Yes a full 5 months after its release, I have completed Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword and now I feel like reviewing it even though it’s gonna be of no use to anyone! Now, before you continue on reading be warned that I’ve made this review spoilerific and slightly unconventional.
The game starts with a nice animation explaining how Skyloft came to be. We learn that during a great war the Goddess sent a chunk of land flying in the air to save the human race from some demons but if you ask me she didn’t do a very good job since there’s about 25 people tops living in Skyloft.
So this time around, Link is a student at the Knight academy and Zelda is his childhood friend and she’s totally coming on to him but Link seems pretty clueless about it. We also meet Zelda’s father, Headmaster Gaepora (who later in the Zelda timeline will be reincarnated as an owl who tricks you into listening to his long messages twice). We don’t meet her mother though because having both your parents in a videogame, comic book or anime violates the Japanese law on fantasy characters.
After a short introduction to the flying mechanics in which Zelda conveniently gets abducted, you get your sword and you’re ready to embark on your journey. Your sword is inhabited by a spirit/ghost/robot/whatever called Fi. Now, this should be the part where I complain about Fi but since this review is so late I won’t... because that would like someone constantly reminding you of something you already know just like... well um ... Fi!
For me, this is where the game begins for real, the game follows the same pattern as previous instalments of the series where you walk around to find a dungeon, get an item, solve puzzles, fight various enemies. What’s new this time around is that enemies will try to parry your attacks (they don’t seem overly fond of attacking you though) so you have to fight smart and angle your sword strike so you avoid their defenses. This adds depth to the combat system and it’s very appreciated.
The motion controls are great most of the time. Items like the beetle and the bombs work flawlessly and are a joy to use but sometimes items requiring you to point at the screen like the bow or the gust bellows get decentered and Link suddenly won’t stop staring at the floor which is great for the gust bellows since dirt tends to fall to the ground but while fighting a giant squid it’s less than practical. Also, for the first time ever in a video game, the swimming controls are really intuitive and don’t make dread the sight of water. The greatest implementation of the motion controls remains the swordplay and it’s the one you use the most throughout the game. Not only for fighting but also for puzzles, dowsing and drawing really ugly hearts.
Apart from the controls, there’s tons of new stuff this time around. New races inhabit the world, like the oh-so-cute Kiwkis, the treasure obsessed Mogmas and the very rude Ancient Robots. There’s also new villains that seek the power of the Triforce (and probably the destruction of the world somewhere down the line).
The main antagonist is not good ol’ Ganondorf but Demon Lord Ghirahim who I found to be a very interesting character. Overconfident, stylish, with a tongue rivaling Gene Simmons’. It was a pleasure to see him toying with Link in the beginning when he doesn’t think of him as a real threat. And then later on as Link progresses and keeps foiling his plans, Ghirahim gradually becomes more aggressive with our hero culminating into a real fun final fight with him.
Ghirahim’s plan is the resurrect his master Demise who can only be described as a total badass with fiery hair and a huge sword making him another welcome addition to the world of Zelda.
On your quest to save Zelda, you’ll visit three main areas: Faron Woods, Eldin Volcano and Lanayru Desert. One would think being limited to three areas would get tiresome but one would be underestimating the developers at Nintendo who did wonders in order to keep every area fresh with each return. Lanayru Desert, in particular, comes to mind with some areas you really wouldn’t expect to find in a desert!
The biggest downside to these three sections is that they’re not connected in any way so in order to go from one to the other you have to go up to the sky and fly to your next destination. While flying can be fun for a short time, it is very slow and those numerous trips from Skyloft to Faron Woods, back to Skyloft, to Eldin Volcano, to Skyloft, to Lanayru Desert, to the Isle of Songs, etc... end up getting quite tedious. All the way through the game, I was waiting for the moment where I’ll finally get a way to warp from place to place like in Twilight Princess or Wind Waker but it never came.
While most of the main quest happens on the surface, there’s also a good share of things to do in the sky and more specifically on Skyloft. Most of them take the form of doing tasks for the residents of Skyloft in order the gather Gratitude Crystal which you give to Batreaux so he can go from being an ugly monster to being an ugly human. The quests themselves range from fun to infuriating (that DAMN baby rattle!) and they add a bit of longevity to the game. You also get to know the citizens of Skyloft better through these quests.
It’s while getting to know the folks of Skyloft that you discover that the game has got a secret pro-gay agenda too.The first clue came when Fledge invited Link over to his room at night to “work out”. Intrigued I did as he asked and was shocked to hear him ask for a stamina potion so he can “last longer”!
Then there’s the matter of Strich and Cawlin sharing a room (when everyone else has their own private room). Sure Cawlin tries to act straight by having you deliver a love letter to a girl but the game subtlety gives you the option of not complying with the request so you can end up witnessing Cawlin getting stroked by a fantomatic hand (disturbing stuff). Also, the other member of the couple, Strich, clearly symbolizes the promiscuity sometimes found in gay relationships since he always catches bugs... or maybe I’m reading too much into things... MAYBE
All in all Skyward Sword is a great game, worthy of the Zelda name, it’s not my favorite of the series because A Link to the Past is way too awesome but it’s definitely a high quality game and I could really see myself trying out Hero mode one of these days (provided I run out of games to play at some point in the future).
Signature goes here!
