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The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword(JP) is a Wii video game by Nintendo. A cel-shaded adventure, Skyward Sword is heavily centered around the Wii MotionPlus. Nintendo claims that Link's movements with the sword will be 1:1 with how the player uses the Wii Remote. The shield will also play a prominent role in the game as well, with the Nunchuk being used in that regard. A special gold-colored Wii Remote will be packaged with the game. A gold colored Nunchuk will not be released, with the game, however, a gold Nunchuk was available through club Nintendo
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword was officially unveiled at E3 2010 in its entirety. Concept art was revealed a year before and the game was announced to be in development in 2008. It received near-universal critical acclaim and was nominated for eight Nintendo Power Awards and won four: Wii Game of the Year, Best Adventure Game, Most Infuriating and Overall Game of the Year.
A high-definition remaster for the Nintendo Switch, titled The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD, was released on July 16, 2021.
Gameplay
The use of Wii Motion Plus allows Link to slice in all directions instead of just one or two. Items will now respond better to motion controls, such as the Nunchuk controlling the shield. When the player holds the Wii Remote up right, Link will raise his sword to the heavens, causing it to fill up with the power of the Goddess and allowing him to use a beam attack called the Skyward Strike, which can be executed by quickly swinging the Wii Remote downwards. The motions of the Wii Remote are replicated almost flawlessly on the screen. This allows fights with enemies to be more engrossing. Attacking enemies in Skyward Sword requires more skill than in previous games; most enemies can only be defeated by swinging the Wii Remote in a certain direction. For example, the Deku Baba will open its mouth in different ways/directions, namely either horizontally or vertically, and in order to defeat it, the player must swing the Wii Remote in the same direction that the enemy opens its mouth.
There are various weapons in the game aside from the sword. Weapons can be accessed easily in this game by pressing the B trigger button on the Wii Remote which brings up a menu on the screen where the player can select the weapon of their choosing by pointing at it. This removes the need to assign a button to each weapon (which could prove tiresome considering that the player was required to constantly switch weapons in previous games. This time, players are able to choose the weapon very quickly). Returning weapons and items have new functions. The bomb, for example, can now be rolled in addition to tossing and laying down. When tossing, an arch appears that shows where the bomb will land (similar to the grenades in the Xbox 360 game Gears of War and its sequels). The bow and arrow controls differently than in Twilight Princess, yet similarly to the archery game in Wii Sports Resort. Pulling back the Nunchuk and pointing with the Wii Remote, players can shoot arrows rapidly at enemies and targets. The slingshot also returns, though its controls are fairly basic.
Visuals
In contrast to Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword uses visuals that harken back to Ocarina of Time. The game also makes use of the cel-shading originally utilized in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. It was stated that the developers did not use the selected visuals because of the visuals in another game, nor did they get visual ideas from another Zelda game.
Development
Hidemaro Fujibayashi, the director of The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages, The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons, and The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, as well as the sub director of The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass and head of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past & Four Swords game, is the director of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, his first console video game. After Phantom Hourglass was released in 2007, the team started work on Skyward Sword.
Skyward Sword has been described as a combination of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Shigeru Miyamoto said that the moment that he saw the visuals, he instantly loved the look and agreed to keep them. He stated that it didn't have to go through any drastic alterations.
Late in the game, there is a bug that can break the game. However, Nintendo has released a patch on the Wii Shop Channel to resolve the issue.
Characters
Link
Link is the protagonist of the game. In the illustration released by Miyamoto, he didn't seem to wield a sword, but rather just a shield in his left hand. However, in the game he does have a sword. In an interview with IGN, Miyamoto made sure to let people know that there is a reason for this, though wouldn't go into much detail. Apparently Link is much older in this game than any other game released before it, though his exact age is unknown. He grows up on a floating island called Skyloft, and becomes a member of the knight academy. Once he completes the wing ceremony, he has some alone time with Zelda on their flying Loftwings. Then she gets sucked down to the surface in a whirlwind. It is Link's mission to find Zelda, and to defeat the demon lord Ghirahim.
Fi
Fi was the mysterious girl revealed in the illustration. She looks similar to a fairy from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, though she is actually a representation of the Skyward Sword, explaining the absence of the fabled sword in the illustration. There are various indicators that prove this, such as the color scheme, the designs, and the omission of a sword altogether.
Zelda
In the beginning Zelda is shown as Link's childhood friend, girlfriend, and a peasant. However, as the events of the story roll on, she finds out that she is the reincarnated goddess, Hylia!
Ghirahim
A self proclaimed demon lord, and the co-main antagonist of the game. He orchestrates the events all the while trying to bring back his master Demise. It is revealed at the end of the game that Ghirahim is actually Demise's sword.
Demise
The main antagonist, the origin of evil, and a vengeful spirit brought back by Ghirahim. He curses Zelda and Link's descendants to be eternally haunted by a Manifestation of his Hatred.
Bosses
Minibosses
Dungeons
- Skyview Temple
- Earth Temple
- Lanayru Mining Facility
- Ancient Cistern
- Sand Ship
- Fire Sanctuary
- Sky Keep
Criticism
While the game is heavily praised, it is not without criticism.
- Fi has been criticized for excessive handholding, pointing out the obvious and the just-explained rather often.
- If the game is turned off and back on, many item descriptions are given again. This is similar to how Twilight Princess explains the blue rupee every time.
- The Eldin Volcano Silent Realm has been criticized for its difficulty.
Music/Audio
- The first Zelda game to utilize live-performed orchestrated soundtracks in-game if not counting the ones from the trailers of Twilight Princess.
- Takeshi Hama's final game and his only in-game orchestrated work during his brief Nintendo years before departing in 2012.
External links
- The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword at Zelda Wiki, the Fandom wiki on The Legend of Zelda.
- The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword at GameFAQs
- The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword at MobyGames