With the Legend of Zelda series steadily heading towards its 20th installment, it remains the question whether each new game can live up to certified masterpieces such as A Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess. It would seem almost mathematical certainty that raising the bar will become an impossibility at some point. On the other hand, every new generation of console has offered new and exciting opportunities in graphics and game-play that may keep things fresh enough to set a new level of excellence. And if the story supports game-play adequately, a new classic can be within reach.
In Skyward Sword, we venture into the era before Ocarina of Time. The very stylish and pleasantly bombastic prologue comes in the form of stills, just like in A Link to the Past and Wind Waker. We learn of a terrible power struggle in ancient Hyrule, which prompted the Goddess Hylia to separate a piece of land from the earth and send it with its inhabitants into the sky. Thousands of years later, when evil is stirring again, one of these Hylians is sent on a mission to thwart evil and retake the earth. And start an entire legacy in the process.
I am having a few difficulties in giving Skyward Sword its due reward, and not sound sour as well. There is no denying that the game uses the abilities of the Wii remote control system to its strengths. Twilight Princess already experimented with it, to very satisfying results. Skyward Sword further improves the system. In general, Link's weaponry reacts adequately to the player's movements, and the enemies can only be defeated with well-timed and well-placed attacks. It gives a huge feeling of satisfaction to strike down an enemy that anticipates your moves and defends with a mind of its own; the small exceptions being those moments were the Wii Motion Plus has a hard time keeping up, causing you to miss and receive an undeserved beating. The system may not be perfect, but the effort definitely shows off. Especially the boss fights are very well done: challenging and extremely rewarding. The rest of the inventory also uses the interface quite well; firing an arrow never felt so intuitive. This is truly a boy's dream come true.
Now, I always get annoyed by people who criticize sequels for just trying to be original and not slavishly following popular trends, and abandoning popular elements in favor of something new. I will defend The Wind Waker whenever I can, so to all those people who keep complaining that a vast ocean is boring and no worthy substitute for Hyrule Field: please play Ocarina of Time again, run around the field until your feet bleed, and stop complaining! In fact, they made Twilight Princess to make sure that you would! So it pains me to say that Skyward Sword did make me feel some amount of loss: the intricate fighting system. SS features plenty of sword action, but no wicked combos or special moves like in Wind Waker or Twilight Princess. I'd never thought I would miss something from previous incarnations so deeply, especially when there is so much good going around. Shame on me.
Okay, I'll make up with some things that I really like. This being a prequel, we are wondering how the events of SS will finally lead into Ocarina of Time. Why did Hylians live in the sky? How did they end up back on the ground? What is the Triforce? Where does Ganon fit in? Although this is still more of a game in its own right than a strict prequel, there are many tiny references that Ocarina and Twilight Princess afficionados will surely appreciate. As with all Zelda games, the makers show their excellent skills in storytelling once again, and finding out the story as you go is an immensely satisfying experience; one to keep you guaranteed to play until the very end.
The Two World system, a staple of the series since the Light and Dark World from Link to the Past, and the present and future from Ocarina of Time, returns, albeit a bit different. The sky is the traditional overworld, and the savage world below the clouds its counterpart. In the sky, you travel by bird, which makes for some nice moments and an awesome boss battle. I appreciate the creativity that went into this, but admittedly, the Sky World is mainly used for sidequests and the occasional travel, whereas the bulk of the action takes place below. This world has many recognizable features, like a primordial Hyrule. Again, the makers give us some great scenery and original dungeons to traverse, making this the more interesting part of the game by far. A little more importance could have been added to the Sky World, which would have made the two worlds better balanced, as was the case in Link to the Past and Ocarina of Time.
Then again, the side quests and the new inventory system (limited space and upgradeable items/weapons) are good additions, which simply beg to be used or completed. Not that everything works equally well: shields that break, oh please... are they made of plywood? Also, the traditional 'helpful companion' comes in the form of a 'sword spirit' called Fi, whose constant attention-seeking and annoying talent to state the obvious (like your hearts running low) would even give Navi from Ocarina a run for her money. But the time-travel crystals, mechanical beetles and a whip are awesome extras.
So forgive me for some reservations that I have, because I really think this is a great game. It's not exactly game history re-written such as with Ocarina of Time or Link to the Past, but a more than worthy beginning of the saga.
