Published by Nintendo
The green garbed youth has once again been reincarnated to battle the forces of evil and save the world. You know the story: Zelda gets captured, Link gets the Master Sword and takes down the big boss. Not a big deal for a character that has spent 25 years crawling through dungeons, traversing the diverse worlds Nintendo has created and interacting with the colourful cast of characters that long-time Zelda fans fondly remember.
In this latest Zelda episode, humans live an almost utopian lifestyle in Skyloft, an island in the clouds. Everyone is paired up with a bird, à la Avatar, that resembles giant shoebills called Loftwings. It’s here that Link begins his journey.
A young knight in training, he’s taking part in a race that will graduate him into the next level of his quest. Upon winning the race, his childhood friend Zelda is swept out of the sky and Link must pursue her on the surface world where he will discover his true destiny.
Marketed on the idea of one-to-one movement with Link’s sword and the Wiimotion Plus controller, the user is introduced to the game mechanics very early on with basic sword fighting techniques. This seems to work well with no actual pressure, but the basic tasks required of the player at this point in the game don’t do justice to the idea of “realistic” sword fighting.
Enemies in the game can only be defeated using specifically angled slashes and jabs and at times the Wiimotion Plus has a mind of its own, choosing to slash horizontally when you really were trying to rain down on an opponent’s head. This can lead to a great deal of frustration, suggestive Wiimote movements, endless flailing (the Wii’s version of button mashing) and the desire for the classic controller.
The idea behind the fighting mechanic is exciting, but it falls short and in the end might detract from the whole experience.
The Zelda universe has always been a large, open world that invites exploration. With the addition of Link’s flying mount, Nintendo could have created an even bigger experience for the player. However, in Skyward Sword, the world that most might expect to be very much like a open concept sand-box actually becomes more condensed and much too linear.
With only three distinct zones, the Forest, Mountain, and Desert, the game recycles the same areas over and over again, only adjusting the terrain or changing the challenge that Link faces slightly. Similarly, the soundtrack isn’t that memorable in comparison to the Ocarina of Time or Twilight Princess, and it becomes repetitive and annoying.
Skyward Sword might not be considered one of the top games in the Zelda canon but it does have its moments. Boss battles, for the most part, remain as an exciting reward at the end of dungeons, puzzles aren’t overly frustrating but are definitely not too simple, and at times the game alludes to other universes Link has saved, creating a little bit of nostalgia in what seems like a repetitive 35-40 hours. Can anyone say “Pa-pa-pa-paper?”
If you are a hardcore Zelda fan, Skyward Sword is still probably worth a play-through, but renting it might be the best idea. Or maybe you can just dust off your old N64.
