The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

[zircon]

Jill and I just beat the game. We probably had 80-85%ish completion. Didn't have every upgrade/item or heart piece, and there were sidequests undone. But we completed it. Overall I would give the game an 8/10 on a TRUE 1-10 scale (5 being an average fun game with flaws, 10 being perfect, 1 being garbage, and I would only give a couple of games a 10.)

Here are my thoughts (spoilers, obviously, so highlight!)

There was a whole lot to like with this game. The strongest element was the story, surprisingly. Lots of emotional parts and it was a bit different than "Zelda gets kidnapped, beat Ganon!" The puzzles were all excellent and well-thought out. Combat was also a big step up from some previous Zelda games. The music was fantastic, though the inclusion of some cheesy MIDI stuff in key scenes was a bit confusing. Graphics were pretty good too despite the non-HD aspect, with some really beautiful environments.

Controls were unfortunately not quite perfect. I definitely had a lot of trouble in certain spots, even on mundane monsters, due to not being able to execute a thrust or a precise slash. For some reason it wasn't as much of an issue on bosses, but primarily Mokoblins. Also, having to recenter the Wiimote constantly with Down was really annoying in a couple of spots. Not a dealbreaker but these things did annoy me several times as Jill can attest.

We didn't really have a problem with the pacing of the game, aside from the aforementioned obvious dialogue/hints from Fi about where to go and what to do. Things got a lot better in the last quarter of the game or so, in that respect. Also, I really didn't have any problem with the linearity of the game. It always seemed like there was stuff to do in Skyloft, or with backtracking. But that does bring me to my biggest complaint, and the main reason why I wouldn't rate the game higher:

There is way too much reuse of the same content. You're essentially going back to three core areas of the game THREE TIMES, four times if you count the final dungeon! I'm not really talking about this from a gameplay perspective, since obviously the puzzles were fresh each time, there are new challenges, etc. But it just struck me as less than interesting to backtrack to Faron Woods for the 3rd time. I was hoping for new environments and enemies, especially since stuff like Mokoblins and Keese got reused so many times even in the first three.

Basically, once we were in the midst of a new dungeon, solving puzzles and fighting enemies, things were great. There was just a sense of "Oh, I have to go there AGAIN?" later on as you honed in on your new objective. I have to wonder whether this was really an intentional choice, or a cost-saving measure because they didn't want to create entirely new sets of enemies and environments. Of course it was really clever how they reused the same settings the 3rd time around, but even so, it felt overused.

There were a few other minor annoyances sprinkled throughout, such as having to sit through tons of dialog/cutscenes to redo minigames, for example, or the stupid shock enemies. Also, the upgrade system was a neat idea, but the distribution of items was ultra-lopsided. I couldn't upgrade most of my stuff for most of the game because I was missing supposedly common items like Tumbleweed, Monster Claws and Ornamental Skulls and didn't want to farm for them (who does?) On the other hand, I had tons of specific bugs/items and even supposedly rare stuff like Goddess Plumes and Dusk Relics. I think the rates could have been a bit better thought out.

I've never actually beaten a Zelda game before - never played WW, 5 minutes of TP, Water Temple in OoT and maybe halfway through LttP. So, it felt really good to complete this game and see the resolution of the story. I felt like a badass beating the last boss, who was appropriately hard (killed me once) until I figured out the proper rhythm to blocking. Most of the puzzles were genuinely challenging and whether it was Jill or I that solved them, we both felt really smart and accomplished afterwards.

Anyway, all in all, we really enjoyed the game and will have many memories of playing it together. All the niggles and complaints I've listed don't detract from the sum of experiences we had playing it. I hope some of you had as much fun as we did.

[Bleck]

never played WW

you poor unfortunate soul

[lady zelda]

you poor unfortunate soul

Wind Waker was one of my favorites. Now I'm going to leave this thread because I am not finished Skyward Sword yet. I'm only in the Earth Temple (yeah I'm disgustingly far behind) and I'm pretty sure I'm about to find out the princess is in another castle...

[Malaki-LEGEND.sys]

After going through the game for a second time, I can pretty much reaffirm most of what I felt after completing it the first time. Game is wonderful, however there are inconsistencies when you place it alongside the other games in the series.

For starters, the game was billed as one that would explain the origins of the Master Sword, which outside of a lazy explanation, didn't really do much of that except assemble it like Lego blocks. I was expecting us to be able to see it being forged right then and there not unlike the Vampire Killer in Castlevania Lament of Innocence. I also feel that with all the different characters they introduced such as Hylia and Demise, that the game is like its own spin-off. Is there just one goddess? What about Farore, Din, and Nayru?Where DID Ganondorf and the Gerudo come from? I was expecting the game to set a lot of pieces up, but no dice. I half expected Demise(or who I thought would be Ganon) to possess Groose halfway into the game, or that the "past" would have a more modern setting given the technology present in Lanaryu. Of course I should have known that Nintendo would paint the plot by numbers.

Oh well, still a fun game by any measure.

[Geoffrey Taucer]

I love everything about the game except... the controls seem so awkward and ineffective to me that I'm having a lot of trouble getting into the gameplay.

Funny story: one of my girls at the gym is a huge Zelda fan, and ever since she found out I play Zelda, every day the first thing she does when she gets in the door is tell me about her latest progress in Skyward Sword.

[nohero]

After going through the game for a second time, I can pretty much reaffirm most of what I felt after completing it the first time. Game is wonderful, however there are inconsistencies when you place it alongside the other games in the series.

For starters, the game was billed as one that would explain the origins of the Master Sword, which outside of a lazy explanation, didn't really do much of that except assemble it like Lego blocks. I was expecting us to be able to see it being forged right then and there not unlike the Vampire Killer in Castlevania Lament of Innocence. I also feel that with all the different characters they introduced such as Hylia and Demise, that the game is like its own spin-off. Is there just one goddess? What about Farore, Din, and Nayru?Where DID Ganondorf and the Gerudo come from? I was expecting the game to set a lot of pieces up, but no dice. I half expected Demise(or who I thought would be Ganon) to possess Groose halfway into the game, or that the "past" would have a more modern setting given the technology present in Lanaryu. Of course I should have known that Nintendo would paint the plot by numbers.

Oh well, still a fun game by any measure.

Skyward Sword did nearly the exact same thing WindWaker did: it teased at an awesome, alternate world not wholly unlike the Dark World of Link's Awakening, but then only lets the player experience the tiniest smidgeon of said world. The amount of "Hyrule" that you experienced in WW was laughable and didn't feel anywhere close to being as fleshed out as the other environments in the game. Similarly, in Skyword Sword, we only get a very very tiny chunk of the past to explore(not counting the temporal distortions caused by the Timeshift Stones, which I suppose I should be grateful for). Also, the game needed a big reveal on Fi; I think we all suspected her of being a computer, no?

Whining aside, I can't help but feel that Skyword Sword serves to set up new plotlines for the next Zelda games. Will a certain malevolent spirit be freed from the confines of the Master Sword? Will Ganon find an ancient sword that enshrines a flamboyant personality? Will we see Ghirahim in the next Smash Bros?

... God, on second thought, I really hope not on that last one.

[zircon]

I love everything about the game except... the controls seem so awkward and ineffective to me that I'm having a lot of trouble getting into the gameplay.

Funny story: one of my girls at the gym is a huge Zelda fan, and ever since she found out I play Zelda, every day the first thing she does when she gets in the door is tell me about her latest progress in Skyward Sword.

You do get used to the controls. I assume you're having trouble with the sword stuff? The key is to not make huge exaggerated motions which can mess up the sensor, and also to not move super fast. You need to be quick, but also deliberate and not jerky. Once you get used to it there's a certain elegance to the swordplay.

[Bleck]

yeah the trick to the swordfighting is to only move the sword to the left when you want to swing left, instead of winding up to the right and then swinging left

[Red Shadow]

Hey zircon something in me assumes you'd really enjoy Majora's Mask

[Bleck]

that's because everyone with a brain knows majora's mask is the secret best zelda

[PROTO·DOME]

Skyward Sword was... overhyped. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it a lot, but definitely nowhere near as much as MM or WW.

Heck, I even enjoyed TP more than SS, I think stripping away that 'Metroidvania' exploration kind of killed it for me.

Too linear, too much hand holding.

that's because everyone with a brain knows majora's mask is the secret best zelda

What do you mean 'secret'? Move the fuck over OOT.

[Jillian Aversa]

spoiler in link

Does that seem dire to you?

Hahahaha, I was laughing so hard during that scene...

[Bleck]

I like how he's humming his own theme music

[Arek the Absolute]

disregard

Edited November 1, 2019 by Arek the Absolute

[nohero]

this x 10000000000

ww coming in at a very close second

Link's Awakening miiiiight be able to wedge itself in between the two.

[Bleck]

link's awakening is one of the secret worst zeldas

I mean zeldas are like a fucking cake no matter what but link's awakening is a cake that's like sort of crusty and a little bit too sweet

[BlackPanther]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought MM was the best one. Still haven't played Skyward Sword. Now that we're talkin about Zelda, I don't think I ever finished Twilight Princess @_@.

[Overflow]

Hey now, Link's Awakening is still my favorite Zelda. MM and WW were cool and all that, but LA still has them beat in terms of dungeon design, story, atmosphere, humor and items.

[Kenogu Labz]

If you're talking about item creativity, you gotta bring up Oracle of Seasons, Capcom or no.

[nohero]

link's awakening is one of the secret worst zeldas

I mean zeldas are like a fucking cake no matter what but link's awakening is a cake that's like sort of crusty and a little bit too sweet

Skyward Sword's got to be high school cafeteria cake with acrid frosting, in that case. Cafeteria cake with an albeit solid story.

A little surprised you weren't too fond of Awakening, Bleck. To me, it had a similar feel to MM, a little ethereal and trippy. Actually, I'd say LA involved some of the most exploration of any Zelda game, unlike SS.

[cobaltstarfire]

LA was the first Zelda game I played...it creeped me out in the end. o_o

With WW being the only other game I have actually completed besides SS I can't really comment much on the console games I guess. I didn't like what I got to play of TP, and OoT didn't really strike me as all that great (which may be why I didn't appreciate TP very much). I can't decide which I like best between WW and SS, they're both Zelda games, and I enjoyed them thoroughly but the experience between the two was different enough in my mind that it almost seems like comparing apples and oranges...or maybe I'm just being indecisive don't really know.

[Overflow]

LA was the first game I ever bought with my own money, way back when i was just a lad, so it deserves a special place in my heart just for that, but it also had devious puzzles, challenging bosses, a really creepy and ominous feel to it, a mature plot and a rather emotional ending. It made me tear up when I first saw it. Course, I was just a kid but still

Spoiler, I guess? The game is 15 years old.

That moment in the Face Shrine when you first read the tablet and you find out the island is all just a dream...That will always live on as one of the greatest moments in gaming.

I've played OoS, and it was pretty good, but not as good as LA. I'm still looking for a copy of OoA...Hopefully they bring it to the 3DS Virtual Console. I have that code ready and waiting!

[Gollgagh]

I've played OoS, and it was pretty good, but not as good as LA. I'm still looking for a copy of OoA...Hopefully they bring it to the 3DS Virtual Console. I have that code ready and waiting!

yeah, same

[zircon]

For what it's worth, I had LA and OoA and was not able to beat either. This was when I was much younger of course (particularly with LA) but I remember getting frustrated. Where do I go? What do I do? I think there's a middle ground between that and Skyward Sword.

[Top Gun]

Oracle of Ages was the first Zelda game I played, and I loved the hell out of it. (I had no idea at the time how much of its roots came from previous titles.) I also enjoyed Seasons, but I think Ages wound up being the stronger title. You really do have to play them together to get the full experience, though.