Zeruda no densetsu: Sukaiwôdo sôdo

(www.plasticpals.com) Nintendo returns to the Legend of Zelda series once again with Skyward Sword, but they've managed to create a fairly unique world for the game, with childhood friends Link and Zelda living in the floating island town called Skyloft. The game begins as Link is about to compete in an annual competition to see who will become the town's next knight.

Being that this is the first Zelda title built from the ground up for the Wii (Twilight Princess was initially developed for the Gamecube), Nintendo really tried to get the most out of the Wii's motion controls. They ended up going with the enhanced functionality of the Wii Motion Plus, which is better able to track the orientation of the remote.

There are a slew of new and returning items to use, and most of them take advantage of the Wii remote's functionality. The designers even managed to find a new way to use bombs (you can now roll them on the ground like a bowling ball), which is great to see after all these years. It's one of the few Wii games where the motion controls feel tightly integrated with the game play.

New Ideas: Critics have begun to question if the Zelda series needs to evolve, and in response there are a couple of new concepts introduced which are a step in the right direction. The biggest addition is the stamina system, which allows Link to sprint for a few seconds. You can now sprint towards a wall and Link will jump up and grab onto a ledge if one exists. He can also overcome small obstacles by hopping over them. Stamina can also be used to quickly maneuver while climbing. It's a great addition that really helps take some of the monotony out of normal actions.

Another new concept is the upgrade system, which allows you to trade in loot to enhance equipment. Loot comes in many forms, from the insects you collect with a bug-catching net to rare trinkets found throughout the world. It's a decent system, but it does mean there are fewer mini-games to be played (where Link would normally acquire item upgrades). I'm not sure the trade-off is worth it, but if the system could be refined or applied only to certain types of equipment in future games it could really benefit the series. You can also infuse potions with insects to create more powerful effects, which is another good idea, and any excess loot can be traded for rupees if you're short on cash. However, the constant sub-screen prompts when you pick up an item – once per item per game session – is very annoying.

By far one of the best new ideas in Skyward Sword are the time crystals, which dynamically alter the world around them when activated. These crystals are only found in one of the game's major areas but makes for some of the most inventive puzzles and game play situations. It would be a shame if this sort of thing didn't make another appearance in future titles. Less exciting are the underground passages which Link can dig into. Here the game switches to an overhead view of Link crawling through a maze of tunnels.

Not so great is the new storage system, which is only useful because Link has a limited number of item pouches. Even when you've got the full eight item pouches you won't have room to store everything you'd like to carry at once (larger quiver, bomb bag, slingshot ammo, bottles, etc.). It means you'll have to compromise on what extras you carry, which I suppose adds to the game's difficulty slightly, but if that is its only purpose than it is slightly annoying. Related to this are the wallets, which come in various sizes and can only store a certain number of rupees – it's one of those elements which has hung around since the N64 days designed to limit you from buying items up too quickly.

Presentation: As with The Windwaker, Skyward Sword is set apart with a unique visual effect, though this time it is a bit more subtle. A depth of field effect dissolves the background into paint splotches, which succeeds in giving the graphics an impressionistic feel. Although it is just a filter effect, it can create some picturesque vistas. This is also the first Zelda title with an orchestral score, which is a major step for the franchise. However the lack of voice overs, which leaves the characters silently miming their dialogue during the many story sequences, detracts from the presentation. It may be time to include optional voice-overs.

One of the problems I have with Skyward Sword's art direction are the monster and creature designs. While the bosses are generally quite cool looking, the majority of the monsters (and friendly creatures) introduced in the game are a bit wonky. It feels half way between the style of The Windwaker and that of Twilight Princess, and falls short of both. And the game lacks the dynamic time and weather effects of earlier games, which is disappointing. At least they let you choose from a number of HUD options, preventing the regular HUD from cluttering the screen.

Conclusion: The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword is another excellent chapter in this long-running and much beloved series, and introduces some new ideas and game play concepts to keep things from becoming stale. It offers around 35 to 40 hours of questing and has an optional "Hero" mode for those seeking a greater difficulty. The new Wii-motion Plus controls add to the experience and the painterly visuals and symphonic score round out the package. It's not a perfect game, but the issues are relatively minor ones, so it's an easy recommendation.

I believe this games negative criticism to be absolutely unfair. If you simply either play it on the switch with the normal controllers or actually give the motion sensors a try, it's not as difficult as described and can be a very fun type of gameplay.

I've seen some people call it repetitive and I really don't understand how they can perceive it as such. How do u relate any of these dungeons with one another? The mechanics used are all far too different, the places and atmospheres are each unique and beautiful and the only repetitive boss fights are girahim and imprisoned. The only aspect of this game I dislike is imprisoned, and even he can be fondly remembered imo.

I simply disagree with these people tbh. Game is original, unique, beautiful and super fun.

Ever since Nintendo released the Nintendo GameCube, their sixth generation video game console, Nintendo has developed an obsession with making games easier and targeting younger players. Nintendo has become pretty much the Sesame Street in the video game industry. The Legend of Zelda: Wink Waker (2002) is probably the best example of that. The Legend of Zelda franchise went from challenging and mature to easy and cartoonish. Apparently, Nintendo realized they went too far, since the next Legend of Zelda (home console) video game, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (2006), is in many ways the opposite of the Wink Waker. With Skyward Sword Nintendo is clearly trying to figure out just how close to Wink Waker from Twilight Princess they can go. The graphics illustrate that perfectly. They aren't as cartoonish as the graphics of Wink Waker, but they aren't as realistic as the graphics of Twilight Princess. They are somewhere in between. That's pretty much how everything else is with Skyward Sword.

The graphics actually look very good, but not for a Legend of Zelda video game. Imagine a video game like Resident Evil with cartoonish graphics. It just doesn't work, no matter how good the graphics look. The Legend of Zelda may not be directly a horror video game franchise, but it's not far from it. In every Legend of Zelda video game you are fighting monsters, for example. So it's most inappropriate for a Legend of Zelda video game to look cartoonish.

Wink Waker was ridiculously easy. Twilight Princess was harder, but still quite easy. Skyward Sword is (unsurprisingly) somewhere in the middle. To make things even worse, Link, the protagonist of the franchise who is usually accompanied by a female being (such as a fairy) in his adventures, is accompanied this time by Fi, who is most ways serves as Link's laptop. Without a doubt, Fi is the worst companion Link has ever had. She has little to no purpose at all in the video game, except to annoy you. For example, when you are about to run out of hearts, the video game starts to annoy you with a pinging sound. Link starts to blind red as well but that's not enough. The Fi starts asking for your attention. Why? To tell you that you are running out of hearts! Imagine how annoying that is. For example, when you are fighting a boss and getting your ass kicked, when the Fi button starts to blink at first you will think that Fi has something useful to tell you about the boss, nope! It's like when you enter a room and you look around and see something that is probably the key to solve a puzzle, Fi shows up to tell you "look over there!" It's very annoying, especially since Fi never shows up when you actually need some help.

Both the music and the story are mediocre. At some points it gets interesting, but it's nowhere near as good as the story of Ocarina of Time or Twilight Princess. Before you start a new adventure, you get to see a video of what the story is all about. There was a war. A goddess gathered the surviving humans and placed them on a rock (Skyloft) above the clouds. Sounds promising and interesting but that's pretty much where it stops. Skyloft is too small and as if that wasn't bad enough, the traditional exploration that the franchise is known for is now limited to Skyloft. You basically get a few big dungeons that are divided into mini-dungeons. Surprisingly, the dungeons are quite innovative and not mere remakes of previous dungeons in the franchise.

The video game is quite repetitive. You go through one thing, then you have to go through the same thing - it's a recurring theme in this video game. To top it all off, the ending was horrible. The more you have to do the same things over and over, the more you start to long for something new but then the end comes and that's it.

The controls in this video game are done quite well, except anything that has to do with aiming. You have to frequently manually adjust the aim control, unlike in Twilight Princess, which is an enormous annoyance. Sword handling, in contrast, is the best so far in the series. You can use your Wii remote as your sword and it works well. In addition, the AI of enemies is also the best in the series. So fighting in this video game is more realistic than ever before. There is more innovation when it comes to other weapons in this video game than in Twilight Princess. In this video game you can now collect bugs and all sorts of near useless items. Once you save the game and return to play it, every single time you find a new item for your bug and other item collection you get animation of Link holding the item, the video game telling you what the item is about, then you get to see your collection, the item being placed in your collection and then finally, you can proceed (I'm not kidding)! Why is that needed? The video game treats its players like complete imbeciles who need everything to be spelled out. At times it feels like the video game will at one point tell you how to walk. The video game goes in fact so far that you literally get a place (the Sheikah Stone in Skyloft) where you can go to to see how you should solve something! You literally get an animation of how to do it! All the efforts to reinvent the Legend of Zelda have only made sure that Skyward Sword isn't yet another remake of Ocarina of Time (like Wind Waker and Twilight Princess) but it didn't prevented this video game from being one of the weaker installments in the franchise.

As a Zelda fan this game is crap. Motion controls are crap. The gameplay is bad The dungeons are repetitive.

Released in 2011, this game really took the Zelda series to new heights-literally and figuratively. Set at the beginning of the Zelda timeline, it delves into the origins of the Master Sword and introduces us to a vibrant world divided between sky islands and the land below. The world design is beautiful, with charming art that combines cel-shading and a watercolor style, making every area feel like a living painting. What really stood out in Skyward Sword was the use of motion controls with the Wii. It was super immersive to swing my controller like a sword, and it added a fun layer to combat and puzzle-solving. Though, I will say, sometimes the motion controls were a bit finicky, leading to some accidental flails. The story and characters are delightful, especially with Fi, Link's spirit companion, who's both helpful and a little sassy! The narrative is engaging, with some great twists and emotional moments that elevate it beyond just a typical quest to save Zelda.

Surely the game might have its quirks (those motion controls can be a love-hate situation), but the enchanting world and captivating story make it a memorable experience.