Well, it's been quite a long time since I have played a Zelda game start to finish as quickly as this one but I finished about 3 weeks ago and after playing halfway through the game I'm hero mode I feel like I need to talk about the latest installment as in depth as I can. From bosses to puzzles I'm going to try and be as in depth as possible so let's get started.
I'm going to have this review in sections so let's start with design because I find that very important in a Zelda game. In comparison to twilight Princess this game is very cartoony. Not so much so that I'd group it with Wind Waker but it definitely has some pretty defined and bright colors throughout which lends itself well to the environment and even more so the characters in the game. Whether it was the red hues of Link's crimson lofting or the baby blue sky it flew around in I really enjoyed the colors throughout the game. However, when some of the characters did present themselves in the game I really didn't like them at all. For instance, the first area in the game besides Skyloft in the game is a foresty area(shocker) inhabited by plant like creatures(even bigger surprise). These creatures just seemed like a cheap replacement for deku shrubs and I didn't enjoy them or their personalities at all. This holds true for the Mogma's in the volcano area and especially the octopus looking creatures in the water are. I did like the robots in the desert area but one out of four is nothing to brag about. This is a big deal to me and I'm sure many other fans because Zelda is about immersing yourself in this foreign world and it's hard to do that when you hate the cultures and creatures that inhabit it. I guess I just felt like these new creatures were poor replacements for established species from previous games like the Zora, Gerudos and my personal favorite the Gorons)which do make appearances throughout the game thank god). I do respect the fact that they were trying something new though and I'm sure with time I'll grow more fond of the new characters. To end the style section I just want to comment on the environment and say while it may not be quite as expansive or open sometimes as other titles the land and dungeons and hometown definitely have a lot of personality. Overall, I was pleased with the design it was just some character models didn't hold up to what I'd have hoped from a Zelda game.
Next, we'll talk about combat/enemies. The big draw to Skyward Sword was the motion control and it's new accuracy with an added wii motion plus. I'm happy to report that the combat does indeed deliver on multiple levels. It's fluid and really I'm sur what Nintendo was hoping Twilight Princess could have been action-wise. It does still come with some flaws though. Some enemies took some figuring out to kill and some you could just swing tge remote until the enemy was dead on the ground(bokoblins, chuchus and bats. Tge complaint is the enemies were way too easy sometimes. I realize there needs to be some easy guys but they showed up far too often. This brings me to the design of the enemies. Well I did mention the game was colorful and that's great but I think they went for this colorful look so much that some of the enemies came off very... Non threatening to put it simply. I just didn't feel like most of the enemies were threats by looking at them and appearance is everything sometimes. I felt where Ocarina of Yime and Twilight Princess did great with their enemy selection and how creepy or tough they looked Skyward Sword drops the ball. This even can be said about dungeon bosses which brings us to one of my biggest complaints about the game. The bosses in this game sucked. They're not scary, they're not tough and quite frankly I hated the ease I felt with almost every single boss fight thrown at Link. This is a HUGE part of Zelda games and I really feel this to be one of the most lacking games in the series. They look childish and they go down WAY to easy. I only really enjoyed four of the bosses in the game (two of those being right at the end of the game and I hated 7 of the boss fights, that's a horrible ratio for a Zelda game. Overall, I did enjoy the new fighting and the wii motion plus I just hated the ease of the enemies and the bosses in general.
This next section is the weapons and items in the game. Nothing really special to report here really. You get the slingshot, bow and bombs along with some other Zelda familiars, but there was only two new additions to a non handheld Zelda which were the Whip and the Gust Bellows, which is a gourd that Link can open up to release a gust of air. You can upgrade most of the weapons but it wasn't necessary to which was nice. I did like the two new items but they didn't do much for combat like items in previous Zelda's. As a matter of fact only the sword and bombs could be used for combat which bummed me out because I'm used to previous Zeldas where a good portion of your arsenal wasn't just used to solve puzzles. And so we shall talk about puzzles.
I've been seeing on forums all over that the puzzles in this game were challenging, but I just didn't see it. Most of the time when I couldn't solve a puzzle it was because I missed a door or a small aspect in a room not because the puzzle itself was truly hard. It almost seemed as if just moving forward in an area was always the key to solving a puzzle and when a room was solved you never had to go back like how you did in the water temple in twilight princess or other instances of the sort. This almost made the puzzle diving too easy because once I left a room I knew I probably wouldn't need to go back to solve later puzzles in the dungeon. They did however bring in some very cool puzzle solving mechanics such as being able to make a small portion of land go back in time in the Lanayru Desert. With that said I did like the puzzles I just think they could've been a little more on the difficult side later on in the game.
This brings us to music. Well there's not much to say in this section as always Zelda delivers a lot of strong pieces of music and I have to say I loved every second of the game from the familiar 'in a house' music to the new music from area to area. In this game Link used a harp which was upsetting at times and played nowhere near as big of a role as the Ocarina or the conductors wand in Wind Waker but overall the music was phenomenal.
Next is the storyline. Oh boy! Okay, here we go this is quite possibly the most important part of a Zelda experience and could be a make or break for any fan. The story revolves mainly around the forging of the master sword, but you ask is it good or not? Drumrole please... Skyward Sword has a lot of really strong characteristics, but I have to say the storyline was easily the strongest of them all. From beginning to end, from a love interest with Zelda to a demon lord named Demise hell bent on world domination(this guy used the word subjugate in the end game speech to link so you know he means serious business)this game had me playing for 13 hours straight on almost story alone. The combat and music was a nice plus though. The twist at the end where Ghirahim ended up being Demise's sword was a great twist and the side story of Groose and the end where Zelda and Link choose to live on the surface setting up all other games was spot on. I don't want to go on too much about this and ramble but if you play Zelda for the story or just like a good story in general you need to get this game because while it does become simplified at times the end sets up the rest of the franchise so perfectly! This is so much more than just the forging of the master sword it's the birthplace of all evil and good in the Zelda universe.
To end this review I just want to talk about some specific things that I either really like or disliked about the game. To begin I absolutely hated Ghirahim as a character. He almost reminded me of David Bowie in Labyrinth with those tights and the way he danced. Everything about this guy from fighting him three times, two as a freaking temple boss, to talking with him at random parts of the story was a complete drag. I know he's a bad guy so I'm supposed to hate him but I really think I just hated him for being they way he was, not what he stood for in the game. The imprisoned is another boss that you fight at three separate occasions in the game and he was a huge disappoint too. He looked like something out of "where the wild things are" and he was just plain boring to fight. Fi is the sidekick that guides Link through the game and lives in the master sword so you think she'd be somewhat likable but no, she doesn't have one shred of personality and she breaks things such as boss fights and the location of Zelda into cold, hard percentages. Some people called Navi or Midna annoying from previous games but at least being with them doesnt make me feel like I have a calculator talking to me at all times. Oh, and her voice is auto tuned... Worst. thing. ever. Demise the end boss is an embodiment of the term epic and the final fight fight in the game delivers on all different kinds of levels I didn't think a Zelda game was capable of delivering on. The fight is a step up in difficulty in comparison to the rest of the bosses and it's extremely rewarding throughout. He does remind me of ONI Akuma from Street Fighter 4 Arcade Edition but that doesn't take away from the amazing feeling you get from beating him at the end of the game. Impa's role in this game is awesome and the plot twist at the end while predictable is satisfying nonetheless. Hero mode is fun but really not that much harder as I haven't even died once and I'm midway through the game. Overall, this game while it might not be my absolute favorite in the franchise is a great addition to an already excellent legacy. I strongly suggest this to every Zelda fan and anyone interested in a good action adventure/ puzzle game. Best wii game of the year and of all time no question. This game gets a 9 out of 10.
