The Peaks and Valleys of the Most Divisive Zelda Game
It is time to give Skyward Sword another chance
The Legend of Zelda series is like pizza: The best ones are amazing one-of-a-kind experiences, and the worst ones are still pretty dang good. With the release of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD for the Nintendo Switch, I had the chance to return to a game that had left me with only unkind memories. To my surprise, I left it with a great appreciation for what it does successfully and with a heavy awareness of how it falls flat. Coming away from the experience, I look back on it recognizing how much Zelda magic there is to see (if you can get past some tedium and pacing issues).
First Boss: The Controls
Initially released for the Nintendo Wii, Skyward Sword's primary gimmick focused on 1 to 1 motion controls. The Wii Remote mimics your movements and translates them to Link’s movements of his sword. Sounds great in theory, but the rudimentary hardware of the Wii Remote made it into a recalibration simulator. The misinterpretation of inputs made combat frustrating while making basic navigation and item use tiresome.
With this rerelease, they have provided two control options: Motion controls by holding a Joy-Con in each hand or traditional controls using a controller. During my playthrough, I frequently switched back and forth to see how the controls performed in different circumstances. I found that I vastly prefer the more traditional controller type. The need to recalibrate constantly is gone with the Joy-Cons making it already better than the original Wii version. However, the misinterpretation of your directional sword swings is still prevalent. Swimming, Flying, and Item usage are also controlled by moving the Joy-Cons, making some exhausting and repetitive gameplay worse.
Contrasting that, the traditional controls move all sword motions to the right stick. Simply flick the right stick in the direction you want to swing the Sword and use the left stick to move when flying and swimming instead of tilting the Joy-Con in the direction you want to go. These controls make it play closer to other Zelda games and allows you to have more accurate controls intense moments when accuracy is needed the most. The most significant benefit is not thinking about the controls and allowing yourself to be more immersed in the gameplay. No matter what control scheme you pick, you will have a less frustrating time with this version of the game compared to the original release.
A Classic Tale Through a New Lens
The overarching story follows the classic Zelda tale: The world is under threat from the forces of darkness and our green-clad hero must overcome various trials and tribulations to become strong enough to rescue Zelda and defeat the evil threatening the world. The way the story of this game differs from that formula is what makes it unique. For me, it was the characters and their relationships that stood above other Zelda games. In Skyward Sword, Zelda is not just some princess you barely know that you have to rescue. Zelda is your childhood friend and clearly cares about you, so when she is inevitably taken from your sky-bound home of Skyloft to the surface, there is a determined motivation to rescue her and make sure your home stays safe.
Skyloft, which serves as the hub for your adventures where you shop and prepare for what awaits, is filled with colorful characters. From Zelda's doting father, colorful shopkeepers who struggle to sleep due to their newborn, to a classmate who wants to do many pushups, Skyloft is filled with people who have problems and want their friendly neighborhood hero to help. You can tell that all of these people have lived with Link their entire lives and treat him as such, which is endearing and gives feelings of helping out around your home.
The character that deserves the biggest shoutout is the oafish Groose. The classic bully surrounded by cronies starts the story as an antagonist towards your relationship with Zelda, clearly jealous of what you share. He spares no expense to put you down and sabotage you at the start of the adventure. As the story goes on and you start to resemble more and more the hero of legend, Groose does the unthinkable and begins to develop and grow as a person. Learning the errors of his past activities, he later becomes a stand-out for character development across the entire Legend of Zelda series. The humor and introspection that comes from his character make him an unexpected highlight in this game.
For enthusiasts, this game is also the first game chronologically in the convoluted Zelda timeline. That means that many concepts and themes of past Zelda games get origin stories in this game which I found extremely interesting as a long-time fan. From the origins of Hylia to the beginnings of the Master sword and Triforce, these revelations are essential for series lovers. Experiencing them firsthand is a huge reason to give this game a second chance with this Switch version.
Padding and Pacing
Skyward Sword is a divisive game in the series for many reasons, but I think the primary issue with the game is its insistence on using only three main areas for its entirety. You have a forest zone, a volcano zone, and a desert zone, that's it. You access these areas from the sky, which serves as your hub zone. This leads to a feeling of the different regions being disconnected from each other and like you are just choosing a level on a menu. One of the best parts of a Zelda game is exploring a big interconnected world, which this fails to accomplish.
With only three significant zones for you to explore, you will be returning to each of them numerous times. They will make some changes each time you return, but they are rarely significant. More than likely, it requires a tedious task upon return that breaks up the fun parts of the game. An example is after acquiring Master Sword, I felt powerful and wanted to use it. Instead, the game has you do a return to the Forest Zone for the third time, but this time, the whole map is flooded. It is revealed that there are 74 musical notes spread around the water that you have to find. So instead of using your newly acquired all-powerful Sword of prophecy to banish evil, you are spending 45 minutes dealing with finicky swimming controls to acquire these musical notes. It brings the story to a halt and ruins the pacing while padding out the game with a tiresome task.
This isn't the only example of returning to a zone just to collect a bunch of items with which to progress the story. You have to do that at least once in every location, and there were numerous times where I did not want to do what the game wanted me to do. It puts a significant damper on the experience that can be hard to get past when every incredible Zelda moment is matched with an unfun task for you to complete. I got through it and was happy I did by the end, but I can completely understand if it puts people off enough not to want to continue with the game.
The Magic is Here
If you can get past the tedium, everything you love about Zelda games is here. The music is as legendary as is expected from the series. The leading composer, Koji Kondo, does not miss on any game he works on, and that mastery continues to be shown here. Every zone, dungeon, and boss fight has unique music that fits the mood completely.
Speaking of the dungeons and bosses, they are the best part of the experience. Each dungeon is unique and creative, even after 25 years of Zelda games. You are given new items never seen in the series, such as the whip and the beetle that you control like a drone, and have to use them throughout in more and more creative ways. Some Zelda games have the problem of getting the dungeon's item and using it in that dungeon, only to rarely use it once you leave. Skyward Sword does not have that problem as every item is used in numerous different and increasingly ingenious ways.
All of Skyward Sword's bosses are unique and creative, making use of the full motion of your Sword. Having to swing in specific angles quickly and accurately to damage bosses was frustrating on the original Wii version. Still, the improved controls on the Switch allow you to appreciate the bosses for what they are and how they are challenging you. Every single one was satisfying to overcome and makes you feel powerful for defeating it. The lone exception is The Imprisoned. He isn't fun the first time, and he isn't fun the third time they make you fight him.
If you are a long-time Zelda fan, all of the magic is here. The characters are classically quirky and charming. All of the music stingers, such as getting a new item or opening a new path, are present and hit that nostalgia button hard. There is a reason The Legend of Zelda games are as legendary as they are and all of that is here.
A Satisfying Conclusion
When it comes to any good story, the finale can make it or break it. Without spoilers, I will say the conclusion of this tale hit the mark and caps off the game tremendously in a way that made me forgive the rougher parts. The game is at its best from the start of the final dungeon to the penultimate boss fight. It requires you to use everything you have gained and learned throughout the game to get through the climactic ending, succeeding at everything the finale of a great game needs.
I came away from The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD with an understanding as to why this game is so divisive among long-time series fans. There are a lot of issues with it, as it can be boring, tedious, and disrespectful of your time. It also features some of the best Zelda moments you can find in the series. If you found the dungeons or boss fights of its successor Breath of the Wild to be disappointing like I did, this game will fill that void. The rerelease of Skyward Sword on the Nintendo Switch has provided Zelda fans with the best way to play the game and gives a great excuse to return and give this polarizing classic another chance.
