Zelda, I am sure will only be the beginning of a deep and mature plot-line. At the mention of Ghirahim being an underling of his master, I’m not getting the feeling that this is just another Twilight Princess or A Link to the Past or Spirit Tracks in terms of plot progression. I get the impression that Nintendo is being very selective regarding what information is released and when, so I think we should expect Ghirahim to have some sort of agenda of his own on top of what’s been revealed, or perhaps his desire to resurrect his master may not be what it seems. I can’t deny, however, that a connection to the interlopers and/or Fused Shadow is apparent and welcomed.
Then of course, the other standout point of all this new information is Zelda’s father – Gaepora – and his apparently hoot-like laugh. Ocarina of Time states that the owl Kaepora Gaebora is an old-sage, and Gaepora’s position in Skyward Sword may be reflective of that. For a long time it was believed that Rauru was the owl, and given that we have this Rauru look-alike in Skyloft, I’m expecting some solid connections there to Ocarina of Time. When Skyward Sword hits, many of the ambiguous parts of Ocarina look like they might finally be explained.
It was nice to see that, despite what earlier information had stated, the first temples aren’t just “Forest” and “Fire” – the first is the “Sky Temple” and the second is now confirmed as the “Earth Temple.” On Fi being sent by the Goddesses, along with the official name of the Skyward Sword as the Goddess Sword, I see no surprises there. Finally, I am intrigued by this lack of normal time flow, but will have to see it before I can really comment. Overall, the more we hear about Skyward Sword, the better it’s sounding.
Ben’s Reactions:
The first thing that sticks out to me as interesting is the fact that the “Skyward Sword” is apparently actually the Goddess Sword. Could we see several name changes for the sacred blade throughout the game, or is “Skyward Sword” less of an official name, and more of a title like “Blade of Evil’s Bane?” There’s been speculation about the role of “the Sword Girl”, now known as Fi, in relation to the Master Sword ever since the concept art surfaced at E3 in 2009, but we seem to be getting a clearer understanding of her role with each new interview. I’m pretty stoked to see how they develop her and her role as the game progresses.
The combination of an enormous Skyloft mixed with a day and night system as me extremely excited. We’ve seen gameplay comparisons drawn to Majora’s Mask in the past, and this just adds to it. Though we won’t likely see anything as intricate as the three day schedule of Majora’s Mask, a busy hub city and a time system that actually affects the game in a significant way is definitely welcome in my book.
The return of the Ocarina of Time 3D Sheikah Stones is a smart move by Nintendo. They can keep the game puzzles challenging, yet offer less experienced players an effective and entirely optional visual aid to completing sections they just can’t seem to get.
I’m cautiously optimistic on the subject of Ghirahim reviving his master. I was starting to like the idea of a primary antagonist that is fought multiple times throughout the game and gets some serious character development, but now he might be playing second fiddle, just like Zant and Agahnim.
Now, don’t take that to mean that because there’s someone bigger and badder than Ghirahim he’ll have less importance – he could still very well get a lot of character development, but much like Malladus in Spirit Tracks, this could mean we’ll have some ultimate evil boss who we really don’t get as emotionally attached as we should. I like to have a boss I can care about. I think Ghirahim can be that, but if there’s some other baddie that we barely see anything of till the end of the game, it’ll be a bit of a letdown. However, if they can pull off inserting a new evil master, and he’s actually interesting and adds something to the game, I’m very excited! It’s always nice to have a primary antagonist who isn’t Ganon and who does a good job at holding my attention.
All that said, I’ve got to say – my excitement for this game just continues to grow every time I hear a new bit of news.
Alex’s Reactions:
My fellow staff members can attest to the fact that I’ve seen something like today’s avalanche of new spoilers and details – or more specifically a massive story blowout from Nintendo Power – coming for a long, long time. Now that it’s here, I’m glad that the news didn’t disappoint.
For anyone worrying that Skyward Sword would be light on story and characterization – set your fears aside. Today we were introduced to six of Skyloft’s residents: the Knight Academy headmaster, Gaepora, the part-rival part-bully Groose, his lackeys Cawlin and Stritch, the seasoned Pipin, and the mild-mannered Fledge. I’m sure this doesn’t even scratch the surface in terms of the full population of Skyloft, but for each of these characters to be so developed as to be worth description in Nintendo Power of all places, the attention to NPCs in this game has just got to be tremendous.
As for me: I have to admit I’ve been a little concerned that the sky world will be lacking in content, but with all the hype surrounding just the contents of Skyloft itself I think those reservations may perhaps have been unfounded. Several fully-fleshed out districts? Plenty of things to interact with – more than we expect from most Zelda games? A lively Bazaar complete with all the shops and stops we could ask for? I think that exploring Skyloft and probing its secrets will be an adventure in and of itself, just like Clock Town was in Majora’s Mask.
All that said, I’m not quite sure what to think about the day and night features of this game. On the one hand, yes I’m so glad that Nintendo seems to finally understand that when the sun goes down, unprecedentedly creepy monsters need to pop up. On the other hand, the loss of the traditional day/night progression in favor of a “sleep until X time” feature means we’ll lose a lot of the “wow” factor that came with the transition in previous games.
Also, yes to being able to appear at any save point you’ve already visited, yes to ditching the usual forest and fire temple naming conventions in favor of the slightly-fresher “Sky Temple” and “Earth Temple,” and a resounding yes, yes to the spiffy integration of this mysterious “goddess” into the new name of the Skyward Sword: the “Goddess Sword.” I was expecting a story that drew heavily on the lore of Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess, but I wasn’t expecting one that so ambitiously seeks to redefine it.
Damir’s Reactions:
Of all the information that was released to the public, this bunch really hit me the hardest. Most of it is really stuff I couldn’t care about less, like the characters in Skyloft, or how the staring sequence plays out with Zelda waking up Link… That’s irrelevant small-time stuff. What really hit me hard are Ghirahim’s master, Zelda’s father being Gaepora and Link dreaming of a black behemoth. The fanboy inside of me screams MAJORA when I try to think about who Ghirahim’s master could be, but the truth is most likely far away from that. There are several things worth nothing though – it specifically says in the article that Link dreams of a gigantic black monster with pointed teeth, but it’s not the big black thing that swallows Zelda, as the article questions whether or not THAT monster might be Ghirahim’s master. I might be reading too much into it, but my gut tells me that there’s something fishy going on there.
Zelda’s father starts a chain of thoughts really… He looks a lot like Rauru and his name is Gaepora, so that’s most likely confirmation of the age old theory that Rauru is the owl in Ocarina of Time. However, wouldn’t that make Rauru and King Daphnes from The Wind Waker one and the same person? Most likely not, but with Nintendo, and especially with this game, I won’t let anything surprise me. If it DOES happen, you know where you saw it first.
Last but not least, a few tidbits – Fi being both a reference to the Greek letter and the musical chord, as well there seemingly being hints at that very letter in previous games is just crazy enough to be true and naming the sword the Goddess Sword (Goddesses’ Sword?) is nearly as stupid as naming their new console Wii U.
Of course, it’s not just our opinions that matter. Whether you’re stumbling upon the new information for the first time or looking for an outlet to express your excitement in a more constructive way than you could muster earlier, we want to hear your thoughts too. Leave us a message in the comments section, or talk about your likes and dislikes over at the forums!
