Steven’s The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Afterthoughts
Enjoy the video.
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It’s interesting you guys both talk about how annoying the repetitive comment system is. I’ve found Nintendo hasn’t changed this system whatsoever since ALttP. In fact it has been exactly the same since then. At least they improved the comment system over the original. “Master using it and you can have it” WTF does that even mean? Nintendo really needs to go back to the drawing board for the comment/hint system and allow players to actually ask for help when they need it, not get constant reminder which bug they collected or what an amber relic is. If I ever hear about that again I think I’ll pass out.
Great video as usual Steven as I said on YouTube. I’m having a blast with the game. No clue how close to the end I am, but I think I’m getting there now.
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I finally got Skyward Sword myself! I received it as a gift from a friend, which was really unexpected. I’m really far I think, I’ve played for about 35 hours total. In fact, now that I’ve had the chance to play the game, I’d say my opinion is far closer to IGN’s than Gamespot’s. Some criticisms, sure, but absolutely no way a 7.5 in my mind. That’s just absurd.
I REALLY like the new controls, for the most part. The swordplay is great to me and feels both fluid and intuitive. I understood how combat mechanics work not because the game has to flat out tell you, but rather because of how the game unfolds. Early enemies don’t put up much of a fight and I could sometimes “waggle” my way to victory, but I think the game does an excellent job of making you learn and adapt as you go. Enemy attack and movement patterns get more complex and defeating an enemy is so satisfying. I especially like that many of the enemies take far more than just three hits (until you get stronger that is). The boss battles are excellent. I especially loved Koloktos. His fight pattern is just awesome and I especially love that it has a little twist on the encounter. I rarely had to re-calibrate the Wii Motion Plus.
Graphics look fantastic to me. Coming off of Skyrim and Arkham City, I still find Skyward Sword absolutely beautiful. I love the visual effects and the sheer style of it. I especially appreciate some neat details and artistic effects implemented. For example, the depth of field blur effect doubles to make distant locations seem more like a painting–that’s really cool. Sure, had the game come out for an HD console or if it were upscaled in higher resolution it would get rid of same jagged lines, but I’m still very happy with how the game turned out. The music is unquestionably beautiful though. I’m just disappointed that the music CD doesn’t contain the whole soundtrack to this game!
The story is surprisingly great for me. I see a lot of neat ties to other games in the series and it’s amazing how much content they put in. The storytelling works very well despite some setbacks. I would have really liked to have voice acting though. Ghirahim, for example, just emotes so well with his body language alone, but I really wanted to hear how he would’ve sounded. I think it would’ve sold the story even more. The game’s story isn’t insignificant by any means because of this (I don’t want to spoil anything but I was certainly blown away by some scenes), but I hope the next Zelda advances this. Link must not speak though! Also, you guys don’t like Fi? I like her, I think she’s a neat character. She seems partially inspired by Portal’s GlaDOS because of her tone and banter. I think that Nintendo could’ve given her some more helpful hints though.
As for the controls…I love the swordplay, but other parts could use a little work. I think the ideas and the general design philosophy is excellent. I can get behind using a motion-control system for a hardcore game. For the most part, I think the controls work well. Shooting arrows with the pointer and slashing with the sword is just perfect. Even tilting the Wii remote to fly around or swim was pretty neat. It’s great that you can instantly recalibrate the pointer just by pressing down on the D-pad, that alleviates a lot of annoyances. But the dowsing control and the Gust Bellows, or even just looking around, feels…sluggish. It seems like the first-person controls were done far better in the Metroid Prime games for Wii, so I can’t say that it’s just a hardware limitation. I think it could’ve used some fine tuning. I think that it has some great ideas though.
And I definitely agree with you guys on the comment/notification system. The only thing in this game that really gets on my nerves is when you pick up a bug or treasure and it makes a comment on it, every time you restart the game. Yes, I know what am Amber Relic is, I have 40 of them!! I don’t need to be reminded every single time I resume my save file!
In general though, I think most of my complaints are pretty minute compared to the highs the game offers. I am absolutely loving this. Definitely ranking as my personal vote for Game of the Year.
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As an addendum, there are some other things that seem minor, but I think make pretty drastic changes to how the Zelda formula works. I think some media outlets are seriously underestimating a few parts of the design.
First is definitely the dash/stamina mechanic. I would compare this to the dash ability in Mega Man X. It’s a small addition, but it dramatically changes how you can approach the environment. In my opinion, it makes Skyward Sword’s environment far more fun to explore than any other Zelda game before it. The reason being is that you can reach more areas much more quickly than ever before, and thus the level design has to change to accommodate. For example, in previous Zelda games, they may have inclines or slopes, but for the most part, rooms restricted your movement. Any time you needed to go upward usually required climbing or some kind of puzzle gimmick. In Skyward Sword, you can run up inclines, run up walls, and run up to short ledges. This makes approaching the game feel different and it gives the game a very satisfying approach to level design.
Another element is how the world is constructed. In past Zelda games, it seemed that the overworld was purely for exploration while the puzzles were strictly left to dungeons. In Skyward Sword, we do get a sense of that separation still–in Skyloft, you fly around, getting chests, doing mini-games, etc. However, when you actually start to explore the surface world, even before you reach a dungeon, the landscape is interesting. There are many challenges to explore. They don’t feel too linear or too wide either; they guide you subtly along and bring you along to the dungeon. By designing the game in this way, we get the “feel” of the dungeons and the puzzle mechanics without having to be restricted to the usual temples and dungeons as before. It’s refreshing to have this kind of gameplay changed up and literally opened up. We get to explore the world in a more interesting fashion.
tl;dr I’m seriously in love with this game. It’s awesome. I’m tempted to start Twilight Princess again after completing it so I can go back and compare. I also have been wanting to replay Wind Waker and Minish Cap.
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#5 written by Enhas 5 months ago
In this order, I’ve played the following Zelda games through this year: Twilight Princess, Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, A Link to the Past, The Legend of Zelda (both quests) and Skyward Sword. I’m on a Hero Mode play-through of SS now (just finished the first Silent Realm), and double damage really does make a big difference in general game play. Even Bobokins can chip away your hearts quickly if you’re careless.
One thing that makes me shy away from starting Twilight Princess again is the long intro sequence (I consider turning human again and getting the Hero’s Clothes to be the end, and that’s hours into it), especially feeding that cat. It took me forever the first time to realize that you had to feed it *twice*. Mandatory fishing really wasn’t that great of an idea, and *that* early into the game.
I really do like the run button. In past 3D Zelda games it was always roll, roll ROLL everywhere just to get around faster. In Twilight Princess this was rather painful since the overworld was so unnecessarily large, and you also don’t get Epona back until some hours after truly beginning the game. You can still roll in Skyward Sword, but it’s almost pointless and consumes stamina greatly.
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Yeah, the intro sequence to Twilight Princess is…painfully long. It’s a great game and I still love it a lot, but that’s one part that really bothered me. I really liked the story and combat mechanics in the game though, so I want to try playing it again (it would be my third time, but it’s been awhile). I recently purchased the GameCube version so I’m tempted to give that a shot, because I originally bought the Wii version when I got the system back in 2006.
Earlier this year I played through Ocarina of Time 3D (still a classic) and A Link to the Past. I marathon A Link to the Past frequently just because it’s still my personal favorite Zelda game. It’s just so perfect to me. I’ve completed Minish Cap, Wind Waker, and Majora’s Mask once each, so I want to go back and play them again, Majora especially. That had such a bizarre and fun atmosphere. Minish Cap is one I especially hope Nintendo offers to the 3DS ambassadors, that would give me extra incentive to replay it.
I have to wonder if we’ll see Majora’s Mask remade on 3DS. I think I recall Aonuma-san mentioning that he wanted to revisit that game, and there is a pretty strong fan movement for it: Operation Moonfall. Miyamoto had mentioned the desire to remake A Link to the Past, and I think doing a 2D Zelda with 3D effects might be pretty rad. And of course, a *new* Zelda for 3DS is something I’m looking forward to. I actually hope it’s…different than Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks though. I didn’t care for those ones as much and much preferred the other Game Boy games over them, like Link’s Awakening, Minish Cap, and Oracle of Seasons/Ages. Maybe Capcom will give it another try? That may be cool.
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#7 written by Steven 5 months ago
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I too played a ton of Zelda games this year. Started with Wind Waker, then moved to Twilight Princess, Ocarina of Time 3D and finally ended off with Skyward Sword. Now I’d like to go back and finish off the two DS games.
In terms of my SS progress, I’m right at the last dungeon, the Sky Temple. I assume this is the end of the game O_O I’ve got all but one heart piece and have no clue which one I’m missing. Probably from one of those Goddess Cubes.
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#9 written by Enhas 5 months ago
Minish Cap is indeed going to be one of the ten GBA games offered. I really wish I had a first-run 3DS now… I might still get one in the future, because I’d like to play Super Mario 3D Land and some of the VC games (especially Metroid II). At least Club Nintendo is updated now, so I might stop by and snag Super Mario Kart. Finally, there’s something worth spending my coins on.
Did you do the Rickety Coaster mini-game in the Shipyard? That one is very easy to miss since you have no reason to ever go back there once you’re done. I never got the Heart Piece from that though. And yes, the game is (sadly) finally almost over. I won’t spoil anything, but before you go to the final, *final* battle (you will be prompted several times that there’s no going back) make sure you make a backup of your saved game.
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#10 written by Marc-Andre Lacroix 5 months ago
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_Uwb3_HWwg
Check this out!… Not zelda but fricking awesome. I can’t wait for the next one :)
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#12 written by Marc-Andre Lacroix 5 months ago
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3KUyPKbR7Q&feature=g-all
This is zelda related. pretty cool. The comments are hilarious.
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I just finished the Sky Temple, found my last heart piece, it was the one where Fledge throws pumpkins at you, and got the Hylian Shield. So I’ve completed every side quest this game has to offer. I’m officially done now, except for what I assume to be the final boss. I’ll tackle that bad boy tomorrow as I’m too busy right now. Sucks, but c’est la vie.
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#14 written by Enhas 5 months ago
The three Heart Pieces to give me trouble are: Fun Fun Island, Rickety Coaster and the Pumpkin Shooting. I lost patience with the last two, and in my Hero Mode file I just decided to skip Fun Fun Island too (it took me about half an hour to do it in my first game). Maybe some day I’ll go back and try to get them.
Lightning Round in Hero Mode is going to be hell, though, since it has access to all of the bosses from the start. Yes, including the final boss. I may be tempted to cheese it with a Guardian Potion + / Potion Medal combo (drink before starting) and picking a harder boss to start with. The final two bosses (story-wise) are going to be a pain and will probably do a ton of damage to me (worse in Hero Mode since it’s doubled, meaning some hits will do four hearts), so I hope I could somehow get them both out of the way first and then get six easier bosses after that.
I haven’t tried Silent Realm replays, but don’t really see the point unless you want to stock up on Dusk Relics. You can win rupees or rare treasures, but by that point in the game you don’t really need either.
My thoughts on some equipment (SPOILERS, be warned)t:
Slingshot: Sadly, pretty much useless just like in Twilight Princess. I stop using it almost entirely once getting the Beetle, except for *one* instance very late into the game at Eldin Volcano. There’s also little point in upgrading it. There’s also the fact that it can only stun and not damage most enemies, and usually by the time you get near them it’ll have worn off (especially that jerk Bobokin near the tightrope in Skyview Temple).
Air Potion, Air Potion +, Stamina Potion, Stamina Potion+: I never, ever needed to use any of these except for the Fledge side-quest, whatsoever.
Replenishing Potion, Replenishing Potion +, Replenishing Potion ++: These basically become obsolete once you get the Sacred Shield. As long as you don’t take multiple hits quickly enough to destroy it, you don’t need these. As it is, I’ve never bought one and only used the one that you get with the Bottle in the Sealed Temple near the start of the game.
Guardian Potion: Makes you take half-damage for three minutes. Given that Guardian Potion+ makes you INVINCIBLE and the bugs required for it aren’t too hard to come across, there’s no reason to ever use this at all.
Extra Seed Satchel, Extra Bomb Bag: Never needed either. In the case of bombs, there’s always a place you can pick them when you need to use them nearby, so carrying an extra bag is just a waste of a Pouch space. An Extra Quiver, fully upgraded, is invaluable though in some later sections of the game. It makes the escort mission to the Fire Sanctuary much, much easier.
Wooden and Iron Shields: Upgrading them is a waste of time and resources. If you’re careful, you can get by easily with the durability their base forms give you. They both become obsolete after the Lanaryu Mining Facility, after which I sell both and immediately buy the Sacred Shield.
Cursed Medal: Too impractical to ever carry. It’s easier just to carry the Rupee and Treasure Medals with you and lose one pouch space, than carrying this and losing them *all* (including your shield and bottles!).
Heart Medal: No need to carry this in the regular game. In Hero Mode though, it is a must, because it’ll restore some of the Heart Flowers and make hearts (rarely) drop again from enemies.
Bug Medal: Expensive and pretty useless to boot. I just bought it for completeness at buying everything in Beedle’s shop. Just by playing through some areas, you’ll quickly remember where some bugs are located without having to resort to this. If you must have it, wait until you complete the missing bug side-quest near the end of the game so you can buy it at half-price.
Also, why are there two Heart and Rupee Medals that you can find? Do the effects stack if you carry two of a kind?
Cool stuff you can do with Glittering Spores (Mushroom Spores from regular mushrooms seem to be useless as far as I can tell):
- Stun (most) enemies
- Slow down bugs (doesn’t seem to work with birds, though)
- Sprinkling them onto recovery hearts will turn them into fairies
- Sprinkling them onto rupees will randomly upgrade or downgrade them, sometimes even into rupoors -
#16 written by Steven 5 months ago
Jarrod and I are actually playing through Alttp right now on X-Box Live. Yeah, we’re playing it on x-box live! Haha, we’re just chatting while playing it on the Wii actually but it’s a blast so far. We did the first 3 dungeons and got a truckload of items and heart pieces in like 2 hours or less. I basically just follow the guy around since he knows the game by heart. This is so much fun though, replaying my favourite game of all time for the first time in years.
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So I finished Skyward Sword today! Epic final battle. Really enjoyed everything about it actually. I died for the very first time at the very final boss, only because I was too excited so I couldn’t get the Skyward Strike to power up. I calmed down my second time through and destroyed the S.O.B. I’m going to post a video review of the game within the next two days.
I started playing through the original Zelda just to see if I remember where certain things were and had a blast. Within an hour I had completed the first two dungeons, had 8 full hearts, the blue ring, white sword, bombs, bow and arrows, magical boomerang, and the blue torch. Classic lol. I’m probably going to hold off finishing the game only because Steven and I are having so much fun with ALttP.
As he said above, we’re playing through the game via Xbox Live and having a great time. This is one game I know more than any other game I’ve ever played, even more so than the first Zelda. My brother and I were obsessed with this game when it came out and played it for over a decade afterwards at least once a year. We used to do the same thing with Super Metroid, but he knows that one better than I do. Zelda is my baby though, and it was ALttP why I got my Triforce tattoo. Just love everything about this game to be honest. We’ve played for a really short time and are making our way to Agahnim right now. That mofo is going down! We also found 11 of the 24 heart pieces, the Ice wand and three of the four bottles. The next time we play we should easily be able to complete the next three dungeons and finish off a lot more heart pieces.
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#18 written by Enhas 5 months ago
Oh, I pretty much cheat in The Legend of Zelda. The Wii version lets you do the save trick on controller one, and with a convenient money-making game one screen left to where you start, it’s very easy to save-scum a pile of rupees (select retry if your results aren’t favorable, or save if they are). I tend to get the blue ring, white sword, heart containers, magic shield, blue candle, red potion and other things before even entering the first dungeon, in both quests.
I played through A Link to the Past some months ago. I’m replaying Skyward Sword in Hero Mode right now, and don’t know when I’ll play that again. I’m considering getting Zelda II and finally trying to play through it. But yes, A Link to the Past is basically 2D Zelda perfection and quite fun to play (and hard). Some of the heart pieces are very annoying to get though, especially the one you have to dig up with the shovel. Unless there’s some trick to it, it’s completely random and took me a long, long time to finally get.
I just re-finished the Ancient Cistern. Koloktos really was no problem at all, though I did carelessly take a few hits that could easily have been avoided. And I managed to beat the Stalmaster without taking a single hit, compared to last time when I barely beat it with only 1/4 of a heart left. Hero Mode really isn’t too much harder than the regular game. I just wish that the dungeons had been changed.
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#19 written by Enhas 4 months ago
Aside from a few irritating heart pieces that I didn’t really need, I’m finished with Hero Mode. Yes, we were lucky to get any kind of “Second Quest” at all but it really was a major disappointment. The early game is much harder, yes, but it soon tapers off once you get more heart containers and the Heart Medal.
Lightning Round on Hero Mode… ugh. I wasted over half an hour and ended up with the Horde Battle as Battle #8 (to get the shield), and of course I died. So I drank a Stamina Potion+ & Guardian Potion+ (while having the Potion Medal) and chose the Horde Battle first, and just basically ran like mad and killed what I had to. I don’t know if you can get the final boss randomly (or if he’s always last), but I’m glad I didn’t. The infinite stamina and invincibility lasted for a few battles after that, too, and I managed to win eight.
The final boss on Hero Mode… ugh. You’d better be good at dodging and shield bashing, because many of his attacks take off four hearts at once, especially the lightning ones. He tore me apart the first time, but then I calmed down a bit and took my time and easily won.
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#21 written by Enhas 4 months ago
When it comes to Zelda, I’m replaying A Link to the Past now. Awesome game in just about every way, and while playing it I keep pointing out in my mind things that Skyward Sword borrowed from it. Soon I’m also going to get Zelda II and (try) to play through it. I’ve never beaten that game legitimately, and I think the farthest I’ve ever got without cheating was Death Mountain, or not far after it. The quest for the Hammer usually ended up being the last quest that Link ever did.
If I’d been designing Hero Mode in SS, I’d have done (at least) the following:
- No Heart Medals. Both would be replaced by Silver Rupees.
- The fifteen single gratitude crystal locations would be changed. Batreaux’s rewards would also be changed a bit, for one, you wouldn’t get the Piece of Heart until you’ve given at least 60 or so.
- No ability to upgrade to Heart Potion++, Revitalizing Potion++, Stamina Potion+, Air Potion+ or Guardian Potion+.
- Goddess Cube and Chest locations changed, as well as some of their contents. Gold rupees would be rare or non-existent.
- All main dungeons / temples changed in the same fashion as OoT Master Quest.
- Ghirahim and Demise would both recognize that you’re in Hero Mode and change their tactics greatly. Ghirahim #1 would fight more like Ghirahim #2, Ghirahim #2 more like Ghirahim #3, and Ghirahim #3′s final sword fight completely new and different than the regular game. Demise would be the same, up to a point, but then would say something like “Only a true Hero could have made it this far!” and then turn into some Ganon-esque form that’s a bit similar to The Imprisoned, but smaller. The ending would also be a bit different. Also, the other bosses would be tougher as well.Overall, Hero Mode is probably only worth playing some time after you’ve finished the game, even months later.
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#23 written by Enhas 4 months ago
Thanks. I’ll probably lurk more than anything, but I’ll still be here.
While waiting to eventually get Zelda II (I had some problems with the Wii Shop Channel not accepting certain gift cards), I played through A Link to the Past once again. Yes, I still need to play more 2D Zelda games (including Link’s Awakening at some point, I’ve really missed out) but I don’t know how any 2D Zelda will ever top it. I also finished the first quest of The Legend of Zelda for the NES. Even after 25+ years it still holds up as a great game.
I got Zelda II today and it’s just as hard as I remember. I’ve already got three or four game overs… enemies *really* hurt you badly in this game. I’ve been grinding a bit though and have Level 5 Attack & Magic and Level 6 Life and I’ve only finished the second palace (I tend to get a few levels by replaying the palaces and killing the enemies since they all re-spawn if you leave without placing the crystal at the end and then re-enter them, and then also get a free level when I finally decide to place the crystal). Bubbles / Anti-Fairies take a long time to kill but give fifty experience each, and unlike most enemies they come back if you leave a room with them in it and re-enter.
I do feel as if I could re-play Skyward Sword again even though I’ve already recently beaten it twice. I think it’s now my favorite Zelda game of all-time, even over Majora’s Mask (at some point I also have to re-play that, Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess). In my Hero Mode play-through I skipped all the skippable cut-scenes which I think was a big mistake… they’re well worth watching.
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I’m not sure where I would place Skyward Sword, but I do know that it’s likely A Link to the Past would place as my #1 Zelda game. It just did everything right to me, and having just played through it with Steven via Xbox Live I feel just as I did years and years ago.
As for the original Zelda, the only parts that don’t hold up quite so well today are the poor translation and the fact that you’re completely blind in the game. In order to find out where you need to go next, especially with areas with invisible walls, areas you can burn or explode with no visible signs, etc, all make replaying it today difficult if you haven’t already played it billions of times before. I would think newbies would have an extremely tough time with that one.
As for Zelda II, it’s difficult, but also really different which is why so many people don’t like it. I think it’s one of my least favourite Zeldas because I didn’t feel the same need to explore the world as thoroughly as I did in the original.
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#25 written by Enhas 4 months ago
There’s basically no way to complete the first Zelda without a map, especially in the Second Quest where some of the dungeon entrances are really hidden (#8 comes to mind). Also, there’s no hints as to the whereabouts of heart containers so if you don’t already know where they are, you’d have to bomb every wall and play the flute on every screen until you get lucky.
I’m at the Maze Palace now, with maxed Life and nearly-maxed Attack and Magic and it’s still quite hard. And you’re right, the game is actually pretty linear aside from some optional caves and hidden areas with heart or magic upgrades. Coming off playing the first Zelda, or even A Link to the Past, the style of play really is much different. It’s not hard to see why they went back to the Zelda-1 style in the SNES generation (and I’m glad they did).
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Yeah. Living through that was quite tough. I remember going “huh” the first time I played Zelda II because of just how drastically different it was. I enjoyed it for that time, but going back now it’s extremely tough to get back into I find. My only regret is that ALttP was never shown as much love as the original Zelda was by Nintendo. It was released extremely early on in the SNES’ lifetime and yet never saw a sequel on that platform. I think that was a missed opportunity because there were SO many people asking for one. We eventually got one in the form of Link’s Awakening, but that wasn’t exactly the same thing.
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#27 written by Enhas 4 months ago
Well, I finished Zelda II legitimately for the first time. Getting to (and through) the Great Palace was the hard part, and I lost quite a few lives. I’m glad I saved the four extra lives in the overworld for the end of the game.
Dark Link is very, very easy since everyone uses the exploit with its A.I. by ducking in the lower left corner and stabbing repeatedly. If I’d tried to battle him normally though, I’d probably have died for sure, and I really didn’t want to since I was low on lives at that point and really didn’t want to start the Great Palace all over again.
I’m playing through it again. Having maxed levels and all the spells from the start really helps, as you can avoid going to most of the towns altogether, and you can stock up on extra lives from the bonuses you get from the end of the palaces (since there’s nothing to level up anymore).
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#29 written by Enhas 4 months ago
The second play-through of the game was much easier than the first, especially for the first half or so. I also took advantage of having the Fairy spell early to avoid having to get some keys.
On a sort-of related note, for anyone that has a North American Club Nintendo account, you can get Majora’s Mask if you haven’t already got it for 150 coins until the end of the month.
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I agree with basically everything you’ve said. It’s possible to scrape by up until Ghirahim with poor usage of the motion controls, but by then you have to get better or that’s as far as you’ll ever get. I wasn’t very good with them at first but got much better over time, but stabbing still sometimes is annoying.
I’m on my second play-through now in Hero Mode, and just about to face Ghirahim #1. The double damage really does make things harder and I’ve died two times against a Skulltulla (the one that you have to kill in the room with the two eye sentries, before you can get the Beetle). I just lucked out and managed to get it to turn around for me to stab to death, and since it now does two hearts damage on contact it was quite tricky.
I really like this game, if only for the fact that I’m playing through it again right after beating it. I finished Twilight Princess only once earlier this year and really have no plans to start over any time soon. And yes, I also agree with you over how annoying Fi can be. She likes to state the obvious but when you really *want* a hint, you’ll get next to no help or an answer like “No further information is available.”, especially against bosses. You have to die against them multiple times first before she says anything of value. It’s even worse in Hero Mode because while you can skip nearly all of the cut-scenes, you still can’t skip or speed up Fi’s comments. I don’t really need to hear how I can dowse for Zelda and how to change dowsing targets all again, among other things.