Even after you’ve mastered the new controls, baddies can still be tough to crack. Some of the bosses are particularly challenging and prevailing over them is something to be celebrated – especially since fairies and hearts are not tucked into every tuft of grass or pot that appears right before the fight begins. Patience, precision and preparation are necessary ingredients for brewing up victory in Skyward Sword; and this approach is most welcome in a franchise that has gradually eased up on the difficulty levels over time.
Sadly, at some point in development, somebody got their grubby mitts on the reigns and forced in some hand holding that is excruciatingly painful to endure. Audio and visual cues tip off players to conditions that should be blatantly obvious to all but the youngest of gamers. Your companion, Fi, would be the most endearing tag-a-long since the concept was introduced in OoT if it wasn’t for her insistence on pestering the player when Link’s hearts or shield condition drops too low; when it would be best to go check on something that anyone who has earned the title of gamer would instinctively know to check out; when it’s time to “dowse” (a form of way-finding that should have been cut in favor of map markers); and even when the damn batteries on the controller are low. An option to tone down her reminders would have been much appreciated.
These ‘Adventuring for Dummies’ moments, the game’s insistence on constantly explaining everything you find in the world (regardless of how many times collectibles have already been discovered), and a generally slow start to the adventure do have the potential to turn some off. Don’t let that happen to you; stick it out and your reward will be the most magnificent experience available on the Wii. Skyward Sword takes its time getting going, but it constantly improves upon itself almost the whole way through.
The new Legend of Zelda still has the three introductory-type dungeons at the beginning, with the ever-present forest dungeon being the first. Items are acquired at some point in each dungeon and then used to overcome new enemies and puzzles. However, that’s about where the general gameplay similarities end. Some staple weapons and foes are nowhere to be found in the adventure which took me over 50 hours to complete – and that’s with a decent number of side quests, collectibles and upgrades passed over.
Dungeons can take hours to reach and are full of great new puzzles that never involve lighting up torches and go way beyond the simplicity of pushing a few blocks around. Some of them have familiar themes, but none feel like the developers were trying to recreate the magic of Ocarina. Several of the dungeons feature great new motifs that set them apart from what has come before.
Carrying out one exercise to reach a destination doesn’t mean you’ll have to repeat the process in new locations later on. There is some legitimate variation between each foray and even when some of the same ground is retread, it is presented in an entirely new and fresh manner. Still, the game would have been better off without forcing players to run through one particular dungeon a second time. While this is clearly a lazy design choice, it’s not nearly painful enough to significantly hurt the experience.
Skyward Sword also introduces an addictive upgrade system that will inspire many gamers to search for treasure around every corner. Collecting elements and bugs while using them for purposes such as altering potions and increasing the damage dealt by your bow and arrow makes for great RPG-style fun.
Skyward Sword boasts plenty of charming side quests to go along with a wonderful main story – the details of which have been intentionally left out of this review. It has a main cast of characters that are more complete than those in any other Legend of Zelda game and they play intriguing parts in a simple, but marvelous series origin story. With a satisfying finale that answers many questions and casts the rest of the saga in a whole new light, you can expect many “wow” moments throughout an absolutely beautiful adventure.
And what a world of beauty it is. Skyward Sword can’t compete on a technical level with the HD marvels of the 360 or PS3, but its inspired artistic design allows it to overcome that hurtle. In addition to having the best gameplay on the console, it is also arguably the best looking Wii game as well. The pleasing aesthetics are mated to a fantastic score that is brought to life by an orchestra. Its excellence challenges the notion that OoT has the best score in the series, and provides for a perfect accompaniment to the game’s most powerful scenes.
Forget about whether or not the newest Zelda is the pinnacle of the franchise – that’s a discussion all its own. What Skyward Sword is is one of the most enjoyable games Nintendo has ever crafted. This is the game you bought a Wii for; now go explore it!
