The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword review for the Nintendo Wii

The Legend of Zelda has one of the richest stories in video game history, spanning over 25 years and a multitude of consoles.  It has garnered a fanbase that rivals even Mario and the games that he stars in.  The Legend of Zelda is one of the most prolific video game series in the gaming world, just like the Super Mario series, Final Fantasy, Pokemon, Mega Man, and Castlevania, just to name.  To celebrate this quarter century milestone, Nintendo finished up the first official Wii game from the Zelda series that is a Wii exclusive.  The other Wii Zelda title was intended for the Nintendo Gamecube and was released in turn about a month later.  This title is only for the Nintendo Wii.  Now, we look into how this game measures up in the world of gaming and the world of Zelda. 

Graphics

This game I believe has an interesting approach to its atmosphere.  This game actually takes pieces and cues from the various Zelda games that have come out over the years.  It’s apropos since this is supposed to be the very first game in the series’ history.  So, graphically, this game combines the darkened, mature, and at times, mysterious look with the emotion and at times, cartoony look that Zelda has come to embrace.  In other words, you’re getting some of Twilight Princess (which was born from Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask) mixed with some of The Wind Waker.  What you get is a brighter, bolder, and more energized look at a Zelda game.  It’s not too cartoony, and it’s not too dark.  It’s somewhere in the center.  I would even go as far as what you would see or get if you took the look and feel of A Link to the Past and gave it a 3-D look.  That said, it’s very animated and very mature, at the same time, which is something you could say about A Link to the Past.  I do have one pet peeve:  do they really have to pronounce Link’s lips?  It looks creepy. 

Sound

Musically, the game is astounding, as expected in Zelda games.  The music matches the atmosphere well.  I don’t know if the drum beats showcasing the proximity of an enemy really works, but that’s my opinion.  The music does, however, dissolve well into other or accompanying themes, as done in previous games.  Sound effects are also crisp.  The game does take advantage of the surround-sound aspect of the game.  Hearing a horn in the background summoning enemies could not sound any clearer or more realistic.  Don’t worry about voice acting, though, as no one really speaks in the game.  There are grunts, groans, and such done by Japanese voice actors.  However, when it comes to Zelda fans, they don’t want to hear voices or voice acting in their Zelda games.  This game keeps the tradition strong and alive, so there are no complaints.

Control

Does a Zelda game have a stumbling block?  Some do.  In the case of this game, it’s the control.  The big selling point of this game was the utilization of Wii Motion Plus, an additional peripheral that allowed for a more 1-to-1 control synchronization between the Wiimote and the sensor bar.  It was brought to the forefront through Wii Sports Resort.  As there is more precise control, you will have instances where you have to synchronize the Wiimote as it is connected to the peripheral by laying it flat on a surface.  Then, you have to point the Wiimote at the center of the screen and press the A button to finalize the process.  There is just one problem with this.  The sensitivity of the Wiimote when connected to the motion peripheral increases heavily.  Sunlight will send your Wiimote into a confused frenzy as the accelerometer in the Wiimote is sensitive to light.  Also, the slightest gestures may get you to move even if you didn’t want to.  There are also times where you do move and it doesn’t register.  To top it off, the Wiimote will fall out of synch on a number of occasions, forcing you to center the Wiimote every time.  I found myself pulling out my shield by accident, instead of rolling a bomb.  Also, I found myself unable to bring out my shield when I needed to, taking serious damage in the process.  So, yea, response issues were plentiful.  Oh, and you can’t sit down while playing.  I have tried and got through most of the game doing so.  However, for the more complicated things like tough bosses and minigames, I had to get up and move.  Now, I know that’s the initial way to play, but it would be nice to have an option.  Is it so horrible that the game is unplayable?  No, not quite.  It does synch quickly and the responses, when need be, do come about.  It’s imperative that you are patient when you need to be.  If you get all wavy and crazy with your Wiimote, you’ll find yourself in trouble.  I guess I need to work on that.  Even so, I still had something of an issue with controls.  It’s funny, really, since this was done because people complained about the controls in Twilight Princess.  I didn’t have that much trouble with that game, honestly.  But, to each their own.

Etc.

To summarize the story, it is the first chapter in the Legend of Zelda, predating the sagas of the Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask.  Proof of such is the fact that it has been confirmed that this game would focus on the creation of the Master Sword.  How did we get that far?  Can’t tell you that just yet, my friend.  You have to figure that out.  While you do that, know that Link lives in a place called Skyloft.  It is a place in the sky where humans have been born and raised, with no true knowledge of the surface world.  It is Link’s graduation day as he is part of the knight academy.  As he attempts the tasks needed to graduate, he is joined by his best friend, closest confidant, and daughter of the head master, Zelda.  She helps him with his graduation as Groose, a fellow knight, looks to embarrass you due to your friendship with Zelda and his crush on her.  Little does each of them know that as they prepare for their tasks, an unseen threat is growing on the surface, trying to culminate its return with the help of a powerful sorcerer whose origin is of a unique history.  What follows is the inaugural adventure at the beginning of the Legend of Zelda which reveals the truth behind various aspects of the legend.  The best thing about the story, in my opinion, is the attention to detail the game puts toward the historical cues taken towards the story.  If you are a longtime fan, you’ll see the various cues and possible ties to the future.  The extras of the game are of standard Zelda fare, as you get a chance to play various minigames for money, rare treasures, and other things of good use.  One of the keys to this game is the ability to upgrade the items you hold.  You can upgrade your bow, bomb bags, and even your bug catching net.  However, to do this, you have to collect different rare treasures and items on your journeys along with bugs. Another key to the game is flight.  Link can fly from world to world, riding on the back of a giant bird for sky travel.  This is oddly reminiscent to The Wind Waker and sea travel.  As always, you have a bevy of missing heart pieces to claim in the game, but on the plus side, you start off with about 5 or 6 hearts.  However, 90% of the monsters do 1 to 2 hearts of damage, so be careful.  There is a day/night feature where you can sleep for half of a day or a whole day, in any bed you can find, mostly on Skyloft.  This allows you to heal yourself completely (you can also sit down to heal yourself, albeit slowly) and access places or homes that are open.  However, you can’t fly out of the area you are in as flight is prohibited at night by the soldiers of Skyloft.  There are also gratitude missions where you can win gratitude crystals for doing tasks for different people in Skyloft.  As always, all of these missions and extras are optional unless otherwise stated in the game.  Also, there’s a Hero mode where the enemies do twice the damage and hearts are harder to find.  This can only be accessed when you finish the game the first time.  When it comes to the lasting appeal, I will be honest.  I never replayed a Zelda game, ever.  The games usually clock in a good chunk of hours of gameplay if you moderately know what to do, without a guide.  I don’t have the time, or the devotion to a Zelda game to play them more than once.  So, it all depends on what you like.  I personally get and play through a Zelda game for the story.  I love a good story, and Zelda games tend to tell great stories.  However, for the time it takes to get through these stories, and the difficulty in doing so, it’s not worth it doing it again, unless you really like the game.  So, it depends entirely on you.

Final Verdict

Skyward Sword is another solid addition to the Zelda franchise, despite being hampered with issues of control.  The graphics and sound adheres to the strength of the Wii, with a unique look to it as it melds presentations of certain games in the franchise together.  As stated, it’s almost a combination of Twilight Princess and The Wind Waker in presentation.  The controls can be jarring, due to the constant need to re-center and re-focus the Wiimote, but it isn’t a big game breaker.  It might not be the strongest of entries, but I am recognizing its necessity as it does tell the true beginning of the Legend of Zelda.  After all, who doesn’t want to know how the Master Sword was created?  I’m sure even Ganon would want to know.