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