Game: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Platform: Wii
PLOT
If you've ever played a Zelda game before then you probably won't need to read this section. Skyward Sword tells the story of a young boy named Link and a young girl named Zelda. At the beginning of the game these two characters are attempting to prepare for a special ceremony within their village, Skyloft which floats above the sky. After the ceremony takes place Zelda is sent hurdling down to the world below Skyloft and it's up to Link to rescue her. Later Link finds out an evil force is trying to return and cover the whole world in darkness. Sounds like a typical Zelda game right? So Link is sent upon trails and challenges in order to ensure the safety of his home and Zelda.
VISUALS
If The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and Wind Waker had a child it would look like Skyward Sword. Skyward Sword uses the colorful stylistic visuals of Wind Waker, but at the same time adding more of a somewhat realistic feel of Twilight Princess. Textures in the game are very painterly and when you see a structure in the distance the game has a nice filter that makes it look like a post impressionist painting. This being said the game uses low poly models, but non of them really take away from the game. The game certainly has a charming quality to it. The characters and environments are like something out of Disney movie.
SOUND
Skyward Sword has a great soundtrack. The music ranges from uplifting orchestrated tracks while Link is soaring above the clouds to dark piano riffs as he faces his main adversary. The games sound design is great and some of it uses the speaker inside the Wiimote pretty nicely. For example, one item Link uses allows him to shoot a small beetle that flies around and grabs items. When you launch the beetle you can clearly hear it's buzzing in the Wiimote and as it gets farther away from Link it's sound in the Wiimote fades out. There isn't too much voice acting going on the game besides gasps, groans, and shouts.
GAMEPLAY
Skyward Sword's gameplay ranges from great to awkward. The game really shines in sword combat with enemies. It makes a great use of the Wii Motion Plus's tech and captures your swings most of the time. Enemies may have to be defeated by swinging in a certain direction or thrusting your Wiimote forward. This really adds a nice complexity to some of the enemies and makes you wait to make your move. Not all enemies require certain swings, there are some where you can basically just waggle around your Wiimote and win. Unfortunetly there are some activities that use the Wiimote's tech in a non enjoyable way. Things like swimming, bug catching, and tight rope walking aren't nearly as fun as battling opponents or flying through the air. Some of these activities might make question why they're even in there.
LIKED
1. Flying around in the overworld is so much more enjoyable than sailing in Wind Waker
2. The relationship between Zelda and Link in Skyward Sword is probably the best of the series. Both of them are expressive and have a really nice connection that is noticeable in the very beginning of the game.
3. Skyward Sword is much more cinematic than any of the other Zelda games. I'm not saying it's cutscene heavy, but there's a nice movie quality to the cutscenes.
4. Temples/Dungeons have been simplified. Once you attain the Dungeon Map you're given the locations of chests and locked doors. Dungeons don't have too many levels and aren't confusing anymore. They still contain some thought provoking puzzles, but you won't get stuck wondering where you are or what you're looking for to progress anymore.
DISLIKED
1. Even though flying around is great, the overworld is really empty and that really takes away from the sense of exploration the series had before. You might ask, but what about the land below Skyloft? Well it really only comprises of 3 main areas and the game makes you revisit them often. Sure there's a little bit of new content, but it gets a little tedious.
2. Most boss battles are great, but some really stuck out to me. There's a certain fire boss that's only defeated by Link throwing bombs into its mouth. Where have I seen this before? In Ocarina of Time inside Dodongo's Cavern. The boss isn't an exact replicate of Dodongo, but it's a little annoying to see the same kill method used again. Some boss battles are much easier than other ones and there's a certain boss (he looks like David Bowie) that you fight several times which uses the same moves.
3. This game is long and not in a good way. I was able to finish it in roughly 27 hours, but I didn't really do too many side quests. It's almost as if everything in the Zelda Universe has to be separated for longevity. It's as if every time a key item that feeds into the main quest story line comes up someone says, "Okay, so how can we break this thing up into at least 3 parts?". Certain things are exciting to complete like when you're forging the Master Sword. Zelda fans will be really excited to see the forging of the Master Sword, but some parts are really dragged out.
4. Ledge jumping and the game's camera are still pretty big issues. Just because you're a 25 year old franchise doesn't mean you can't give your character a jump button.
5. Side quests are pretty boring. Most of them consists of fetch quests and I didn't really feel like being someone's errand boy. There aren't too many great narratives behind them either.
FINAL THOUGHTS
If you're a Zelda fan then you've probably already picked this game up or plan on it. I'm not here to stop you because it's still a great experience, but if you're just starting to get into Zelda then this is not the first game you should play. It's not the best game of the series, but it's the best game that uses WiiMotion Plus.
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