MINOR GAMEPLAY SPOILERS
My initial opinions on 'Skyward Sword' were very positive when I was slashing my way through the first three dungeons. I wasn't too hot on the handholding (though it seemed way more manageable compared to the Wii version) but I was able to move past it. Dungeons weren't difficult really but they moved from one interesting gameplay idea to the next at a brisk pace.
It was all good...until I had to go through the three areas again. This was when the cracks began to form, the objectives started to feel artificial, simply there to inflate the game's runtime. Ideas were still bouncing around keeping things moderately enjoyable but less so than before.
It was all okay...until I had to go through the three areas a third time and this is when I genuinely broke down laughing. I felt like the game was TRYING to get me to dislike it more and more. The ideas became stale with the game resorting to underdeveloped stealth sections and swimming collectathons that made me want to gauge my eyes out. The story was basically all I had in the last third of the game to keep me going. The motion combat and controls in general were a novel idea that I enjoyed at first, but the game never pushed them further than simple flicks towards certain directions. Environments were derivative of the typical wooded, desert, and volcano locations always seen in 3D Zelda titles leaving very little room for interesting areas to explore. So again, the narrative was the only thing that trailed me along until it's, luckily, satisfying conclusion.
It's just so sad to me, I enjoyed a decent amount at first. But it just goes to show that padding out your game for the sake of having content doesn't lead to a better game, just a more frustrating experience knowing it could have been a lot better if they just cut it down a few pegs.
My initial opinions on 'Skyward Sword' were very positive when I was slashing my way through the first three dungeons. I wasn't too hot on the handholding (though it seemed way more manageable compared to the Wii version) but I was able to move past it. Dungeons weren't difficult really but they moved from one interesting gameplay idea to the next at a brisk pace.
It was all good...until I had to go through the three areas again. This was when the cracks began to form, the objectives started to feel artificial, simply there to inflate the game's runtime. Ideas were still bouncing around keeping things moderately enjoyable but less so than before.
It was all okay...until I had to go through the three areas a third time and this is when I genuinely broke down laughing. I felt like the game was TRYING to get me to dislike it more and more. The ideas became stale with the game resorting to underdeveloped stealth sections and swimming collectathons that made me want to gauge my eyes out. The story was basically all I had in the last third of the game to keep me going. The motion combat and controls in general were a novel idea that I enjoyed at first, but the game never pushed them further than simple flicks towards certain directions. Environments were derivative of the typical wooded, desert, and volcano locations always seen in 3D Zelda titles leaving very little room for interesting areas to explore. So again, the narrative was the only thing that trailed me along until it's, luckily, satisfying conclusion.
It's just so sad to me, I enjoyed a decent amount at first. But it just goes to show that padding out your game for the sake of having content doesn't lead to a better game, just a more frustrating experience knowing it could have been a lot better if they just cut it down a few pegs.