The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (mini-review)

 

My family hasn’t had this much fun playing a video game since we first bought the Wii. Thatis no joke. My daughter (pictured below) is a huge Zelda fan. She’s seen all the cartoons, knows all the music, and loves sitting in my lap watching me play the games.  My wife grew up on the first Zelda game on the NES. It’s one of the few games she enjoys playing or at least watching me play. So, with a lot of time off (on vacation this week), it has been a family event to play through a significant portion of the new Zelda game, Skyward Sword.

I had high expectations for this game, which you can get a taste of by reading my previous post, so every little thing both good and bad would stick out to me when, normally, they wouldn’t in any other video game. Let me get some of the nit-picky things out of the way first. I don’t like auto jump. In fact, I hate it. Especially when I fall off a ledge in Sky World because then you have to sit through a cut scene fo someone chewing you out for falling off the edge. Too many times do I leap to my “death” on accident because I didn’t stop in time. It is irritating to have to stop gameplay just because I wanted to look over a ledge but not jump over it. Thankfully, they don’t penalize you by taking a heart away like the have done in every Zelda game going back to A Link to the Past. But, it’s still irritating. Also, some of the fetch quests, especially in Sky World, are tame. Lots of helping people find a missing friend/partner/son/daughter etc. Without too much of a spoiler, I will say that some of the stuff that a gargoyle-like creature gives you is pretty useful. Finally, in some ways the game is still too easy, but that’s an issue I’ve had with most modern video games.

That’s really the only problems I have with the game so far. I am thoroughly enjoying the dungeons, the surface world, the sky world, heck the whole game. It brings back a sense of freedom in Zelda games that I’ve always wanted to have back. There is so much to do in the surface world it’s insane. One thing that’s helpful to know before you play is that the surface world is really like one long inter-twined dungeon. In fact, it’s hard to tell when the overworld ends and where the dungeon begins. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but the first time you go through each world, you will have to solve A LOT of puzzles to traverse the land. The good thing about that is that you can find ways to open up shortcuts so that when you do go back through each world is far more open and you won’t have to go through so many trials to get where you want to go.

Combat is far more exciting than it has been in any other 3D Zelda game. I have died more than once fighting a group of grunts. And those danged “Little Shop of Horrors” plants that are in every Zelda game now- those things used to be easy and now they are a pain! The bosses are really fun, too. I usually hate playing bosses in 3D video games, but I actually enjoyed the ones I’ve fought so far. They are a puzzle in and of themselves, but unlike past Zeldas (torch-lighting anyone?), the puzzles are based 100% around combat. 

Items and power-ups have been refreshed as well. With the right combination of materials you find and money you spend, you can upgrade ALL of the user-based items (except the sword). This means rupees are worth searching for and holding on to. Stuff’s expensive, too. Danged Beedle raises his prices on you throughout the game! So, that will certainly mean you will have to go back through each level to collect more rupees.

My daughter, dressed as Princess Zelda, Skyward Sword in hand

What are my favorite things in the game so far?  The flying beetle (effectively replaced the boomerang which was my favorite Link weapon until now), sprinting!, the desert world (best world in the game so far and really show off the graphics), and flying. Leaping off the edge of a flying island and onto a bird hasn’t gotten old yet.

So far this has been shaping up to be one of my favorite Wii games and possibly my favorite Zelda game of all time.  Definitely worth buying new and worth getting the snazzy new Wii-mote with it.