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Features
- The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword boasts the most realistic sword combat of any game to date, turning every encounter into a challenge of both brains and brawn.
- Explore a massive, multilayered world that seamlessly blends soaring exploration in a sea of clouds with intense ground-based adventuring that blurs the line between the main world and traditional Zelda dungeons.
- The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword redefines the traditional Zelda framework and introduces an arsenal of items, upgrades and rewards unlike any game in the franchise to date.
- Every copy in the initial production of the game will come packaged with a special music CD featuring orchestral arrangements of select songs that will be performed at The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Symphony Concert.
- A Wii Remote Plus controller or Wii MotionPlus accessory is required to play The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.
Description
A Link to the Future One of the most storied franchises in history soars to new heights. The Legend of Zelda™: Skyward Sword shakes up the tried-and-true adventure game formula and marks a turning point for the franchise. The introduction of full motion controls to the series enabled by Wii MotionPlus™ technology enhances player movements while offering the most intuitive play control of any game in the series to date.FEATURES:The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword boasts the most realistic sword combat of any game to date, turning every encounter into a challenge of both brains and brawn. Wii MotionPlus technology accurately translates the angle of every sword slice, effectively putting Link's blade in the player's hand. Analyzing enemy attack and defense tendencies and counteracting with precise swings of the sword provide a satisfying experience that blends puzzle-solving with a new and distinctly unique combat system.Explore a massive, multilayered world that seamlessly blends soaring exploration in a sea of clouds with intense ground- based adventuring that blurs the line between the main world and traditional Zelda dungeons. Link™ soars through the skies on the back of a noble bird and dives beneath the clouds to the continent below in an epic quest that lays the foundation for the events in the critically acclaimed The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.Prepare for intense puzzle-solving as only The Legend of Zelda games can deliver. Exploration of the forests, volcanoes and deserts requires players to think on their feet as they solve puzzles, overcome obstacles and escape deadly traps. Once they find their way to each dungeon, they are confronted by even more puzzles guarded by fiendish enemies.The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword redefines the traditional Zelda framework and introduces an arsenal of items, upgrades and rewards unlike any game in the franchise to date. The adventure guides players into, out of and back to dungeons and areas they've already completed. Along the way, Link gathers a massive inventory of peculiar items and resources that can be used to upgrade many of his weapons and equipment.Every copy in the initial production of the game will come packaged with a special music CD featuring orchestral arrangements of select songs performed at The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Symphony Concert.A Wii Remote Plus™ controller or Wii MotionPlus™ accessory is required to play The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. There will also be a limited edition bundle version of the game available, with a Gold Wii Remote Plus™ controller included.
Number of Players: 1
Publication Date: November 20, 2011
Computer Platform: Nintendo Wii
Global Trade Identification Number: 74
UPC: 045496400699 045496902674
Compatible Video Game Console Models: Nintendo Wii
Release date: November 20, 2011
Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches; 4.16 ounces
Type of item: Video Game
Language: English
Rated: Everyone 10+
Item model number: RVLQSOUE
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer: No
Item Weight: 4.2 ounces
Department: All Ages
Manufacturer: Nintendo
Date First Available: May 31, 2009
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Top Amazon Reviews
WOW!!! :D Until the one for Wii U comes out in 2014 this IMO is the best of all the Zelda games released to date. And that's saying a lot! I played Twilight Princess & this pretty much back-to-back with a few short weeks in between to catch a breather. I found Twilight Princess more annoying & frustrating than anything & SEVERELY lacking in the graphics department. I was constantly under the impression that they hurried in the creation of that game & that in turn led to quite the sloppy game. I felt the complete opposite the ENTIRE time I played Skyward Sword. The graphics are very good & I recall seeing many scenes in the game & remembering back to Windwaker in terms of how smoothed out certain graphical elements are & just pleasing visual aesthetics. The music & sound effects found in Skyward Sword are amazing. The Lanayru Desert music & the Faron Woods Silent Realm music are now Zelda classics in my book. So much so that I posted YouTube links on my Facebook to such videos to share with my friends, family, & colleagues. How many YouTube links did I share to Twilight Princess content? ZERO! Because Twilight Princess sucks! Now let's get into "getting stuck" in a Zelda game. That happened ZERO times in Skyward Sword. Sequences of what you're supposed to do in the game are pretty straight forward. Yes, there were more than a few situations in Skyward Sword where I did have to spend a little time exploring & back tracking in temples & in the Overworld but the degree to which that occurred & what I was overlooking/ what had to be done to progress was always pretty logical. I did not, once, have to consult any online information to complete SkyWard Sword from beginning to end. During Twilight Princess it was a MESS! After the first 2 temples in that game I got ridiculously stuck in probably every temple after that point. I recall wasting hours in the Water Temple in that game at 1 point where you're supposed to hookshoot onto some hard to see vines. Give me a break! I haven't played a Zelda game in a few years & I was only looking for actual hookshot targets. Plus maybe the game does inform you that vines are doable with the hookshot when you get it but I definitely had overlooked that. So it wasn't clear to me. & then in the Temple after that, same thing. Extremely illogical hookshot access point ruined the whole temple & wasted another hour or two on pointlessly looking around & exploring. Skyward Sword has a built in "Hint" feature which will sometimes point you in the right direction without giving it away. Like I said before, though, everything is pretty much straight forward. I recall a few reviewers of Twilight Princess commenting that that game sucks due to the frequent parts of the game that are just plain illogical & very obscure. That's EXACTLY how I felt time & time again while playing & getting frequently frustrated. That game left a very bad taste in my mouth. Skyward Sword was a breath of fresh air & such an awesome, classic Zelda game for the ages. Save statues are found EVERYWHERE in the game which is very convenient. I mean each temple will have multiple ones through it at strategic points so it's a very modern life friendly game. People are frequently busy & on the go so don't worry, you don't have to finish the entire temples at a time. Very smart idea. The amount of content in Skyward sword is ridiculous but in a good way. So much stuff to do & see. I ended up finishing with 18.25 hearts. So there were only 7 heart piece containers I didn't get. In Skyward Sword it's like in Ocarina of Time: each Piece of a Heart represents a quarter. Makes sense. Twilight Princess: it takes 5 to complete a heart. 5? What the hell? That's such a pain in the ass to have to get 5 to make each heart. And obviously they're not easy to find. 5?... Pssh. Zelda games from the beginning of time are all about hearts & heart containers. On the original 1987 Legend of Zelda box art there's a shield/ coat of arms & 1 or 2 of the 4 symbols is (or are) a heart. So it becomes VERY important that the little side quests to get heart pieces are properly thought out & enjoyable. Again... to get heart pieces in Skyward Sword: fun & for the most part, logical & not super difficult to find. Twilight Princess: Well first of all you need 5, not 4. Okay. So already the whole thing sucks. Then they're in stupid locations & some of the things you have to do to get them are retarded & repetitive (not the task itself but I recall for at least one or two of them you have to almost identically redo an exact task you just did but you get a heart piece the 2nd time around). Okay?... Wow. The best Zelda Temple boss IMO is in Skyward Sword. I'm not gonna ruin anything but it was nuts! A lot of fun! That YouTube vid is also shared on my Facebook. It was out of control. & the music during the fight was classic. The music dramatically peaks in a certain, purposeful way when the boss goes from Stage 1 to Stage 2 of the fight :D It's REALLY cool. In terms of the other bosses, not too shabby. The bosses you fight towards the end of the game are pretty cool & challenging. I have a problem with Zelda bosses of the past at the end of games or in various temples just being WAAAY to easy to defeat. Skyward Sword I think got it just right. Kind of reminds me of at least 1 classic boss from Metroid Prime where there are "stages" to fighting a boss & you have to make adjustments in your fight strategy & constantly investigate & feel around for weaknesses then adapt. Good stuff :) There is NO WAY that this game does not deserve a perfect score on a 5 grading system. The Wii Motion Plus business is pretty cool. People have commented that Skyward Sword's fight controls in terms of how the system responds to your movements is flawless. I agree but I actually prefer the specifics of the sword strikes, motions, etc. of Twilight Princess more. One of my favorite sword techniques, the jumping overhead slice was not as easy to do in Skyward Sword. Honestly I can't remember if it was in the game at all or not. I may have done it a few times but you'll rely more on spin strikes, a stationary overhead slice, etc. I recall some super intense swordplay in Twilight Princess' "Cave of Ordeals." A 50 room enemy packed extravaganza :D That same scenario would fail miserably in Skyward Sword. The controls are just not the same. That combined with a few other things were the only good things about Twilight Princess. & believe me, there were not many things good about that game. Nonetheless, Skyward Sword still rocks & I LOVED everything about it. For anyone that's EVER played a major console Zelda game this game is an absolute must. It takes a few hours (5-10) to get really into it but you still have a LONG! way to go at that point. Most pros state that they can finish this game in 40 hours. It took me about 60 but that was with almost all of the sidequests & a lot of looking around in temples, looking around & enjoying myself in Overworld, & several times of rounding up coins in various games, stocking up on gear, potions, looking for "Goddess Cubes," etc. Expect at least 45 hours of gameplay. This is NOT a light, short game. & you're gonna need as many heart containers & potions as you can get your hands on. Unless you wanna die multiple times on each boss & keep continuing but that's no fun. Be properly equipped & ready & take your time. 5/5 by every stretch of the imagination! Definitely on my list of Top Ten video games ever played. & I've played a LOT of video games. Whatever it ends up costing you to get a hold of this game, SPEND IT! In terms of "value" if you wanna put it that way... :D!!! I will have amazing memories of this game for years to come. Awesome job, Nintendo!
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Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2012 by Yaz Qafisheh
Let me begin by saying that, as a long time Zelda fan, I was excited for this game to come out. What I was not excited about were the motion controls. I am not what anyone would consider a typical gamer. I am female and approaching 40 years of age. My reflexes are nothing like what they were 20 years ago, and progressing arthritis causes occasional discomfort. I had no idea how I was going to play a game that relied almost entirely on motion control. However, not one to back down from a challenge (or at least a game I really wanted to play), I preordered the game and began counting the days to when it would arrive. My anticipation has not been disappointed; quite the contrary. This game is beyond fun for me. The storyline is very interesting and the characters are well developed. There are frequent humorous touches to lighten the more dramatic story events, and an integrated help system that assists players in staying on track. Though it is certainly possible to loose your way in this game, the player really has to work at it. There have been some criticisms about the art style chosen by Nintendo for this game, but I for one find the visuals to be lovely; objects immediately around you are crisp and detailed, while distant objects appear as though painted by an impressionist painter such as Monet. Colors are bright and vibrant and the music and sound effects set each scene to perfection. Obviously, if a player is looking for photorealistic animation along the lines of Gears of War, or if the player is antagonistic toward the Nintendo Wii or Zelda franchise, then there will be no enjoyment gained with this game. However, for Zelda fans looking for a new experience, I would certainly recommend picking this game up. Many reviews complain loudly about the motion controls; declaring them inaccurate, malformed, glitchy, and simply a bad idea taken to an extreme. At first, I was inclined to agree. Keese were killing me. I have not been killed by Keese since the original Legend of Zelda. Obviously, something was seriously wrong with the controls. Then I did something radical; I stood up and stopped swinging my controller like a maniac. Suddenly everything worked. Horizontal slashes, vertical slashes, everything became more accurate, and the game became playable. It is from experience that I can tell you, if you are dissatisfied with the controls, first make sure that you are standing up and making full, controlled swings with your Wii Remote. Waving the controller wildly and randomly equates to wild and random swings within the game, making you an easy target for every enemy. Next, make sure that you are using your shield. A well-timed shield bash against an otherwise unassailable foe will give you an excellent opportunity to get in some well-placed hits. Unfortunately, I need to work on this technique more, but when I can get my timing to work, battles go a lot more smoothly and Link takes far less damage. Also, don't forget to side jump and back flip out of the way of an enemy attack. My greatest (and, really, only) criticism of the game is that the Sparring Hall focuses solely on training the player in the motion controls and does not provide you with information regarding these other moves. In addition, as I mentioned, use full swings. Shaking the Wii Remote horizontally or vertically will not produce your intended result, however swinging the Wii Remote in a broad, quick gesture will. Remember, Nintendo has stated that they wanted to put Link's sword into the hands of the players; imagine that your Wii Remote is a sword and swing it accordingly. Also, make sure that you are not standing too close or too far from your TV, as this will also negatively influence the controls. Another common complaint that I have heard involves constantly having to re-center the Wii Remote whenever using an item or ability that relies on the on-screen cursor. Again, I was initially in total agreement with this complaint because I had to do the same exact thing. It seemed that every time I wanted to look around using the C button, I would have to re-center the cursor to stop it from swinging in circles. Then, quite by accident, I happened to be pointing my Wii Remote at the TV screen before tapping the C button. I didn't need to re-center the cursor. I continued this practice with the items I had collected and found that, so long as I was pointing the controller at the TV screen before activating the ability or item, the cursor typically did not need to be re-centered. Apparently, whatever direction you are currently pointing the Wii Remote becomes the center point when these cursor items and abilities are activated. Therefore, if you are pointing your controller at the floor, then that becomes the center point and all other controller movement is based off that fixed point. By pointing the Wii Remote at the TV screen, you are establishing a correct center point from the very beginning. You will still need to re-center your controller occasionally, but it should be must less frequently. For those players who are having trouble with the motion controls used to fly your Loftwing, the same general principle applies; point your Wii Remote at your TV screen, then rotate your wrist left and right to bank. In conclusion, I am perfectly satisfied with this game. Younger gamers may consider the game a bit easy once they get the hang of the controls, since it does appear that Nintendo has scaled the difficulty a bit to compensate for the new style of game play. However, once the game has been completed, the player is given the option of playing through again on a harder difficulty setting. In addition, younger (or more active) gamers should be given extra room to play and should wear the wrist strap to help prevent accidents. This game encourages and rewards players who use the full extent of their arms, so it is important to attend to the safety guidelines provided by Nintendo. If you give the game a chance and are willing to try something new, you may find this style of game play more satisfying than simple button mashing. I certainly do.
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Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2011 by Cynthia Howard
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword was the most anticipated Wii game in this year (2011). Among Wii gamers, however, there are some debates going on regarding to this game. Is Skyward Sword the Wii's greatest game ever? Or is it a terrible game overhyped by many professional critics? Let me tell you what I think. After I played Skyward Sword about 10 hours, I still think the Super Mario Galaxy 2 and the previous Zelda game Twilight Princess are the greatest games that Wii has to offer. But that doesn't mean Skyward Sword is bad or disappointing. Actually, it's a great game! 1) Story: This is probably the most distinctive Zelda game ever. Link lives in a city of sky called Skyloft, and he explores surface area as a visitor. As far as I know, Ganon who is one of the greatest video game villains doesn't appear in this game. Instead, there is a weird guy called Lord Ghirahim who is chasing after Zelda. Speaking of Zelda, she's not a princess but a childhood friend of Link, so Link and Zelda's relationship is closest compare to previous Zelda series. 2) Graphics: One thing I really emphasize is that graphics are not everything for game. Sure, Wii doesn't have HD graphics like Xbox 360 or PS3, but many Wii games has their own unique style or beautiful presentations such as Super Mario Galaxy, Okami, Muramasa: The Demon Blade, MadWorld, etc. And these games are really fun to play! Same logic goes with the Skyward Sword. With the mixture of the Wind Waker's cel-shaded cartoon and the Twilight Princess' realistic style, Nintendo created Skyward Swords' own unique artistic style and texture. It has very colorful and bright atmosphere, and I don't think that is bad. 3) Sounds: Like other Zelda series since Ocarina of Time, there is no voice acting in Skyward Sword. But, it doesn't bother me at all when I watch most of cutscenes. Link's companion Fi has very unique and artificial voice like GLaDOS from the Portal series. Very unique and I like it. The music? Wow! it's just stunning and beautiful. The orchestral background music is really suitable with the game's atmosphere especially when Link is flying around the Skyloft. Skyward Sword's background music is probably the greatest among the Zelda franchise. 4) Gameplay: As you know, this game requires a MotionPlus or a Remote Plus. It heavily emphasizes 1 on 1 sword battle. When you swing your Wiimote, Link swings his sword exactly at the same direction although there are some misreadings or bugs. Of course, it is not easy to play it at the first time. Actually, it is hard to control especially when you fly or when you walk a rope. But if you have played Super Mario Galaxy series before, then you'll get used to it soon. There is also a new movement called dowsing which you point your wiimote on the screen to search someone, and I think this is a cool idea. Overall: Other than its unique art style and control system, Skyward Sword is a typical Zelda game. You explore the vast world, search items and walk around dungeons, beat dungeon bosses, do some side quests, and on and on. There is nothing really new or innovative game system, and it's not easy to control some certain movements. It is challenging, so you may need some time to get used to it. Yet it is very fun and worthwhile to play. It definitely shines the Zelda franchise. I highly recommend Skyward Sword to everyone who owns Wii.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2011 by Grixis_Fp97
The wait from Twilight Princess to Skyward Sword was one the longest waits we've had in the Zelda franchise for them to create the next game and BOY was it worth the wait. If you haven't played a Zelda game before (I mean cmon we've all heard of one) then this is the game for you! This Zelda game is a "3D" (Not poping in your face or anything like that) game for the Wii using Wii Mtoion Plus Controls. And to be honest even though they took about 3 hours to get used to they got to be extremely excellent controls. The game starts off with series protagonist Link in a town above the clouds known as Skyloft, he is training to be a night and the next step in his dream is to win a race with his Loftwing (A bird) and Link has the rare crimson loftwing the bird was thought to be extinct until Link got the bird when he was young. Anyway Link's bird got captured so Link gets the sword and rescues him and wins the race. Link after performing in the ceremony with childhood friend Zelda (This time she isn't a princess) the two decide to fly in the clouds together. A storm appears and sucks Zelda in as her and Link get seperated. It is then up to you to get her back. The graphics worked great, since the Wii isn't known for it's graphics Nintendo made the smart choice of combining the Wind Waker and Twilight Princess graphics to make it dark and yet still have that cartoon feel to it. Throughout the game you get annoyed by a Navi like girl named Fi, she isn't a fairy or anything but like Midna, The King of Red Lions, Navi and Tattle she gives you advice on what to do next in your adventure. Unlike the other 4 however this one was pretty useless, she didn't help you that much and that got frustrating when you have no clue what to do next. This game is one of the more difficult Zelda games it's up there with games like the original and Majora's Mask. Another thing it has in common with Majora's Mask is the amount of side quests in it, there are loads of collectibles to get and the side quests for completionists like myself gives us JUST what we want. The game takes roughly 30 hours to complete if you don't plan to do side quests and with side quests it adds an extra 10 hours to your Zelda experience. Something I didn't like about the controls were is your sheild would sometimes randomly spaz out, this wouldn't happen to everyone it just really depends on where you put your sensor bar. Skyward Sword is a great game, but not the best of the series Wind Waker will always be in my heart as my favorite Zelda game but that's just my opinion. This game is still amazing however and it definately deserves a buy, if your a fan of the Zelda franchise this is an amazing experience that you won't want to miss out. Score: GamePlay: A Story: A Graphics: A Difficulty: A- Side Quests: A Voice Acting: N/A Multiplayer: N/A Overal: I rate this game a 9.5/10 this is an amazing game, buy it now!
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Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2011 by Brandon Broderick
I've finished this game completely at this point as I received an early press copy to review for our gaming website. As such, I've got a pretty balanced view at this point of its strengths and weaknesses. So, without further delay: From my full review at DigitalChumps[dot]com: Gameplay: This is the best implementation of the Wii's capabilities since its 2006 launch. The clever sword mechanics really do add to the experience, so much so that it almost seems boring simply pressing an attack button once you finish playing it. The other equipment and gadgets are equally intuitive and appropriate as well. Occasional motion control hiccups can be forgiven in the face of such valuable gameplay implementation. Presentation: Save for the small missteps I mentioned near the end of my review, this is one of the most impressive presentations we've seen yet on the console and even otherwise. The live orchestra soundtrack is often downright beautiful and finally does the series justice. Meanwhile, graphically, the game has the outward appearance of a watercolor painting, with thickly stylized visuals which effectively mask technical limitations with approach and artistic skill. Polish is inherent always. About the only other criticism is the occasional disruption of progress thanks to the aforementioned scavenger hunts, but it's successfully mitigated by the dowsing ability and is often fun regardless. Value: This is a massive game, easily matching Link's longest adventures to date, and probably surpassing it if you include all of the extra optional content. Expect 40 hours of gameplay for a typical first playthrough, and don't forget to 100% it afterwards. Oh, and every first-run copy of the game comes complete with a pack-in 25-year Anniversary Zelda Orchestral Concert CD. It's very good, too! Fun Factor: Skyward Sword refuses to drift into a homogenized state with frequent pace changes and even scavenger hunts which, in retrospect, feel like they have their place. The swordplay is challenging yet satisfying, and the game's environments and situations are just plain memorable. OVERALL: Skyward Sword is a masterpiece. It raises the bar for the legendary series and is memorable from start to finish. It's challenging, unpredictable, diverse, thrilling, and endearing. It is the Zelda game you've been waiting for. My DigitalChumps review was a 9.8/10. Here, since I'll be forced to round up, it'll receive a 5/5. It deserves it.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2011 by Steve Schardein
I'm disappointed, the item listed both didn't come with the music CD and wasn't mint. it was resealed, good game but the quality of the item is less than desired.
Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2025 by Tyler Kirk
**Disclaimer: For some Zelda fans patrolling Amazon reviews in order to defend the franchise's name from negative experiences from other players, this review may be another outlet for your negative feedback** I have played all the major console releases of Zelda, starting with Ocarina of Time. Words cannot fully encapsulate the range of emotion or the imaginative zeal that resulted from playing through Ocarina, and it definitely started a love for the Legend of Zelda games to follow. From Majora's Mask to Wind Waker to Twilight Princess, we finally arrive to Skyward Sword, the 25th Anniversary of the franchise. How does it stack up to its predecessors? Personally, I feel there are strengths and weaknesses in what I think makes a Legend of Zelda game, and these feelings are based directly on my past history and experiences with the previous titles. Pros: - Controls. Personally, I don't think that WiiMotion+ has ever been better. Smaller titles like WiiSports Resort showcased the ability of Motion+ on a smaller scale-- The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword has Wii Motion+ fully grafted into the controls of the game to rather accurately manipulate items (primarily, Link's sword) on your quest. As opposed to Twilight Princess' Wii Remote integration into the game, Skyward Sword makes the user feel dramatically more in control. - Story. Every Legend of Zelda game seems to bring something new to the world in terms of background for the hero, the princess, and the evil which pits itself against them: Ocarina revolved around age; Majora's Mask revolved around time; Wind Waker revolved around water; Twilight Princess revolved around realm; and Skyward Sword appropriately revolves around a land in the sky. The makers of Zelda did not disappoint when it came to an innovative and novel story-- while Legend of Zelda elements exist, the backdrop surrounding them are fresh enough to revitalize approaches to solving puzzles and to interact with the world on a general level. - Characters. Besides the key characters associated with every Zelda story, Skyward Sword provides certain individuals who are dynamic and progress as the story develops. Even more appreciating than their ability to change, these characters are a large part dependent on your interaction with them in order for their own growth, making you feel like a real agent of change with the sidequests you undergo for them. This feeling of "belonging" with the NPCs of the game models the experience of the characters in Wind Waker, and a departure from the lesser relationships in Twilight Princess. A part of this feeling stems from limited options of responding positively or negatively (and not just "yes" or "no") in certain dialogued conversations. - Land. As with story, the land is creative and new. The regions that you explore resemble the traditional types of areas found in all Zelda games, and yet the names and faces of what you think you ought to meet are different enough to further instigate the feeling of newness and discovery. Also as with other Zelda games, the different regions of Skyward Sword are not fully accessible at the beginning without later equipment, depending on your own search for rare items apart from the storyline-- it's a sense of adventure. - Equipment. The past three major console installments of The Legend of Zelda incorporated innovative weapons and items (alongside traditional ones) into their gameplay, and skyward sword is no exception. These added weapons are well utilized throughout the game, whether it be for dungeon bosses and puzzles, traveling to new areas, or fighting the various grunt monsters. Furthermore, the addition of the WiiMotion+ promotes both integration and ease for these novel items, and that includes the elimination of the item-select pause screen in order to select your item in real-time, on the fly. That addition alone is a major benefit and separates this Zelda title from its previous siblings. - Replay Value. You can repeat the game after you have beaten it in Hero's Mode with enemies that deal twice amount of damage and do not drop hearts (additionally, the grass found in dungeons also do not drop hearts), challenging your skill and use of potions to survive. Your progress resets, allowing you to re-experience the game from the beginning (however, treasures you found in the previous saved game file do transfer). And now my complaints. Although there are no plot spoilers, other elements of the game may be necessarily discussed. Cons: - Controls. Having been the product of the previous game's button-mashing and combo-utilizing of traditional controllers, I was and still am a cautious gamer with the Wii's interactive controls. Like I stated on the positive side, WiiMotion+ has never been better; it's true: I swing horizontally and so does my sword, I swing vertically and so does my sword, and so on. HOWEVER, a problem arises considering the pace of the game and this control scheme. For solving puzzles where time is no issue or wandering through the various environments, the small flaws of Motion+ are really no issue. Yet, when you are in a more intense situation fighting an enemy and are supposed to swing a certain way, I find that it is really hard to be consciously aware of how your nunchuck is placed, or even if your directional swing with the Wii remote is correctly balanced; too often has my thrusting motion with the remote been misinterpreted as a circular swing because my nunchuck wasn't positioned in a certain way-- it is in these fast-paced fighting situations like these where skirmishes are unnecessarily prolonged because you are not hitting the enemy the proper way/direction. Slowly attacking your target while trying to make sure the controls are in the right places takes away a considerable amount of the feeling of a real battle situation. - Story. Perhaps I had higher expectations since this is indeed the 25th anniversary of the franchise, but I only found the storyline decent at best. Similar to Twilight Princess, the buildup surrounding the antagonist was just not as personal or emotionally-stirring as it was with Ocarina of Time (for reasons you will understand when you play the game). The result of such (which I would argue as a critical component) only gives the sense of getting the job done or completing a task rather than abolishing an evil you can really relate to. Although it has been stated that this game precedes Ocarina of Time, I don't find that fact enough excuse to neglect the relationship between the small hope of good versus the imminent dominance of evil. - Characters. My problem with the relationship between good and evil has already been stated above. [Non-plot spoiler] Being the traditional Zelda gamer and fan, I took real issue to the eradication of the Goron and Zora species. True, there are about three Gorons in the game, but as a species, both the Gorons and Zoras were strangely absent (unless you want to count the Floria Lake fish as Zoras). This can again be explained by the fact that this game precedes Ocarina of Time, or is in a different land area, however this game goes against its constituents (you could also put Wind Waker in the same camp, as interaction between Gorons and Zoras were also severely limited) by not having either staple species play a prominent role in the game. I have no problem with the species they introduced in this game, and I know this will be a small quibbling point to some-- but Gorons and Zoras have been a recurring part of the Legend as Link himself. The dungeon bosses also need to be mentioned. I have never been less intimidated by the bosses of the Legend of Zelda than I have in this game. They just do not look the part of hideousness or scare that has been reproduced with every Zelda game. I found myself fighting a large purple Tellytubby with Jamaican dreads for one of the bosses-- the bosses failed to do their part to add to blood-rush or intensity and looked like a misguided band of creatures on Sesame Street. - Land. Contrary to games like Twilight Princess or Wind Waker, the land of Skyward Sword felt restricted. That's not to neglect all the extended areas made possible by certain parts of the game/equipment; however, as was made known before its release, the non-dungeon areas of skyward sword were largely created to blur the field-dungeon distinction and make even the field-areas more like dungeons. As a result of this, the large-world feel of adventure that one received through Twilight Princess is limited to more puzzle-based interaction with Skyward Sword. This dried the wonder aspect given through "adventure-awe" and hyped up more critical thinking in these areas of exploration. - Equipment. The only real weakness to the equipment in this game pertains to shields. Unlike the other major console games, shields are breakable (and I'm not talking about a burnable deku shield). After so many hits the shield begins to break, indicated by a status bar on the screen. This poses quite the problem considering that shields can be upgraded through finding various treasures; if your shield breaks, that's it. You have to go and buy the initial shield you upgraded from and redo all of your upgrading. It can be a real hassle. - Replay Value. This is more of a personal point but for every Zelda game, I look for replay value similar to Wind Waker in which you keep certain items, have a modified look, and are able to accomplish additional content upon your first beat of the game; it adds to interaction and the feel of the game. I have not played through all of Hero's mode yet, but I do not think it will amount to the replay scope of Wind Waker. Concluding Thoughts: If you have read all the above wordage, then maybe you have deduced the underlying problem I had with this game: psychology. All other Zelda games I have played had intensity and scariness from bosses, a feeling of hopelessness against a larger evil, wonder and amazement at new-land discovery, as well as other meaningful emotional ties with NPCs. If Skyward Sword did these things, they were either severely under-played out or were just for the wrong reasons. It is because of the psychological distance this Zelda game has from the others that I would go so far as to say that it didn't really feel like a Legend of Zelda game-- and certainly not one of 25th anniversary caliber. Would I recommend you buy this game? Yes. For the experience. Because underneath all of these flaws, it is still a Legend of Zelda game and worth at least your initial investment. But do not expect this game to be all of what you have come to know the franchise to be, for the reasons already stated. While the creators focused on championing WiiMotion+ for the Zelda experience, they neglected needed attention on the key aspects that makes a Legend of Zelda game a Legend of Zelda game. If Nintendo continues along this same vein with Zelda in the years to come, perhaps we won't make it to another 25th anniversary down the road.
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Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2011 by Alex Anderson
finally got my skyward sword in ahead of schedule. I was skeptical about getting it because like most of us gamers we like to sit and relax while playing a game instead of moving constantly. been wanting to play it though but was waiting for a price drop and since playing twilight princess which is still a bad ass game regardless of what others might say. skyward sword is an okay game but not the greatest of all time. there are a few issues with it. the controls are alright until you try to fight a freakin plant and before they die they get your heart which I guess they want to go down fighting. like most of us gamers we like to hack and slash but really waiting for an opening that rarely comes but they can still get you??????? the other thing is the shield taking damage which does add some challenge, but after only 5 to 10 hits it breaks and you have to repair it or find items that take forever to find because not all monsters will drop what you need is pretty crappy. the only last complaint I have to say for it is the annoying spirit/ android of the sword Fi who is not really of much help and just repeats the same stuff that someone else had informed me about just 5 seconds ago and is really slowing down the game. If we wanted a more annoying version of Navi then would have stuck with Ocarina of Time at least can ignore her, but still at least she did provide some hints of useful info. Fi should be shot in the face lol the good stuff though is the characters are more alive this time around with real personalities and emotions. even link being a grown up is not a cartoon wondering what the hell is going on and not being too over the top hilarious. and also not being a link who is not completely buzzed out of his mind or a link who only has one look to his face the whole time. Zelda is more lively a plays more of an important role this time around more so than in any other Zelda game. every character serves a purpose and pushes the story forward well except for Fi she still needs to be shot lol. this game reminds me more of the coming of age animes without being too silly but not overly serious as well. this is the first story and so many things are refrenced in their own small way to other Zelda games the would to follow in the timeline. the enemies are a bit goofier looking and not as freighting as the ones in Twilight Princess, but they block almost everything even when you hit their opening and you're left wondering how the hell did it get to the side when it was up? its a good game, but not for extensive and continuous hours upon hours like past titles. its more of a game if you have time for it here and there and want to watch a good cinematic Zelda. its good but not the best but is a must for any Zelda fan.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2014 by Richard Aughe