So, the supposed "This will be the best Zelda game ever or else I'm retiring" title has been released about three months ago, and everyone that had it at launch has surely beaten it by now. So, I've seen a lot of people talking about all the awesome things, like the orchestration, the epic story, bosses like Koloktos and Tentalus, flying, and the like. But, these are just a few of the other, less-mentioned things that I think really worked in Skyward Sword... oh, and one of those that really didn't. Just because!
Doing it Right #1 - Zelda
So, a big part of the plot in this game is the actual assumed-romantic relationship between Zelda and Link. And while it's not exactly helping in the sexism department with her being captured and shit (none of this "emancipated woman" that we got with pre-Tower of the Gods Tetra in Wind Waker, for example), there is one thing that helps the advancement of the GAME: she is completely devoted to the you, the player. It's almost unrealistic how much she fawns over you in some of the cutscenes, but this gives the player more motivation once she's lost. It creates a drive, having someone so dependent on you, and you actually feel like you're accomplishing something when you set out to rescue her. You feel like, you NEED to win, not just that you WANT to win. So while Zelda of Skyloft loses out to Tetra in the personality and independence department, she wins in the plot device department. At every point, you feel like what you're doing isn't for yourself as a player and your own satisfaction, but for Zelda, and for yourself as a character (in terms of finding Zelda and winning her affection and your happy ending).
Doing it Right #2 - Athletics
I've somehow heard people complain about NOT being a fan of the stamina meter, but I think it's probably the best addition to the game. It completely changes the way the game is played, and the Silent Realms show this off perfectly. Running up walls, dashing up cliffs, creative climbing, and stamina conservation add a whole new layer of thinking, strategy, and puzzle opportunities into the game. This is directly related to...
Doing it Right #2.5 - "First Person" Mode
This, combined with the stamina and dashing abilities found above, are what really takes the game from a "game" and makes it into an "adventure," completely immersing the player. Any item that puts the viewer into a first person or over-the-shoulder third person view, in previous Zelda games, would immobilize the player (such as the bow) (possibly not in Wii Twilight Princess, I only played the GC version). Now, Link can move around in a traditional FPS fashion with the Bow, Clawshot, Scattershot, or any such weapon. When you combine these two changes in movement, you feel like you finally have total freedom and control over your character. There are no more stupid restrictions that wouldn't actually work in real life, as you can climb obstacles of ludicrous height, dodge obstacles like a champ, and keep yourself mobile while sniping guys from the other side of the area. This extra motion, not the motion controls, fully immerses the player, as you feel like you're doing what you would ACTUALLY be doing in real life.
Doing it Right #3 - Use of Space
Hey, game designers! You want to make awesome levels? Or have an open area, and want to make every last inch count? Study this game to death, then. I always tell people who are new to games "if it's there, it's there for a reason," usually in regards to puzzles when they can't figure out what to do in a room. And Skyward Sword pulls this off perfectly. There isn't a single extra item, extra area, extra piece of land, EVERYTHING has a function. You could be in a dungeon, and find a path that you think might have bonus content... nope, this part is required to beat the game. Everything is required to beat the game.
Take, for example, Eldin province, in the area that will likely be known later in the chronology as Death Mountain. You explore this mountain four different times: first when you climb to the Earth Temple, then Din's Silent Realm, then the escort mission with Scrapper (one of the ONLY escort missions in ANY game ever that I actually enjoyed... I might need professional help XD), and finally the sneaking mission where you lose all your gear during the Song of the Hero quest. And every useless nook and cranny, every random rock, EVERYTHING is used... never all in one of those quests, but between the four of them. It almost feels as if you're playing on four different maps, since each time, you COULD have gone in that direction, but there wasn't a reason. Suddenly, there's something over there. It keeps things fresh, and you never get bored of the maps, because the maps are used in ingenious ways each time you re-visit them.
In my opinion, in terms of game design, those three things are the strongest part of Skyward Sword. Of course, there are lots of amazing things, like how natural the controls feel, the Skipper's boat in Lanayru Sand Sea, the lovely orchestrated soundtrack, the third Ghirahim fight, the Koloktos fight, the Earth Temple, the Last Crusade-esque leap of faith in the Fire Sanctuary, etc. But, for the one (in my opinion) WORST thing about the game, since every game has its flaws. I would call it Fi's Navi-itis during the first hour, but Fi redeems herself in the game's epilogue. Here it is...
Doing it WRONG #1 - Goddess Cubes
Full stop. This is, without a doubt, the single WORST aspect of this game, end of discussion. Why, you ask? Let me tell you:
In The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, there are forty-nine islands/archipelagos to explore, and once the player gets to a certain point in the game where King of Red Lions stops being a douche and telling you to stay on track, the player can explore ALL of the islands at his or her leisure. This is the highlight of the game, as there's just so much... STUFF to do. And get. And buy. And trade. And explore. And kill. And win. And so on.
Skyward Sword ruined that by introducing Goddess Cubes. Basically, you find this cube on the Surface, hit it with a Skyward Strike, and it unlocks a chest in the sky, which becomes visible on your map. Seems innocent... right? WRONG.
Goddess Cubes discourage exploration. Sure, they promote exploring the surface. But once a player realizes that all of the smaller islands in the sky have nothing for them until it's marked on your map, said player will stop trying to find new islands until the plot demands it. There is no reason to explore the sky, and it becomes nothing more than a hub, when it COULD have been so much more by sticking with the old trusted-and-true "hide chests by requiring the player to use certain items" method. In fact, the game could have DOUBLED the amount of hidden treasures if it had kept the chests in the sky, and replaced Goddess Cubes by more chests. Even by introducing something like coloured keys that open all chests in the sky of a certain colour, and then not marking your map, this would have kept the player's desire to explore intact.
So, now the ultimate question...
IS Skyward Sword better than A Link to the Past/Ocarina of Time?
You're going to hate my answer, it's sneaky. These games all deserve to be pedistalized (that is a word now because I said so), as the Triforce of the series' best. Now, I personally consider Wind Waker and Majora's Mask to be among my favourite games ever, but I also consider them to be less-superior games that I just happen to like more (calling a Zelda game "inferior" felt blasphemous). In terms of games, the top three operate so differently that it's hard to give a champion. A Link to the Past feels organic, open-ended, and alive, and the puzzles are smart and challenging. Ocarina of Time overflows with perfection, and the dungeons and bosses (especially the final escape from Ganon's Tower) are the most memorable in the series. And Skyward Sword draws the player in so much that you forget you're a separate being, one of the few games where after I beat it, I sat back and thought "I'm not done yet, there's still so much more STUFF I want to do in this world!" These three games complete the The Legend of Zelda Triforce, and show why it reigns supreme in the world of video games today.
Also, this is the single best song in the game and probably a good chunk of why I wanted to rescue her so bady:
Recording Thursday! :D Expect stories!
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