Skyward Sword: Examining the World Map So Far
Posted on October 09 2011 by Nathanial Rumphol-Janc
Now that we’ve got a decent overview of the Faron Woods area on the world map, I’m noticing several telling things about the scale and hopefully the way we’ll progress through each area. Naturally, I’m not very sure at all about much of this – it’s all speculation based on my first glance impressions of what we’re seeing – but there are a couple things about what’s been revealed that really excite me. That said, there are also some things that bug me – but let’s focus on the good first, no?
Based on what we know about the Faron Woods region, I think it’s safe to say that we can make out three primary areas within the region: the Sealed Grounds is the southwest area, and the starting point when you first reach the surface, the Faron Woods is the large central area, with a giant tree at its center, and the Deep Woods is the area immediately surrounding the Skyview Temple to the northeast. Already that sounds like a pretty huge area to explore before we’ve even reached the first dungeon, which is a nice prospect.
There’s a strange vortex in the center of the Sealed Grounds, which clues me into its purpose: I’m guessing this is the site where the demons from the game’s backstory were sealed, and the vortex indicates that the seal is weakening. During Miyamoto’s 3DS conference presentation, we saw Link face the giant black beast from the E3 2011 trailer and start racing it in a climb towards the top of an area that looks eerily similar to the Sealed Grounds. Could that be the moment when the demons break free?
But what about that small clearing that’s separate from the Faron Woods proper? All that we can really see is a small structure (a hut, perhaps!) – I think it’s safe to say that this is where we’ll meet the old woman who’s been waiting for the hero from the sky. Is there more to that area, though? I doubt there’s much in the way of population there since it seems that pretty much every human has vacated and took the trip up to Skyloft, but there could be a bit more of a village there, or at least more evidence of civilization.
I’ve got another thought brewing related to that area, though. In one of the recent Skyward Sword trailers we saw a glimpse of a door adorned with Sheikah symbols. Could the door be part of this structure? Given that the lady who lives here already seems to have Sheikah connections, I wouldn’t be surprised. The door seems to show up early on in the game based on Link having the Wooden Shield equipped when he stumbles upon it, as well as its early position in the trailer – but, really, we have no idea what the context is…
My other observation is tied to that small region at the southeast corner of the map, which wasn’t filled in along with the rest of the woods. This is really encouraging, since it means we’ll have to return to this area at some point to unlock a new pathway! The vibe I’m getting from that area is that it’s a watery one – we see what looks like a waterfall spilling down towards what I’m guessing is a lake (Skyward Sword‘s Lake Hylia?). Since the other two large regions seem to be the Eldin Volcano area and the desert, it makes sense that the aquatic land would have to be attached to another region – and what better pick than the forest?
I wonder if this might have something to do with the apparent flooding that we see in some later scenes and screenshots. We heard in the intro legend that the evil forces dried up much of the water in the land – could we have to replenish it at some point? If that area really is a lake, I imagine we’ll have to restore water to the area, which could mean flooding the forest for at least a brief interval in the process.
If there’s anything I can say for sure, though, it’s that we shouldn’t worry about there only appearing to be three main regions on the surface. It’s clear that we’ll be returning to each of those regions and finding new places and content to explore, and probably tackling new obstacles in the old areas as well. Not only that, but we’ve already learned that even the areas we can already see are further divided into several sub-areas, each with its own atmosphere and unique set of challenges, and we’ve barely scratched the surface in terms of what there is to do up in the sky.
Don’t let your first glance impressions fool you – this really is shaping up to be the most content-filled Zelda yet.
