Review: Skyward Sword is an Unprecedented Masterpiece

A video game digression:

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is the reason the Wii exists.  When Nintendo revealed its motion-controlled console all those years ago, out of the skepticism and blatant anger emerged a camp of gamers excited about the possibilities of motion controls being implemented in hardcore games.  Some of the applications were obvious, such as the aiming capabilities for first-person shooters.  Others, less so: how would Mario benefit from wiggle action?  One thing was certain though: swinging a Wii remote could make sword (or lightsaber) action more exciting than ever before in the gaming realm.

The Wii released alongside a port of Twilight Princess, the darker Gamecube entry, and the controls certainly suited the series, but lacked the fidelity that was the stuff of (wet) dreams for nerds everywhere.  Flicking the remote caused Link to swing his sword through a set animation, meaning the motion had simply replaced pressing a button.  Meaning it barely made for a deeper, better experience (some would argue it didn’t).

Fast-forward to Wii MotionPlus, the add-on turned built-in sensor that creates 1:1 motion between the Wii remote and the action unfolding onscreen.  At long last, the sort of action gamers wanted from Nintendo’s lagging console was possible.  The problem was the timing: Wii MotionPlus arrived shortly before the Wii shifted gears from motion-heavy minigame collections and such to a showcase for the best modern sidescrolling action to be found.  Minor waggle support found its way into games like New Super Mario Bros. and Donkey Kong Country Returns, but there was no need for enhanced motion tracking – thus, most of Nintendo’s first-party releases didn’t even require MotionPlus to play.

That has all changed with Skyward Sword.  Better late than never, some may sarcastically quip, but I would echo the sentiment earnestly.  Were Skyward Sword the only game in the Wii’s library, I would still consider the console a must-buy.  Games this good come around once every, oh, thirteen years or so.  With Skyward Sword, Nintendo has both created another solid entry of its most-respected series that fits into the franchise’s existing framework, and taken Zelda in bold new directions that hint at a more varied, exciting future.

Much of the freshness and excitement in Skyward Sword stem from the exquisite Wii MotionPlus controls.  It just feels right for Link to swing his sword as you swing the remote, and I often found myself positioning my sword in “cool” positions as I ran around the overworld, just because I could.  In numerous set-piece and circumstantial moments, as well as while doing simple exploration, combat, and puzzle-solving, Skyward Sword makes Link the heroic badass fans have always known he is, even if he hasn’t always appeared as such.

Each aspect of gameplay benefits mightily from the controls.  Zelda radically shaped 3-D combat with the introduction of Z-targeting in Ocarina of Time, but Skyward Sword takes combat to much deeper, more satisfying level.  Every enemy, from the common Bokoblin grunts to interesting new takes on familiar foes like Lizalfos and Octoroks, requires strategy and timing to defeat.  Rushing into battle swinging your sword wildly will rarely yield desirable results, as most enemies have defensive capabilities and quick counters.  Every encounter is exciting and defeat satisfying.  I found myself getting excited when certain enemies appeared because of the fun strategies they required.

The fine swordplay is carried over in the game’s boss fights, too, which rank among the series’ best.  While (most of) the dungeon bosses still require the use of your newest found item, there is also a consistent emphasis on carefully placed sword strikes, with many of the game’s most intense encounters focusing solely on the swordplay.  This focus leads to many boss encounters with a slower, more calculated pace than players may be used to, but also makes victory that much sweeter.

Aside from their uses in boss fights, Link’s arsenal of weapons and tools are used much more regularly and creatively than ever before.  Series mainstays like bombs and the bow benefit from the motion controls (bombs can be rolled, placed, thrown, or carried by Link’s flying Beetle item), while new items like the whip add new terms to the vocabularies involved with exploring and puzzle-solving.

Though it’s easy (and, critically speaking, somewhat necessary) to differentiate between exploration, puzzles, and combat, Skyward Sword rarely separates things so neatly.  The game’s overworld is more sectioned and concentrated, meaning every area has the balance of gameplay elements that is usually reserved for dungeons.  There’s a fluidity to the flow of gameplay that is Zelda nirvana – the closest comparison to running through Hyrule Field of sailing the ocean is flying on Link’s Loftwing through the skies, but flying is a more engaging exercise than other modes of transport.  Skyward Sword is many things, but perhaps the best quality it possesses is that it is never boring.

This comes despite a seeming dearth of areas to explore.  Apart from the various islands floating in the sky (many of which exist solely to house Goddess Cube chests), the overworld consists of three distinct regions: Faron Woods, Eldin Volcano, and Lanayru Desert.  Though there are only three main areas to explore, each contains a multitude of locations, especially Lanayru Desert, which evolves and changes thanks to a clever time-shifting element that leads to some surprising and memorable sequences.  The game requires back-tracking as you revisit these areas throughout the game, but the drastically different circumstances make them feel new each time, whether it’s because you’re returning without your gear or to find an area flooded.

While there’s plenty of innovation in the gameplay thanks to the motion controls, this is still trademark Zelda.  You still progress through the dungeon until you find an item that helps you make it to the final boss, against whom you use said item.  Then there’s a heart container for the grabbing and some sort of additional scene of progression.  Some might complain that, despite all the new ideas at work, Skyward Sword is still playing it too safe by sticking to a tried-and-true formula.  To these people, I offer a sigh and an exaggerated roll of the eyes.  The Zelda formula is the best in all of gaming, and with each iteration, it finds a new balance of the familiar and the fresh, meaning each entry feels like its own adventure while also remaining firmly rooted in the franchise.  Skyward Sword deviates from the norm more than any other entry in the series, but it still constantly captures the magic that makes Zelda the beloved franchise it is.

What might not be expected is how so much of that magic emerges from the narrative.  Zelda games usually have an interesting conceit, a hook to pull you in, but there’s rarely any sort of hefty narrative that carries through the game.  Zelda is largely a series of memorable moments, such as finding Hyrule Castle suspended underwater in Wind Waker or facing off with Skull Kid atop the Clock Tower in Majora’s Mask. 

Skyward Sword, more than any Zelda game before, is concerned with creating a compelling narrative and characters you can connect with.  Link is still a silent protagonist in a vibrant world, and the characters that populate it are memorable and more fleshed-out than is typical for the series.  All the characters have names and distinct personalities (some of which change at night to humorous effect), and the various fetch-quests they send you on give you a good feel for who they are and what life is like in Skyloft.

Of course, most of the characterization is left for Link and Zelda, along with the delightfully, disturbingly androgynous Ghirahim, Skyward Sword’s main villain.  Link and Zelda’s relationship is fleshed out through a lifelong friendship and (subtle) romance, and as the game progresses, there are some stunning turns that both fit the mythology and give these familiar characters a more human face.  Perhaps more surprising is the relationship Link develops with his sword and Fi, the spirit who inhabits it and serves as his guide throughout his quest.  The game’s beautiful, stunning final moments revolve not around spectacular action, but around the relationships that are at the core of this story, and consequently, the Zelda franchise as a whole.  Playing through previous entries, I’ll likely find myself carrying the emotional baggage Skyward Sword lends the mythology.

I’ve been a Zelda fan since I first played Ocarina of Time thirteen years ago.  Every new entry has been a cause of celebration, with Link’s adventures representing the best hours I’ve spent with a controller in my hands.  How fitting that Skyward Sword marks the series’ 25^th anniversary.  While paying homage to the past by cleverly referencing nearly every other game in the series, it also represents a bold departure from what we’ve come to expect from a Zelda game.  If the Wii’s gorgeous, water-colored, fully-orchestrated swan song is any indication, the future is bright.  I can’t wait to save the world again.