Review: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Following Miyamoto’s awkward demonstration at the unveiling of Skyward Sword during E3 2010, my excitement for Link’s latest outing never got off the ground. However, now that I’ve actually played through the game, I can say that Skyward Sword is, without doubt, the greatest game I’ve ever played!

Nintendo has admitted that Skyward Sword is their largest undertaking ever, with 500 staff working for 5 years. Admittedly there has been several changes over the years, the original inclusion of Motion Plus, then its removal, and then its final inclusion. But as with many of Nintendo’s games, it’s bursting with sheer brilliance; this is by far their most accomplished title to date.

The game, quite simply, must be seen in action!

The first thing I thought when I saw the graphical style was “what?”. How wrong was I to question the great minds at Nintendo. You’ve probably heard before that the game blends the dark maturity seen in Twilight Princess with the bright colourful craziness of Wind Waker. While this is accurate, it’s unlikely to fully portray the beautiful “painted” effect you see when playing. In the foreground everything around you appears to be formed of thick luscious brush strokes. In the distance, Nintendo have introduced a blur effect, to ease the workload for the little white-box that could. By doing so, everything appears as collections of tiny colourful spots, just like in Georges Seurat’s famous “Sunday Afternoon on the Island of the Grand-Jatte” painting.

Another one of my initial worries about the game was that Nintendo had only confirmed a forest, a volcano and a desert. I didn’t understand how Nintendo could claim the game was 50+ hours of gameplay based on three areas. I thought the game would feel lacking compared with the more recent Zelda games which have featured water environments as well as some kind of spirit/ghost region. Without spoiling anything, my fears were unfounded, this game feels the most varied of any Zelda title I’ve ever played. I too knew nothing of the story, and it wasn’t until I’d completed the opening section of the game, similar to collecting Ocarina of Time’s three spiritual stones, that the game really opened up. It is easy to see what Miyamoto meant when he said it could take players anywhere between 50 and 100 hours to complete.

The Earth Temple – With Chinese Dragon Decor

The cut-scenes in this game are the grandest Nintendo have ever envisioned. It is clear a new generation of game designers are beginning to take over the reigns at Nintendo. When coupled with the fully orchestrated soundtrack they feel like something from Disney in their heyday. Voice-over work is still not on the menu for this Zelda title, but because the cut-scenes are so well done you don’t miss them. The character’s expressive nature and occasional grunt are all you need to feel like your there.

The controls feel excellent; like a natural progression from previous Zelda games, with the added benefit of Motion Plus controlled swordplay. This is arguably the games selling point, and sure Red Steel 2 came close, but never have motion controls worked so well. During my play-through I have not had one single issue with the now-built in Motion Plus accessory.

Sword-play has followed Wii Sports Resort’s example, Your sword follows your hand motions 1:1. Luckily for Nintendo they have thought about character design working with swordplay so its not just a tacked-on gimmick. You now slice horizontally, vertical, diagonally, or even stab, to take out enemies and interact with environments in completely new ways. It feels like it belongs to you, from when you first pull it out of its pedestal, then thrust it skyward to be charged in light.

You must attack with tactics, hacking away won't work.

Flying your Loftwing too follows the same example set by (the plane-flying section of) Wii Sports Resort. You can also gain height by flapping your wings, by flapping the controller as you’d expect. This feels completely natural and unlike many of the Wii’s shovel-ware party games.

Skyward Sword’s level design is impressive. They’re fairly tight and compact, but have multiple levels to them so when revisiting the same area you never feel bored. It feels reminiscent of Metroid Prime. Items are now used throughout the adventure, to discover new areas in a previously visited region, rather than opportune points in a dungeon.

The new items added to this game, such as the beetle, make great use of Motion Plus and are all innovative additions. You can also upgrade some items at certain points in the story to give them a second feature to again help you reach new areas.

The menu system has also been overhauled; there are now simply two screens, one showing all of your equipment and other all of your collected treasures and insects. For the the first time in a Zelda game you can now customise weapons, shields and potions using these hidden collectibles.

Definately The Wii's Defining Moment!

Skyward Sword is one incredible game. It is evident by its sheer brilliance that Nintendo has spent the last year simply polishing it to an exceptionally high standard. The visuals, audio and controls are the finest the company has ever produced. With their track-record that is saying something! I have told several friends who don’t own a Wii to buy one simply for this game, and if you don’t either I encourage you to do the same. You will not regret it

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