The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Review: You Will Immediately Be Drawn In

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Review

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is, without a doubt, a story that is very well told. Right from the beginning you are immediately drawn in by the characters and the story that is being set up for you. This game quickly engages your attention and imagination, while fully drawing you into its world. I’m not sure what it was or how it did it but you get so caught up in this game from the very beginning and you find yourself having a great adventure in this fascinating world. Honestly, I found the beginning of this game more captivating than many that I’ve played in a long time. Of course it probably helps that it is a Zelda game and I of course love Zelda. In addition to being wonderfully entertaining, the character interaction is brilliant and lovely. This game absolutely has a great spark to it that you will surely enjoy.

Once you get into the core set of the game is when things really get going in terms of the gameplay and the adventure ahead of you. For me, things really seemed to slow down a bit after the beginning but that’s normally the case when you set out on any adventure. I don’t want that to come off as a bad thing but the opening makes you so eager to want to quickly keep the story going so that you don’t have to wait. You will find yourself wanting to get to your location as quickly as possible and keep the game progressing. It isn’t that easy though, as you will come across many moments when you are trying to figure out how to progress to certain areas. There will, of course , be many obstacles and puzzles that need to be solved and you may find yourself stumped more than a few times. I had multiple times when I was just flat out stuck and didn’t know how to proceed, but that could just be me. I spent an hour on what I will call the dumbest hour of my life because of what ended up being the most stupid puzzle ever. Ok, was it the puzzle or could it have been me? Nah, it was the puzzle.

To go further into the puzzles and obstacles, you really absolutely need to remember what items you have and what you are able to do. So often when I got stumped for a period of time I would look at things and just say “how the heck am I suppose to do that?” I’d take a break and then come back only to find out that the answer is so obvious once I remembered that I had a certain item that I could use. This game will probably give you many “duh” moments as you play through but they can sometimes become really frustrating. I am not one that needs an easy challenge, I am just simply letting you know that those type of moments will come about in the game.

Once you do figure things out or as you keep progressing without much of a problem the game certainly is a lot of fun to play. It uses the full capability of the Wii Motion Plus controls as you will be swinging at your targets, jabbing at them, tilting the control to balance yourself and so much more. To be honest, I have never been a huge fan of the motion controls, but these controls really do handle very well and at times you won’t even think about it. I am not saying the controls are perfect though, as I have had some frustrating moments and you will certainly have to get the learning curve out of the way at the beginning. At times, some of the most difficult things were lining up just right for an auto jump to a rope. Or other random times where you accidently auto jump into the wrong spot or area. I will also say that flying your noble bird can sometimes be a bit of a challenge as well. Most of the time though it really isn’t a big deal and you will even find yourself having fun with the controls, especially with the precise sword fighting.

You will start out in a village in the sky called Skyloft. This will be your home throughout the game as you will be able to visit back at pretty much anytime you wish. There are shops there for you to purchase items and upgrades for your specific items and equipment. As you play through the game you will come across select items of which you will need in order to be able to upgrade your equipment. There will also be random “side quests” for you to do at certain times when visiting back from the land below. There is also some exploring you can do as well while flying around on your noble bird in the Skyloft area. The land below is where your journey takes place and where all the mysteries lie. Once again, traveling back and forth is very simple to do as you will come across stones below that can send you back to Skyloft. Also, they are used for saving points as well and since they are scattered everywhere they are easy to find.

Throughout your journey you will have some help to guide you along. The spirit of your sword will help lead you on your way and if you need assistance it can help provide you with that. This includes giving you a recap of the summery or if you target an enemy, it will tell you how you can possibly defeat it. There are a few things the spirit can do for you when you need the guidance which becomes very helpful in your quest. While I am speaking of help, there is another great option for those of us who get a little too stumped. Back at the Skyloft there is a stone that you can go to that will show you a video of what it is you need to do. So instead of spending to much time to the point of frustration on a puzzle, you can head back and give that a try. It was a little annoying having to go all the way back there to do just that, but it was worth it a few times. You will be able to select that specific moment you were at and it will have the answer in video form. Also, when you return you can select the exact stone you used to head back to the Skyloft to get you right back to where you left off.

Visually the game looks wonderful with its great character art and design. Your surroundings are pleasant as well and you will also be enjoying some very good cutscenes that are nicely done. It also features those wonderful notes we have all come to love in the music. The soundtrack that comes with the game is excellent and it is one to be loved. The music throughout the game though is top notch and what you should expect from a game of this caliber.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword starts out wonderful and so easily draws you in to the story. After a while it did slow down a little bit for me though. But this lull didn’t last long as it picked right back up and I was able to enjoy it even more with the level design and story. Again, I still had some obstacles that I just couldn’t stand and that, frankly, drove me nuts. However, there were also times of where I was able to get everything right and cruise on by enjoying every moment of it. It also really makes you think at times, which was mostly a good thing. Each area you explore comes off rather average though. However, there are some nice features to each area that make them a lot nicer and more fun to play in. This is especially true when you start utilizing your additional equipment that will be key to helping you accomplish tasks at certain times in the game.

There is so much to love with Skyward Sword from the way it begins, all the way to the end. It has fun gameplay that can still be slightly annoying at times, but overall it is decent and also fun to swing around the remote for those precise attacks. It does so many things right though, and it does its best to help you along your journey if you get stuck. This really is a Zelda title to easily love and one that will be highly ranked. Do make sure to grab this on the day of its release, as you won’t be disappointed. You will have many great hours of gameplay and a story to love.

Score: 4.5/5

If you have questions about the game be sure to ask me on Twitter @CaffeinatedGamr