Do not read if you don't like critical analysis, the following is my thoughts and experiences of Zelda Skyward Sword. Zelda is my favorite game series and I have been a fan since I was very young and have played most of the games multiple times. I have been dissapointed with Nintendo's direction in general for the past year or so and feel as if they are alienating their customers.
I hate to be somewhat of a party pooper but in all honesty I have played this game and as a Zelda game it is not too much to be excited about. Anyone remember Twilight Princess, its pointless story and characters, mostly average dungeons (excluding that desert and sky temple area) items that remained unused besides its dungeon (dominion rod). Twilight Princess also had huge huge Hyrule field but of course absolutely nothing to do in it, it was a big empty game. This would be good by any other game standards but Im sure people on here remember the hype Twilight Princess was getting since 04. Twilight Princess at least had a hype train to follow, although this game does not. Twilight Princess would be a great game in its own right but not worth the hype and does not fare well with the Zelda name (which promises on each game an amazing game). Again, not a bad game but not the amazing game many thought it would be.
Skyward Sword is an interesting game in that besides some people online I cant see it even has a twentieth of the excitement Twilight Princess had pre-launch. Yes it is good that color is being used (big problem in TP) but if anyone here has played the game it is incredibly blurry because the colors do not blend together right, it's something you have to see in person. The character designs are atrocious, Link has gone from being cartoony back in the day to a cool-looking swordsman, back to cartoon again in windwaker, cool-looking again in Twilight Princess, but Skwyward Sword he looks just strange, not like himself. Almost like a creepy version of link. That villain is just plain silly looking, which would be fine if the game wasnt trying to be serious but judging by the trailers it is.
Now let me get started on the story. I have an actual quote from the man who has been the Zelda director for a while now, but his position at nintendo has grown so much that he is now the main man of Zelda and has been since Twilight Princess.
"This game's plot is something like a school drama, you could say. The flying sequence at the E3 demo is Link competing against his classmates. One of them looks kind of a like a bad guy, as you saw, and he shows up in other ways in the game too, since he has a major thing for Zelda."
So we are effectively getting a Zelda game based on high school drama? Im sorry if people think Im nitpicky but from the people who brought us Zelda 1, Link to the Past, Links Awakening, Oracle of Ages/Seasons, Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, and Windwaker, we now have a game about Link's highscool drama? Whatever happened to the great sense of adventure and being alone in a world full of strange characters and the only worry is to save the world. I mean obviously the highschool thing is going to evolve into something but it seems like a terrible basis for a story.
Now the last part of my Skyward Sword commentary, I have had the "pleasure" of playing this game twice, E3 2010 (still have a promo shirt) and E3 2011. At E3 2010 I was really excited to try out this new Zelda game that had just been announced that day. After waiting in a long line I played a demo that consisted of reptition. The demo was a miniature dungeon area. First I had to fight plants where I had to swing the sword vertically or horizontally depending on their mouths. Then I fought moblins that I had to swing the sword either horizontally or vertically depending on their shield. After that a door with in eye appeared that I had to slash vertically or horizontally. Next, I fought a skeleton boss where I had to... (you get the idea now). The combat was not really that fun to be honest, and this repetition worried me. However I assumed it was just an early build. After E3 2010 I kept reading how Skyward Sword was supposed to have 1 to 1 sword control. This is very far from the truth and is a flat-out blatant lie to the consumer. There were only 6 slashes one could do in the game, horizontal, vertical, and 2 diagonals (which weren't useful during any demo fights). The game seemed to just see which way you were moving the remote and then perform a preset attack (speed and angle are all preset).
By the time E3 2011 came around I thought to myself the game is probably very improved and the sword control and everything will be better, after all this is a Zelda title. After waiting an hour and a half at line I didnt know what to expect, but my expectations were high. Turned out the sword was pretty much the same as before, only 6 movements, however you can kinda change the angle link holds the sword while walking around by tilting the remote, but this does not matter for attacking, only when he's walking with the sword. I played a dungeon segment with some of the lamest puzzles in zelda history (like a cutscene showing an object I have to hit with an obvious item). There were only a few enemies in the dungeon which followed the cut and paste horizontal or vertical attack patterns. After the dungeon I did a boss battle segment where I fought that guy in the cape thing that looks like a bad glamour rockstar. The fight consisted of waiting for him to attack and then using the shield at the exact right time (which is hard to do since its motion based as well) then trying to hit him as much times as you can. Being a motion game I thought wildly waving the remote around would hit him tons of times, turns out like before the swings werent recognized that well and only confused the game. Midway through fighting the boss I just handed back the remote to the attendant and was fed up already. I waited in a one and a half hour line to try this 2011 demo btw.
All in all this game is what I consider the worst of the Zelda game series (those CDi games dont count). The fact that it tries to do some stupid highschool storytelling to ruin the characters and royal feel of the game (Anouma said Zelda isnt a princess and link isnt a descendant of a hero in this one wtf!) just makes it seem like its trying to destroy what the average person associates with a Zelda game. What this association is is an epic legendary story (albeit simple), dark and scary villian, fantastic combat, wonderful dungeons, a great supporting cast of characters which only have a few lines each but define the game. This game seems like the Metroid Other M of Zelda to me, with terrible gameplay and a ridiculous story that ruins the feel and tone the other games set.
If I were you guys I would hold off on this game until reader reviews come out (not IGN, Gametrailers, or Gamespot which are sites that give games like Other M great ratings at launch and then later say how terrible they are) those sites give high reviews to any popular games to make sure their fanbase doesnt get upset at the site and continues to go to it. However, gamefaqs, youtube, and amazon reader reviews are the best way to judge any game. Don't settle for crap when we shouldnt have to, a series like Zelda deserves much,much, better. Not a rehash of the same game we have been getting for 13 years but much much much worse.
Edited: 09/03/2011
at 04:04 AM
by mcat999
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