Why ZI is Awesome: Skyward Sword Predictions We Totally Nailed
Posted on August 17 2011 by Alex Plant
We at Zelda Informer have made a few major false starts on what would have otherwise been big news (the Zordiana fiasco comes to mind). Yeah, we know, we’re not perfect – but here’s some food for thought: no one is. Today I’d like to focus on a more positive subject: predictions or comments we’ve made about either Skyward Sword or the future of the series in general that are now confirmed.
The idea for this article came from an offhand comment made in a staff Skype chat and quickly evolved when we realized just how scarily accurate some of our predictions actually were. A lot of these things I don’t remember writing, which makes it even creepier. (The first one on my list, for example, came about in 2008.) Check out the whole laundry list for a reminder of just how awesome we can be when we’re on top of our game.
Flight and a Sky World
One of my first predictions wound up bring the most chillingly accurate. In an old article series of mine called “Zelda Wii to the 4th Dimension” I talked about all kinds of things Nintendo could do with the game that would become Skyward Sword. One of the things I mentioned? A full-fledged system of flight in a sky-based world. Don’t believe me? Take a look:
Twilight Princess already experimented with this with the Zora’s River flight minigame, but imagine a fully fleshed-out system of flight. In this world, Link can fly from cliff-top to cliff-top, striking through airborne enemies and reaching previously inaccessible areas. Finally the series will see a realistic alternative to warp travel. Sky continents, which have been seen in other games but only briefly, could be included to add another dimension to the mythical realm of Hyrule.
How could this flight be achieved? Nintendo could choose from a number of means. One would give the classic Pegasus Boots an upgrade that allows its wearers to not only run with the speed of the winds, but to run along the winds themselves. Perhaps Epona could magically receive Pegasus wings that allow her to take to the skies. Or Link could tame a beast of the air, be it a dragon or even the legendary Kaepora Gaebora, to be his ride up into the clouds. It may be difficult to develop this idea into a fully-fledged game theme, but it would add a new dimension to exploration and gameplay regardless.
When we predicted it: November 2008
First official mention: November 2009, confirmed June 2010 and June 2011
Wii Motion Plus and Enemy Defenses
That the new Zelda would use the enhanced motion controls offered by the Wii Motion Plus for swordplay was a no-brainer, but back in 2008 we had no idea what form the new combat system would take. But that didn’t stop me from having some pretty damn good hunches. Check out the note about enemy weak points for the real kicker:
Wii-Motion Plus promises to allow for true 1:1 control schemes, and we can only expect this to be utilized for sword-swinging and other goodies in the new Zelda Wii. This should allow for arc slashes, pin-point stabs, and other player-sculpted techniques rather than restricting Link’s moveset to those he routinely performs after a certain input sequence. Instead of simply having to break an enemy’s guard, we could instead have to find weak points in their armor to exploit.
When we predicted it: November 2008
First official mention: June 2010
Majora’s Mask Style Character Development, Including a Love Triangle
This prediction wasn’t all too surprising coming from me, but what was a bit of a shock was Mr. Aonuma treating this issue specifically in a recent interview. Did anyone else see a Majora’s Mask character development comparison coming? Character interaction is one of my favorite ways to expand the story, especially when it takes the form of optional side content, so I’m really excited to see how this one pans out in the final game.
While Majora’s Mask’s storytelling would be difficult to incorporate outside of its cycling three-day system, its interwoven character relationships are the best-crafted in the series. Applying the same intricacy to future games is a must if the Hyrulean society we see next is to be believable to players. Give us our love triangles, petty thieves to stop from stealing old ladies’ purses, shops for pawned goods, feuds among bureaucrats over what to be done about the catastrophes, and the like.
When we predicted it: December 2008
First official mention: July 2011
We’ll Have to Find Entry Points to Travel from Hyrule to Skyloft
When we first learned about Skyloft, we didn’t know all that much about how it would connect to the surface world. All we had seen was that scene of Link skydiving off a cliff through the clouds. A couple days before E3 2011 I talked about how we might travel between the two through predetermined entry points at first, and later the E3 2011 trailer as well as comments from the developers confirmed this.
I personally loved the way the two connected. You had to find one of the many entrances to Subrosia up in Holodrum – they were usually well-hidden and required you to explore the world using a new item – and once you dropped down to the underworld below, you had to figure out where to go and what to do next. At first most of the various regions of Subrosia were blocked off from one another, but as you gained more items and abilities eventually you could move between them, eliminating the need to return to the upper world to head down through another portal. Meanwhile, Holodrum was still a full overworld – fuller even than Subrosia – and much of the game didn’t even necessarily rely on you going underground to progress.
This kind of structure could really work for Skyward Sword – especially given that it’s a console Zelda title and not a handheld game. I still get the impression that Hyrule’s going to be the primary center of the action, with Skyloft serving as the initial gateway to each of its regions, but thinking of Skyloft as a region (or, heck, even a series of regions) all its own on top of that, where we’ll have to scour the world looking for the next conduit to the surface (or at least figuring out how to open or access it) is getting me super psyched. And the best part is – we know it’s possible because the guy heading this game has done it before.
When we predicted it: June 4, 2011
First official mention: June 7, 2011
Skyward Sword is the Most Content-Filled Zelda Yet
Honestly, in retrospect this doesn’t seem all that groundbreaking, but at E3 2010 the impression we got from the creators was that Skyward Sword would be “compact, but dense.” It wasn’t until this past E3 that we heard anything about the game being massive – so massive that as of the show neither Aonuma nor Miyamoto had played through it. Somehow, I still had enough faith to give the game the credit that it’s apparently due.
I don’t know whether the rumors about post-game dungeons and challenges are true, but I do know that, provided Iwata wasn’t just spouting empty words during his keynote, I think we’re about to experience the most content-filled Zelda game yet.
When we predicted it: June 2011
First official mention: July 2011
Less Triforce, Less Ganon
Recently we heard that the Triforce will play a very different role this time around…and because of that, Ganondorf won’t be present in his usual role. The Triforce still matters, but Link and Zelda clearly don’t revolve around these objects. The reduced reliance on these tropes seems to have paved the way for a more expansive world and story, with Skyloft as a “new land” and thus a new horizon for the series. People gave a pair of articles we wrote about minimizing the roles of these two features, but it looks like they’ve become the reality for Skyward Sword.
The Triforce is restricting in a sense. It hasn’t allowed our hero to go to far beyond his humble abode. While many of us can accept that this is just the ways things are suppose to be, I for one will always be looking for something more. I want my next tale to have a new story, a new world. The one that Zelda and Link find that doesn’t revolve around these ancient powers held within them. New adventures, lands, and enemies to conquer. A new Zelda for a new world. In this world, the Triforce does not matter anymore.
So, Nintendo, hear my plea. It’s time to say goodbye to one of the most fabled villains in all of gaming. His story will be held forever in gamers hearts across the world. We need something fresh. We someone who strikes fear. The funny part about this is that you created that atmosphere in your last console release with Zant… until you brought Ganondorf back into the fold.
When we predicted it: July 2009 Triforce, Ganondorf
First official mention: July 2011
Beam Up My Sword
Previous 3D Zelda games were rumored to feature the Sword Beam, and Majora’s Mask even sampled it as a power of the almighty Fierce Deity Mask, but as the years cranked on it began to seem pretty likely that we’d never see the Sword Beam in its original form in any console Zelda ever again – until Skyward Sword. Despite this, one of our retired writers, Ben Spyrou, held out hope:
Zelda Wii is fast approaching, and with the likelihood of the Wii Motion Plus being used in the game, the Sword Beam could be yet another fantastic use of the Wii’s innovative controls.
When we predicted it: July 2009
First official mention: June 2010 (E3 Press Demonstration)
Run, Link, Run!
Here’s another eerily specific one for you: Senior Editor Dathen so totally called the dashing mechanic. Not the stamina meter, but hey – it’s close enough, right?
Maybe the A button could have made Link run faster when it was held down. Surely that would make more sense than continuous rolling being faster than traveling by foot.
When we predicted it: October 2009
First official mention: June 2010 (E3 Press Demonstration)
A Return to Classic Zelda II Style Swordplay
This one isn’t a “prediction” so much as “wishful thinking,” and never once has a Nintendo representative compared the sword combat in Skyward Sword to Zelda II, but given my experience with the game I’d say this counts. Skyward Sword sticks the closest to the NES Zeldas’ arcade roots of any of the 3D titles, so it’s (I think!) slated to be the game Mike was hoping for.
It has become evident that swordplay has been made the central focus of gameplay in the Zelda series since the release of AOL in 1989, and this decision proved to fuel a roaring fire for the decade that followed. Since then, however, swordplay has received far too much emphasis, resulting in neglect of the enemy AI, and has now reached the stage where the enemy on the receiving end of Link’s blade is unable to put up a fight. One has to wonder if a return to the controversial AOL would be such a bad thing
When we predicted it: September 2007
First official mention: July 2011
The Mysterious Figure is the Master Sword
Okay, this one doesn’t actually come from us… instead it comes from a large part of the fanbase! From basically the moment the Zelda Wii concept art was leaked to the Internet in 2009, people speculated on the significance of the mystery female figure spotted in the piece. One of the more popular theories was that she was some kind of personification of the Master Sword… and that wound up being true! Hats off to you, fanbase, for being just as epically awesome as we are. (Nay, more so! This is probably the most impressive one on the list.) Stay classy, people.
