A truly amazing game with come-to-life characters, strong visuals, realistic gameplay, and a beautiful friendship story!
The story is truly the best in the series! It finally shows a great relationship between Link & Zelda (yes Zelink fans, this is what ya'll been waiting for). It is the very first Zelda game in the series chronologically that explains the creation of Hyrule, the Master Sword and the Triforce. So yes this is an origin story and it does explain alot of things while some are still left unanswered but that's ok, because the timeline is a bit confusing and will take some time to understand Zelda's history. Anywho, the game starts off with Link having a strange nightmare about a overly grown black monster. He is soon awaken by a loftwing that gives him a letter from Zelda, telling him to meet her before the Wing Ceremony begins. Link soon realize that he can't compete in the race due to the fact that his crimson loftwing is missing. Afterwards, he eventually finds his rare bird and he's able to participate in the race, which he wins! Once the race is over, Link and Zelda decides to go flying around the clouds (yes a date). This is then cut short when a tornado suddenly appears out of nowhere, and sucks Zelda below the clouds. Link however survives and soon meets a mysterious Artificial Intelligent creature named Fi ("Fai"), which her voice is what you first hear in the beginning from Link's dream (first time). She explains to Link that the nightmare he's been having, Zelda disappearance, and Fi's sudden appearance means it's part of a great mission that Link will play a major role in. So Link must discover the surface below the clouds that no one has never been to before, which soon triggers his epic adventure!
The storyline is amazing with beautiful cinematic cutscenes, quirky characters, and emotional parts which had me crying tears of joy and sadness at the same. I love how Link shows alot of emotion than the other Links this time around and not being the "serious" guy all the time. He actually smiles alot, and really cares more about Zelda (and you'll know this by facial expression). So no more of the "Well Zelda's been kidnapped, so I gotta save her" look on his face, though this might occur again in future titles but who knows. The relationship with Link and Zelda really surprised me and Nintendo did a fantastic job, teasing me that is lol! Now when I say that, don't think that Nintendo is going to go "too far" with Link/Zelda's relationship, but trust me, they really have something going on here and you can actually tell that they really like each other. I won't spoil anything but atleast see it for yourself! :D Overall, it's a great friendship story and I hope you can overlook the "predictable" elements that the whole franchise has had in the last 25 years (I really don't see it though). I believe after seeing some of the new twist and turns, maybe the series will go into a good turning point that will get better!
Another thing is that SS has no voice acting which has been absent from the series. I do wish Nintendo decides to feature it in the next installment but after playing through the whole game, I believe reading through texts and dialogue is more imaginable! I mean adding voice acting now won't have that same feeling to the player (especially me), and you'll never know how good or bad the voices might be. But if they decide to put voice acting in the new games, please DO NOT give Link a voice because that will totally ruin Link's image....but it really depends, I guess. After seeing his reactions and his facial expressions, you can really tell what he's thinking and how he's feeling, and that's what's truly amazing about our silent hero.
The gameplay is not similar to the first 3 3D Zelda titles, but shares alot of similiarity with it's counterpart, Twilight Princess but slightly different. It still features motion sensors with the controls but with the new Wii Motion Plus, it allows you to swing your sword in a realistic way! This time you'll have to put alot of force (not too much though) when you swing your sword during combats, so don't try to waggle your way out of this because you waggle, you die! (Ign.com reference lol) This can be frustrating because the enemies are very smart this time around and will block your every move. If you can outsmart them instead of just trying to slash your way though without using strategy, then you're completely fine. Now there are a few flaws with the controls. The first flaw is when aiming at the screen which I found frustrating in TP but in this game, it kinda feels worst. When aiming, most of the time the aim cursor won't align with your Wii Remote so you'll have to keep recentering a couple of times, which gets very annoying. But I have noticed that you don't have to aim at the screen for the cursor to correspond to the Wii Remote at all, so maybe this can make it less frustrating...but you'd still have to recenter it. This will take some time but once you get the hang of it, it won't be as bad. Another flaw is thrusting. When you encounter certain enemies, they'll be times when you'll have to thrust with your sword in order to kill them and sometimes the controls won't respond right. I don't know if you might have a problem with it, but I guess it's just me. Maybe it depends on how you do it so it will take alot of practice. These are the only flaws with the controls but they have a realistic touch in the palm of your hands, which makes it really fun! Like I said, it takes alot of time and practice so please do not try to give up in the next 5 minutes and end up taking the game back in storage, because the controls do work, just put alot of effort into it. I was able to finish the game all the way through so if I can do it, then so can you. If you need help, ask a friend or go online/watch demonstrations from others that had experience with the game. So please do not take this game back because you're really missing out if you make that mistake, especially if you are a Zelda fan.
They are other new gameplay mechanics, such as upgrading your weapons/shields/potions which is a great add-on to the series. They're very handy and more helpful in combat so you'll definitely enjoy this new mechanic! SS is the hardest Zelda title to date, but luckily you have Shiekah Stones that will show you visions on how to get through the game (I find this TOO helpful though). It's definitely great for newcomers but on my first playthrough, I didn't use it at all because I didn't want to "cheat" my way through. Zelda is known for their challenging puzzles, and getting too much help wouldn't feel right. Sorry I love to solve things on my own but if I really need help, then I'd definitely watch a walkthough online (which I mainly do with the 2D games).
I should mention something about Link's companion, Fi. Fi is a really cool character (her theme is awesome too) and quite useful, but at times she gives you annoying percentages that makes you have to figure out how to beat your enemies and solve puzzles on your own. Because of this, she is 10x more annoying than Navi but in a way, I still like them both because they DO help you on your quest. With Fi, if you lock-on certain enemies to get information, she won't tell you how to defeat them unless you actually defeat atleast 1 or if you die a couple of times against them. This is irritating but lucky for me, I was able to get through the quest without getting that much help from Fi. I guess my mind can finally comprehend since I've been used to Zelda's solving-puzzle strategy for awhile now. So she will help during your quest and give you good hints but it will require alot of thinking!
As you may know, the series has always feature MIDI music which has been quite memorable but this time...it finally has ochestrated music!!! It definitely feels atmospheric when flying around the sky on your loftwing, getting catchy with the forest music (sounds like Saria's song), then feeling mysterious when you enter the dungeon (the very first dungeon in the game that is). Alot of people have said that the music is not really that good....I mean really?? Sure some of the music may be plain, but I for one enjoy every bit of it! I guess most folks are not used to Zelda having ochestra music, so you'll have to let the music grow on you. If you're not satisfied with it, then you can listen to the 25th Anniversay CD Soundtrack that comes with the game. The CD contains 8 tracks and I enjoy all of it because it brings back alot of memories! Overall the music is definitely an A+ to me because I still feel that Skyward Sword is just as nostalgic as the previous games.
Lastly, the graphics (oh boy it's Wind Waker all over again). Ever since this game was announced at E3 2010, everyone was complaining about the new style and still is. Seriously, why do graphics have to make a game??! Story and gameplay is all that matters!!! Newcomers and especially Zelda fans really tick me off because Zelda has always had the cartoon-style in them. Sure, Twilight Princess went into a new direction with its realistic-style, but if the whole series starts to become that way, then it won't feel quite like....well Zelda. Besides Nintendo did a creative thing with Skyward Sword; they combined the charming cel-shaded Wind Waker and darker realistic Twilight Princess together to become a water-color painting. This is very similar to Okami's graphic-look and I find SS quite as beautiful as the other titles. The visuals are more stronger than any other Zelda game because it starts off as a painting from afar and then comes to life as you get closer to the environment...it's THAT beautiful! So please don't let the graphics fool you, because it's amazing nonetheless and it shouldn't be bypass. If you are really concern about graphics then I'm sorry to say that something must be really wrong with you. I don't mean to say this in a cruel way, but graphics don't have to be realistic to be beautiful and it should be looked at by story/gameplay. To me, that's what all games should really be about nowadays.....sadly people won't see that in a long time.
So Skyward Sword offer old and very new changes to the tried-and-true franchise. I do feel like that this game is not getting the respect that it deserves, but in a couple of years or so, it will appeal to more people in the future. To me, I think it's the best Zelda game to date along with Twilight Princess with flaws but it still deserves high praise. I am going to admit that I do miss the open overworld feeling that has become traditional in the series since it's now more linear. I truly wish they would bring that back but I think that if they want to make the world small, then atleast make it big enough for Epona to return (I love that legendary horse). Of course the loftwing is absolutely amazing and I find it just as thrilling as Epona. It's definitely better than sailing on a boat or riding on a train. But please Nintendo, bring back Epona because she has been traditional and inspiring since Ocarina of Time and I believe it won't be the same without her. These are my only concerns with the changes in the formula but regardless, the franchise will still be just as great.
I really hope this game will be looked upon alot of people but since folks are into Call of Duty, Uncharted, Halo, and The Elder Scrolls games (due to them having hardcore graphics), Skyward Sword will take awhile for it to appeal more fans and newcomers. I mean come on, this is The Legend of Zelda's 25th Anniversary; one of the most inspirational franchises in the world! Without it, games wouldn't be like they are today...well maybe but not as great though. That's why Nintendo is the main reason why I've been a true fan of them since my younger days, and that will never change! In conclusion, Skyward Sword is a wonderful Zelda experience and must be played by all Zelda fans! I'm so glad I've had grew up with this franchise and without knowing it, I don't know what games I'd play today (besides the other Nintendo series of course). So I thank you Nintendo, with your amazing games and beautiful nostalgia! 10/10
Also, Happy 25th Anniversary The Legend of Zelda! Zelda forever :D