The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Review

Skyward Sword is the newest installment in the Zelda series and with it, brings both old and new concepts that appeal to diehard fans and newcomers alike.  Taking into accounts all the potential that the Wii motion plus has to offer this is certainly a game that the Wii was designed for, but was the newest installment everything that it could have, and dare I say should have lived up to?

Gameplay:

If there is one title that stands out from the rest fully utilizing the Wii’s motion control capabilities this would be the 1^st title that would come to mind with the sword swings almost (key word) perfectly mimicking my horizontal, vertical, and diagonal slashes in order to correctly attack a well-guarded foe.  Each enemy brings a new challenge of having to learn how to attack using the Wii Motion Plus.  At the core of the gameplay mechanics makes for a challenging but enjoyable experience from start to finish.  The items earned though out the game also make great use of the Wii’s motion control capabilities with new items such as the beetle to old favorites like the bow just about each item in the game adds a beneficial degree of some kind.

The single gripe I would have with the gameplay mechanics….?   The constant need to put absolutely everything into Wii Motion control. There was a lot that benefited from Wii motion but there were some elements that made the game more frustrating. The mechanics behind freefalling, navigating the world, and the occasional sword swing which sometimes was nowhere even close to the direction that I was swinging my sword took away some of the enjoyment.  It was very frustrating when I finally found my window to attack only to have link swing vertical when I took my time making sure I had a horizontal slash.  Another key factor that got old really fast was the need to recalibrate and center my controller each and every time I not only turned on my game, but also each time the remote went to sleep because I walked away for a few minutes.  It just pulls me out of the game when I come back and I have to spend extra time trying to find a flat surface (the first few times I actually did not have a surface to put my remote on within the vicinity of my chair.) to recalibrate my remote.  Overall the gameplay was solid and I found myself having tons of fun hacking and slashing through enemies, but the few buggy controls kept me out of touch on more than one occasion.

18/20(few bugs but overall not a ton of complaints.)

Nothing more gratifying then successfully landing an attack on a well defended foe

Presentation:

With a new storyline, new characters, and a whole new world to explore the developers were allowed to take any direction they wanted.  The game world is set up with three central locations all different from one another and one central hub world to fly around in.  You bounce back and forth between locations completing tasks and later on opening up new sections of re-visited areas.  The formula has not changed much nor did I expect it to: complete a series of tasks in order to finally gain access to a temple, find the temple item as well as a master key, defeat the boss and then repeat.  It is the standard Zelda formula and as always holds true.  The story felt fresh, new, and original and kept me interested through the long haul.  The story does something for the first time in the series in that really it starts to establish a timeline between some of the other titles in the series.  I often found myself finding references to another Zelda title as I progressed through the events in Skyward Sword.  The puzzles were very well developed sometimes leaving me stumped for quite some time trying to figure out what to do next.  However the turn off from that was when I wasn’t involved with a temple everything else seemed to be spelled out for me.  There was very little degree of confusion within the outside world of where I had to go and what I had to do next as if the game had an on and off switch on the difficulty.  The game introduced the ability to farm items from creatures, collect bugs, and upgrade most of the items in your arsenal to be better than they already were.  I would farm for hours in order to get the items needed from enemies in order to have the best gear I could get.

While I was determined to complete this installment I couldn’t help but stop and think during my play through, “Is this really necessary?” and the more time went on the more I found myself asking this question. The game seems to just add stuff in order to add length to the game rather than know when to progress with the important parts of the game.  Out of my near 50hr play though there was about 38-40hrs I could justify of that time to stuff that needed to be there adding to the whole experience.   The scale of the game also felt small looking back at everything I explored and unlocked.  The game seemed to have a wide open sky with very few places to visit and 3 locations on the ground that did not feel very large either.  You end up going to each of the locations time and time again for one task or another, and there was only so many times I could visit one place before I sighed in disgust when they told me that in order to complete the next task I would have to travel back to where I just was.  The opening parts of my experiences with the game were filled with met and exceeded expectations while the tail end never quite gave me the epic close I was looking for.  The side quests mostly mini games or fetch quests that I was able to complete a fair amount of them, but they weren’t very fun to complete nor did they really offer a must have item that I had to have or depth to the characters.  It seemed like most of them existed for me to spend more hours playing the game.

16/20 (the good parts where great, but the game dragged on a bit too long coupled with a lacking latter game experience)

This got old fast, where’s my horse?

Visuals:

The Wii was never really built for stunning visuals, and unfortunately this does a great disservice to the Zelda series.  The visual in the game are par from what I would expect from a Wii title and did nothing to stimulate my eyes as I progressed.  The landscapes are generic for the series (I called pretty much all the landscapes before I even opened them up) for any seasoned veteran player, but I feel this category got sold short.  I know that the Wii is capable of producing far better visuals using component cables but chose not to.  The visuals look something I would expect to see on Gamecube and not the visual level I have seen the Wii capable of.

14/20 (Nothing terrible but nothing to write home about either.)

Hmm a mountain volcano how original.

Sound:

When I think of this category songs from previous Zelda titles fill my head and bring a smile from ear to ear singing all the classics.  For this portion I listened to the soundtrack that came with my LE copy of SS and took time to analyze the music throughout the game.  The game did a great job of setting the mood and emotion with each piece that surrounded the game.  Each orchestrated piece sounds magnificent and was used to the full potential where necessary for what was reflected at that time in the game.

19/20 (Great soundtrack but there wasn’t a single track that will be remembered long after this game is around)

Future Playability:

With roughly 50hrs of play time invested in the title I still had another 10-20hrs left of side quests left to go back to as well as a boss rush mode.  For those who cannot seem to get enough after the first play through and looking for a more difficult experience the game offers a more difficult play through.

18/20 (Game offers a lot of lasting replay value, but it’s entirely dependent upon your desire to want to.)

A great new installment in the Zelda series

Final Thoughts:

This game is one to be enjoyed and treasured by all who own a Wii.  If there was a title that would shine as something the Wii Motion controller was designed for this would be it.  The game wasn’t afraid to try something completely new and in most regards it succeeded.  A few setbacks of trying to make the game longer then it needed to be, Wii motion controls in a few areas that it wasn’t necessary coupled with constant recalibration, and repeated visits to the same few locations making the game seem smaller than it actually was kept this game short of reaching the pinnacle that this game had every opportunity to seize.

Final Score – 86/100 (Great score and a great contender for GotY, but not quite the best Zelda title in the series)

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This game was purchased by me for $70 retail for the LE copy.  I completed this game once with a play through time of 49:23 completing most of the sidequests the game has to offer.

A Bi-Polar Relationship: Skyward Sword and I

I am not a self-proclaimed Zelda fanatic, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy what the franchise has to offer.  I have dabbled in almost every entry in the famed Nintendo series, including the newest one; Skyward Sword.  I can’t explain my relationship with this game being anything short of bi-polar.  I am either completely enamored with a session or find myself exploring vast amounts of tedium that makes me almost not want to push forward with the game.  I don’t know why I feel this way, I just do.

Through my 20+ hours that I have invested into Skyward Sword I have seen and done many things that I have truly enjoyed and conversely haven’t enjoyed.  A small but present pet peeve with Skyward Sword is the constant recalibration of the Wii Motion Plus.  I have had to recalibrate my controller at least 30 times per session (I could even be low balling it).  I understand why it was used and how it is supposed to be incorporated into the gameplay, but it seems like none of the issues with it were resolved prior to the game’s release.  Alright so the controls can be awful at times, but I have other issues with the game.

Since when did completing a simple task turn into an outline for a doctoral dissertation?  Maybe I have become so disconnected with the series that I forgot how these games actually work.  There are so many mini objectives that must be completed before you can even see a glimpse of progress and it really hurts the game’s pacing.  I for one do not enjoy undertaking menial tasks to complete what should be a simple objective.  Some of the design choices when it comes to mission structure baffle me and feel like they are included just to add length, but not necessarily add depth.  Those parts of the game are extremely frustrating to the core, but thankfully not everything is like that.

Some missions that at first glance had me shaking my head were quickly converted into enjoyable experiences.  The earliest instance of this was when you are tasked with finding your missing Loftwing.  This had originally elicited less than favorable emotions, but shortly after the mission started I realized that there were dual purposes.  Yes, one was to find Link’s missing Loftwing, but a subtle second was to better familiarize you with the controls (which do take some getting used to), Skyloft and its inhabitants.  My enthusiasm regarding Skyward Sword is very delicate and clings onto this pendulum that constantly swings me back and forth.  I have yet to establish a happy medium within the confines of this game and maybe it will never happen, but I will see this adventure through to the end.

My time with Skyward Sword is far from over and colleagues of mine tell me that my future travels within the Skyward-verse are going to be a more fruitful endeavor; here’s to hoping.  Are you enjoying Skyward Sword immensely and just think I’m crazy?  Or are you experiencing similar conflicts with your time with the game?  Sound off in the comments section and as always you can follow us on Twitter @GamersAbstract and like us on Facebook for more content.

A Theory on why Link doesn’t speak

The Legend of Zelda has always been a series that has never had voice dialogue.  Some folks on the internet speculate that it is tradition to not have it, that it would ruin the game, or sometimes even a combination of the two form one’s argument.  Others will say that Link is a stoic hero or the strong silent type and that he need not speak because his actions speak volumes of their own (so cliché, but applicable).  Granted up until Ocarina of Time voice dialogue wouldn’t have been an option anyways because of hardware/software limitations, but I have a theory as to why Link doesn’t speak and I’d like to share it with you.

"Huut, huut, waaah, wwahah, HYAAH" Using Google Translate that means "Hi I am Link, would you like a cup of tea?"

It has been over a decade since Link has entered 3D space and for over ten years you have been rewarded for somersaulting into shit.  I’m about 10 hours into Skyward Sword and have probably rolled into more shit for a rupee than Wilt Chamberlain has banged chicks (THAT’S A LOT OF ROLLING FOLKS).  Link can be the strong silent type that we all think he is; I just think the poor guy has some serious brain damage.  His cerebral functions have been ravaged for years and the only discernible sounds we get out of him are Neanderthalic grunts and “HYAAHS”.  Besides rolling into various things, the dude has been tucking and rolling off of 20 foot ledges for just as long.  Why?  Why does the game design force us to maim our valiant hero?  Who knows, but our beloved Link is more or less a functional retard, but I still love him and boy can he wield a mean sword.

So strong, so silent, the ladies go crazy for him, one in particular, HIZAHH!!!

Tradition, Personality, or brain damage are all plausible options for the silent treatment from one of gaming’s most notable heroes, but will we truly ever know?  I’m guessing not, but dialogue aside Link will continue to persevere through any obstacle that is thrown at him, unless it’s a spelling bee, then he is fucked.

The most "animated" version of Link, stil not a peep

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When did people start getting so apprehensive about games following their own formulas?

Technology is improving and developers are innovating faster than people could have dreamed a decade ago, and I’m right up there with my fellow gamers giving a standing ovation. But there’s something else I’ve noticed that is possibly changing as fast or faster and that is audience expectation.

We’ve all heard complaints in reviews or played games where a lack of change from one installment to the next killed the experience, or too drastic a change did just the same. It’s a fine line when making a sequel (or prequel, reboot, side story, parallel universe, etc.) The ideas behind the shifts are usually exciting but the execution so far has been mixed at best. If every idea had the pizzazz and success of a Mario title (Galaxy, Paper, Sunshine) we could all rest easy. But for every Starfox 64 there’s a Sonic Unleashed (cheap shot, I know. But tell me I’m wrong.)

And yet every year developers feel more pressured and we get more restless (I do anyway.) More often than not I’d say they do quite well for themselves (Metroid Prime series, every Zelda title.) It’s even more [pleasantly] surprising when they just bring a game back to what made it great so many years before (DK, Kirby, Sonic 4, Rayman.)

And yet from fans to paid reviewers I’ve never heard such a massive outcry for innovation from one game to the next as I have lately. I was recently privy to an argument where I could barely believe how heated people got debating whether or not Skyward Sword would be worth playing or whether it was too stale to waste one’s time on. There was borderline vehemence from some toward the topic (and each other.) It was all pretty ridiculous considering that Nintendo has never dropped the ball in 25 years of Zelda games, but there it was.

Equally surprising were two mentions I saw in Game Pro magazine. It was actually asked if Halo (5 main games, one RTS mind you) would jump the shark (their words) with Halo 4. The other I almost think was a joke. They said that the next God Of War should exclude 4 things: needless puzzles (fine, but they didn’t explain any further,) Kratos’ blind rage at Zeus (the impetus for 2 & 3, irrelevant since Zeus is dead, but still a large part of our unfriendly Ghost,) larger and larger bosses and gameplay segments (some of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen done in any medium; yeah, let’s just throw those out,) and Greek gods (……………)

Needless to say I take little or no stock in Game Pro anymore.

By the time you read this most of you will have had some time with Skyward Sword. Whether you think a new world, characters and gameplay would be a more welcome sight or you get dizzy every time you think you see a Triforce in a news update, chances are you’ve enjoyed it. And that’s what’s important: enjoying games. Unless you’re easily bored or impossibly hard to please you know a good game when you see one and will play it without hesitation, even if you know those characters better than your family. So stop whining and play!

TGA TV Ep.2 New Releases 11/15, Game Deals and a mention of Zelda

Newest episode of TGA TV is up, check it out and stay tuned for another episode either this weekend or early next week.  As always you can follow us on Twitter @GamersAbstract and like us on Facebook for more content.

Newest Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Trailer

This is the newest trailer for Skyward Sword that was shown exclusively at this year’s Golden Joystick Awards and we now are showing it here at TGA.  Enjoy the trailer and stay tuned for more Zelda news as the game’s release approaches.  As always follow us on Twitter @GamersAbstract and like us on Facebook for more content.