I'm a relatively young Zelda fan. I first got into the series in 2006, back when I asked for a Wii just so I could play Sonic and the Secret Rings--no, seriously, I did. Anyway, that game wasn't coming out for a while after Christmas, so I was looking for games to tide me over until then. A friend suggested I buy Twilight Princess, so I did; and I got Wind Waker alongside it since both looked interesting. Had I not played the latter as well, I might not have stuck around to enjoy the other entries in this series. That game really spoke to me and I've been looking for a Zelda game that could live up to it in the same way older fans are often begging for one that outdoes Ocarina of Time (those who acknowledge that as a possibility, anyway). It would be a lie to say Skyward Sword has everything I could ever want from a Zelda game, but it outshines most of the other titles by miles in my opinion. I feel as though this game is one of the bigger leaps Nintendo has taken with the series, and their hard work truly shows. Skyward Sword, to me, is a masterpiece.
Gameplay
The biggest change to the series' usual formula is probably the implementation of Wii MotionPlus functionality. While lots of people consider motion controls to be a useless gimmick, that really isn't the case with this game. The MotionPlus is woven into the gameplay in such a way that Skyward Sword would be a fundamentally different experience without it. It's really nothing like what we had in the Wii version of Twilight Princess, where the waggle did little more than replace standard button-mashing. This game uses the MotionPlus' gyroscope, making it so that the position of Link's sword matches that of the Wii Remote. This allows for much more engaging swordplay, which feels very much unlike the standard hack-and-slash gameplay of previous Zelda games. You'll constantly find yourself in situations where you have to cut in a certain direction in order to progress. Nintendo says that this feature might be here to stay, and I couldn't be happier. I mean, the combat in Skyward Sword is actually fun, and I often find myself sticking around to finish off enemies even when I don't have to. By contrast, I've always had a tendency to walk around them in other Zelda games.
Now, this isn't to say that the controls are flawless. Despite the fact that sword swings accurately mimic the movement of the Wii Remote, Skyward Sword does not have true 1:1 motion gameplay. You can move the sword in any direction, and sometimes it's fun to just wave it and admire how well it works; however, Link's actual attacks are tied to preset animations. This isn't necessarily a flaw, because a true 1:1 control scheme could have made the game awkward to play, but it does impose certain limits. You'll often find yourself trying to reposition the sword to attack from a different angle, only for the game to interpret it as a swing if you move too quickly. It's not so bad once you get the hang of it, but it can be pretty annoying when you're fighting enemies that block. Also, the game is often unresponsive when it comes to performing actions like shield-bashing or thrusting your sword, and re-centering the pointer can be problematic.
I should also say that your wrist might start to ache after a while of playing this game, but I guess that's an inherent downside to motion-based gameplay. Speaking of which, the motion controls in Skyward Sword are just a tad overused. Things like swimming and throwing bombs would have been much less awkward without them. I mean, the sword and pointer work great, but they didn't need to force motion-sensitivity into everything.
Link's new-found agility is nothing short of a godsend. For a one-man army chosen by the gods, he's never been particularly athletic. His sluggish jogging in previous installments made things pretty boring, and the only way to make him speed the hell up was with constant rolling--and even that only made him marginally faster. Here, Link can actually run in short spurts until his energy gauge depletes; plus, he seems to have learned some parkour. He can dash up walls to reach higher ledges, and stamina puzzles are in no short supply. This makes Skyward Sword a much more fast-paced Zelda experience, and it feels kind of like a platformer at times. Some would call this a negative departure from the series' formula, but I hope it sets a new standard. Another new feature I like is the upgrade system, which works kind of like the vehicle customization in the DS games. It gives you more incentive to collect item drops, and since tools are constantly used outside their respective dungeons in this game, it truly comes in handy.
The overworld structure has also been given a major overhaul. To address complaints about the big, empty fields found in previous 3D Zelda games, Skyward Sword's environments are compact and stuffed with content. The surface regions are considerably maze-like, with their winding pathways and dungeon-esque puzzles, so they're actually more like huge obstacle courses than traditional overworlds. Throughout the game, I actually felt like I was doing things in-between dungeons, and this is one of the few games in the series where I've actually felt compelled to explore every nook and cranny of the environment.
Unfortunately, the overworld itself is sundered into self-contained areas. Whereas many previous Zelda titles invoked a feeling of adventure by giving players an expansive, cohesive world to explore, Skyward Sword's surface is subdivided in a way that detracts from the experience. While the overworld itself is incredibly well-designed, I would've preferred a more open-ended map akin to The Wind Waker's Great Sea.
Dungeons are a bit smaller in Skyward Sword, with very few having more than a couple floors. I'm probably someone who plays Zelda for all the wrong reasons, as I've always found big, lengthy dungeons to be something of a chore. After a while I usually find myself dying to reach the exit, so I was pretty satisfied with how they were presented here: short and sweet.
For all the good it does for the Zelda formula, I will note that Skyward Sword has some pretty big pacing issues. I never really got bored playing the game, but there are a number of fairly cheap tactics implemented in order to increase its length. The fetch quests and backtracking are pretty annoying, to be frank. Fi's dialogue often interrupts the flow of the game too, as she pops out to add her two cents way more than I'd like. There's also this irritating thing where if you get an item after resetting the game, it'll stop to tell you what that item is and show an animation of it being added to your inventory. Luckily, though, this doesn't happen with Rupees as it did in Twilight Princess.
Narrative
Three guesses as to what the story is about (first two don't count). Yep, once again, Link is schlepping all over the world to rescue Zelda. But Skyward Sword's narrative is actually one of its biggest selling points. I know, it's not gonna be winning any awards anytime soon, but it's exceptionally good by Zelda standards.
The interesting thing about the narrative is that even though the plot itself is relatively minimalistic, the characters are highly fleshed out. I haven't played much of Majora's Mask, but I've heard that it's one of the few games in the franchise that develops its characters beyond token archetypes. Skyward Sword is well-written for a Zelda game and you can genuinely feel for the cast. You actually care what happens to them this time around.
Story-wise, I'd say the biggest improvement over previous Zelda games is the way Zelda herself is handled. OK, I'm incredibly biased; for reasons even I don't fully understand, Princess Zelda has always been my favorite character in the series. But I'd be lying if I said she's always been rounded and universally appealing. Looking at Zelda from an objective perspective, there really isn't much to her; she's the franchise's obligatory damsel in distress--a carryover from the days when every game had a "save the girl" plot. With each passing installment, she's grown more and more developed, and Skyward Sword really goes all-out. The first half-hour is dedicated to establishing her relationship with Link so that by the time she's plucked from her perch in the clouds (like a pigeon), you can actually empathize with his desire to save her. Furthermore, she has such an important role in the story this time around that, for once, it actually makes sense to call it The Legend of Zelda. She truly is the main character from beginning to end, much like Midna was in Twilight Princess, and I'm thoroughly happy with what this game does for her character.
Taking off my pink-tinted princess goggles, I can even appreciate Link's development. Yeah, he actually has that in Skyward Sword. He still doesn't speak, but the animation does a fine job of emphasizing his emotions. I didn't think it was possible to get more expressive than Toon Link, but this game seriously proved me wrong. Link's portrayal in Skyward Sword made the whole thing feel like a real coming-of-age story.
My only real complaint is that the game doesn't have a very compelling villain. Although
Presentation
OK, enough fooling around. Let's get controversial. Much like The Wind Waker, this game's art direction was met with a crapload of backlash. After experiencing the washed-out hues and somewhat grungy environments of Twilight Princess, I was ready for another vibrantly colorful Zelda game. In what almost seemed like a personal apology for my displeasure with that game's visuals, Skyward Sword gave me just that; its art style is charming and highly immersive.
Let's just get this out of the way right now, though: this definitely isn't the best-looking game on the Wii. As much as I love the aesthetics, there are aspects of the game's visuals that truly do look a bit dated. Faron Woods, for example, wasn't very easy on the eyes in my opinion; the region features quite a few bland textures, and the trees don't look very good at all. Furthermore, the hilly backdrop doesn't even try to hide the fact that it's a 2D image, with pixelated edges lining the mountaintops.
I also feel that the DOF blur doesn't really succeed at what it sets out to do. It was implemented in order to make objects in the distance look like they were painted on a canvas. But if impressionism is what they were going for, I think they could have done better. I mean, the blur does look pretty in certain spots (the sky, for example), but oftentimes it gives the game a very grainy look--kind of like a compressed JPEG. The game just doesn't look quite as nice as, say, Super Mario Galaxy.
Now, don't take that to mean that Skyward Sword is ugly. It's most definitely not. I just think that if the Wii truly wasn't powerful enough to pull off the painterly look, they should've scrapped the idea altogether. I really don't think the game would've looked any worse without it. I will say that when played on the Dolphin emulator, the DOF filter really does sort of evoke the look of a painted canvas; but the effect is lost on the console itself.
Aside from these issues, Skyward Sword is a gorgeous game. Like I said, it's not the Wii's visual magnum opus, but it's still incredibly pretty to look at. The most beautiful Zelda game in my opinion would have to be either The Wind Waker or Ocarina of Time 3D, but Skyward Sword is definitely a close third. I'm just hoping the next game gives us something more detailed.
The animation is top-notch, making for a highly cinematic experience. The cutscenes remind me greatly of a Pixar film, bringing the setting of the game to life in ways that put even The Wind Waker to shame. I swear, I often find myself re-watching the cutscenes on YouTube because they're just that damn pretty.
Sound
I'm apparently in the minority on this one. The general consensus throughout the fanbase seems to be that Skyward Sword has one of the weakest soundtracks in the series. This is actually one of the most common criticisms of the game, from what I've seen; people often cite Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess as having more memorable music. Personally, I disagree. I find Skyward Sword's soundtrack to be one of the best that Zelda has to offer, if not my number-one favorite.
It's not just because most of the songs are orchestrated, as I'm apparently deaf and often can't even tell the difference unless someone points it out. I just truly believe that this game has some of the best compositions in the franchise. It's often accused of being forgettable, but I frequently find myself humming the "Ballad of the Goddess" and Link and Zelda's romance theme. The miniboss music is godly and Ghirahim's leitmotif is pretty catchy as well. The soundtrack doesn't feature that many arrangements from previous Zelda games, but I think its original melodies are excellent enough on their own.
Overall
I'll say this: Skyward Sword isn't my all-time favorite Zelda game. It's missing a few things I enjoyed from previous installments and, indeed, its nonstandard play style brings with it a number of new problems. However, I'd say the game is worth much, much more than the sum of its parts. While it's easy for me to pick it apart and say I didn't like this or that, Skyward Sword truly is one of the best games I've ever played when viewed as a whole. It's a blast to play from start to finish, and although it's got quite a few issues that might alienate certain Zelda fans, it still managed to live up to my expectations.
Numbered scores aren't really my thing, so I'll just leave it at that.
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