The Zelda series is one that does not need a complete overhaul. Given the major aesthetic changes and time span between each instalment, every new title manages to feel fresh, yet remain comfortingly familiar. It’s like each time you prep Link for a new adventure, you’re slipping into a favourite pair of comfortable old shoes. But perhaps the one thing Nintendo had to do with Zelda is reintroduce a sense of surprise.
Each home console Zelda since the famous Ocarina of Time has followed a very familiar pattern. Start out from humble beginnings, explore the new overworld, beat some baddies, have a massive plot twist, beat some more baddies, job done. While it is a system that has served the series very well in the past, it led many to wonder whether Nintendo would ever dare to stray away from the formula again. Their questions have been swiftly answered, as Skyward Sword is more than simply stepping into a favourite pair of comfortable shoes. It’s stepping into a pair of comfortable shoes which have recently been resoled, washed and made as good as new.
Things start out familiarly enough, with an unsuspecting Link waking up from a terrifying nightmare and made to scrabble about his hometown completing various tasks. At the same time we are introduced to the most vibrant cast of characters to have graced Link’s world since Majora’s Mask, such as the legend that is Groose. Heading them up is Zelda herself, this incarnation of her a playful, adventurous and energetic adolescent, a popular village girl as opposed to a pampered princess, with an obsession for pushing Link off of high ledges. The opening takes a while, much like Twilight Princess, but is much more enjoyable thanks to some witty dialogue and good pacing between the tasks.
Before long you can take to the skies in your Loftwing, and the overworld is yours to explore. The sky is similar to the Great Sea in The Wind Waker, but much more condensed. At the centre of all of this is Skyloft, a hub where you can carry out all your shopping and sidequesting in one convenient place. Again, not since Majora’s Mask has a town in Zelda been so central to the plot, and felt so alive as a result. A pity the rest of the sky is filled mostly with floating barren rocks which only become filled with treasure once special cubes have been activated on the surface.
It is the surface where the greatest changes to the tried and tested Zelda system come into play. It is split into three distinct and diverse regions, each with their own enemies, puzzles and populace. Devoid of human habitation, it truly feels like you are treading ground no-one has walked before. It’s like you’re experiencing the genesis of the Zelda universe, and the world underneath the clouds is an Eden in need of a hero. In gameplay terms, they serve as precursors to the traditional Zelda dungeons, presenting you with plenty of travelling, puzzles and combat before the main course of the dungeons is reached.
The combat has been talked of the most in preceding hype, with the motionplus controls offering what many of us dreamed we would see when the Wii was first unveiled. By and large, it works very well. It takes a long while to get used to, and in the early stages you are tempted to resort to wild and futile waggling, with the game punishing you for doing this. With many enemies relying on precise swipes of your sword, you have to learn to be patient, and take your time to aim each slice as opposed to expecting the game to sort your problems out for you. The swordplay is very well realised, with glitches very few and far between, and overall immensely satisfying to use. Link’s usual massive inventory is used to maximise motion controls, with mixed results. Items such as the flying beetle and whip work brilliantly. Others do not, for example bombs, where you are presented with the option to throw or roll them on the ground. It should work flawlessly, but it does not, as one slightly frustrating boss battle proves.
Yet while many expected the controls to provide the surprise needed to keep the series fresh, it is the way the story unfolds that provides the greatest change. The usual pre-dungeon story exposition followed by dungeon routine is pushed to the limit. The lead up to the big monster infested areas feature a variety of perils and solutions, with only a few constants such as the excellent Silent Realm challenges. The dungeons themselves are a mixed bag of standard forest/lava/water temples, and excellent jaunts through time shifting mines and ships stranded on sand dunes. A far cry from the brilliance of Twilight Princesses last few dungeons, but they stand very strongly on their own.
Nintendo have made a great deal out of the series 25th anniversary, and you sense they have not forgotten this fact with a game that is jam packed with references to previous titles, some of which only the most diehard fans will recognise. The games story you feel is particularly fan friendly, delving into the events leading up to every prior title, and explaining the circular nature of the Link, Zelda and Ganondorf triangle. You sense other elements have been included to specially cater to fan circles, such as the strongest indications yet of Link and Zelda having the hots for each other. Dialogue once again zips between the witty and the poetic, and while no Zelda is ever going to enter War and Peace territory, it is very enjoyable witnessing the story unfold. Though it is high time the series experimented with voice acting.
Once again Nintendo radically overhauled the graphical style from the last game, combining the cartoonish graphics from the Wind Waker with the realism of Twilight Princess, and it seems finally Nintendo have hit a style they feel comfortable with. The animations are slick and the locations bright and vibrant. The almost effortless way the characters show emotion and react to each other requires no need for HD graphics, and once again you have to commend Nintendo for making such a beautiful game on dated hardware. The soundtrack, finally featuring a lot of full orchestration, is very strong, with bombastic melodies, haunting ballads and replays of old classics intertwining among each other perfectly.
You may have noticed that I have referenced previous Zelda’s quite a bit, though that is perhaps to be expected given the weight of the series history pressing down on Skyward Sword’s shoulders. Yet it is a game that manages to tread the line between looking to the future and embracing the past, and it does so with terrific confidence. It does not rewrite Zelda into a completely new game, yet it breaks enough ground to stand apart. The inclusions of a fast item change, a limited number of pouches for additional items, and a comprehensive upgrade and treasure hunting system changes the sense of progression greatly. It adds plenty of additional tasks for you to complete, as well as finally giving you plenty of trinkets to spend your rupees on.
This is a confident step forward for Zelda, and there is barely a stumble back. It is another fantastic entry into one of the strongest series in gaming, and if future instalments follow its lead then it will remain in rude health for many years. The lack of hype surrounding it is staggering when you consider what a joy it is to play, and I can assure those that fear this is just another Zelda that it is more than that. It is most definitely a Zelda though, and once again presents you an adventure that grips you from beginning to end. Where Link travels to from here no-one but Nintendo knows, but Skyward Sword proves beyond any doubt that no-one else adventures quite like him.
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