Visually, this game looks kinda like a watercolor painting. The colors and lines are soft and relaxing. Facial expressions were toned down from Twilight Princess. The emotions that flickered across the characters' faces in Twilight Princess took my breath away, but I guess it wasn't important to a lot of players because Skyward Sword didn't possess it. It's a little sad because there were so many emotional moments in this game that would have benefitted from it. Words and voices speak volumes, but we can't underestimate the power of visible emotion in telling a story.
I'll be honest. The dungeons and temples in this game made me want to pull my hair out. It deviated a bit from the usual Zelda pattern. Often there seemed to be no clear direction to go. The layout of each place was a bit confusing. It was anything but linear. Over and over I saw the same areas used in different ways. This was interesting and creative. One location would be travelled over multiple times, but objectives and settings and details changed. After the first exploration of a place it was refreshed anew by changing circumstances like volcanic activity, darkness, flooding, or time fluctuations. I was impressed by how circumstances could make a familiar location look new and intimidating.
There were some creative and unexpected moments packed into this game. I never thought I'd see the day that Link had his own minecart level. Neither did I expect to hold time in my hands and be able to throw it. This game is packed with little gems like that. I also found the story compelling. Skyward Sword is a bit of an origin story and I love origin stories. Zelda's character was developed a bit further than the wait around to be rescued, stay silent and watch, or enchanted sleep times of the past (or should I say future?). She definitely played an active role and had a developed personality. Go Nintendo!
My favorite part of this game was the boss battles! For all that the dungeons/temples were frustrating, the boss battles were exhilarating! From the first boss battle to the final boss battle I was kept on my toes. It never became a boring pattern. It had my heart pumping and my eyes wide throughout the fight. I'm not usually one to find tons of enjoyment in boss battles. I used to view them as a necessary evil. I preferred adventuring. This game flipped that on me and I found it refreshing and greatly enjoyable.
All in all I personally rate Skyward Sword 3.5 out of 5 stars. There were great things and really frustrating things. It was hard to rate because of the frustration and also because the frustration paid off in awesome moments. But I can't put it on the level of Majora's Mask (my favorite Zelda of all time). While the story was great and the boss battles were amazing, it's a game I will probably never replay. I would replay the boss battles, but not the rest of the game. With any other console Zelda game I'm happy to replay, but I can't say that of this one. I should say that 5 out of 5 stars for me puts a game on a favorite of all time video game list. Few games will reach that level. Four stars is highly enjoyable and definitely would play again. I realize 3.5 looks like a low rating, especially for a Zelda title. I'm definitely not knocking the game. I recommend it!
That's it for this Re:View. Thanks for reading! Feel free to send any feedback to thehalflingninja@gmail.com or leave a comment.
You're never too small to make a difference in the world.
The Halfling Ninja
I don't think I wanna play it. I got frustrated when I tried last time.
ReplyDelete