The One Where I Talk About Zelda

 

Hello, boys and girls. I’d like to talk to you today about Skyward Sword.

 

I won’t be reviewing the game today, so much as breaking it down and ranting and raving about it. To the untrained eye that might sound like a review, but rest assured, dear reader, that I just don’t feel like writing a second review for the game. I just don't want to take the piss out of the upcoming review from another writer.

 

I’m not going to be talking about existing reviews (except to tell you that I won’t be talking about them). They’re all valid in their own way. The review reflects the game as experienced by the critic. If one man experienced control issues and another man didn’t, I believe that. It happens, just as one critic experiences a bug that another doesn’t. That’s, if you’ll excuse the terrible pun, how the game is played.

 

The closest thing I’ll do here is tell you this: Skyward Sword is a very good game, and it’s well worth your time. It’s a Zelda game, and it’s made by freaking Nintendo. If you expected anything less than a good game, chances are good that you’re just not a fan of Zelda or Nintendo or motion control. That’s fine, but I probably won’t change your mind if that’s the case.

 

If it is, skedaddle.

 

Still with me? Great. Let’s get started.

 

How does Skyward Sword stack up? This might sound like a controversial statement if you’re loyal to previous games, but Skyward Sword is the best Zelda yet. That’s not an opinion, it’s an objective fact. But let me explain before you decide to track me down and mount my head on a pike. What I’m not saying here is that any previous game is diminished by the arrival of this newer, better-designed game.

 

Even if the combat is way better.

 

With rare exception, the newest game in a given series is the best-designed. Developers learn from their mistakes and successes, using that knowledge to build a more refined and enjoyable experience. This is true for Zelda, Half-Life, Uncharted, Gears, GTA, Madden and Dynasty Warriors. Despite the evolving standards of critics and gamers, each new game is, in general, better than the previous.

 

I say this as an avid hater of all things Dynasty Warriors and Madden. I say this as a diehard fan of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and the original Mass Effect. I say this as a person who enjoyed Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas a great deal more than Grand Theft Auto IV.

 

So a comparison to Ocarina of Time is inevitable. A lot of people say that this is the best game ever made. I guess that depends on the context. The best in the context of its time? Absolutely. Ocarina, like Super Mario 64 before it, was one of the most innovative games ever released. Target-locking? 3D action games of today owe it to Zelda. Context-sensitive action buttons? Another Ocarina innovation.

 

Ocarina of Time remains great for what it accomplished and the standards it set, but it’s not the best in the series. And that’s just fine.

 

Skyward Sword breaks a lot of series trends. The much-maligned “dungeon, overworld, dungeon, overworld” format? Gone. Skyward Sword blurs the lines between overworld and dungeon. It depends on how you define dungeon. Is a dungeon, to you, navigating a maze and solving puzzles? Damn near the entire game might be a dungeon.

 

To some, it's overworld. To others, dungeon.

 

But don’t worry: There are plenty of dungeons in the traditional sense, and they’re brilliant. Remember torch-lighting and block-pushing? If you were a huge fan of either, I’m sorry for your loss, but I’m afraid your baby is with the angels now. They’ve been replaced with more inventive puzzles, many of them involving clever use of motion control.

 

What’s more, items don’t become useless once you leave the areas in which you found them. It feels weird at first, when you stop and think, “Wow, that weird flying bug thing is still useful THIS far into the game?” Yeah, kids, it is. And it’s awesome. No, really, the Beetle is probably my favorite Zelda item ever, thanks in large part to its versatility. You can scout ahead, bomb your enemies and gather items with the Beetle, and the MotionPlus integration makes piloting it simple and natural.

 

If you have trouble with the Stalfos, have fun fighting three at once!

 

MotionPlus makes a lot of things feel natural and fun; especially swordfighting. Things don’t always work just right, but when they do, Skyward Sword’s combat is the best in the series. Mindlessly hacking until everything dies no longer works. You can still get by without being too methodical about your strikes and parries, but doing so will cause you to lose hearts often. Flailing is punished, skill and timing are rewarded.

 

It’s a refreshing change of pace for the series, and seeing where Nintendo decides to take it from here will be interesting, to say the least. Again, if you’re on the fence about Skyward Sword, make no mistake: This game is very much worth your time. Just…go play it. Scram.