The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (A, 98.75%)

Dear Followers,

After a long, a fulfilling Thanksgiving Break, I am not looking forward to facing all of the assignments I let pile up over the past few days. As I explained to Ishmam Ahmed yesterday, right now I feel as if I have come back home after a prolonged vacation in a foreign land and now I am consolidating the experience in order to relish every last moment. This Thanksgiving Break, I didn't finish any college applications or finish the work I missed last week like I told myself I would. No, instead, I sat down and played one of the best Wii games ever created: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.

I remember when I first saw SS in action at E3 2010 I was disappointed. The colorful, exaggerated character designs and minimalist artistic style which featured a middle ground between Twilight Princess and Wind Waker was extremely frustrating for me to behold. I had very much enjoyed the dark visuals and neutral palette of Twilight Princess as an indication of the maturation of the series, and I felt that the new visuals represented a reversion back into childishness. After a major wireless connection problem during the Nintendo game play demonstration, I had close to no reasons to consider purchasing SS.

I had ignored SS for more than a year. And then, the reviews came flooding in. From Famitsu to IGN to Wired, SS was receiving critical acclaim left and right in the weeks before its official release, being heralded as a masterpiece. Needless to say, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about and made the decision to return my copy of CoD: MW 3 for a copy of SS. In the process, my dad found a deal at Target for a Wii, New Super Mario Bros., and LoZ: SS for only $100. Now, I am the proud owner of multiple Wiis, PS3s, and Xbox 360s which reside in my standing reserve, waiting to be played by nobody.

After playing the game for a few hours, I realized the reviews were right. SS is one of the best, if not the best Wii games ever created. It only took Nintendo a few years of meddling with motion controls and forcing players to buy the Wii Motion Plus addition before they could finally begin to make some magic with the Wii. SS is the first game I have purchased for the Wii which actually feels like it was made for the system. Many of my previous games, Twilight Princess included, felt much more natural with a Game Cube controller, the motion controls simply serving the purpose of occasional gimmicks.

Simply put, SS would not be the same game without motion controls. From having Link's sword slashes perfectly match your own to seamlessly switching between items in the middle of a fight, the integrated motion controls in SS are unbelievably responsive and effective. In SS, the timing of your sword swipe isn't all that counts as you have to swing at just the right angle to break through your enemies' defenses. Figuring out your enemies' weaknesses is one of the most difficult yet rewarding processes in the game, and slicing Bokoblins like butter when you nab the Master Sword never felt so good.

However, SS lacks graphical pizzazz. I understand Miyamoto, you made the game blurry on purpose in consideration of the Wii's hardware limitations and in order to capture the essence of a hazy painting. But honestly, at some points in the game when I was looking at haphazardly arranged tree branches or background detailing, I had to ask myself if Wind Waker was more graphically advanced. This isn't to say SS is complete garbage in the graphical department. Some of the landscapes are breathtaking to behold and character animations are fluid. But I was expecting a bit... more.

Regardless, once I got used to the unique visual elements, the overall game experience quickly made up for any qualms I had about SS. While SS, in continuing the series tradition of leaving the player to construct voices for the dialogue between characters save for a few grunts and catchphrases, features no voice acting. I understand you don't want to commit to a voice for Link and Zelda Miyamoto, but come on. Ash Ketchum is the exception, not the rule. However, SS features fully orchestrated musical pieces, a first for the series. Hearing wonderful pieces of music such as Zelda's Lullaby and The Legend of Zelda Main Theme during the credits was simply amazing with the power of a full orchestra.

Nintendo has a habit of nondisclosure when it comes to helping the player organize the narrative which is The Legend of Zelda. Go ahead and Google "Legend of Zelda Timeline" to see the confusion Miyamoto has unleashed on the world in terms of constructing a comprehensive and coherent narrative while bridging together very, very distinct Zelda games. Thankfully, Miyamoto has confirmed for us all that SS takes place before the events of Ocarina of Time which helps clear a few misconceptions up... well, kind of. I was glad to see a genuine romantic relationship between Link and Zelda is SS. Finally, Link is actually questing to save Zelda instead of another random blonde-haired girl.

All in all, SS was an amazingly fun game to play. While occasionally I found myself rage quitting when the connection got messy with my Wii-Mote leading to an unfortunate death, the motion controls were spot on for the most part. While more detached from the main narrative than in previous Zelda games, the characters were unique and enjoyable... for the most part (Fun Fun Island guy, burn in hell). If you own a Wii, I wholeheartedly recommend dusting off your Wii-Mote and picking up a copy of SS, even more so if you are a fan of the series. Saving the world is all in a weekend's work after all.

Thank You Master Link, May We Meet Again In Another Life,
Noel