Skyward Sword on Wii was already one of my favorite games of all time. I now have no reason to ever touch it again.

Skyward Sword HD took a game that I loved despite its flaws and fixed everything I had an issue with. I've already done a lengthy review on the original game, so instead of repeating all of that, here are my impressions from the 39 hours I spent completing this remaster.

- Ghirahim is still my favorite Zelda villain. He's so deliciously camp.
- "Romance in the Air" might be the most beautiful bit of music in any Zelda game ever: https://youtu.be/T6x5bEr_UUU
- The resolution and buttery-smooth framerate take this game to a new level. I know Breath of the Wild 2 is gonna chug just like its predecessor, but it would be a TREAT to have all Zelda games in 60fps from now on.
- I still adore these motion controls. For whatever reason, they just click for me. Wish I could have 1:1 sword controls in every Zelda game, just like this one!
- The side characters are so good here. Meaningful, memorable interactions with NPCs make this such a fun world to be in.
- These are still some of my favorite Zelda dungeons, especially the ones in Lanayru.
- I really like returning to areas multiple times with different stuff going on. Seeing things change in an area is one of my favorite things in games, it makes the world feel more alive.
- I adore the Silent Realm challenges! A little bit of survival-horror in a Zelda game works really well. I recommend going for the difficult tears first just in case you get caught though, no need to ruin your whole run by saving the ones surrounded by floaty ghosts for last.
- Timeshift Stones are so rad.
- I liked the Demise fight much more this time than I did in 2011, but that might just be because I knew what to expect.
- I replayed BotW right before this, and that game really lacks an ending. In contrast, SS's ending is solid, probably right behind OoT.
- Fi is great, and it's much easier to appreciate her with the now toned-down number of interruptions.
- Bring back Scrapper!!
- My only real complaint is that I wish there were even more side quests, but if a game just makes me wish I could keep playing for longer, that's hardly a negative!

That was kind of word vomit, but I think that about covers everything. I love this game!

Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is such a fantastic game and I wish I realized it sooner, way sooner. Going into this game I was expecting about the same experience I had with the original on the Wii, which was very hit or miss to where it barely even scratched a 8. However, the remaster completely flipped my views on the game.

Now, after replaying the game with qol improvements, I can safely say that it is one of the best Zelda games I’ve ever played and my favorite game I’ve played this year so far. Had such an amazing time with this game compared to the original, and this is mainly due to the new controls. While motion controls are still around (and somehow worse), there’s a new option for button controls, which allow you to control your sword using the right stick. This is such game changer, one so big that I can confidentially say that SSHD has the best combat in the series (the button controls obviously). But it’s not just my thoughts on the controls that went up, but everything from the mechanics to bosses were way better for me. Pretty much everything is the exact same as it was in the og with minor improvements, yet I still had a way better time with it. The dungeons are fantastic, the most consistent in the series tied with TP. My personal favorites are Sandship, Ancient Cistern, and Sky Keep. These ones stand out to me for their unique designs, puzzle solving, and all around enjoyment. They aren’t the most complex dungeons in the series, but they serve their roles very well, even if they lack challenge compared to some other games. The mechanics, while heavily improved in botw (stamina, gliding, upgrading, etc) are still very fun in SS, and I had an especially great time looking for items to upgrade my wide arsenal of gear. Then you have the world, which is my favorite in any Zelda game. The world in SS is so well crafted, so gorgeous and full of life, and all of this is topped off by the excellent world building and lore that makes this feel like a genuine place that I can see existing (unrelated but One Piece basically made me appreciate this game more due to my new found appreciation for world building and design).

I basically talked about everything that stood out to me, so before I reach a conclusion I want to list smaller things that I still really loved alongside a few flaws. For starters, the story. While basic, it is still very charming and a great time, even if the pacing is a bit messy near the halfway point and end. It’s a story heavily focused on the world more than plot or characters, which is why I love it so much. Then you have bosses, which are among the best in the series. You still have your fair share of piss easy/forgettable bosses, but the ones that really stand out are absolutely breathtaking. The main ones I loved are Ghirahim, Demise, and Koloktos, which are all equally challenging and fun, topped off with fantastic designs and spectacle (primarily prevalent in Demise, which may be my new favorite Zelda final boss). Everything about this game was just fantastic pretty much lol.

Now for the end. I’ve been rambling on and on about the game so I’m just gonna end it here: Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is a phenomenal game from start to finish, and a gaming experience that I will never forget. There are some problems, but in the end the sheer amount of greatness in the game outweigh all of them. Such a magical game apart of a magical series that I adore with all my heart.

Evaluated as a port and a remaster, this is a pretty good offering and it gets an extra half-star just for that. Between the jump from 30 to 60 fps and the ability to play without motion controls, this ends up having quite a strong game feel, at least in the fundamental act of controlling Link. On top of this, a lot of Fi’s interruptions are now optional, the text boxes that appear when first collecting an item no longer reset upon starting a new game session, and you have the ability to quick-scroll through text boxes, all of this goes a long way in mitigating the default plodding pace of Skyward Sword. I’m not entirely convinced that all of this amounts to $60 worth of changes to what is basically a 2011 Wii game with slightly improved textures and quality of life changes (one of which requires you to shell out even more cash) but taken inherently, it’s a fairly good package, especially if you upscale to 4k in an emula-Nintendo hitman fires blowdart into my neck, killing me instantly

But enough about the port, how’s the actual game?

It’s not hard to see why this entry was maligned for so many years, and with this being the final “traditional” Zelda before Breath of the Wild, there’s a very obvious narrative that Skyward Sword becomes saddled with; a Zelda game so problematically linear and patronising that it prompted Nintendo to scrap the entire formula altogether in favour of something that was the polar opposite. Scepticism of such narratives is healthy, and I don’t doubt that we’ll see plenty of “Skyward Sword was good, actually” takes from the content-mill in the future, but properly putting this game in the context of the series and Nintendo’s design tendencies during the Wii era doesn’t put it in a positive light, and I don’t think that’s a perspective which is going to be so easily swept aside, even in the future where the new open world Zelda formula inevitably becomes tired and people begin to yearn for what came before.

For as homogenous as their major franchises sometimes feel, each entry is imbued with the design philosophy of the console generation it accompanies, and this one is where Nintendo really leaned into their “family friendly” image. Nintendo’s interpretation of this philosophy in connection with their game design has always been dubious, but the way it materialises here is probably the most egregious incarnation of it. Link can’t have a single moment of hands-off exploration without the game checking in to make sure he knows where to go, when to go there, how to get there, whether this is in the form of Fi’s constant dialogue interruptions or dowsing or the general linearity of the levels or the many other pacebreakers, it’s all the same phenomenon from different angles - a design philosophy that prioritises “no person left behind” at the expense of everything else. I’m not the first person to make this observation and I won't be the last, but smoothing down an experience such that there’s nothing to inconvenience or frustrate the player anymore also leads to an experience where there isn’t any tension anymore. Putting snags to progression into your game will always frustrate some people, sure, but the mature thing to realise is that the memorable moments in an adventure are the snags. The very first Zelda was momentous (in part) because of how well it understood this, so it’s disappointing to see it so thoroughly misunderstood here.

It really can’t be understated how pervasive this problem is, at no point does it stop feeling like the game is treating you with kid gloves. It’s a dead horse, and I don’t like throwing around the word “worst”, but I think Fi is genuinely one of the worst companions ever put into a video game. “Expressionless, emotionless robot who spouts random percentages to tell you obvious things” is a concept that shouldn’t have even escaped the boardroom it was conceived in, and her interjections are nothing short of insulting. Instead of being naturally drawn towards a vantage point via clever level design, Fi will take control away from you to tell you that this high point is a good vantage point, and that you should look for things from it. Walking into the sand sea for the first time is interrupted by the pacebreaking advice from Fi that “you should explore this area”, which every player will do anyway, walking into a triforce room in the final dungeon of the game prompts her to tell you that “you should explore this room”, and there are dozens and dozens of these moments. Sometimes she straight up spoils the solutions to some puzzles, the entrance to the first Lanayru dungeon being a prime example. Everything about her inclusion undercuts the possibility of a memorable “aha” moment from occurring. It’s extra baffling when you consider that this series already had the most memetically complained-about helper companion in Navi, it seems almost determined to repeat the same mistakes.

A similar kind of uncritical relationship to the series past was already going strong in Twilight Princess, but it reaches a new low here: Forest temple (x2), Fire temple (x2), Water temple, slingshot, bow and arrow, hookshot, bomb bag, swimming ability etc etc. Almost everywhere you’ll go and what you’ll find there is so predictable and formulaic, save for some exceptions like time crystals or the beetle (which the game doesn’t use to its full potential anyway). This isn’t helped by the fact that the three only areas are themed in the most boring way imaginable, let us not forget that this is the same era of Nintendo which spawned New Super Mario Bros with its repetitions of the forest world and the fire world and the desert world. With how the game forces you back into these areas over and over again in the most contrived ways possible, it really feels stretched thin, and some of the tasks you do in these revisits are insulting (specifically, the 2nd Skyview temple visit and the note collecting swimming section). Being (very) charitable, you could say that revisiting these areas to find some hidden extra area or discover some change to the world is satisfying, but I don’t think it works this way. Revisiting areas with new equipment was always part of the Zelda exploratory loop, but it was usually something unprompted and natural; you remember somewhere you couldn’t get to earlier and return there out of curiosity and a desire for resolution, which is undermined when you force players back into the same area and make them dowse for the path ahead, it makes it feel like the player isn’t actually discovering anything, just doing what they’re told. Being forced to return to the Isle of Songs after every visit is just the tedious icing on this cake, made even worse when you consider that traversing through the sky is completely devoid of interest. The one chance for exploration, in the sky islands, is nullified by being reserved for goddess cube rewards, meaning the decision to go to each island is prescribed beforehand by whether it has a chest on it that you have unlocked, which repeats the flaws of the main path rather than providing a contrast to it.

This linearity extends into the dungeons too, especially the first three, which are almost entirely constructed to require no backtracking. This might sound good if you don’t like backtracking but the result is that these dungeons feel more like very video-gamey obstacle courses than concrete locations in a world that you can explore - their design is too much signal and not enough noise. I don’t think this problem is exclusive to Skyward Sword, but it’s telling that Skyward Sword’s best dungeons - the Sandship and the Sky Keep - require you to think on a grander scale beyond the room you happen to currently be in, something which Tears of the Kingdom’s dungeons also unfortunately lack.

Item use and combat have a similarly prescribed feel. It’s very revealing that the most satisfying item to use in this game is the bug net, because of its context insensitivity and extension with your fundamental controls. With the exception of the beetle, the rest all have prescribed uses - things that can be whipped, for example, are too cleanly demarcated - which adds to that on-rails feel, like each object has a label saying “USE THIS ITEM”. This is another point in favour of time crystals, since they’re one of the few puzzle components which can be activated in a variety of ways - bombs, sword, bow, beetle, etc. This flaw isn’t unique to Skyward Sword either, but it’s conspicuous that a reaction against this type of design appears to have been one of the inspirations for Breath of the Wild’s commitment to multiple puzzle solutions.

I was initially hopeful about the combat, I like unconventional control schemes and the idea of devoting an entire chunk of it solely to sword control could have been good. It’s unclear to me whether this idea just doesn’t have legs or whether the game doesn’t do enough to iterate on it, but the final result is underwhelming either way. The fights against Ghirahim are the only ones in the game which actually feel like swordfights, the rest feel like one of those children’s toys where you put the square in the square hole. The enemy puts their sword up to the right, you slash left, it’s incredibly junior and the game iterates on it incredibly poorly. If an enemy has three arms and holds a sword to the right, one up top and one down below, the solution is still just slashing left, there’s just a little more visual noise added to the equation. There’s a variety of ways this combat could have been improved, but for me, what’s missing is spacing - there’s no threat range. Every enemy will just walk into your range and execute their little directional minigame, which totally defeats any illusion that they’re not just video-game enemies performing AI routines. Again, Ghirahim is the only one with the level of interactivity that makes him feel like an actual swordfight against a conscious being. Granted, the impreciseness of the original controls probably contributed to Nintendo’s disinclination to make this more complex - something basically confirmed by the large margins for error and minor punishments for mistakes - but that’s all the more reason for disappointment.

The story showcases a similar indulgence in the tropes of the past as the gameplay, the last-minute sleight-of-hand where the main antagonist is suddenly switched out for Ganondorf is lifted directly from Twilight Princess, but most of all I can’t stand how explicitly the game attempts to engage with the “Zelda timeline” by posturing itself as an origin story for the rest of the franchise. Not a single game in this series has benefitted from the (frankly nonsense) insinuation that they’re all connected. Optimistically, you can just frame it as just a fun diversion for fan theorists, but when the result is cutscenes which almost seem to scream “REMEMBER OCARINA OF TIME?”, it reveals this tactic as shameless nostalgia-baiting, which seems to be something modern Nintendo are all-too-reliant on. The majority of the story beats are, bluntly, filler. Link spends most of his time in this game attempting to “prove himself” or gather some MacGuffin to power up his sword, which, again, works really poorly in conjunction with game design which already feels like it’s making you do chores.

For all my problems with this game, I think, ultimately, the Zelda games have a remarkably high standard of quality, but Nintendo were unwilling to make anything other than variations of A Link to the Past for far too long, and were only willing to let it go when it was utterly clear that it wasn’t going to work anymore. A little foresight could have prevented Skyward Sword from feeling so irredeemably stagnant, but that’s unfortunately not how corporations and their extreme short-termism work. If Aonuma is to be believed, Breath of the Wild will suffer the same fate. Formulas aren’t inherently bad. Having a solid foundation of tropes undoubtedly helps with development, but a series so focused on exploration and discovery inherently has a tension with its own formulas. In Skyward Sword, when I saw that chest-opening animation for the 1000th time and Link held the bow and arrow above his head for the 6th (?) game in a row, and I saw that squid boss with a massive, obvious eye weak point and I instantly knew what to do, that tension was clearer than ever. My fear is that, as early as the second game in the new formula, when I saw the blood moon rising again, started picking up rocks to get Korok seeds again, stumbled across a dragon in the overworld again, I felt the same feeling of “I’ve seen this before”. I think it’s possible a good balance could be found, but I’m sceptical that Nintendo will find it given their bad habits and undiscerning fanbase.

After completing this game and thinking on it for a few days, I've come to the conclusion that I really liked this game. I had some issues with the mechanics of the game (mind you, I REFUSED to play with motion controls so partially my fault) I thought the story was solid, the dungeons were solid, the bosses were challenging. Though, environmentally sometimes repetitive ("Go back to these three locations AGAIN."), I never really found myself bored playing this game. The character development was outstanding (#TeamGroose). Though I can't say Id ever replay it, I really enjoyed it for what it was.

the legend of zelda: miyamoto's fumbled bag

near perfect story, art, dungeon design and characters, still wouldnt recommend to my worst enemy

the game equivalent of a whole loaf of bread being bad when theres one spot of visible mold

i'd rather do a blind 100% playthrough of zelda 2, or preferably kill myself, than fight the imprisoned for a single additional second

After my recent playthrough of Breath of the Wild I was craving some more Zelda. I figured where better to start than with the only 3D game in the series that I had yet to finish: Skyward Sword. I had originally attempted a play through shortly after its release on the Wii, but after getting to about the halfway point I set it aside and never returned. I was hoping the Switch's portability, the removal of the motion controls (as I would be playing this entirely in handheld mode), and the update to HD would help me to stick through to the end credits.

As I was coming straight out of BOTW I found Skyward Sword to be a pretty big adjustment. Gone was the huge open world with thousands of things to discover. Skyward Sword, at least in theory, has an "open world" to explore, but it feels empty and uninteresting when compared to the open world of BOTW. Skyward Sword was also very linear, as you, for the most part, follow a fairly defined line from the start of the adventure through to the end. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, and I didn't dislike it, per se, but it could put some gamers off.

One thing I really liked about Skyward Sword were its visuals. The art style was colourful, vibrant, and just had a really nice look to it. The character designs were unique and their animations did a good job of conveying their personality and emotions. The game's world looked great too, with each of the environments having a nice look to it. The environments were nothing too out of the normal for the series (volcano zone, desert zone, forest zone), but they did look nice. Complimenting the game's graphics, the soundtrack was solid. It features a good mix of classic Zelda tunes and new music too.

One of Skywards greatest strengths was its story. Compared to other games in the series there is actually quite a bit here, and I found myself more captivated than I usually am with games in the series. I won't spoil anything here, but I did really like how Zelda played more of a role than usual in this game. I also found the overall story to be quite interesting, and the main villain/evil entity to have a good backstory (it is just too bad that he was pretty darn goofy looking, at least in my opinion).

Where Skyward Sword suffers most is its pacing. To start, it takes far too long before it gets interesting (about 3 hours). You start out by learning the basics of the combat, get introduced to the inhabitants of Skyloft, and do a few minor quests. It was all important stuff, but just felt like it went on for far too long. After things got going I had an absolute blast! That is, until around the 25-hour mark. At that point the game throws a fairly lengthy quest at you that clearly only exists to pad out the play time. This section added nothing to the experience and left me with a bad taste in my mouth. Thankfully the game's ending made up for this misstep.

As for gameplay, I really enjoyed it. I played the game entirely in handheld mode so I can't comment on the motion controls, but I can confirm that the translation of the original motion controls to a regular control method worked very well. You swing your sword by flicking the right joystick in the direction you want to slash, and you stab by pressing the stick in. You get full control over the camera too, you just have to hold the "L" button down before moving the right stick. It did take me a few hours to really get a hang of the controls, but once I did, I thought they worked very well. I liked the added depth given to the sword play which you wouldn't get by just pressing a single button to attack.

One of Skyward Sword's biggest strengths was its dungeons. These were all well designed and each one contained a new tool to find which were required to get through to the final dungeon boss. Most of the puzzles in the dungeons were fun to solve and I didn't find them to be too easy nor too tough. With that said, I found that you rarely needed the tools you had acquired from previous dungeons in the dungeons that came after it. You would use that one tool in some unique ways in the dungeon you got it in, but afterwards it would often end up unused in you inventory unused for. I didn't feel this was a huge deal, but that it was still worth mentioning here. Additionally, I found that the tools themselves were among the least interesting in the entire series. They weren't bad, just none of them stood out as something truly unique or special.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Skyward Sword. Some pacing issues hampered my overall enjoyment of the game, and the tools you unlock were among the least interesting in the entire Legend of Zelda series, but the interesting story, the fun gameplay, the unique control scheme, and the stunning graphics more than made up for any shortcomings. Fans of 3D Zelda games should check this one out if they haven't yet.

far too repetitive and has some asshole level design with the occasional mid boss but this is easily the most fun i've had with a game in months so i Dont care LOL. has probably the most personality out of any zelda title i can remember and this new remaster irons out nearly all of the technical issues that absolutely ruined this game originally. button controls are also v good its a shame shit like the swimming is still the absolute worst thing ever in some cases and they didn't burn that spiral charge tutorial off the face of the fucking earth but You Win Some You Lose Some

Went into Skyward Sword with pretty much negative expectations and found it enjoyable, all despite how much scuffed it is. There are plenty of glaring problems: like combat that's made a joke by button controls yet still frustrating when an input doesn't register one in a ten times; or padding of playtime with a lot of unnecessary fetching and some repetitive tasks.

My main gripe although is something I feel about many Nintendo games: Skyward Sword introduces a lot of potentially spectacular mechanics but doesn't build enough interesting challenges around. The game just rarely asks anything more than the ability to recognize patterns brought in the first time an item or mechanic is introduced. It's also irritatingly handholdy, to the point a solution to one of the most interesting spatial puzzles in the game gets awkwardly spelled out on a readable sign. I understand the game needs to be beatable by everybody, but then I wish the HD remaster introduced a new hint-removing difficulty mode, changing dialogues and signposts where it's possible to give new players an opportunity to figure out things for themselves. It's just such a missed opportunity, especially taking into account the few times when the game lets go of the reins really do feel great.

Still, there's totally more good than bad, and despite its annoyances Skyward Sword delivers neat surprises throught all its length. This makes it a pretty good time in my book, even though I wish it was more fulfilling.

I had put off playing this game for way too long. I heard so many mixed opinions on this game that steered me away from playing, and yet I finally bit the bullet and played it.

It was fucking amazing.

The story, the music, the art direction, even the combat with the new controls on Switch is so fucking clean. I really had an amazing time with this game. Some of the dungeons are really creative, as Sky Keep and Sand Ship are some of my favorite in the series. The story and relationship between Link and Zelda is perfection and sets up the series in such a great way. I ended up really enjoying the cast of characters in this game way more than I had anticipated from my first few hours with it, and I have to say I almost cried a bit at certain scenes involving a crystal. I picked this game up and beat it in three days, basically playing it in all of my free time as I was enamored with how clean it felt to play portable on the switch. While the game has a little bit of a slow opening, once it gets the ball rolling, it's a non-stop blast until the end. Even though you end up backtracking ALOT, Skyward Sword manages to change up the level enough to keep each pass through one of the three major areas interesting to the player. The biggest critique I have is that at times, the right stick sword movements got a little finicky sometimes and it was annoying when making precise cuts, but it was totally fine like 95% of the time.

I think this is the first game to get me this excited about Zelda in a long time, ever since I first played Ocarina. Skyward Sword is a fantastic entry and based on how little I've heard people sing it's praises, I would even potentially say an underrated one. I know that the Switch version did SO much to try and smooth over some of the gameplay frustrations, so I can't comment on the original, but damn the HD version hits so hard.

the motion controls are much better here on the switch version compared to the wii, which makes everything so much more enjoyable. when they work, they work, but when they don't, the whole experience grinds to a halt due to how baked in the motion controls are to the whole game. there are button controls now with the right stick, but i tried it for a little and it just felt kinda weird because it "works" but the game isn't originally designed with the concept of moving a stick in certain directions.

overall, it's a fun zelda game with some cool and unique ideas. flying around in the sky is pretty boring. it's just go from point A to point B on the map with nothing interesting to catch your eye, as any chests need to be activated on the surface before you can actually open them, so it gets old pretty fast. skyloft, on the other hand, feels pretty barren for the start of the game, but develops into a location with a variety of sometimes tucked away mini little sidequests that are alright.

the dungeons are actually pretty different in this one, in my opinion. often, the game will give you new information about the dungeon or give you the dungeon map that shows you that there's a fake wall somewhere, etc., which feels kinda interesting.

link and zelda's dynamic is cute. ghirahim is fun.

really overhated game and I don't understand the hate now when all the technical flaws have been fixed. This a triumphant entry in the most storied franchise in gaming. Great characters, dungeons, puzzles, art style, music, and gameplay in general. If you had a sour taste in your mouth when you played this game back on the Wii, I would strongly suggest giving this version a try as I think you'd be pleasantly surprised. I really love this game, and enjoy aspects of it more than Breath of the Wild for comparison. It's fantastic and can't wait for the ten minute TOTK gameplay showcase tomorrow! 4.5 ★

A lesson from Your Dad:

If a game costs 10 dollars more than it originally did and there are barely any improvements made, it’s not worth the money.

What is worth the money is $30,000 worth of alcohol and hookers.

(OOC this is something my Uncle has legitimately done and I am super disappointed in him lol.)

Skyward Sword has one of, if not the best, stories in the Zelda Franchise. Taking you to the very beginning, we discover the origins of the feud between Good and Evil, the creation of the Master Sword and the Hero of Time and the curse that would follow these protagonists across thousands of years and split timelines. Filled with creative dungeons, unique weapons and tools at your disposal, this journey is unlike any other. It’s unfortunate that the game is mired by difficult controls adapted from the Wii’s motion controllers and location/gameplay repetition that makes you wish multiple times for the credits to roll.

When I turned 6 years old, I got a Super Nintendo along with The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past for my birthday. I became enamored with the world, the characters, the dungeons and the story and it was the start of how The Legend of Zelda became my favorite franchise of all time. I was a Nintendo guy through and through, that was until the Wii came out and unfortunately the motion control style of gaming turned me away.

I had played and completed every Zelda game up to this point in Nintendo’s history however Skyward Sword was always the one massive omission in my Zelda gaming history. I never had a Wii and as time progressed, there was just no feasible way for me to play this game. For years I wished for a port and was excited when it was announced for the Switch last year.

So first let’s talk about the controls. I applaud Nintendo for making the effort to translate their motion controls to a standard controller scheme and for the most part they were successful. Every button and swipe of your joysticks works as intended however it doesn’t make the process any less frustrating. Having to hold down a button to move your camera, imprecision in your sword swipes when precision is the name of the game and an item wheel that is cumbersome to use just sucked the joy out of some game encounters.

As creative as the weapons you will find are, the motion control adaption just made them a pain to use. Bombs being one that would explode while I held them more times than I cared to count. Having to assign the item, take out the bomb, move the joystick up or down to throw or roll, hold the joystick, aim, and then press the action button, was a recipe for disaster. If I messed any of those up, which I often did … 💥. The whip, as cool an item as it was, was the bane of my existence. Having to do flicks of the joystick in the right direction to grab and then move the levers, especially in areas that required timeliness, was a nightmare. Lastly the use of shields, a staple of the Zelda series, was difficult and I realized near the end of the game that I had played the entire journey, without a shield.

With that said though, I appreciate Nintendo’s dedication to their move controls as they went all in and used it in very creative ways. When it works, it felt good! Taking down enemies by getting past their defenses and analyzing their behaviors to time your attacks made for some of the best combat in the Zelda franchise. Skyward Sword also boasts some of the best bosses in the franchise and all were so creative and fun to take down using your arsenal. Skyward Sword also has an upgrade system in place by collecting materials in the world. I’ll be honest, I didn’t use this much nor found much of a need to and didn’t go out of my way looking for new materials.

The story this time around is the highlight of the game for me. Watching the story unfold as someone who has loved this franchise for over 30 years was beautiful to see. The lore building and how it connects to future games was so interesting and the cast of characters you interacted with were a lot of fun. I loved every dungeon but need to give a special shoutout to the Lanayru Mines and their use of the time stones. I also found there was a decent amount of challenge in the puzzles this time around that had me look up a guide or two to find my way through.

My only gripe outside of the controls is the repetitiveness of the locations and gameplay elements. You will discover 3 locations and beat their respective dungeons and then you will continue to visit those 3 same locations, albeit sometimes new areas of that location, repeatedly. You will perform the same task by collecting x amount of an item in a realm that will repeat itself, then do another dungeon and then go fight an entity trying to escape and rinse and repeat. I clocked 32 hours to beat the game and there were multiple times where I was hoping that I was nearing the end. Little did I know I was a little over halfway done. Essentially you have fire, sand, forest/water areas you will be exploring, and I wished they had given us a little more variety.

Skyward Sword had the potential to be my favorite in the Zelda Franchise, or at least a close second to Majora’s Mask. It had the creativity, ambition, storytelling, and unique gameplay to make it happen. Some tweaks in its pacing, repetitiveness and controls is all it would have taken to push it forward. Issues aside, I absolutely recommend this game for anyone who enjoys the traditional dungeon style Zelda gameplay as it has some of the most memorable levels wrapped in a beautiful origin story.

Beat: 3/20/22
Time: 32 Hours

That Nintendo chased the original Skyward Sword with Breath of the Wild makes complete sense in hindsight; Skyward Sword is a tightly crafted game, but after years of dungeons divvied up with fetch quests and plot dumps, the Zelda formula feels its age here. The idea of a shakeup honestly feels welcome to me now.

With that said, I adored Skyward Sword. It has some of the best dungeon designs in the entire series, and a wonderful art style and cast made it easy to feel engaged with Skyward Sword's happenings even during the game's occasional lulls.

I can't speak to the original Wii game's advanced motion controls and excessive use of Fi, but I really enjoyed my time with the game's remastered handheld successor.

A lot of my problems with Skyward Sword come from the over reliance on motion controls. I could never get mine working consistently well for whatever reason, so it was tedious to even fight the basic enemies of the game. I intended to play with buttons, but kept switching back and forth, mostly due to the camera. The controls were just so annoying and dragged down an otherwise good Zelda game.

The OST is amazing (as expected from Zelda) and the characters also never failed to entertain me. The densely packed puzzle filled level design of the overworld areas was really great and probably the most a 3D Zelda overworld has felt like the design of the top down 2D titles.

Judging it from a remake standpoint quickly, it flows way better than the original from what I remember. There's a bunch of feature that save a lot of time but there's a few odd things here and there. Like not being able to turn the camera while running, running is something that the player ends up doing a lot.

Skyward's gameplay is fundamentally great, the combat is appealing and fun but it's riddled with holes. On the combat side of things, the bulk of enemies approach you with their guard up, leading the combat to be basically the same fight every encounter. I think the only thing opposing that is the satisfaction of finally defeating said enemy. The only boss that's misses hard is scaldera, you roll bombs at it, they're sucked up, they blow up, and then you strike it's eye. Opposingly, Skyward also has some of the best bosses in the franchise like Demise, Ghriahim, Koloktos. All of them unique, creative, and remarkable in their own ways.

Dugenons/setting ramblings: Skyward will have you dwelling on the idea of "believable and immersive world Vs. Video game level". Skyward's overworld is disconnected, none of it feels like one cohesive world. The area's themselves are really just an obstacle with nothing exactly to keep you interested before you get to the real dungeon. The area's themselves are great, maybe a little too linear also, but I just think it's a shame that they all feel like a standalone levels. The Sky itself is open for exploration but it's disappointingly empty considering how wonderful and interesting it is. Skyloft has actual rewarding and enjoyable side quests, as well as a way to upgrade your equipment. That in itself give the player an incentive to actually search for collectables. Onto arguably skyward's biggest strength, the dungeons. The ancient cistern for example, I wouldn't bat eye if someone said that it is their favorite dungeon in all of Zelda. The heavenly/enlighten look to the dungeon is something to soak in and gawk at. And in direct contrast to it, is the hell like underground cavern that has undead Bokoblins. The way you escape the cavern is through a blinding light in the ceiling that has rope hanging down from it. It all makes for a memorable build up to the koloktos boss battle. Even the less inspired dungeons like skyview temple, fire santurary, and the earth temple, still have their own distinct flare and atmosphere.

This is most likely 3D Zelda's weakest narrative, it's a plot you've seen a thousand times in a thousand life times. It plays it safe, the tone always light hearted, and it seems to come from a point in time where Nintendo was trying to figure out how to innovate Zelda. But what it did do is take time to establish skyloft and make you care for the goofy cast. The most substantial content comes at the end of the game, where Demise finally appears after learning about him through various means during the journey and is characterized as a barbaric monster who's lived for eons and is intrigued by a human that is capable of ending him. All the talk payoffs in a kino battle, in a area that's reminiscent of a anime opening/ending. Demise loses the duel, and curses Link and Zelda by fating them to be reincarnated- hence the other Zelda games. And in that sense, a greater appreciation for Skyward is fostered.

Skyward HD is very much a worthwhile experience as flawed as it is.

random stuff:
-There's item collecting related padding near the end of the game. Ex: collectign your own items, collecting pieces of the song of hero, collecting notes, it's all stuff that didn't really need to be there.
-The music is pretty forgettable, it sucks considering this is Zelda.
-Fi still states crap the player already knows.
-Hero Mode is only available after you beat it the game

I liked it, but I do have mixed thoughts regarding this game.

For one, the controls are pretty unique and cool at first glance, until it doesn't work as well as it could. It will not be responsive at times, and when it does it may not respond instantaneously which could be fatal. It also won't definitely be precise. When it does work, it's pretty cool. When it doesn't (which it will multiple times), it will be frustrating.

The story is alright, it's definitely more story driven than most other Zelda games, but it still follows the traditional formula of the games as well. The overworld looks really nice, and isn't just an empty wasteland. I find both the bosses and dungeons good, some more than others. Though they're not as consistent as in TP but none is bad. The final boss fight, in particular is incredible.

My biggest gripe with this game is the blatant bloat throughout the storyline. Zelda games always follow the formula of collecting multiple items through sections like dungeons, this can happen once or twice more. Skyward sword does this, but took it 3 steps further. At the very least in other Zelda games, the items you collect as "fillers" for the main items are usually important, though it is also true at times for this game, it is also not for most of it. This doesn't stop until the end. Multiple times in the storyline, assuming you need to retrieve 3 items, each may need you doing filler quests like fetch quests or collecting multiple other useless items or backtracking. For example. even near the end of the story, you need to collect 17 different items (which doesn't do anything) as a form of "test" in an area to get 1 out of 3 of the main items you actually need. The game will throw excuses like "it's a test" a lot, and though it makes sense in the beginning, they still throw you that near the end of the game after you've already done 10 other "tests" and got your "upgraded" gears. I personally don't mind this formula as long as it's executed well, which it doesn't in this game and just ends up as blatant padding.

However, aside from that and some gripes with the controls, everything else is done well and I still have fun playing this game. Though, I definitely won't be giving this a replay any time in the near future.

There is a 30% chance that this game is enjoyable, but that percentage can be increased to 90% if the conditions are just right.

This review will be on the HD remake of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, but it will also encompass my experience with the original Wii version I played over a decade ago. My feelings about the one cannot be present without my feelings about the other.

I’m pretty sure 2011’s The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is the first game I ever preordered with my own money (I still have the golden Wii remote that was packaged with it). A high school friend of mine and I would talk at exhaustive lengths about what we thought was going to happen in the game based off of the teaser art that was revealed featuring a swordless Twilight Princess-y looking Link standing back to back with a Wind Waker-y Great Fairy looking girl. The 3DS remake of Ocarina of Time had official art of Skyward Sword’s Link hidden throughout the world, which only further amplified my already bristling anticipation. Besides the previously mentioned remake of an already perfect game, Zelda had put out a few duds. It was time for a return to form. It was time for something with no strings attached. It was time for the classic Zelda experience.

And then I got the game.

Let it be known that there were some things I liked about Skyward Sword. Fi’s design, everything about Zelda herself, and of course Groose, stand out the most. The music is great as always and I like Kina the Pumpkin girl.

But those controls, man. For a game putting into practice what the Wii Motion Plus controller was capable of, it sure is a shame it never fully did exactly what I wanted to. It felt more like I was playing some carnival attraction.

I do not like them, Sam I Am.

Skyward Sword was kind of the last straw for me for a little while. In my petulant teenage eyes, The Legend of Zelda was no longer the proud sibling series to Mario, it was now the stupid gimmick series where they find new ways to play a game to justify their underpowered toyetic consoles to the world.

This opinion would of course change, but I still felt that way for a good few years. And regardless of which Zelda games came out afterwards, Skyward Sword was always my least favorite.

And then even more years passed. The game that was made to commemorate The Legend of Zelda’s 25th anniversary was ten years old. And to commemorate that, Nintendo released a high definition remake of the game, with the ability for buttons only controls.

Buttons only controls! I had to write it again just to feel the pleasure of putting it into words once more.

I got Skyward Sword HD at basically half price, and more than ever that feels like a steal. Buttons only mode elevates this game far, far above the original. It feels like I’m playing a video game! Every clumsy and misaligned action that Link could do before is now streamlined and precise. And they even give you the option to go back to motion controls and remind yourself how dire the situation was.

No longer is Skyward Sword a good Zelda game that is held back by how you interact with the world, it’s just a Zelda game now. And Buttons Only Mode actually makes that initial idea of intense sword combat Nintendo’s been chasing since Zelda 2 interesting to play! Sure, a lot of the combat has that shooting gallery feeling from the original where the enemy runs up to you and waits to be killed, but later on you fight more aggressive enemies that punish a missed input. And now that you have an interface that doesn’t miss an input half the time, it becomes an enjoyable challenge!

The world map is still small but without the Wii Motion Plus mosquito buzzing in my ear, I was able to understand that its constant reuse of the main three areas was a means of adding depth and richness to each of them, rather than laziness. I’d still like a snow area though. Or a beach area. Or both.

Skyward Sword HD taught me how to love again, and I, at the very least, really like Skyward Sword.

The ending is still kind of dumb. Spoiler alert for a 10 year old game but it retroactively makes my man Ganondorf feel less special. That’s some dumb shit.

I’ve played and 100%-ed The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword twice, once on each version, and I only recommend the second version. Button Only Mode is truly a game changer. Now, hopefully you will be as lucky as me and get this game for 20 bucks, but in the event that you won’t or haven’t, I still think it’s worth the marked retail price. It’s a good game with an endearing story with loveable characters, and now, interesting controls.

Fi is less annoying in the remake too.

For 25 years or so Link to the Past was my favorite Zelda game. I finally tried Skyward sword when it was remade for the switch. I didn’t play it the first time around because of all the people talking down on it. Shame on me. This is easily now my favorite Zelda game. The story is far and away the best in the series, it’s my favorite in terms of gameplay, and without a doubt this is the best iteration of Link and Zelda.

Moral of the story is never let other peoples bad opinions stop you from playing a game.

Skyward Sword HD is a nice improvement over the original and makes the game feel much more accessible if you'd prefer to use traditional controls. They've assigned the directional sword swings to the right stick which works really well and makes the whole situation feel a little less fussy. It's definitely the best way to experience the last of the legacy Zelda games, and I still hold that it has the best soundtrack and the best dungeons of any Zelda game. It's a more focused experience than other games in the franchise, with story beats hitting at a staccato pace and dungeons coming fast and frequently. I find it to be a refreshing change of pace after the countless hours spend wandering the quiet wilds. The whole game is packed character and heart. Sure, it's down the list on the best games in the franchise, but it's still a Zelda game which makes it a rung above just about everything else.

This game is like 🤏 THIS close to being one of the strongest Zelda games with its story, characters, dungeons, the music, and my god most of the bosses (it has one of my favorite final bosses in Zelda, if not one of my favorite ones ever), but man it really has some of the worst pacing and padding I've experienced in a video game.

I get that they wanted to stretch the game's length out and they had to redo the whole thing at one point, but it is extremely tiring having to revisit the same areas 3 or even 4 times just to fetch an item, having to prove you're a hero AGAIN like you haven't done it twice over, or to outright waste time because the game loves to do that. It feels so held back from how it could've ultimately been, its wack, I'm just glad the HD version fixes some of the glaring problems with the original game.

With that being said FUCK having to fight the Imprisoned 3 times who the fuck thought that was a good idea??? The boss wasn't even good the first time around, probably top 3 in worst Zelda bosses ever man

🎮 Platform: Nintendo Switch
⌚ Time to finish - 28h

Skyward Sword is exactly what every Zelda lover will want, a nice story, really intricate dungeons, varied combat, great puzzles, so I think if you love Zelda you will definitely love this game. However, I am slowly coming to realization that Zelda is not a game for me anymore. I was lost a lot in this game and did not have the patience to look for little environmental clues to help me keep going and just resorted to a guide. I don't want to play a game with using a guide so much. I am use to quest markers and other modern niceties. However, the guide kept the game moving at a good and enjoyable pace. The younger me would have had the patience for all this. Overall this was a good experience, but I think it could be a great one for a Zelda formula fan. I think I am done with Zelda after this.

Pros:
I loved the art style and touching origin story. Dare I say i liked the visuals here than BOTW.
Really cool dungeons and puzzles that come together. Really awesome design
Combat was varied among the bosses and mini bosses
Story feels epic. And it should, you learn about how the master sword came to being and alot of lore around the triforce.

Cons:
Controls are better but still very clunky. I almost gave up on the game in the prolouge when i could not get past the basic flying lessons level. After perseverence and switching to NON motion controls i got past it. Non motion controls were the best for me. Do keep in mind using right stick to do attacks takes getting use to. TIP: I had an 8bitdo controller, so i was able to use macros to make this easy.
Overall an easy game but couple boss fights are just straight up frustrating and NOT fun. One is a flying boss towards the end, and already the flying here is frustrating. You have to hit the boss at specific spots while he is moving and you are flying. SUPPER frustrating. The final final boss of the game is plain stupid. TIP: Use a damage reduction potion if you want to. He is fast and takes out 2 hearts per hit.... these 2 fights really soured my experience and together took at least 10 tries each. Really did not like seeing the last fight ramp up difficulty that hard.
even as a zelda expert I imagine some solutions are VERY obscure. For example, finding a tiny hole in a wall to get a key, going to a random place in the world map to play a song, some abilities help you find them but without a guide I was getting frustrated FAST and running in circles
There is definitely a bit of filler content. For example levels where you collect orbs without getting caught. It happens at least 3 times and re-uses the same levels. Another level you literally just loose all you stuff for NO reason and have to go retrieve it one by one.. WHY?

"Though this is not the end. My hate... never perishes. It is born anew in a cycle with no end! I will rise again. Those like you... Those who share the blood of the goddess and the spirit of the hero... They are eternally bound to this curse. An incarnation of my hatred shall ever follow your kind, dooming them to wander a blood-soaked sea of darkness for all time!"

É recorrente em Zelda essa imperatividade do destino, como se algo nos impelisse à uma jornada grandiosa para combater um mal que impregna aquele tempo. Em Ocarina desde o início somos destinados a sair da vila para evitar uma grande calamidade, bem como em Twilight onde somos designados para pôr o fim no domínio maligno de Zant nas terras de Hyrule. Essa questão do destino, na recorrente luta entre o bem e o mal, bem como uma reflexão sobre a trindade da franquia (Sabedoria, Força, e, principalmente, Coragem) é não só o principal cerne de Skyward Sword, como também o seu charme, capaz de encantar qualquer veterano da série Zelda. No final Skyward traz um comentário meta sobre todo o ciclo de destinos da série, onde a cada jogo vai se repetir esse embate entre o bem e o mal.

E, sendo bem honesto, mesmo que seja um jogo mais fraco que os anteriores ao meu ver, me emocionei bastante com toda essa questão da predestinação do herói e do mal, principalmente por ser o meu sexto título da série Zelda. Falar a respeito desse jogo também é para mim falar sobre o que há de tão único e fantástico nesta franquia que me é tão querida agora. Skyward Sword ao final é um título sobre as bases da franquia; um título que consegue resumir bem tudo o que torna Zelda singular como série; um título que, para mim, representa toda uma série de jogos que conseguiu me emocionar com as suas jornadas épicas entre a terra, o oceano e o ar para combater um mal que persiste a cada tempo, uma espécie de eterno retorno onde a cada ciclo fico mais sábio, forte, e corajoso.

“Whenever there is a meeting, a parting is sure to follow. However, that parting need not last forever… Whether a parting is forever or merely for a short time… That is up to you.”