Z Space Blog - Zelda

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Review

2011-12-06T12:11:35-08:00

The Legend of Zelda series is known for its high quality games. From the beginning, Zelda has set the bar for the action-adventure genre. Other games in the same genre (and some in other genres) tend to emulate their success, but never seem to reach it. Among games, the Zelda series is at the pinnacle of quality and creativity. Skyward Sword is no different. Remember E3 2005? Nintendo promised us a Revolution. They said the new console would change the way we perceived and played games. Today, we can see the effect the Wii has had on the market, but motion controls still felt a little like an add-on instead of a full-blown innovation. We knew the potential that MotionPlus had, but nobody was using it for anything serious. Until November 2011, anyway. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is the experience that Nintendo promised us at E3 in 2005.

To put it shortly, if you own a Wii you cannot miss this game. Skyward Sword is the reason the Wii was made. It's the full realization of every gameplay feature the Wii has to offer. It utilizes the Sensor Bar, the accelerometers in the Wiimote and Nunchuk, and is the best application of the MotionPlus. To ignore this game is to miss out on what the Wii is all about. I don't care who you are: you need to own (or play) this game.

Graphics

It's 2011. The Xbox360 and Playstation 3 have had years to slowly eke out the power of their hardware, and it's clear that they can produce higher resolution and higher detailed graphics than the Wii. However, graphics are not about just detail. Style matters far more, and Skyward Sword has it in spades. The game world is rendered in a smooth, painted style. If I had to compare it to past Zeldas, it would be somewhere between Wind Waker and Twilight Princess. It marries interesting detail with evocative personality. The Wii's not the most powerful system around, so Nintendo used a distance-based filter to make objects take on a painted look. So as you run further away from something, details blur out but retain the form of the object. It feels like the game world is an interactive painting.

From the beautifully styled Faron Woods to the distant Lanayru Desert and up to airy Skyloft, Skyward Sword shows that it's not power that matters, but style. Characters and enemies are just as well rendered, with fluid, life-like animation and a charm the series hasn't seen since The Wind Waker. Needless to say, Skyward Sword is a gorgeous game.

Music

Nintendo went all-out on this game's music. Much of the music in Skyward Sword is orchestrated, and takes the sound in Zelda to a whole new level. You'll find yourself immersed in the game, due in part to the music. The overworld feels vast and wondrous, while Faron Woods feels dense and peppy. Dungeons take on appropriate moods, but aren't particularly memorable. It seems apparent that the sound team focused more on mood for dungeon music than catchiness, as the music for dungeons fits them very well.

Boss music is exciting and gets your blood pumping, to keep you on your toes. With each strike of your sword, the music becomes more intense. Even normal encounters feel like they were infused with a bit of energy.

Sound effects are hardly noticeable, and that's precisely what they are supposed to be. Link's feet make appropriate noises on various forms of terrain, sword clangs sound great, and each item makes distinct sounds. Enemy and environmental sounds are no different. Bombs sound just like they did in The Wind Waker, steam vents are windy, and even bugs make appropriate noises.

Difficulty

Zelda difficulty must be judged on two levels: combat and puzzles.

Combat is easily the deepest part of this game. Link can attack in many more ways than before, and enemies are privy to his methods. This turns each enemy into a miniature game of wits. Things like Keese and Chu Chus are rather harmless, but Lizalfos, Moblins, and Stalfos will make you work for your victory. On this front, difficulty is satisfying. Some enemies are tough, but it feels much better when you defeat them.

Puzzles in Skyward Sword are not the most difficult. To long-time fans of the series, a little creative thinking and observation will get you ahead. To those new to the series, it may take a little longer to solve the puzzles. There is a distinct lack of blocks and locked doors in this game, which makes the puzzles feel a little fresher. Later on in the game, a special type of stone is found, which adds a layer of depth to Zelda puzzles we haven't seen before. The difficulty of puzzles in Skyward Sword is a little above average. The best part of the puzzles is that each item you acquire throughout the game never stops being useful. You'll be using the Slingshot, for example, up until the end of the game. I can't say the same for Twilight Princess, which had items that were mostly useless after their specific dungeon.

Gameplay

This is the meat-and-potatoes of most games, but especially Zelda games. Skyward Sword is the first in the series to introduce item crafting, which allows you to upgrade potions, shields, and even items, assuming you have the necessary treasure or bugs. It's nothing in-depth and farm-necessary like your typical JRPG, but it's a welcome addition and doesn't feel tedious. It also provides a use for all the rupees you acquire throughout the game, which was a big problem in Twilight Princess. In this respect, it follows the design of The Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass, and Spirit Tracks.

Speaking of that, Beedle makes a return and still sells things for astronomical prices. Among them though, are Adventure Pouch upgrades. The Adventure Pouch is a new feature to Zelda that allows Link to carry up to 8 pouch items such as shields, potions, and medals. Medals grant special traits to Link, such as making more hearts, rupees, or treasures drop, or even increasing his life! This is another interesting addition to the series and keeps the main inventory from becoming too cluttered.

Collecting bugs in this game is a bit different compared to Twilight Princess. You actually have to use a net, and sometimes sneak up on the bug in order to catch it. It takes the place of fishing in past Zeldas as the slow-paced, relaxing past-time. These bugs are necessary to upgrade potions in the bazaar, so it's important to catch them.

The minigames in Skyward Sword are a little different. One is a minesweeper clone, one has you go on an insect hunt, and another has you doing precision skydiving. There are plenty of minigames to do to pass time if you ever get bored.

The most apparent gameplay aspect (besides the new swordplay mechanics) is the world design. While there's still a line drawn between overworld and dungeon, it's become blurred. Environments in Skyward Sword are filled with obstacles and hazards, so it feels like you're traversing a dungeon sometimes. This aspect is wonderful, because it keeps the game feeling fresh, even if you've traversed a specific section a few times. Later on, you'll find traveling become a little faster thanks to the new items in your arsenal. It feels almost like I'm playing Metroid sometimes. This is an aspect of the game that I hope makes its way to future games in the series. May we never see another empty Hyrule Field!

Story

According to Nintendo, Skyward Sword takes place before Ocarina of Time. Some timeline theories place The Minish Cap at the beginning of the storyline, so it's unknown if Skyward Sword is before it, but there's a good chance that it is. Skyward Sword tells the story of a goddess who lifts an island into the sky to keep the Triforce out of evil hands and a young man who becomes a hero. Without spoiling it, all I can say is that it lays the groundwork for the entire storyline and answers a few questions that were left unanswered by past games. Like most Zeldas, Skyward Sword's storyline is mostly self-contained, so no prior knowledge of Zelda is necessary in order to enjoy this game's plot. There are themes and references that are best enjoyed by veterans, but ignorance of them doesn't detract from the experience.

Final Verdict

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is the best example of Wii technology to date. With it's creative puzzles, charming character design, and superior swordplay mechanics, I don't see myself playing 3-D Zelda any differently from now on. Nintendo has delivered on their promise of a revolution with Skyward Sword. It is a prime example of motion controls being used for something that is deep and engaging without being exhausting or awkward. As a Zelda game, it fills in some of the gaps in the story and clarifies how things came to be. I can't express how important it is that Wii owners and any serious gamer play this game. It represents the goal that the Wii set out to achieve and sets the bar for a new level of interactive entertainment. Skyward Sword will be relevant and remembered for many years to come, much like Ocarina of Time was.

Metadata

Platform: Wii
Release Date (US): 2011-11-20
Genre: Action/Adventure
Developer: Nintendo EAD
Publisher: Nintendo
ESRB Rating: E for Everyone

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks Review

2010-01-17T05:42:14-08:00

As the fifteenth entry in the Legend of Zelda series, Spirit Tracks has rather large boots to fill. With each iteration, gamers expect a grander, more immersive and innovative experience as they plod across Hyrule or another interesting world. For those of you who played through Phantom Hourglass, you will find that Spirit Tracks feels a lot like it in play control, but is nothing like it in overall feel. Even if you didn't like Phantom Hourglass, Spirit Tracks may have the right combination of elements to please you. Regardless, it's Zelda. And that means it's worth purchasing.

Graphics

The visuals in Spirit Tracks borrow heavily from the style that Phantom Hourglass established. This shouldn't be surprising, as it's running a marginally upgraded version of the same engine. As far as 3-D games on the DS go, Spirit Tracks is quite large. There are some places where the texture work is blocky due to the limitations in the DS's processing ability. Most models on the overworld are simplified to improve the DS's draw distance, and many repetitive objects (such as trees) are sprites that look the same from any angle. In what I like to call "action areas", the graphics look and feel much more like Zelda. It's clear that more effort was put into the action areas, where it belongs. All things considered, it looks pretty good for the DS. Despite that, any DS fan will tell you that the 3-D on the DS is not spectacular, so don't go into Spirit Tracks expecting high quality visuals. They're simplistic and — in some places — crude, but they get the job done with what little 3-D processing the DS has. My only complaint is that the game could have looked better if they had stuck to regular two-tone cel-shading. Instead, they used 3 to 4 layers of shading, and that really cut into the processing budget for the game. Nitpicking aside, the graphics fit the theme of the game, and that's what's most important.

Music

Sound is one of the more important aspects of a video game in my opinion. Spirit Tracks has a simple and memorable soundtrack, with an emphasis on woodwinds, slap drums, guitar, and violin. The result is interesting, and is the first of its kind in the Zelda series. The game has a strong acoustic feel that no other Zelda has, with its lighthearted but bittersweet title theme, adventurous and catchy overworld music, and Byrne's mysterious, string-heavy theme. While not quite as solid a soundtrack as Majora's Mask or The Wind Waker, Spirit Tracks manages to separate itself from other Zeldas and forge its own identity. I think it's a great musical direction and look forward to more music like it from future Zelda games.

Difficulty

One of the problems plaguing most games today is a lack of difficulty. Unlike its predecessor, Spirit Tracks manages to keep a steady difficulty, occasionally upping the ante when it comes time to push the veterans, such as the Defeat-Them-All Challenge in Hyrule Castle Town, which is like a boss rush mode. I still haven't managed to beat it without using potions. The puzzles in this game were crafted by the programmers instead of the level designers, so they often force players to think in ways that they normally wouldn't, which I think is the point of solving puzzles. I won't give anything away, but when I solved some of the harder puzzles, I felt quite dumb. It's puzzles like those that are the most rewarding and help your creative thinking. Nintendo should let the programmers design puzzles from now on, to keep challenging gamers to think in unconventional ways. Overall, the difficulty is pretty good for the veteran, and somewhat difficult for the newcomer. The game places plenty of hints about for puzzles, but also leaves certain puzzles completely unlabeled, so both levels of gamer should be able to get something out of the game.

Gameplay

What can I say? The game plays in a very straightforward way. While on the overworld, you get speed and direction controls, and the camera is manipulated by touching the screen and moving the stylus in your desired direction, just like in Phantom Hourglass. Tapping an object will fire a bomb at it (provided you have the cannon). Most of the controls in Spirit Tracks are just like Phantom Hourglass. A few things were changed for the better: firstly, rolling is performed simply by double-tapping in the desired direction. I think that was a good fix, since moving the stylus in a small circle to roll in Phantom Hourglass was somewhat tiresome and didn't always work. Double-tapping makes more sense and is easier to execute. Another fix I noticed is performing a spin attack. It's rather responsive this time around, so if you find yourself in a pinch don't hesitate to draw a large or even a small circle around Link. Aside from these fixes, it's standard Zelda fare; you explore towns and areas in the wilderness, open up a temple, defeat the boss, and restore some of the Spirit Tracks so you can access more of the world. Due to the changes in difficulty and setting, Spirit Tracks offers more interesting gameplay than Phantom Hourglass.

There's plenty to do while you're out exploring caves and dungeons, too. When you're riding across Hyrule in your train, you'll come across rabbits hanging out on top of boulders. Once you get to a certain point in the game, you'll be able to capture these little guys and bring them to a sort of bunny ranch, where the owner will reward your efforts at catching them. Also present are stamp stations hidden throughout Hyrule, challenging cavalier explorers to get them all. As if this wasn't enough, you can also carry passengers and cargo on your train once you get the passenger and freight cars. When you're on these quests, you have to be careful and pay attention to what's going on. If you don't drive your train properly by following the signs, your passenger will get angry, and if you let enemies hit your train you'll lose some of your cargo. It's a refreshing challenge compared to the so-so sailing that was present in Phantom Hourglass. The train is a bit slower in the long run, but much more interesting.

Items are another part of Zelda that form the backbone. Without interesting and innovative items, Zelda tends to fall flat. Thankfully, Spirit Tracks brings a few new items to the table. The first is the Whirlwind, which acts similarly to the Gust Jar from Minish Cap. It creates a gust of wind that can move enemies and items a short distance. Another is the Snake Whip, which can snatch certain items and allows Link to swing across chasms. There's one other interesting item, but I don't want to spoil the surprise.

The final piece of innovation in Spirit Tracks is the introduction of Zelda as Link's helper character. It's amazing how it took 24 years for Nintendo to bring us the duo working together to save the world instead of Link always saving her. Giving Zelda a more proactive role better establishes her character and attitude, being Tetra's descendant. Games could do with more sass in their female characters instead of the typical damsel in distress or barely-dressed harlot. Bravo, Nintendo, for better representing the fairer sex. I look forward to seeing more of Zelda and Link working together.

Final Verdict

Spirit Tracks is probably one of the last good games that will hit the DS before a successor comes along. The DS has had somewhat of a drought of good games in the past 6 months; the only other noteworthy games in recent memory being Bowser's Inside Story, Phantasy Star Zero, and Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days. This is one of the games that any adventure game lover should have. If you enjoyed Phantom Hourglass, you'll love this game. If you thought Phantom Hourglass was so-so and a bit tedious, borrow it from a friend and see if you like the changes. I'm confident you'll find something to like about the game, even if you're not a big fan.

Metadata

Platform(s): Nintendo DS
Release date (US): 2009-12-07
Genre: Action, Adventure
Developer(s): Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
ESRB Rating: E for Everyone

Why Zelda is not an RPG

2009-10-28T08:41:21-07:00

Over the past 15 years or so, the gaming industry has seen the decline of platforming games and the rise of RPGs and FPS games. Some gamers who grew up during this rise of the RPG genre began to identify themselves as "role playing gamers" as a quick way of summing up their taste in video games. This has sadly led to many people tacking the RPG genre onto any game that vaguely resembles an RPG. Such victims include Metroid, Castlevania, and -- you guessed it -- the Legend of Zelda series.

I've been the audience and a performer in many arguments regarding the attribution of role-playing to non-RPGs. Specifically with the Zelda games. Before anyone fires away at me and mentions Zelda II: The Adventure of Link: yes, I am aware that Zelda 2 is indeed an RPG. It's a pretty good one if you like challenge and action, too. With that out of the way, let's begin with a logical starting point: the definition of RPG...

You call that an RPG? Where are the pencils and paper?

Ah, yes. Anyone who grew up in the 70s probably recalls Dungeons and Dragons, one of the first true RPGs; and it took the definition literally. You created a character and fleshed out their backstory, personality, class, and statistics. Then you proceeded to go on quests with your fellow tabletop gamers with one goal in mind: play the role of your character as well as you could and avoid death. Purists will tell you that every video game that's dubbed an RPG is a misnomer. To a degree, they're right! Tabletop style RPGs were the first, so logically they created the definition.

However, language has a way of evolving. As the popularity of tabletop RPGs waned in favor of video games, so too did the definition of RPG. In video game form, RPGs lost the connection between player and character. The statistics systems translated very well, however, and hundreds of different systems, now dubbed "battle systems", came into the picture. They became the "hook" that got you into an RPG and kept you there. The storylines, while not very dynamic, also served as a means to keep the player interested.

Today, the RPG genre has branched out into many different styles. Strategy RPG, Japanese-styled RPG, Western RPG, MMORPG, and Action RPG are the primary styles. All of them offer wildly different types of gameplay, but have some core traits in common that set them apart from other genres.

A quick note before I begin: if we take "role playing" too literally, we find ourselves labeling everything an RPG. I've heard people argue the case "In Halo, you're playing the role of Master Chief so it has to be an RPG!" Let's not stoop to such ignorance.

Enough of the history lesson, pops...

Genres, as a general rule, exist to categorize things. In movies we see drama, comedy, action, chick-flick, "indie"-style, etc. In music we see rap, hip-hop, country, metal, classical, chiptune, and myriad other labels. So naturally, we will see a natural division of video game types: a few of the big-players include Action, Adventure, Shooter, Fighting, RPG, Simulation, Puzzle, and Sports. Just like with genres in other media, there is further categorization, as witnessed a few paragraphs ago with RPGs. Among all of this separation, however, is the intrinsic knowledge that everything is similar and grouped together (how Taoist of me :P). What this means with our definition of RPG is that we need to make a set of criteria that sets RPGs apart from other genres while still including a wide variety of games that are considered RPGs such as Fire Emblem, Final Fantasy, Elder Scrolls, Kingdom Hearts, World of Warcraft, etc.

Okay, what makes an RPG?

I managed to sum it up in one sentence: RPGs are games that have a (very) strong focus on visible, buildable statistics, and use battle as the primary means of stat building. Think about it for a moment and you'll agree. Take your favorite RPG and analyze the way it plays. Are there levels? Skills? Are there ratings on your skill mastery? How do you become stronger? Can you see the stats? Which has more influence over beating the enemy; stats or player skill? Do you control more than one character? The list of questions could go on for quite a while... The more you end up answering "yes" or "stats", the closer the game is to an RPG.

So what about Zelda?

I'll sum this up with a list of answers to typical questions you might ask yourself about Zelda's status as an RPG:

There are no (visible) stats; everything is represented as ammo, hearts, and a magic meter.
There are no experience points; fighting more monsters does not make you stronger.
There are skills (in some of them), but they do not improve with use.
The games can be beaten without upgrading anything; player skill trumps raw numbers (hearts, ammo, etc)
You only control one character at a time.
Status improvements (such as the Blue and Red Rings, Iron Boots, etc) are acquired through storyline, puzzles, or quests instead of battle.
There are no random equipment drops (only hearts, rupees, ammo, and in later installments, bottle-ables).

Given these 7 answers to common questions, we can safely say that while the Zelda games do have a few features commonly attributed to RPGs (NPC interaction, quests, a fantasy setting), it does not fit into the definition because its gameplay is too different. Zelda is an Action/Adventure game series, while Zelda 2 is Action/RPG.