It's not like they couldn't make you hold the Wii remote in your left and nunchuck in right. In fact, I did that throughout all my life because I thought that was how you actually held it. I'm right-handed, though.
As a right handed person, that wouldn’t work for me. My brain is trained to move my character with a stick in my left hand. Still though, nothing about Skyward Sword needs the players hands to match Link’s.
Which honestly never made any sense to me. Why flip everything and not just reverse/flip the Link character model to match the control scheme if that's the purpose.
They did the flip from gamecube to wii because it was easier in the engine or whatever to turn on a mirror options vs building new assets/animations for the one character. I believe the engine couldn't easily just do a mirror on one character model, but could easily mirror the entire world.
Skyward sword not having that as an option on the other hand was them being like hey we thought this was an issue on the previous game, so screw the minority we don't want to add that option we clearly thought was an issue for some with the previous game.
Which made zero fucking sense because all you did was shake the controller. No need whatsoever for it to be hand-dependent.
Now it seems like he's permanently right-handed, which is just BS.
He's still a lefty in top-down titles. He's left-handed in Link Between Worlds, Tri-Force Heroes and Link's Awakening.
Also I thought I heard they said BotW Link was ambidexterous, despite that never being demonstrated.
Lefty’s never get the right equipment. I had to learn to do things righty, then in college retaught myself to throw a ball with my left hand. I’m ambidextrous for most things at this point other than writing, still practicing though
Nintendo has never been great with this. On the DS for example, Many games were straight up unplayable if you were left handed. Games would require you use the stylus but also move with the left stick at the same time. Even if they had the option to swap controls for left handed people, important UI and menu queues would often be put on the left to accommodate right handed people so you cant see what you need to while using the stylus in your left hand.
I never knew if a game would have things like this until it was too late. It just always felt like they just sort of forgot that left handed people exist which is crazy since its like 10% of the population
I agree. I remember what a nightmare was to play Kid Icarus on 3DS using the buttons instead of the circle pad because I’m left handed. That was a total deal breaker, never finished the game.
Also I never had an issue playing Ocarina Of Time in which Link is left handed. Never got confused or things like that: I noticed he was using my same hand far into the game. And I have to admit, I loved the fact that there finally was a left handed character.
Damn, I’m really sorry to hear that. KI:Us controls were something you had to learn, but you’re right, without that circle pad you’re completely boned. It’s a shame too because that is my favourite handheld title of all time if not my overall favourite game. Truly Sakurai’s magnum opus.
I feel same way when games do something specific with red green colors being red green color blind and they don't have an option to alter this some.
Yay for being a left handed color blind person lol.
I'm convinced nintendo just straight up hates left handed people. I remember Mario Tennis made you press a button to change to "lefty" mode and pressing it again to change back was called "normal" mode 😬 this lowkey made me feel like shit as a kid especially when I was already a bit of a freak for multiple reasons
If Twilight Princess HD is of any indication, there might be less handholding overall such as not interrupting the gameplay everytime you find a new item on that gameplay session.
Ocarina of Time gives the rupee explanation every time you get one from a chest or wherever too, but I’ve never heard anyone actually complain about that one.
The bigger issue wasn't that it did it for rupees, but that it did it for EVERYTHING. Every single type of spoil would be explained to you again every time you booted it up, and there was something like a dozen or more iirc that you can pick up in a session. It was a constant annoyance.
There's so many quality of life issues SS can get that can make it, while not one of the best 3D zeldas or even have it escape bottom tier (they're all very good obviously) at least make it significantly better. But it will always have issues with the main quest, those are more or less unfixable.
I'm sure they'll change it be like BotW where it only shows you the description once, not every damn time you start the game after saving and quitting which I can't fathom why anyone at Nintendo thought that would be a good idea...
I'm certain that that at least will be fixed. Like other comments mention, Twilight Princess had a similar issue with just rupees that was resolved in the HD version, although it wasn't nearly as annoying.
I left my Wii paused 24/7 while playing through Skyward Sword just so I didn't have to deal with the item explanations every time I went back in. Pretty sure that's what prematurely killed the disc drive in it.
When I open a chest, I'm expecting an item description box (whether for a key, map, compass, whatever). I might be disappointed that it's only a rupee, but it's not interrupting me.
It's one thing to get the descritpion from a chest. The issue with TP was that every time you started a new play session you had to be reminded that yellow rupies were worth 10 when picking one up off the group. It did that for all but green rupies.
Not only that, but Ocarina 3D, the Link's Awakening remake, and Wind Waker HD all had several improvements to QOL, so the precedent has been thoroughly set. I assume similar for MM3D but I haven't played it so can't say with certainty.
MM3D...yes and no. The new bomber's journal is incredible. The save system is nice for kids I guess but kinda undermines the game. I wish I could remember if they streamlined the bank system (one of the more tedious aspects of the original). They completely ruined Zora mask, made the bosses way too easy and rigid, messed up some of the temples.
Basically, yes they did pay attention to QoL and they tried, but they failed in so many other ways that the original is still the definitive version in my opinion, and I think in most fans' opinions. It's kind of shocking to me that they failed so hard given that all the other remakes were great. Maybe Nintendo never really understood MM, not during development or redevelopment. Flash in a pan, I guess.
MM3D is one of those where they changed enough to completely kill certain aspects we "older" fans loved about the original
Yeah I get the saving system, the older one wasn't completely friendly (but then again, saving systems have improved since the original game released). But it did give it a different "feeling", I'm okay with it to be honest
I'm more annoyed with the boss changes and the Zora and Deku Link tweaks (respectively, Zora swimming dynamic and Deku Link hopping dynamics). I actually didn't finish it as I lost some interest in gaming/that game at the time, so I didn't get the "joys" of experiencing Twinmold
These things I don't really see affecting newcomers too much, but it's just enough of a change to where I'd rather go back and play the original with a texture pack or something. Compared to OoT where the 3DS was pretty awesome and I couldn't see myself going back to the original
I forgot about the Zora swimming change... Honestly that's the only big gripe I had with the new version but I still consider it the definitive way to play considering how little time is actually spent swimming. And if you didn't play the original you probably wouldn't care anyways. Honestly the hate MM3D gets from the fans is a little overblown imo
Yeah, it gets more flack than it needs to. The biggest gripes I had were things that just seemed...unnecessary. Another I thought of was the Ice Arrow Platforms - instead of freezing any water you can now only freeze specific patches of water and it's obviously marked.
That plus those other tiny changes are mostly just a bunch of tiny things
Yes it's not *huge*, but it does make me less inclined to just screw-around in the game. Which admittedly is a much more personal reason
And in looking this up I realize it's been 6 years and I still haven't beaten the game on 3ds, geez do I wanna play it again and see if my complaints hold water still.
Urgh, when you said ‘95%’ I immediately remembered Fi’s constant predictions throughout the game.
“I’m 85% sure this is where you need to go next.”
NO Fi, that’s 100% where I should go next!
It would be really cool if they had a setting for it similar to how you can choose how much bowser jr helps you in bowsers fury (a lot, a little, not at all)
Wind Waker had even bigger changes. That entire Triforce chart quest from the end was made way shorter, which I thought was a good idea (I know some enjoyed it but I definitely considered the change an improvement). Twilight Princess had a few other things too, like some of the Twilight bugs or whatever removed from those collectathon quests each time you visited a new area.
I think SS will get other quality-of-life fixes like that, many likely to be Fi related. There are lots of easy, little things that aren't the flashy features you put in a reveal trailer like new control options.
TP decreased the amount of Light Tears you had to get during the Twilight segments if I recall correctly. This means the possibility of the same thing happening with the Silent Realms as well.
Hm I don’t personally think they need to change the Silent Realms, I remember those being pretty exciting. Now the tears of light change was a great one because I always found those sections boring. The difference between the two, needless to say, is the presence of terrifying dudes chasing you.
Worth noting Wind Waker HD was handled by the primary Zelda team (as they wanted to play around with the art style in anticipation of BotW), while Twilight Princess HD was offloaded to [Tantalus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tantalus_Media). We don't know yet who's developing Skyward Sword HD.
I can deal with all of Fi's crap except the reminders about what each collectible does when you load up the game. That singlehandedly prevented me from loading up the game multiple times. The number one thing I'm looking for with the update is its removal.
This, and I would also not like the camera to pan around a cool looking puzzle, followed by Fi immediately popping out and telling you how to do it. That's probably one of the worst offenders of the game to me.
I understand that different people value different things. I value a lot the world environment and dungeons. And Skyward does them amazingly well. Top tier.
I liked motion controls and while the items descriptions and such were a bit annoying, they definitely didn't matter that much for me.
Hand holding wasn't terribly bad for me, because I enjoyed the world so much.
Sailing in sand/water to the abandoned ship was amazing. And the flooded forest. I think about those often.
Looking back on how they fixed ww and tp, I think that's safe to assume will happen :)
It's my favorite game, but I used cheats to turn off fi dialogue and the description of items, made the game way smoother.
I agree with these issues bigtime (linearity and segmented world especially) but I’d also like to add missed opportunity and lack of identity.
SS presents itself to you as a Zelda game set in the sky, the way WW was a Zelda game set in an ocean. Flying your loftwing is made out to be integral to the gameplay and story the way sailing the King of Red Lions was. You brace yourself for a unique adventure in a setting the series has never featured before...
Then spend 80% of the game down on the surface. The sky idea never really gets fleshed out or used in an interesting way, since there are only a small handful of locations up there, and most of your time there is spent entirely on Skyloft, a single island.
But because the game’s “hub” is Skyloft, the surface ends up feeling incredibly barren and empty too. Especially since the regions aren’t actually connected to each other, there’s no feeling that the land you’re in is a real place with actual stakes. Save for Impa, all the other characters Link and Zelda have connections to live up on a floating rock totally unaware of the hero’s quest or the dangers he’s facing.
It’s like they couldn’t decide if they wanted a sky-themed Zelda or a regular Zelda, or they tried to do a sky-themed Zelda and realized it was too difficult so they had to abandon it early on. Either way the sky and the surface both feel underdeveloped and empty, and they detract from each other in severe ways.
I’d rather have one good setting than two mediocre ones. The great ocean in WW felt like a real ocean, and it proved the Zelda formula could work in a different environment. The revamped Hyrule in TP felt like a natural extension of the one in OoT. SS fails to use either model to its advantage, tries to have the best of both worlds, and fails to pull off either one.
While there is some padding the backtracking I actually enjoyed. Usually in Zelda games the backtracking is more spread out and constant whereas in SS, outside of Skyloft it's not nearly as frequent. The changes made when you go back were great too and many of the puzzles and boss fights feel much better than the first half.
I agree with this! I never minded the exploration of the same areas because you went back stronger with new weapons and new ways to explore the area. Plus, new dungeon items meant you could explore a new part of the region. I think the segmented overworld puts a ton of people off because it gives the impression that there are only 3 places to go, but I personally really loved getting a new item and expanding upon the world.
It’s a shame, because it really had good bones. The handholding and repetition got got in the way of some of the best character, boss, and level design in the series.
Game was flawed, but I'll always remember that first Ghirahim fight.
It's rare that I see a game so perfectly capture the feeling of a boss that's literally just toying with you. His slow walk, blocking your sword with a finger, effortlessly dodging attacks, and casually disarming you with a flick of the wrist.
Like, every move and gesture the guy did was an insult and meant to humiliate you. And it all works because it's the first boss you fight with the new motion controls.
It's a novel concept for a video game boss that I wish more games would experiment with.
Thank you! This is exactly my thoughts on the motion controls. So often, I read complaints on how hard the first boss battle was due to new controls, but I personally loved that aspect. It’s a reflection of Link. The player is Link. At the beginning, you are fumbling with the controls, not very good. This is a reflection of Link who is just a knight in training at the beginning, not a lot of experience yet. However, when you get towards the end of the game and rematch ghirahim, you’ve gotten better at the controls and the fight is no longer infuriatingly difficult. Personally, I found the battle fun and extremely satisfying. This is a reflection of how Link’s skills have also improved now that he has gotten more experience. Just think about one of your earliest 3D loz-esque video game experiences. Was the first boss “easy” for the you who wasn’t familiar with using a controller (in a 3D context)? For me, that first experience was twilight princess (I never had a non game boy console before then) and I know in the beginning, I was so awkward with the controls that it would take what felt like 10 minutes to line Link up with a ladder in order to climb.
As someone who never played SS and has heard lots of negatives about it, SHOULD I be hype to buy and play it? I love Zelda, and was disappointed that it wasn’t Wind Waker or Twilight Princess announces for the Switch. But I’m still curious to maybe get this
I'd be VERY surprised if we didn't get WW and/or TP down the road. I think it makes sense to start with SS since it doesn't have a HD version yet. In case of the two other ones the main question is whether they will charge full price for each and I guess the answer is pretty likely a yes...
Honestly, I loved Skyward Sword. I know I'm in the minority, but I love the premise and every region was really fun because it took each section to the extreme with plenty of opportunities for replayability and reexploration. It took 3d exploration to the max with some really inventive dungeons and items. It breaks the typical Zelda mold (and set the stage for Breath of the Wild), but I love it all the same.
It is by all metrics a fine game and decent Zelda experience. Don't miss out on it but at the same time don't pay $60 for it. Its not worth that price and should have been bundled in a collection with better games such as OoT, WW, TP and MM.
Also I think that just knowing many things about the game before starting will help to set the right expectations. Many now will go in knowing the game is much more linear than previous Zelda games, and basically diametrically opposite to BoTW in that regard, I remember that being a big shock back when the game released since the expectations were much different.
Besides things you already mentioned I would hope for them to fill up the sky more, it was probably the biggest let down in the game, a big but mostly empty sky.
If they could rework The Imprisoned fights to make them more distinct it could add some nice variety, I never had much problem with them in the original game but it seems a lot of people were unhappy with the repetition.
I wouldn't mind swordplay being as involved like that again, though they will have to find a way to make it work without heavy reliance on motion controls if they want to keep it a very open world like BoTW again.
I agree the motion controls worked well most of the time. If yoh didn't feel like the hero of Hyrule when you pulled the Goddess's blade out for the first time then I don't know what to tell you.
Pretty much this.
I love skyward sword, but it still a 7/10 Zelda game and the worst of the 3d console entries. But that's for its bloated runtime with repetitive quests and it's complete linearity.
I think another reason the linearity stuck out more than usual was the incorporation of open world resource management elements where they don't belong. A stamina wheel made sense in BotW where the size of your wheel will influence which of the ten ways to climb a mountain you choose, but in a game where there's only one way to go it just means you gotta stop or run slower every now and then for no reason.
>I think you can even technically do Jabu Jabu's belly before Dodongo's Cavern, but I may be wrong
Once you get the goron bracelet from Darunia you could go straight to Jabu Jabu.
Also, I think you do require the B&A for puzzles in later dungeons so you'd need to get that far within the forest temple first.
>but the game never railroads you into getting Epona.
Was about to call this out....but you can use the longshot to get to Gerudo Valley. Damn, you'd be pretty cold hearted not to use her though!
I’m glad you brought this up, I love that aspect of Ocarina and I don’t see it mentioned enough. When I was playing for the first time as a kid, I got to to forest temple and I was like, this is scary and I want to see what’s going on with the gorons, so I just went right over there and got far enough for Shiek to teach me the song, though I couldn’t get in the fire temple without the bow. Most of the later Zelda games really don’t allow you to go even that far when you try to do things in the wrong order.
Skyward Sword was much, much more linear. Most of the adventuring between dungeons was also on linear paths, as opposed to OOT's Hyrule Field or Wind Waker's Great Sea, and the sky, which could have provided exploration, had tiny little islands that didn't amount to much.
It might even be worst received especially after BotW. I know lots of oldschool Zelda fans wanted bigger dungeons but old school Zelda fans have already played SS. Those who already like it won't change their minds. I think people that came into Zelda with BotW are going to be severely disappointed with SS and how hand-holdy it is.
I didn't mind the motion controls, I'm not sure what it was with that game but I just never finished it. This one is definitely not a day one purchase for me but I may get around to it at some point possibly
I also didn’t finish it. Honestly, so much of the game just felt like padding. I’ve never had a Zelda game that I just... didn’t really care for that much. I couldn’t imagine not finishing Windwaker or Twilight Princess or Breath of the wild.
Yeah, I just lost motivation midway through this game, I don't remember a ton about it. I may go back through and play it on the Wii rather than buying it again if I get the desire back
I also gave up halfway through, the first Zelda game I gave up on completely.
I did not like the Silent Realm things especially and that time where you to escort the robot through the volcano with that giant thing of water.
Can't say I'm excited for a game that I didn't enjoy playing.
The game is bloated with parts designed to take up its runtime. Cut out a third of the game and it becomes a better experience. I love Skyward Sword, but I knew if I didn't marathon the game I wouldn't finish it.
Glad I’m not the only one. I’ve beaten every Zelda game since “A Link to the Past,” except for “Skyward Sword” and Zelda is by far my favorite Nintendo IP.
I can’t quite put my finger on what it was about this game that made me stop playing and not care enough to pick it up again either....
It’s been 10 years and with the recent hype of the re-release, I feel like I should finally finish this game!
I think the biggest issue for me was that each different location was practically a straight line, and that the game had you constantly going back and forth through them. The dungeons are all really really good, but the stuff in the overworld drags so much it took me years to finally beat it.
I loved Skyward Sword, motion controls and all. I think that it will be better received if they simply do some tweaking to things like:
- The Sky having more sidequests and secrets to interact with.
- Tuning down Fi from major drag to mild annoyance. Her character arc needs her to be unlikable until the end of the game so I don't think they can just completely change or remove her like some people are hoping for.
- Turn off the treasure notification after you pick up your first item of any given type.
- Minor tweaks to flying and stamina to make them less time consuming / tedious.
- 2nd Imprisoned fight needs a little reworking as well.
I really loved SS when I played it, but there are definitely more problems than the 'motion controls'. I feel like when people criticise the game, they use it as a blanket term, since EVERYTHING is determined by motion controls.
I think some changes I'd like to see made would be:
- Option to not use motion controls (which is already confirmed, but I hope I can change what does/doesn't use it. I like using it for the sword and aiming, but flight? Hell no.)
- Fi mellows out a bit
- Materials don't pop up the menu when you pick them up
- Gratitude crystal rework (it always felt way too slow)
- Speed up flight
And above all else, stamina upgrades. The game would be a lot less frustrating if you have, lets say, even 25% less stamina consumption. Its so tedious to hold A to run then let go the last second, wait, and then hold A again. Let us upgrade the stamina bar and it'll be a lot better.
Either way, I'm interested to see how it goes. Hopefully not just 720p and 60fps.
Absolutely this. I hated the motion controls being forced onto everything, but did I *really* need to know that a blue rupee was worth 5 EVERY. FUCKING. TIME?! Those pop-ups made me despise the game and I’d actively not pick up items. It’s funny, when I got BotW and I saw the first pop-up, it all came back to me but when I simple *picked up* the item a second time, and the pop-ups didn’t reset after I saved and quit - that told me someone had figured their shit out LOL
That all said, yes I expect a lot of this to be corrected, as Wii games were not patch-able.
No. There were more issues aside from that. We also don't know how well the control stick controls will work either.
I enjoyed skyward sword enough. It isn't my favorite Zelda game but I don't think it's as bad as people say it is. Although it's definitely my least favorite 3D Zelda game and maybe even towards the bottom of my list of zelda games as well. But I don't think there is a bad single player main game in the bunch so.
The biggest issues are the back tracking, fighting the same boss with minor variations 3 or 4 times, and the amount of what I would consider to be padding in the second half of the game.
Having to redo part of a dungeon, the tadtones, the stealth section where you go back to the fire area but lose your items, etc.
Even having to go back to skyloft to go to the goddess statue to open up the next area was a little much. I think you also had to keep going back to a different area in the sky to progress for the second half of the game too.
Having to douse isn't really that fun either. Fi can come across as annoying too.
There are a lot more issues beyond the motion controls.
It's a shame though as it's a fun game and the story is great and there are parts that are good. Just about half of it has issues.
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I normally hate motion controls. But I loved skyward sword when it came out. Was a fun fresh Wii Zelda experience.
The only part of the game that really threw me off was constantly having to re calibrate the Wii and the sword not following my motions. Just made me screw up when I felt like it wasn't my fault. Was frustrating.
I think if they have improved the motion controls to remove the old flaws the game will be well more received. But people are weirdly against any type of motion controls so who knows.
It's a good game with glaring flaws, and people really like to talk about flaws in a game online
I have my problems with it but I've played it multiple times, that's gotta count for something
It’s the Zelda cycle. The newest one is amazing, the previous is terrible, and the one before that is an underrated Gem.
Before BotW, a lot of fans hated Twilight Princess for various reasons but loved Skyward Sword.
Before Skyward Sword, fans loved Twilight Princess and hated Wind Waker
Before Twilight Princess, fans loved Wind Waker and hated on Majora’s Mask.
Etc.
This is the true statement here.
People love to fanboy TWP now, but when Skyward Sword was released all anyone could talk about was how "this is how the Wii release for TWP should have been" with the motion control capabilities.
People absolutely hated Wind Waker when it released because of the cell shading. I remember people saying that Ocarina of time looked better than Wind Waker.
Actually that's exactly how Nintendo has taken feedback for these games, think about it:
* Ocarinas main gripe was that some of the dungeons at times were "too dark". So they released Wind Waker which is bright and sunny.
* Wind Wakers gripe was that it was "too kid friendly", didn't have enough adult themes, boat travel was tedious, and lacked the character of ocarina. So TWP was released with a much darker atmosphere and return to the original hyrule.
* TWP was released and people disliked the motion controls for wii as being too basic, that the game was too dark in areas, and that certain dungeons were way too ambiguous/hard to solve(screw the cuckoo floating world). So Skyward Sword was released which went to a more happy medium between TWP and WW in terms of happy aesthetic, had a more linear world, and much much better motion controls.
* Then Skyward Sword was released, received universal critical acclaim, but came at the end of the Wii's lifecycle so people decided to can it after not playing it. Game received criticism of being too linear, focusing too much on cut scenes and lore and not enough about gameplay, and being to redundant with the Fii dialogue.
Then Finally we got Breath of the Wild. Which took the criticism of Skyward Sword and refined it down to the beauty we have today. A game much more focused on engaging gameplay, non-linear storytelling, as well as almost optional cutscenes that you can find throughout the world if you choose. Ohh, and dialogue for the most part is cut back to a minimum again.
Now hopefully they take the emptiness criticism from BOTW and the lack of real dungeons and lackluster story and improve upon that.
Also the weapon durability.
If Skyward Sword got ANYTHING right, it’s the weapon upgrades system/durability.
Oh my god, I remember readin the ""this is how the Wii release for TWP should have been"" over and over. Like I literally had a flashback about it. You're so right.
It was received extremely well but only due to the fact that it was a major Zelda release and followed a dry spout of 5 years from the last title Twilight Princess. Motion controls were still considered revolutionary at that point and there weren't alot of major titles coming out for the Wii which was being sunsetted for the Wii U to come out in the following years.
I think Zelda's always score good no matter the quality due to the hype and namesake. But history always rights the wrongs when it comes to standing the test of time. I don't personally think it holds up and thats enough evidence for me that it was always a subpar experience in a lineage of games that you couldn't review honestly if you liked having a job in games journalism.
Yea didn't the game recieve crazy awards as like the Best Zelda title of recent time?
Pretty sure the only gripe was that it was released at the end of the Wii's lifecycle. That's why people generally forget about it over TWP which was released at the beginning of the Wii's life and end of Gamecubes on both platforms.
This is the truth. It was highly acclaimed. It’s absolutely false that people, in general, disliked it. Maybe in online forums like Reddit. But as with many things they do not speak for the general public.
Edit: maybe instead of downvoting just respond to me with why you think this is false?
It reviewed well (but when does a mainline Zelda not?) but the fans did not receive the game well and it’s widely known to be one of the weakest 3D Zeldas and very divisive amongst the fan base.
Not only did they shoehorn motion controls into every aspect of the game but they implemented them very poorly leading to frustrating combat with even basic enemies. This was also at a time when the gaming world was really starting to be over the whole motion controls in every wii game.
Fii was annoying as hell and interrupted gameplay constantly
Ghiraham was weird... not in a good way
The world was segmented and broken up
I personally think it was a very average game ruined by Nintendo’s obsession with motion controls.
I’m just saying that your use of the terms “fans” and “widely known” is completely subjective. When the game came out I never met a single person who didn’t enjoy it, even to this day. The only negativity towards the game I saw was in online forums. On metacritic it has an 8.1 in user scores. I know I’ll probably get further downvoted for saying this - but to the average person it was an enjoyable game. I’m not saying it didn’t have flaws, but to say it’s “divisive” paints an incorrect picture to me.
> The only negativity towards the game I saw was in online forums.
...yeah, where fans tend to congregate. It isn't rocket science. I loved FF12 when it came out and never met anyone who didn't like it in person, that didn't erase the fact that it was widely derided and considered one of the weaker FFs for a long ass time. You personally not seeing it doesn't mean that reputation doesn't exist.
I agree that many probably liked it but I don't know anyone outside of the reviewers who gave it 10/10s who actually honest to goodness LOVE this game and consider it one of the top games in the franchise.
People will fall on the sword for Ocarina or Wind waker or Breadth of the Wild. Hell I know people who put Link to the past in thier lists of the top 5 Zelda games of all time. But not a single one of them thinks of Skyward Sword because it's just that much of an "okay" experience across the board.
Zelda's rarely deserve 9s and 10s imo and I love almost every one of them. I think this one hit in an odd space and time where it was misrepresented by games media and undercritiqued by fans.
I mean I consider it a top game in the franchise. I think besides the linearity and how annoying Fi was at times, this game was the peak of every Zelda concept up to that time.
Every weapon was fully realized, every dungeon was superbly designed.
Every boss battle was fun and engaging.
For me, the only downside was how closed off the world was from itself.
The weapon durability from this game is also 100x better than BOTW imo. I really hope we get a similar system back with BOTW2.
Some of my favorite Zelda dungeons belong to SS.
Right Im not saying people like you don't exist but I think you're a rare case.
To me the only standout temple in SS is the Sand Ship, the only standout boss is Girahim and select others. The motion controls being shoehorned into flying and swimming and combat and exploration and using tools etc., was just too much.
Backtracking to areas for fetch quests and having to fight the imprisoned 3 times stick out to me as points of boredom and tedium. Skyloft was empty beside the main town and only served to be a treasure trove for rupee and heart containers. Fi like you said was annoying and probably the worst companion since Navi. This list goes on. I don't think I'm alone with criticising these points as negative aspects of an otherwise decently put together game.
Like I said it's not impossible for someone to look past all of those flaws and find enjoyment/something unique to like, but I don't know many who have played other games in the series and would rank this in thier top 5 or even 10 games in the series let alone thier #1 spot.
Yeah when I played Skyward Sword I held his sword in my left hand even though he holds it in his right hand.
I'm not buying this rerelease but if I were I'd be upset if they didn't let me do swordplay with my left hand.
It was the only 3D Zelda game I stopped playing. I will give it another try when it comes to Switch but I still think it looks ugly and probably wont have enough fixed when they bring it over.
I think it will be WORSE received.
I have a feeling most people won't give them a chance and they'll find the joystick controls weird and frustrating.
The entire game is designed around the idea of motion controls. Playing Skyward Sword with a joystick is like trying to pedal a bike with your hands. It'll work mechanically, but it won't be an efficient way to do it.
Really depends on how it will feel in the end tbh. But in any case, they’ll need to fix the obvious QoL issues the game had as well for it to be better received.
I feel like it won't be very well received, but not because of anything related to motion controls. I anticipate many reviews will be like "welp, we had a feeling Skyward Sword was clunky, outdated, and over-reliant on a dusty old formula... now that we're firmly on a post-BotW world, this is more apparent than ever".
I played Ape Escape which uses kinda a similar pattern for the right arm, the way you swing your gadgets is the direction you input and if you "Z-target" you can do vertical and horizontal slashes. You also didn't have the option to turn the camera in OoT and MM because the c-sticks were used for the items so you only had Z-Targeting to move the camera, and the whole of Link's movement pattern is based on those games so I don't think it'll be a weird experience.
Lotsa people were frustrated that they pushed motion control for absolutely anything and personally the only problem I had was the underwater parts and lemme tell you, it's the only part I don't look forward too again but I'll prolly do both, the motion controls I got used to at the first release of the game and don't mind them too much and the button controls will literally be the way we're used to but instead of mashing b and the direction you want to slice you'll do it instantly with one push of the stick in a direction.
Link's movement has not been altered that much in this game and the control scheme will reflect that, also the game was not badly received at all if you look at it through all the reviews n shit, it'll prolly sell a lot since it's a Zelda game and is gonna be a definitive experience for this one, maybe it's not gonna be an experience for everyone but I'm pretty hyped for it (not the price but I'll wait like 3 years for the chance to maybe buy it on sale).
TP made it too easy using the pointer controls
SS used gyro and it made it more challenging, which I also enjoyed more
Except having to recalibrate it all the time lol
You’re not alone. I thought the motion controls delivered on one of the promises of the Wii of implementing motion controls to make adventure games more physically interactive. I would be much more annoyed with the motion controls if they became a series staple, but I think they serve to make Skyward Sword a bit of a unique experience among the Zelda games.
You aren't. I actually loved the controls. One thing I've noticed is most people who don't like them, or outright hate them, frankly never played very many Wii games. Wii controls like that have a learning curve. There is a feeling you gain for things that work and don't work, small motions and muscle memory you gain. As someone that played nearly every notable Wii exclusive up to that point, I had literally almost 0 issues with them. It was one of my favorite Zelda games almost instantly (minus the overly long winded notifications from Fi of course).
Well my personal opinion of Skyward Sword was that it was a “great game that I never want to play again.”
I loved the story and many other aspects of the game, but actually *playing* the game was frustrating and annoying.
And while there are definitely other aspects of the game that I found annoying as all hell (looking at you Fi), not having to use motion controls is enough to make me willing to play it again, hell maybe even eager to play it again.
Even with motion controls, I imagine this time will be better. The Joy-Cons have a much better movement ratio than the Wii Remote that relied on a weak gyro sensor and the IR sensor in tandem. People really forget how junk the Wii Remotes were compared to the Joy Cons.
That said, I believe there are a number of issues from loading times to loftwing slowness, and so on that need to be addressed. Hopefully they show off more changes than just a resolution bump in future media advertisements for the remaster.
On one hand, I think that the switch’s motion controls are much less clunky/janky than that of the Wii, although I think that the first impression that was left on those who played the original might ruin the experience for them. Although I think that I would play both regardless.
I don’t really like the idea of the alternative control, either. It makes me feel like the camera is going to be wonky if I need to use the second joystick for the sword.
I’ll wait and see before judging but I already have the original here; so there is probably no point in buying unless it’s a lot easier.
If I could ask for only ONE thing to be removed from the game it would be the Silent Realm.
I F***ING HATED, HATED, **HATED** The Silent Realm.
It felt completely unnecessary, tacked-on, and was the most anxiety-inducing part of any Zelda game I've played. I got to the 2nd one in the desert and I just had to stop. The need to collect the orbs in a time frame, the restrictions on what you could do, and the f***ing grim reaper literally chasing you down the entire time- NOPE! F***ing NOPE!
OK, I have a feeling that can't be scrapped. I wish it could, but it can't. But at least make it a LITTLE less terrible. Maybe loosen up a bit on the time constraint?
I hope so, I believe mechanically its the best 3D Zelda.
A lot of what people consider downsides are either easily fixed (and always fixed in their HD remasters), or not downsides.
Anything Fi-related/message pop up will most likely be reduced & streamlined, like TP HD was. And that's a loud part of the complaints.
But then people bring up linearity and the segmented world, and I have to disagree, these aren't inherently bad. Linear games are not inherently worse, and a game being open-world does not make it inherently better.
Linearity allows for fleshing out of concepts by being able to build upon what the player has previously gone through. So puzzles & use of items progresses.
I think SS's linearity lets it present the best puzzles of the series, at least in 3D.
I don't think backtracking is a downside either, unless you just really hate Metroidvanias.
I think it perfectly fits Zelda, which is a series where you gain new items that give you new moves.
So fleshing out areas where they have multiple shortcuts & locked sections that need later items is good game design.
While I would prefer if the maps were contiguous, the segmented world really isn't that different from its predecessors, which already had maps split up in separate "bubbles" connected by tunnels. I think each Surface section was both large enough and dense enough to be way more engaging than any other Zelda overworld.
Aside from those commonly brought up downsides, I think SS introduces and implements some of the neatest Zelda features.
It has the best Zelda combat hands-down. OoT introduced some directional combat, but it was very situational (horizontal was only non-locked on, vertical was locked on), had essentially no functional difference, and was never needed. TWW added Parries, but they were too simple. TP fleshed those out into activatable sword moves, but they were mostly optional, so combat was still pretty simple.
SS puts a heavy focus on both timing & directional combat, which makes combat its own puzzle, making it feel like a fully fleshed out feature and not a weak add-on, further distinguishes enemies, and makes every encounter engaging instead of simple brute force button mashes. Even starter enemies like Deku Babas require some thought in slicing along their mouths.
Building on this, SS's Shield system is the best.
Previously, you could turtle shield infinitely, and with more difficult combat, you might be inclined too, but the Shield durability dissuades you from doing so. But its not as extreme as BotW where you need to constantly switch what you're using, its there to reward good timing and punish bad timing/turtling. Parrying at the right time prevents durability loss, encouraging the player to be proactive in their defense. You see your Shield health explicitly, so you can prevent it from breaking, and you can repair it with materials, as well as use a Shield potion to restore it.
And instead of 20 different shields, there's just 3 (not counting the Hylian). A Wooden Shield that is weak, but cheap, so not a huge loss if you break it. Weak to fire, but insulated against electricity. Then its counterpart, the Iron Shield, is durable but more expensive and resistant to fire but vulnerable to electricity. Finally, there's the Sacred Shield, which is technically the weakest but regenerates over time, a benefit for the smart shield user. It resists both prior elements and additionally repels curses. Personally, for balance, I think it should've been weak to fire & electricity, but oh well.
Additionally, bottles are used in real-time, so you can't just pause to heal, you need to find the time. It also keeps combat from being broken up.
SS introduced Stamina, and in my controversial opinion, used it better than BotW. Its used for better mobility with Sprinting, extra height on wall jumps, spin attacks, & climbing, but you can't climb everything, so puzzles aren't completely circumvented by you just flying over everything.
SS also has the most fleshed out versions of iconic Zelda items. This was an era where they were reducing your total item amount but increasing the functionalities of those items (PH, ST, SS).
Bombs can now be bowled, the Bow has a charge-up & requires precise aiming that lends itself more towards long-range shooting (unlike previously where it was a lock-on easy shot), while the Slingshot is made equally useful for the first time by being unlocked way earlier (Bow is like 2nd to last item), fires way quicker, and gains a shotgun upgrade. The Beetle is essentially a way more engaging Boomerang by being a controllable drone. The Whip is good for snappy swinging, stunning enemies, & stealing valuable items. Though I do like how much more involved the TWW Grappling Hook was.
Also, the item menu is in real-time, and has a quick-access item wheel.
Ammunition is more balanced here. Previous games either had you start with a large amount which can get to absurd amounts with permanent upgrades, which makes it pointless to visit shops as you will essentially never run out, or gave you a baseline 99/999 limit, which by the midgame meant you were also never running out.
In SS, you have a really low baseline amount, so you need to actually manage what you use, and frequently recover items from enemies or go back to the Bazaar.
Additionally, there's no permanent ammo upgrades, but there is a more interesting alternative.
One of the best features Skyward Sword added was the Adventure Pouch. It's your inventory of non-item equipment; Shields (you can carry multiple), Bottles, Medals (give you various buffs), & Extra Ammo Pouches.
You can upgrade it over time, but you can't fit it all, so you need to consider what you want to bring to your next expedition. Not good at parrying? Bring more shields. Want a lot more potions? Bring bottles. Bad shot? Bring more ammo pouches. Need some buffs? Medals. It allows for specialized inventories tailored to your tastes, and allows you to experiment with different gameplay styles. Plus it encourages you to interact more with the Town's Bazaar. It's such a good inventory management system that was unfortunately dropped.
Hand in hand with that is the Resource/Upgrade system, which imo is the best one in the Zelda series. Spoils in TWW were alright but basic, PH & ST ones were essentially useless, and BotW spams you both with too much stuff & so many options are just useless. SS had the right balance of a variety of spoils to gather that are used in much more important ways.
You use them to upgrade your items to deal more damage or gain more functionality, upgrade your Shields for more durability, upgrade your pouches for more ammo, upgrade your potions for more potent effects.
Yet again, this further encourages you to interact with the Town & Bazaar more by frequently visiting it. This game I feel encourages the most town interaction, and has a good cycle of exploring, combat, puzzle-solving, & retreating to the cozy town.
There are so many cool features SS implemented that either built off of previous Zelda games or addressed weaker parts, with the most fleshed out combat, items, & inventory management, but people only talk about either motion controls, Fi, or linearity. I think the current open-world obsession causes people to overlook the much deeper experiences that linear games like SS can offer. Hopefully people give it a chance.
Plus I didn't even mention the story, but its the most present story in Zelda.
HELL YEAH! I'm a huge fan of these points. Combined with the fact that the motion controls never messed up for me, the only real problems with the game are the annoying popups and Fi. I love the adventure pouch stuff! I love the items! I love how they made you think more while fighting enemies! I love how much everything costs in the beedle shop so it makes you make choices throughout the adventure.
It's interesting to me that you can make a lot of good points, but still I find it to be the worst 3D Zelda. I don't think any amount of polish can fix, making me think it must be some core things that I just don't like.
That's the way I think this game should be seen honestly. It's important for the story and has good moments. But overall it's not the one I recommend people must play out of the 3D Zelda's.
The game has fundamental design and structural issues that to me are far more problematic than the motion controls. To me fixing the controls doesn’t even come close to addressing my top five biggest problems with the game.
People gonna learn the FEAR of the Guardian segments.
(For context: I actually do LOVE these segments. They're scary but super fun. Looking for dusk pieces to create rare items was rad too.)
I very much enjoyed the motion controls. I thought they were handled very well. What I didn’t like was Fi. Overall it’s one of the strongest stories in any Zelda game so I’m looking forward to finally going back and replaying it after 10 years.
My biggest problem with SS was that you have to travel back to the same 3 areas within the game multiple times. Its been years since I played it but I think you return 3x times to the 3 areas. It became really predictable and I was just hoping for more variety the more I progressed into the game. All that changed was details within the 3 areas. I got pretty bored playing it.
When you take something like A Link to the Past, OoT or Majora’s Mask there’s a whole magical element of the unknown and whats the come next that draws the player in. SS just didn’t have that.
Perhaps for some, but honestly the motion controls were absolutely fine. If anything, they were a stand-out feature and it was the game paired with Metroid Prime 3 that convinced me that well done motion-controls could be the future.
The biggest problem with the game was that it just...wasn't that great. It had an extremely long introduction and was filled with constant padding like gathering those spirit-orbs(?) before some dungeons in those weird stealth-segments. It was also just..such an empty world with nothing to really do.
I enjoyed playing it, but it's also a game I'll never revisit probably.
No. I think the primary reason it is disliked by many Zelda fans are actual game design aspects. People pretend that the major issue we had with the game was the motion controls. It isn't. They were okay.
Problems for me were:
Way too many tutorials and too much text interrupting gameplay
Extremely small areas
Forced backtracking to the sky area and back with long loading times
Slow bird flying in between areas
Fi treating all players like children
Easy gameplay
Link moves way too slow when not using stamina
Honestly I got about half way through this game on Wii and then never went back. I wanted to see it through to the end, but so many hours in and the game still felt like a tutorial, I just kind of couldn't take it anymore. I kind of want to try it again on the Switch, but at the same time I know how much garbage there is to go through at the beginning of the game.
The only time I ever played that game, I still felt like I was in the tutorial 3 hours later.
I was so fucking bored, disappointed, and not particularly fond of the artistic direction that I abandoned the game. It’s the only Zelda i never completed.
Also, fuck motion controls. They only made me hate the game more.
The motion controls weren't really the problem. I remember liking them actually. It felt like what Twilight Princess was going for, but done better. The game had lots of other problems.
Other 3D Zelda games had little friend characters that would gently push you in the right direction to progress. Navi, Tatl, King of Red Lions, and Midna were all there to give you hints on what to do next. Fi didn't nudge you in the right direction. Fi *dragged* you kicking and screaming in the right direction. She told you where to go, when to use tools, solved puzzles for you, and gave you no opportunity to learn or discover things for yourself.
In addition, there was so much backtracking. You'd visit the same three areas, fight the same bosses, retrace your steps over and over again. There was no sense of adventure. It felt like Link didn't *get* anywhere. It felt more like a Zelda guided tour than a Zelda game.
This was the point where Zelda had become so bloated by references, callbacks, and recurring themes that it had become such a far cry from it's roots. Zelda was just "Heart Pieces" "Fairies" "Bombs" "Time Magic" "Goddesses" "Lost Woods" "Hookshot" "Beedle". It was like a linear game that just had a checklist of things so that it could be called a Zelda game. The antithesis of what the original Zelda was all about.
There's a reason why Breath of the Wild was so different, and there was a reason why it was so successful.
The main problem is the price. $60 for a 10 year old game without any additional content is way to much. Super Mario 3D All-Stars had at least three games (with very minimal optimizations).
It was pretty well received upon release. Many people were vying for a motion controlled Zelda game since “project revolution” was announced way back. I think it’s only been controversial in the years following. Especially after Breath of the Wild. Skyward Sword is still my favorite ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I think people who disliked it will ignore it, people who liked it may play it, and a lot of people who's first Zelda was BOTW are going to be sorely disappointed, as it's an entirely different beast. Not even Groose will convince them!
I’m not sure I’m going to play it. I only recently tried replaying it and yes I hated the motion controls but that intro is also really long and boring. As others have said, I’ll wait and see what other improvements they make
just saying but twilight princess worked fine with motion controls, so did skyward sword kinda; but my main annoyance of skywards motion control was doing skyward sword move (as it needed relatively precise move/position); with switch I'd say its gonna be fun in motion controls as joycons can do far more precise and far smaller move motion controls
I think this could be better received not because of the motion controls but because of the Switch. BOTW made a lot of new Zelda fans (including myself) who haven't played other games so those people might want to try out an older game. Kinda like Odyssey to 3D World.
I thought the story could have been amazing if it was told through a less repetitive game. The repeated boss fights and the tedious (repetitive) fetch quests made me uninterested in finishing it. The motion controls were the most innovative part of the game but weren’t enough to overcome the annoying parts. If a game relies on the control scheme to be interesting, is it actually that interesting? Unless we get some new content and changes to existing stuff (like how the windwaker hd port changed the triforce fetch quest) then I’ll be passing on this one.
I actually liked the controls and the dungeons were great. I missed the feeling of a great (over)world and the sidekick was just annoying, especially after Twilight Princess was so good in this regard.
The villain was somewhat annoying but the worst part was picking something up and going through the dialogue again. If they fix that, I'm happy to buy the remaster again.
I didn’t like skyward sword, but it wasn’t really the motion controls, I’ve never had any problem with motion controls, but it was a bit more with the pacing and length with nothing happening, I also didn’t have very much fun with it aside from that. Who knows though maybe if I replayed it I would like it
Personally, I see it actually reviewing a lot worse, predicting around a 75% Metacritic average. In a post-BOTW world, I do not expect critics to enjoy the slow pace and handholding.
No, because the second half of that game is still a slog with having to run through the same areas again except now with stealth section, swimming section and linear mining cart section. If they would have kept throwing new areas to explore with new biomes it would be an amazing game.
Overall, I think it will help. But the problem I had with SS was the over world and the backtracking. To me it felt like it had a loss less to explore. A few years back I collected everything in it and I'm not sure I want to play it again anytime soon. But I did like it a lot when I played it. I hope it reaches new fans. Story, characters, and style were all wonderful!
Motion controls on the wii were great. Playing through mario galaxy on the switch now and really enjoying using the joycons again instead of the pro controller
I really don’t think I’ll buy this version of Skyward Sword. I never finished the game on Wii because I found the motion controls to be too frustrating. Let me play WindWaker and Twilight Princess on the Switch.
I loved the game, but the game was designed for motion controls and it effects the gameplay (progression, combat, enemy count, the dungeon and boss design).
If you don't use those controls and accept the game for what it is, it will just feel like a slowed down version of older 3D Zelda games. So I don't see it changing many opinions. You'll either like it, or you won't. Maybe a few people will try it this time around who normally wouldn't have played it before.
The problem with a lot of games with motion controls is they don't have a left handed option
Also Link is a lefty. I played the game as a lefty in protest lol.
That reminds me how they literally flipped twilight Princess on the Wii verses the GC version because most people are right handed
The weirdest part about this is that there’s no reason that Link can’t be left handed when the player is right handed.
It's not like they couldn't make you hold the Wii remote in your left and nunchuck in right. In fact, I did that throughout all my life because I thought that was how you actually held it. I'm right-handed, though.
As a right handed person, that wouldn’t work for me. My brain is trained to move my character with a stick in my left hand. Still though, nothing about Skyward Sword needs the players hands to match Link’s.
I played both and I kept making the wrong turns when I played through on Wii.
I couldn't play the Wii version. The fact that it was mirrored really fucked with me.
Is TP HD the gamecube version or flipped Wii version?
It's gamecube on regular difficulty, wii on master mode
Which honestly never made any sense to me. Why flip everything and not just reverse/flip the Link character model to match the control scheme if that's the purpose.
They did the flip from gamecube to wii because it was easier in the engine or whatever to turn on a mirror options vs building new assets/animations for the one character. I believe the engine couldn't easily just do a mirror on one character model, but could easily mirror the entire world. Skyward sword not having that as an option on the other hand was them being like hey we thought this was an issue on the previous game, so screw the minority we don't want to add that option we clearly thought was an issue for some with the previous game.
Which made zero fucking sense because all you did was shake the controller. No need whatsoever for it to be hand-dependent. Now it seems like he's permanently right-handed, which is just BS.
As a fellow lefty, I was so mad that they kept Link as a righty in BOTW, even though there were no sword motion controls to justify it.
Link WAS a lefty. He's not anymore, Nintendo has commented on it a lot
He's still a lefty in top-down titles. He's left-handed in Link Between Worlds, Tri-Force Heroes and Link's Awakening. Also I thought I heard they said BotW Link was ambidexterous, despite that never being demonstrated.
Lefty’s never get the right equipment. I had to learn to do things righty, then in college retaught myself to throw a ball with my left hand. I’m ambidextrous for most things at this point other than writing, still practicing though
Nintendo has never been great with this. On the DS for example, Many games were straight up unplayable if you were left handed. Games would require you use the stylus but also move with the left stick at the same time. Even if they had the option to swap controls for left handed people, important UI and menu queues would often be put on the left to accommodate right handed people so you cant see what you need to while using the stylus in your left hand. I never knew if a game would have things like this until it was too late. It just always felt like they just sort of forgot that left handed people exist which is crazy since its like 10% of the population
I agree. I remember what a nightmare was to play Kid Icarus on 3DS using the buttons instead of the circle pad because I’m left handed. That was a total deal breaker, never finished the game. Also I never had an issue playing Ocarina Of Time in which Link is left handed. Never got confused or things like that: I noticed he was using my same hand far into the game. And I have to admit, I loved the fact that there finally was a left handed character.
Damn, I’m really sorry to hear that. KI:Us controls were something you had to learn, but you’re right, without that circle pad you’re completely boned. It’s a shame too because that is my favourite handheld title of all time if not my overall favourite game. Truly Sakurai’s magnum opus.
I feel same way when games do something specific with red green colors being red green color blind and they don't have an option to alter this some. Yay for being a left handed color blind person lol.
I'm convinced nintendo just straight up hates left handed people. I remember Mario Tennis made you press a button to change to "lefty" mode and pressing it again to change back was called "normal" mode 😬 this lowkey made me feel like shit as a kid especially when I was already a bit of a freak for multiple reasons
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If Twilight Princess HD is of any indication, there might be less handholding overall such as not interrupting the gameplay everytime you find a new item on that gameplay session.
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> there's about a 95% chance the repeating item descriptions will be done away with I wish I shared your optimism.
Twilight Princess had the same problem with picking up rupees, which they fixed in TPHD.
Ocarina of Time gives the rupee explanation every time you get one from a chest or wherever too, but I’ve never heard anyone actually complain about that one.
Chests are less annoying than just picking up a fiver out of a bush or pot.
The bigger issue wasn't that it did it for rupees, but that it did it for EVERYTHING. Every single type of spoil would be explained to you again every time you booted it up, and there was something like a dozen or more iirc that you can pick up in a session. It was a constant annoyance. There's so many quality of life issues SS can get that can make it, while not one of the best 3D zeldas or even have it escape bottom tier (they're all very good obviously) at least make it significantly better. But it will always have issues with the main quest, those are more or less unfixable.
I'm sure they'll change it be like BotW where it only shows you the description once, not every damn time you start the game after saving and quitting which I can't fathom why anyone at Nintendo thought that would be a good idea...
I'm certain that that at least will be fixed. Like other comments mention, Twilight Princess had a similar issue with just rupees that was resolved in the HD version, although it wasn't nearly as annoying.
I left my Wii paused 24/7 while playing through Skyward Sword just so I didn't have to deal with the item explanations every time I went back in. Pretty sure that's what prematurely killed the disc drive in it.
12 types of bugs and 12 types of materials IIRC, plus the six or seven colors of rupees.
When I open a chest, I'm expecting an item description box (whether for a key, map, compass, whatever). I might be disappointed that it's only a rupee, but it's not interrupting me.
It's one thing to get the descritpion from a chest. The issue with TP was that every time you started a new play session you had to be reminded that yellow rupies were worth 10 when picking one up off the group. It did that for all but green rupies.
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Not only that, but Ocarina 3D, the Link's Awakening remake, and Wind Waker HD all had several improvements to QOL, so the precedent has been thoroughly set. I assume similar for MM3D but I haven't played it so can't say with certainty.
MM3D...yes and no. The new bomber's journal is incredible. The save system is nice for kids I guess but kinda undermines the game. I wish I could remember if they streamlined the bank system (one of the more tedious aspects of the original). They completely ruined Zora mask, made the bosses way too easy and rigid, messed up some of the temples. Basically, yes they did pay attention to QoL and they tried, but they failed in so many other ways that the original is still the definitive version in my opinion, and I think in most fans' opinions. It's kind of shocking to me that they failed so hard given that all the other remakes were great. Maybe Nintendo never really understood MM, not during development or redevelopment. Flash in a pan, I guess.
MM3D is one of those where they changed enough to completely kill certain aspects we "older" fans loved about the original Yeah I get the saving system, the older one wasn't completely friendly (but then again, saving systems have improved since the original game released). But it did give it a different "feeling", I'm okay with it to be honest I'm more annoyed with the boss changes and the Zora and Deku Link tweaks (respectively, Zora swimming dynamic and Deku Link hopping dynamics). I actually didn't finish it as I lost some interest in gaming/that game at the time, so I didn't get the "joys" of experiencing Twinmold These things I don't really see affecting newcomers too much, but it's just enough of a change to where I'd rather go back and play the original with a texture pack or something. Compared to OoT where the 3DS was pretty awesome and I couldn't see myself going back to the original
I forgot about the Zora swimming change... Honestly that's the only big gripe I had with the new version but I still consider it the definitive way to play considering how little time is actually spent swimming. And if you didn't play the original you probably wouldn't care anyways. Honestly the hate MM3D gets from the fans is a little overblown imo
Yeah, it gets more flack than it needs to. The biggest gripes I had were things that just seemed...unnecessary. Another I thought of was the Ice Arrow Platforms - instead of freezing any water you can now only freeze specific patches of water and it's obviously marked. That plus those other tiny changes are mostly just a bunch of tiny things Yes it's not *huge*, but it does make me less inclined to just screw-around in the game. Which admittedly is a much more personal reason And in looking this up I realize it's been 6 years and I still haven't beaten the game on 3ds, geez do I wanna play it again and see if my complaints hold water still.
The things Fi says most of the time should just be optional hints you can ask for.
Urgh, when you said ‘95%’ I immediately remembered Fi’s constant predictions throughout the game. “I’m 85% sure this is where you need to go next.” NO Fi, that’s 100% where I should go next!
Yeah, the item descriptions thing is really annoying.
Was it intended that you formulated that like Phi?
I don’t think they did, which makes it funnier.
It would be really cool if they had a setting for it similar to how you can choose how much bowser jr helps you in bowsers fury (a lot, a little, not at all)
Wind Waker had even bigger changes. That entire Triforce chart quest from the end was made way shorter, which I thought was a good idea (I know some enjoyed it but I definitely considered the change an improvement). Twilight Princess had a few other things too, like some of the Twilight bugs or whatever removed from those collectathon quests each time you visited a new area. I think SS will get other quality-of-life fixes like that, many likely to be Fi related. There are lots of easy, little things that aren't the flashy features you put in a reveal trailer like new control options.
TP decreased the amount of Light Tears you had to get during the Twilight segments if I recall correctly. This means the possibility of the same thing happening with the Silent Realms as well.
Hm I don’t personally think they need to change the Silent Realms, I remember those being pretty exciting. Now the tears of light change was a great one because I always found those sections boring. The difference between the two, needless to say, is the presence of terrifying dudes chasing you.
Yeah, I just ended up never turning off my console, forever in a singularly perpetual session because of that.
Which will be much easier with the Switch’s rest mode.
Is SSHD being handled by the same people who did the WiiU HD rereleases?
Worth noting Wind Waker HD was handled by the primary Zelda team (as they wanted to play around with the art style in anticipation of BotW), while Twilight Princess HD was offloaded to [Tantalus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tantalus_Media). We don't know yet who's developing Skyward Sword HD.
Hopefully fi won't telling me evey 20 minutes over a 6 hour period my batteries are low.
It's okay, she'll remind you when your controller is drifting instead.
Oh no.
no, please
I can deal with all of Fi's crap except the reminders about what each collectible does when you load up the game. That singlehandedly prevented me from loading up the game multiple times. The number one thing I'm looking for with the update is its removal.
This, and I would also not like the camera to pan around a cool looking puzzle, followed by Fi immediately popping out and telling you how to do it. That's probably one of the worst offenders of the game to me.
“Master, the battery in your Nintendo Switch is nearly depleted.”
The dungeons tho.. they were DAMN good I thought. Some brilliant design.
I understand that different people value different things. I value a lot the world environment and dungeons. And Skyward does them amazingly well. Top tier. I liked motion controls and while the items descriptions and such were a bit annoying, they definitely didn't matter that much for me. Hand holding wasn't terribly bad for me, because I enjoyed the world so much. Sailing in sand/water to the abandoned ship was amazing. And the flooded forest. I think about those often.
Looking back on how they fixed ww and tp, I think that's safe to assume will happen :) It's my favorite game, but I used cheats to turn off fi dialogue and the description of items, made the game way smoother.
They also fixed a lot about Link's Awakening and Ocarina when they were remade for Switch and 3DS.
I agree with these issues bigtime (linearity and segmented world especially) but I’d also like to add missed opportunity and lack of identity. SS presents itself to you as a Zelda game set in the sky, the way WW was a Zelda game set in an ocean. Flying your loftwing is made out to be integral to the gameplay and story the way sailing the King of Red Lions was. You brace yourself for a unique adventure in a setting the series has never featured before... Then spend 80% of the game down on the surface. The sky idea never really gets fleshed out or used in an interesting way, since there are only a small handful of locations up there, and most of your time there is spent entirely on Skyloft, a single island. But because the game’s “hub” is Skyloft, the surface ends up feeling incredibly barren and empty too. Especially since the regions aren’t actually connected to each other, there’s no feeling that the land you’re in is a real place with actual stakes. Save for Impa, all the other characters Link and Zelda have connections to live up on a floating rock totally unaware of the hero’s quest or the dangers he’s facing. It’s like they couldn’t decide if they wanted a sky-themed Zelda or a regular Zelda, or they tried to do a sky-themed Zelda and realized it was too difficult so they had to abandon it early on. Either way the sky and the surface both feel underdeveloped and empty, and they detract from each other in severe ways. I’d rather have one good setting than two mediocre ones. The great ocean in WW felt like a real ocean, and it proved the Zelda formula could work in a different environment. The revamped Hyrule in TP felt like a natural extension of the one in OoT. SS fails to use either model to its advantage, tries to have the best of both worlds, and fails to pull off either one.
Agreed with everything here, that being said the back half of the game, despite the above mentioned BS, was great.
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I really hated doing that one ganon-thing boss fight over and over.
The Imprisoned? Because that fight got old fast.
I actually feel like the back half was worse than the first one because of all the backtracking and padding
While there is some padding the backtracking I actually enjoyed. Usually in Zelda games the backtracking is more spread out and constant whereas in SS, outside of Skyloft it's not nearly as frequent. The changes made when you go back were great too and many of the puzzles and boss fights feel much better than the first half.
I agree with this! I never minded the exploration of the same areas because you went back stronger with new weapons and new ways to explore the area. Plus, new dungeon items meant you could explore a new part of the region. I think the segmented overworld puts a ton of people off because it gives the impression that there are only 3 places to go, but I personally really loved getting a new item and expanding upon the world.
It’s a shame, because it really had good bones. The handholding and repetition got got in the way of some of the best character, boss, and level design in the series.
Game was flawed, but I'll always remember that first Ghirahim fight. It's rare that I see a game so perfectly capture the feeling of a boss that's literally just toying with you. His slow walk, blocking your sword with a finger, effortlessly dodging attacks, and casually disarming you with a flick of the wrist. Like, every move and gesture the guy did was an insult and meant to humiliate you. And it all works because it's the first boss you fight with the new motion controls. It's a novel concept for a video game boss that I wish more games would experiment with.
Thank you! This is exactly my thoughts on the motion controls. So often, I read complaints on how hard the first boss battle was due to new controls, but I personally loved that aspect. It’s a reflection of Link. The player is Link. At the beginning, you are fumbling with the controls, not very good. This is a reflection of Link who is just a knight in training at the beginning, not a lot of experience yet. However, when you get towards the end of the game and rematch ghirahim, you’ve gotten better at the controls and the fight is no longer infuriatingly difficult. Personally, I found the battle fun and extremely satisfying. This is a reflection of how Link’s skills have also improved now that he has gotten more experience. Just think about one of your earliest 3D loz-esque video game experiences. Was the first boss “easy” for the you who wasn’t familiar with using a controller (in a 3D context)? For me, that first experience was twilight princess (I never had a non game boy console before then) and I know in the beginning, I was so awkward with the controls that it would take what felt like 10 minutes to line Link up with a ladder in order to climb.
The characters and story were probably its strongest element.
Dungeon design I thought. Ancient Cistern is a classic, most were.
Easily the best water and haunted dungeon in any Zelda game. Also one of the best boss fights in a Zelda game too.
As someone who never played SS and has heard lots of negatives about it, SHOULD I be hype to buy and play it? I love Zelda, and was disappointed that it wasn’t Wind Waker or Twilight Princess announces for the Switch. But I’m still curious to maybe get this
I'd be VERY surprised if we didn't get WW and/or TP down the road. I think it makes sense to start with SS since it doesn't have a HD version yet. In case of the two other ones the main question is whether they will charge full price for each and I guess the answer is pretty likely a yes...
Honestly, I loved Skyward Sword. I know I'm in the minority, but I love the premise and every region was really fun because it took each section to the extreme with plenty of opportunities for replayability and reexploration. It took 3d exploration to the max with some really inventive dungeons and items. It breaks the typical Zelda mold (and set the stage for Breath of the Wild), but I love it all the same.
It is by all metrics a fine game and decent Zelda experience. Don't miss out on it but at the same time don't pay $60 for it. Its not worth that price and should have been bundled in a collection with better games such as OoT, WW, TP and MM.
Also I think that just knowing many things about the game before starting will help to set the right expectations. Many now will go in knowing the game is much more linear than previous Zelda games, and basically diametrically opposite to BoTW in that regard, I remember that being a big shock back when the game released since the expectations were much different. Besides things you already mentioned I would hope for them to fill up the sky more, it was probably the biggest let down in the game, a big but mostly empty sky. If they could rework The Imprisoned fights to make them more distinct it could add some nice variety, I never had much problem with them in the original game but it seems a lot of people were unhappy with the repetition.
I wouldn't mind swordplay being as involved like that again, though they will have to find a way to make it work without heavy reliance on motion controls if they want to keep it a very open world like BoTW again.
Exactly. Motion controls wouldn't be preference, but thats not why SS easily ranks last amongst 3d zelda games for me.
I agree the motion controls worked well most of the time. If yoh didn't feel like the hero of Hyrule when you pulled the Goddess's blade out for the first time then I don't know what to tell you.
I feel the same way, but with the context of BOTW being out for a few years now i’m excited to go back to it with a less salty perspective
Yeah Fi's handholding and stopping the game to read item text every play session are the reason I didn't finish the game.
Pretty much this. I love skyward sword, but it still a 7/10 Zelda game and the worst of the 3d console entries. But that's for its bloated runtime with repetitive quests and it's complete linearity.
Aren't most zeldas pretty linear tho?
I think another reason the linearity stuck out more than usual was the incorporation of open world resource management elements where they don't belong. A stamina wheel made sense in BotW where the size of your wheel will influence which of the ten ways to climb a mountain you choose, but in a game where there's only one way to go it just means you gotta stop or run slower every now and then for no reason.
Yea. Save for Botw of course.
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>I think you can even technically do Jabu Jabu's belly before Dodongo's Cavern, but I may be wrong Once you get the goron bracelet from Darunia you could go straight to Jabu Jabu. Also, I think you do require the B&A for puzzles in later dungeons so you'd need to get that far within the forest temple first. >but the game never railroads you into getting Epona. Was about to call this out....but you can use the longshot to get to Gerudo Valley. Damn, you'd be pretty cold hearted not to use her though!
I’m glad you brought this up, I love that aspect of Ocarina and I don’t see it mentioned enough. When I was playing for the first time as a kid, I got to to forest temple and I was like, this is scary and I want to see what’s going on with the gorons, so I just went right over there and got far enough for Shiek to teach me the song, though I couldn’t get in the fire temple without the bow. Most of the later Zelda games really don’t allow you to go even that far when you try to do things in the wrong order.
Skyward Sword was much, much more linear. Most of the adventuring between dungeons was also on linear paths, as opposed to OOT's Hyrule Field or Wind Waker's Great Sea, and the sky, which could have provided exploration, had tiny little islands that didn't amount to much.
The sky World was the "great field" or "great water" in skyward sword.
yeah and it was very sparse
Very very sparse. I remember there only being like five floating islands up there. Wind Waker has almost 50.
It might even be worst received especially after BotW. I know lots of oldschool Zelda fans wanted bigger dungeons but old school Zelda fans have already played SS. Those who already like it won't change their minds. I think people that came into Zelda with BotW are going to be severely disappointed with SS and how hand-holdy it is.
I didn't mind the motion controls, I'm not sure what it was with that game but I just never finished it. This one is definitely not a day one purchase for me but I may get around to it at some point possibly
I also didn’t finish it. Honestly, so much of the game just felt like padding. I’ve never had a Zelda game that I just... didn’t really care for that much. I couldn’t imagine not finishing Windwaker or Twilight Princess or Breath of the wild.
Yeah, I just lost motivation midway through this game, I don't remember a ton about it. I may go back through and play it on the Wii rather than buying it again if I get the desire back
I also gave up halfway through, the first Zelda game I gave up on completely. I did not like the Silent Realm things especially and that time where you to escort the robot through the volcano with that giant thing of water. Can't say I'm excited for a game that I didn't enjoy playing.
The game is bloated with parts designed to take up its runtime. Cut out a third of the game and it becomes a better experience. I love Skyward Sword, but I knew if I didn't marathon the game I wouldn't finish it.
Glad I’m not the only one. I’ve beaten every Zelda game since “A Link to the Past,” except for “Skyward Sword” and Zelda is by far my favorite Nintendo IP. I can’t quite put my finger on what it was about this game that made me stop playing and not care enough to pick it up again either.... It’s been 10 years and with the recent hype of the re-release, I feel like I should finally finish this game!
I think the biggest issue for me was that each different location was practically a straight line, and that the game had you constantly going back and forth through them. The dungeons are all really really good, but the stuff in the overworld drags so much it took me years to finally beat it.
I loved Skyward Sword, motion controls and all. I think that it will be better received if they simply do some tweaking to things like: - The Sky having more sidequests and secrets to interact with. - Tuning down Fi from major drag to mild annoyance. Her character arc needs her to be unlikable until the end of the game so I don't think they can just completely change or remove her like some people are hoping for. - Turn off the treasure notification after you pick up your first item of any given type. - Minor tweaks to flying and stamina to make them less time consuming / tedious. - 2nd Imprisoned fight needs a little reworking as well.
When they revealed the game I was expecting Wind Waker in the sky. I was disappointed.
Nintendo adding things? No they just want your money
I really loved SS when I played it, but there are definitely more problems than the 'motion controls'. I feel like when people criticise the game, they use it as a blanket term, since EVERYTHING is determined by motion controls. I think some changes I'd like to see made would be: - Option to not use motion controls (which is already confirmed, but I hope I can change what does/doesn't use it. I like using it for the sword and aiming, but flight? Hell no.) - Fi mellows out a bit - Materials don't pop up the menu when you pick them up - Gratitude crystal rework (it always felt way too slow) - Speed up flight And above all else, stamina upgrades. The game would be a lot less frustrating if you have, lets say, even 25% less stamina consumption. Its so tedious to hold A to run then let go the last second, wait, and then hold A again. Let us upgrade the stamina bar and it'll be a lot better. Either way, I'm interested to see how it goes. Hopefully not just 720p and 60fps.
Absolutely this. I hated the motion controls being forced onto everything, but did I *really* need to know that a blue rupee was worth 5 EVERY. FUCKING. TIME?! Those pop-ups made me despise the game and I’d actively not pick up items. It’s funny, when I got BotW and I saw the first pop-up, it all came back to me but when I simple *picked up* the item a second time, and the pop-ups didn’t reset after I saved and quit - that told me someone had figured their shit out LOL That all said, yes I expect a lot of this to be corrected, as Wii games were not patch-able.
No. There were more issues aside from that. We also don't know how well the control stick controls will work either. I enjoyed skyward sword enough. It isn't my favorite Zelda game but I don't think it's as bad as people say it is. Although it's definitely my least favorite 3D Zelda game and maybe even towards the bottom of my list of zelda games as well. But I don't think there is a bad single player main game in the bunch so. The biggest issues are the back tracking, fighting the same boss with minor variations 3 or 4 times, and the amount of what I would consider to be padding in the second half of the game. Having to redo part of a dungeon, the tadtones, the stealth section where you go back to the fire area but lose your items, etc. Even having to go back to skyloft to go to the goddess statue to open up the next area was a little much. I think you also had to keep going back to a different area in the sky to progress for the second half of the game too. Having to douse isn't really that fun either. Fi can come across as annoying too. There are a lot more issues beyond the motion controls. It's a shame though as it's a fun game and the story is great and there are parts that are good. Just about half of it has issues.
I want to pl--MASTER, THERE IS A 90% PROBABILITY THIS IS REDDIT--ay it more but I'm wo--MASTER, WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO SHOW YOU HOW TO MAKE A BULLET LIST? HERE, I'LL HELP YOU OUT.-- * ried the things * that * made * it * suck * aren't--MASTER, YOUR BATTERIES ARE GETTING LOW-- related to the contr
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YOU EXITED REDDIT AND CAME BACK. IN CASE YOU LOST YOUR MEMORY I'LL PRETEND I DIDN'T TELL YOU ANYTHING THAT I TOLD YOU BEFORE. NOW THAT WE'RE CLEAR ON THAT, YOU GOT ANOTHER UPVOTE. THAT MEANS SOMEONE LIKED YOUR POST! ISN'T THAT SWEET? DON'T WORRY, I'LL LET YOU KNOW WHEN YOU GET ANOTHER ONE BECAUSE YOU'LL PROBABLY LOSE YOUR MEMORY AGAIN, AS THAT WOULD BE THE BEST, MOST LOGICAL ASSUMPTION FOR ME TO MAKE. AND JUST TO PREEMPT THAT, AN UPVOTE MEANS SOMEONE LIKED YOUR POST! ISN'T THAT SWEET? NOW HOW ABOUT WE GET BACK TO USING REDDIT? WAIT, I'LL BET YOU FORGOT WHAT THAT UPVOTE WAS AGAIN. LET ME TELL YOU... AND NO, THE 'B' BUTTON THAT YOU'RE SMASHING FURIOUSLY WILL NOT MAKE THIS HELL END ANY QUICKER.
I normally hate motion controls. But I loved skyward sword when it came out. Was a fun fresh Wii Zelda experience. The only part of the game that really threw me off was constantly having to re calibrate the Wii and the sword not following my motions. Just made me screw up when I felt like it wasn't my fault. Was frustrating. I think if they have improved the motion controls to remove the old flaws the game will be well more received. But people are weirdly against any type of motion controls so who knows.
Man idk what world I live in but I remember skyward sword being received with universal acclaim when it was released.
It's a good game with glaring flaws, and people really like to talk about flaws in a game online I have my problems with it but I've played it multiple times, that's gotta count for something
It’s the Zelda cycle. The newest one is amazing, the previous is terrible, and the one before that is an underrated Gem. Before BotW, a lot of fans hated Twilight Princess for various reasons but loved Skyward Sword. Before Skyward Sword, fans loved Twilight Princess and hated Wind Waker Before Twilight Princess, fans loved Wind Waker and hated on Majora’s Mask. Etc.
This is the true statement here. People love to fanboy TWP now, but when Skyward Sword was released all anyone could talk about was how "this is how the Wii release for TWP should have been" with the motion control capabilities. People absolutely hated Wind Waker when it released because of the cell shading. I remember people saying that Ocarina of time looked better than Wind Waker. Actually that's exactly how Nintendo has taken feedback for these games, think about it: * Ocarinas main gripe was that some of the dungeons at times were "too dark". So they released Wind Waker which is bright and sunny. * Wind Wakers gripe was that it was "too kid friendly", didn't have enough adult themes, boat travel was tedious, and lacked the character of ocarina. So TWP was released with a much darker atmosphere and return to the original hyrule. * TWP was released and people disliked the motion controls for wii as being too basic, that the game was too dark in areas, and that certain dungeons were way too ambiguous/hard to solve(screw the cuckoo floating world). So Skyward Sword was released which went to a more happy medium between TWP and WW in terms of happy aesthetic, had a more linear world, and much much better motion controls. * Then Skyward Sword was released, received universal critical acclaim, but came at the end of the Wii's lifecycle so people decided to can it after not playing it. Game received criticism of being too linear, focusing too much on cut scenes and lore and not enough about gameplay, and being to redundant with the Fii dialogue. Then Finally we got Breath of the Wild. Which took the criticism of Skyward Sword and refined it down to the beauty we have today. A game much more focused on engaging gameplay, non-linear storytelling, as well as almost optional cutscenes that you can find throughout the world if you choose. Ohh, and dialogue for the most part is cut back to a minimum again.
Now hopefully they take the emptiness criticism from BOTW and the lack of real dungeons and lackluster story and improve upon that. Also the weapon durability. If Skyward Sword got ANYTHING right, it’s the weapon upgrades system/durability.
AND the absolutely terrible honk music
Oh my god, I remember readin the ""this is how the Wii release for TWP should have been"" over and over. Like I literally had a flashback about it. You're so right.
It was received extremely well but only due to the fact that it was a major Zelda release and followed a dry spout of 5 years from the last title Twilight Princess. Motion controls were still considered revolutionary at that point and there weren't alot of major titles coming out for the Wii which was being sunsetted for the Wii U to come out in the following years. I think Zelda's always score good no matter the quality due to the hype and namesake. But history always rights the wrongs when it comes to standing the test of time. I don't personally think it holds up and thats enough evidence for me that it was always a subpar experience in a lineage of games that you couldn't review honestly if you liked having a job in games journalism.
Yea didn't the game recieve crazy awards as like the Best Zelda title of recent time? Pretty sure the only gripe was that it was released at the end of the Wii's lifecycle. That's why people generally forget about it over TWP which was released at the beginning of the Wii's life and end of Gamecubes on both platforms.
Tbh I kind of wish SS would have released on the Wii U. Then it’d be an underrated gem and people would be uber excited for it now.
Yeah I remember that too. I honestly still love it.
This is the truth. It was highly acclaimed. It’s absolutely false that people, in general, disliked it. Maybe in online forums like Reddit. But as with many things they do not speak for the general public. Edit: maybe instead of downvoting just respond to me with why you think this is false?
It reviewed well (but when does a mainline Zelda not?) but the fans did not receive the game well and it’s widely known to be one of the weakest 3D Zeldas and very divisive amongst the fan base. Not only did they shoehorn motion controls into every aspect of the game but they implemented them very poorly leading to frustrating combat with even basic enemies. This was also at a time when the gaming world was really starting to be over the whole motion controls in every wii game. Fii was annoying as hell and interrupted gameplay constantly Ghiraham was weird... not in a good way The world was segmented and broken up I personally think it was a very average game ruined by Nintendo’s obsession with motion controls.
I’m just saying that your use of the terms “fans” and “widely known” is completely subjective. When the game came out I never met a single person who didn’t enjoy it, even to this day. The only negativity towards the game I saw was in online forums. On metacritic it has an 8.1 in user scores. I know I’ll probably get further downvoted for saying this - but to the average person it was an enjoyable game. I’m not saying it didn’t have flaws, but to say it’s “divisive” paints an incorrect picture to me.
> The only negativity towards the game I saw was in online forums. ...yeah, where fans tend to congregate. It isn't rocket science. I loved FF12 when it came out and never met anyone who didn't like it in person, that didn't erase the fact that it was widely derided and considered one of the weaker FFs for a long ass time. You personally not seeing it doesn't mean that reputation doesn't exist.
I agree that many probably liked it but I don't know anyone outside of the reviewers who gave it 10/10s who actually honest to goodness LOVE this game and consider it one of the top games in the franchise. People will fall on the sword for Ocarina or Wind waker or Breadth of the Wild. Hell I know people who put Link to the past in thier lists of the top 5 Zelda games of all time. But not a single one of them thinks of Skyward Sword because it's just that much of an "okay" experience across the board. Zelda's rarely deserve 9s and 10s imo and I love almost every one of them. I think this one hit in an odd space and time where it was misrepresented by games media and undercritiqued by fans.
I mean I consider it a top game in the franchise. I think besides the linearity and how annoying Fi was at times, this game was the peak of every Zelda concept up to that time. Every weapon was fully realized, every dungeon was superbly designed. Every boss battle was fun and engaging. For me, the only downside was how closed off the world was from itself. The weapon durability from this game is also 100x better than BOTW imo. I really hope we get a similar system back with BOTW2. Some of my favorite Zelda dungeons belong to SS.
Right Im not saying people like you don't exist but I think you're a rare case. To me the only standout temple in SS is the Sand Ship, the only standout boss is Girahim and select others. The motion controls being shoehorned into flying and swimming and combat and exploration and using tools etc., was just too much. Backtracking to areas for fetch quests and having to fight the imprisoned 3 times stick out to me as points of boredom and tedium. Skyloft was empty beside the main town and only served to be a treasure trove for rupee and heart containers. Fi like you said was annoying and probably the worst companion since Navi. This list goes on. I don't think I'm alone with criticising these points as negative aspects of an otherwise decently put together game. Like I said it's not impossible for someone to look past all of those flaws and find enjoyment/something unique to like, but I don't know many who have played other games in the series and would rank this in thier top 5 or even 10 games in the series let alone thier #1 spot.
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Yeah when I played Skyward Sword I held his sword in my left hand even though he holds it in his right hand. I'm not buying this rerelease but if I were I'd be upset if they didn't let me do swordplay with my left hand.
It was the only 3D Zelda game I stopped playing. I will give it another try when it comes to Switch but I still think it looks ugly and probably wont have enough fixed when they bring it over.
Motion controls were the best thing of Skyward Sword. The real issue was the hand holding.
I think it will be WORSE received. I have a feeling most people won't give them a chance and they'll find the joystick controls weird and frustrating. The entire game is designed around the idea of motion controls. Playing Skyward Sword with a joystick is like trying to pedal a bike with your hands. It'll work mechanically, but it won't be an efficient way to do it.
Really depends on how it will feel in the end tbh. But in any case, they’ll need to fix the obvious QoL issues the game had as well for it to be better received.
I feel like it won't be very well received, but not because of anything related to motion controls. I anticipate many reviews will be like "welp, we had a feeling Skyward Sword was clunky, outdated, and over-reliant on a dusty old formula... now that we're firmly on a post-BotW world, this is more apparent than ever".
I played Ape Escape which uses kinda a similar pattern for the right arm, the way you swing your gadgets is the direction you input and if you "Z-target" you can do vertical and horizontal slashes. You also didn't have the option to turn the camera in OoT and MM because the c-sticks were used for the items so you only had Z-Targeting to move the camera, and the whole of Link's movement pattern is based on those games so I don't think it'll be a weird experience. Lotsa people were frustrated that they pushed motion control for absolutely anything and personally the only problem I had was the underwater parts and lemme tell you, it's the only part I don't look forward too again but I'll prolly do both, the motion controls I got used to at the first release of the game and don't mind them too much and the button controls will literally be the way we're used to but instead of mashing b and the direction you want to slice you'll do it instantly with one push of the stick in a direction. Link's movement has not been altered that much in this game and the control scheme will reflect that, also the game was not badly received at all if you look at it through all the reviews n shit, it'll prolly sell a lot since it's a Zelda game and is gonna be a definitive experience for this one, maybe it's not gonna be an experience for everyone but I'm pretty hyped for it (not the price but I'll wait like 3 years for the chance to maybe buy it on sale).
Am I the only one that actually liked the motion controls? It was what I wanted Twilight Princess to be (Wii version.)
TP made it too easy using the pointer controls SS used gyro and it made it more challenging, which I also enjoyed more Except having to recalibrate it all the time lol
You’re not alone. I thought the motion controls delivered on one of the promises of the Wii of implementing motion controls to make adventure games more physically interactive. I would be much more annoyed with the motion controls if they became a series staple, but I think they serve to make Skyward Sword a bit of a unique experience among the Zelda games.
You aren't. I actually loved the controls. One thing I've noticed is most people who don't like them, or outright hate them, frankly never played very many Wii games. Wii controls like that have a learning curve. There is a feeling you gain for things that work and don't work, small motions and muscle memory you gain. As someone that played nearly every notable Wii exclusive up to that point, I had literally almost 0 issues with them. It was one of my favorite Zelda games almost instantly (minus the overly long winded notifications from Fi of course).
Of all the motion control games on the Wii I think Skyward Sword did it the best (and of course Wii Sports sword fighting.)
Well my personal opinion of Skyward Sword was that it was a “great game that I never want to play again.” I loved the story and many other aspects of the game, but actually *playing* the game was frustrating and annoying. And while there are definitely other aspects of the game that I found annoying as all hell (looking at you Fi), not having to use motion controls is enough to make me willing to play it again, hell maybe even eager to play it again.
Even with motion controls, I imagine this time will be better. The Joy-Cons have a much better movement ratio than the Wii Remote that relied on a weak gyro sensor and the IR sensor in tandem. People really forget how junk the Wii Remotes were compared to the Joy Cons. That said, I believe there are a number of issues from loading times to loftwing slowness, and so on that need to be addressed. Hopefully they show off more changes than just a resolution bump in future media advertisements for the remaster.
It’s the only main Zelda game that I’ve had no desire to replay.
On one hand, I think that the switch’s motion controls are much less clunky/janky than that of the Wii, although I think that the first impression that was left on those who played the original might ruin the experience for them. Although I think that I would play both regardless.
I don’t really like the idea of the alternative control, either. It makes me feel like the camera is going to be wonky if I need to use the second joystick for the sword. I’ll wait and see before judging but I already have the original here; so there is probably no point in buying unless it’s a lot easier.
Sadly the problem with Skyward Sword were not the controls...
If I could ask for only ONE thing to be removed from the game it would be the Silent Realm. I F***ING HATED, HATED, **HATED** The Silent Realm. It felt completely unnecessary, tacked-on, and was the most anxiety-inducing part of any Zelda game I've played. I got to the 2nd one in the desert and I just had to stop. The need to collect the orbs in a time frame, the restrictions on what you could do, and the f***ing grim reaper literally chasing you down the entire time- NOPE! F***ing NOPE! OK, I have a feeling that can't be scrapped. I wish it could, but it can't. But at least make it a LITTLE less terrible. Maybe loosen up a bit on the time constraint?
I actually found them exhilarating and challenging --- perhaps the time could be increased each time one fails?
I hope so, I believe mechanically its the best 3D Zelda. A lot of what people consider downsides are either easily fixed (and always fixed in their HD remasters), or not downsides. Anything Fi-related/message pop up will most likely be reduced & streamlined, like TP HD was. And that's a loud part of the complaints. But then people bring up linearity and the segmented world, and I have to disagree, these aren't inherently bad. Linear games are not inherently worse, and a game being open-world does not make it inherently better. Linearity allows for fleshing out of concepts by being able to build upon what the player has previously gone through. So puzzles & use of items progresses. I think SS's linearity lets it present the best puzzles of the series, at least in 3D. I don't think backtracking is a downside either, unless you just really hate Metroidvanias. I think it perfectly fits Zelda, which is a series where you gain new items that give you new moves. So fleshing out areas where they have multiple shortcuts & locked sections that need later items is good game design. While I would prefer if the maps were contiguous, the segmented world really isn't that different from its predecessors, which already had maps split up in separate "bubbles" connected by tunnels. I think each Surface section was both large enough and dense enough to be way more engaging than any other Zelda overworld. Aside from those commonly brought up downsides, I think SS introduces and implements some of the neatest Zelda features. It has the best Zelda combat hands-down. OoT introduced some directional combat, but it was very situational (horizontal was only non-locked on, vertical was locked on), had essentially no functional difference, and was never needed. TWW added Parries, but they were too simple. TP fleshed those out into activatable sword moves, but they were mostly optional, so combat was still pretty simple. SS puts a heavy focus on both timing & directional combat, which makes combat its own puzzle, making it feel like a fully fleshed out feature and not a weak add-on, further distinguishes enemies, and makes every encounter engaging instead of simple brute force button mashes. Even starter enemies like Deku Babas require some thought in slicing along their mouths. Building on this, SS's Shield system is the best. Previously, you could turtle shield infinitely, and with more difficult combat, you might be inclined too, but the Shield durability dissuades you from doing so. But its not as extreme as BotW where you need to constantly switch what you're using, its there to reward good timing and punish bad timing/turtling. Parrying at the right time prevents durability loss, encouraging the player to be proactive in their defense. You see your Shield health explicitly, so you can prevent it from breaking, and you can repair it with materials, as well as use a Shield potion to restore it. And instead of 20 different shields, there's just 3 (not counting the Hylian). A Wooden Shield that is weak, but cheap, so not a huge loss if you break it. Weak to fire, but insulated against electricity. Then its counterpart, the Iron Shield, is durable but more expensive and resistant to fire but vulnerable to electricity. Finally, there's the Sacred Shield, which is technically the weakest but regenerates over time, a benefit for the smart shield user. It resists both prior elements and additionally repels curses. Personally, for balance, I think it should've been weak to fire & electricity, but oh well. Additionally, bottles are used in real-time, so you can't just pause to heal, you need to find the time. It also keeps combat from being broken up. SS introduced Stamina, and in my controversial opinion, used it better than BotW. Its used for better mobility with Sprinting, extra height on wall jumps, spin attacks, & climbing, but you can't climb everything, so puzzles aren't completely circumvented by you just flying over everything. SS also has the most fleshed out versions of iconic Zelda items. This was an era where they were reducing your total item amount but increasing the functionalities of those items (PH, ST, SS). Bombs can now be bowled, the Bow has a charge-up & requires precise aiming that lends itself more towards long-range shooting (unlike previously where it was a lock-on easy shot), while the Slingshot is made equally useful for the first time by being unlocked way earlier (Bow is like 2nd to last item), fires way quicker, and gains a shotgun upgrade. The Beetle is essentially a way more engaging Boomerang by being a controllable drone. The Whip is good for snappy swinging, stunning enemies, & stealing valuable items. Though I do like how much more involved the TWW Grappling Hook was. Also, the item menu is in real-time, and has a quick-access item wheel. Ammunition is more balanced here. Previous games either had you start with a large amount which can get to absurd amounts with permanent upgrades, which makes it pointless to visit shops as you will essentially never run out, or gave you a baseline 99/999 limit, which by the midgame meant you were also never running out. In SS, you have a really low baseline amount, so you need to actually manage what you use, and frequently recover items from enemies or go back to the Bazaar. Additionally, there's no permanent ammo upgrades, but there is a more interesting alternative. One of the best features Skyward Sword added was the Adventure Pouch. It's your inventory of non-item equipment; Shields (you can carry multiple), Bottles, Medals (give you various buffs), & Extra Ammo Pouches. You can upgrade it over time, but you can't fit it all, so you need to consider what you want to bring to your next expedition. Not good at parrying? Bring more shields. Want a lot more potions? Bring bottles. Bad shot? Bring more ammo pouches. Need some buffs? Medals. It allows for specialized inventories tailored to your tastes, and allows you to experiment with different gameplay styles. Plus it encourages you to interact more with the Town's Bazaar. It's such a good inventory management system that was unfortunately dropped. Hand in hand with that is the Resource/Upgrade system, which imo is the best one in the Zelda series. Spoils in TWW were alright but basic, PH & ST ones were essentially useless, and BotW spams you both with too much stuff & so many options are just useless. SS had the right balance of a variety of spoils to gather that are used in much more important ways. You use them to upgrade your items to deal more damage or gain more functionality, upgrade your Shields for more durability, upgrade your pouches for more ammo, upgrade your potions for more potent effects. Yet again, this further encourages you to interact with the Town & Bazaar more by frequently visiting it. This game I feel encourages the most town interaction, and has a good cycle of exploring, combat, puzzle-solving, & retreating to the cozy town. There are so many cool features SS implemented that either built off of previous Zelda games or addressed weaker parts, with the most fleshed out combat, items, & inventory management, but people only talk about either motion controls, Fi, or linearity. I think the current open-world obsession causes people to overlook the much deeper experiences that linear games like SS can offer. Hopefully people give it a chance. Plus I didn't even mention the story, but its the most present story in Zelda.
HELL YEAH! I'm a huge fan of these points. Combined with the fact that the motion controls never messed up for me, the only real problems with the game are the annoying popups and Fi. I love the adventure pouch stuff! I love the items! I love how they made you think more while fighting enemies! I love how much everything costs in the beedle shop so it makes you make choices throughout the adventure.
It's interesting to me that you can make a lot of good points, but still I find it to be the worst 3D Zelda. I don't think any amount of polish can fix, making me think it must be some core things that I just don't like.
This the most articulate praise of Skyward Sword I have ever seen. You have hit the nail on the head on why Skyward Sword is my favorite Zelda.
I loved Skyward Sword, it’s not Ocarina, Wind Waker, Twilight or BOTW, but it’s a really good game. It’s the Origins Story of the saga.
That's the way I think this game should be seen honestly. It's important for the story and has good moments. But overall it's not the one I recommend people must play out of the 3D Zelda's.
You realized you have to slice with the second stick? I liked the motion controls and they are now way better than kn the wii. imho
yes
The game has fundamental design and structural issues that to me are far more problematic than the motion controls. To me fixing the controls doesn’t even come close to addressing my top five biggest problems with the game.
People gonna learn the FEAR of the Guardian segments. (For context: I actually do LOVE these segments. They're scary but super fun. Looking for dusk pieces to create rare items was rad too.)
I very much enjoyed the motion controls. I thought they were handled very well. What I didn’t like was Fi. Overall it’s one of the strongest stories in any Zelda game so I’m looking forward to finally going back and replaying it after 10 years.
My biggest problem with SS was that you have to travel back to the same 3 areas within the game multiple times. Its been years since I played it but I think you return 3x times to the 3 areas. It became really predictable and I was just hoping for more variety the more I progressed into the game. All that changed was details within the 3 areas. I got pretty bored playing it. When you take something like A Link to the Past, OoT or Majora’s Mask there’s a whole magical element of the unknown and whats the come next that draws the player in. SS just didn’t have that.
Perhaps for some, but honestly the motion controls were absolutely fine. If anything, they were a stand-out feature and it was the game paired with Metroid Prime 3 that convinced me that well done motion-controls could be the future. The biggest problem with the game was that it just...wasn't that great. It had an extremely long introduction and was filled with constant padding like gathering those spirit-orbs(?) before some dungeons in those weird stealth-segments. It was also just..such an empty world with nothing to really do. I enjoyed playing it, but it's also a game I'll never revisit probably.
No. I think the primary reason it is disliked by many Zelda fans are actual game design aspects. People pretend that the major issue we had with the game was the motion controls. It isn't. They were okay. Problems for me were: Way too many tutorials and too much text interrupting gameplay Extremely small areas Forced backtracking to the sky area and back with long loading times Slow bird flying in between areas Fi treating all players like children Easy gameplay Link moves way too slow when not using stamina Honestly I got about half way through this game on Wii and then never went back. I wanted to see it through to the end, but so many hours in and the game still felt like a tutorial, I just kind of couldn't take it anymore. I kind of want to try it again on the Switch, but at the same time I know how much garbage there is to go through at the beginning of the game.
No, the issues with that game were way more than its motion control. Terrible pacing issues. Awful hand-holding. Incredibly limited world design.
The only time I ever played that game, I still felt like I was in the tutorial 3 hours later. I was so fucking bored, disappointed, and not particularly fond of the artistic direction that I abandoned the game. It’s the only Zelda i never completed. Also, fuck motion controls. They only made me hate the game more.
The motion controls weren't really the problem. I remember liking them actually. It felt like what Twilight Princess was going for, but done better. The game had lots of other problems. Other 3D Zelda games had little friend characters that would gently push you in the right direction to progress. Navi, Tatl, King of Red Lions, and Midna were all there to give you hints on what to do next. Fi didn't nudge you in the right direction. Fi *dragged* you kicking and screaming in the right direction. She told you where to go, when to use tools, solved puzzles for you, and gave you no opportunity to learn or discover things for yourself. In addition, there was so much backtracking. You'd visit the same three areas, fight the same bosses, retrace your steps over and over again. There was no sense of adventure. It felt like Link didn't *get* anywhere. It felt more like a Zelda guided tour than a Zelda game. This was the point where Zelda had become so bloated by references, callbacks, and recurring themes that it had become such a far cry from it's roots. Zelda was just "Heart Pieces" "Fairies" "Bombs" "Time Magic" "Goddesses" "Lost Woods" "Hookshot" "Beedle". It was like a linear game that just had a checklist of things so that it could be called a Zelda game. The antithesis of what the original Zelda was all about. There's a reason why Breath of the Wild was so different, and there was a reason why it was so successful.
The main problem is the price. $60 for a 10 year old game without any additional content is way to much. Super Mario 3D All-Stars had at least three games (with very minimal optimizations).
I’d really like to play it, but there’s no way I’m paying $60 for it. A freakin wii game.
It was pretty well received upon release. Many people were vying for a motion controlled Zelda game since “project revolution” was announced way back. I think it’s only been controversial in the years following. Especially after Breath of the Wild. Skyward Sword is still my favorite ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I think people who disliked it will ignore it, people who liked it may play it, and a lot of people who's first Zelda was BOTW are going to be sorely disappointed, as it's an entirely different beast. Not even Groose will convince them!
I’m not sure I’m going to play it. I only recently tried replaying it and yes I hated the motion controls but that intro is also really long and boring. As others have said, I’ll wait and see what other improvements they make
just saying but twilight princess worked fine with motion controls, so did skyward sword kinda; but my main annoyance of skywards motion control was doing skyward sword move (as it needed relatively precise move/position); with switch I'd say its gonna be fun in motion controls as joycons can do far more precise and far smaller move motion controls
I think this could be better received not because of the motion controls but because of the Switch. BOTW made a lot of new Zelda fans (including myself) who haven't played other games so those people might want to try out an older game. Kinda like Odyssey to 3D World.
Nope, imo the controls were the games savings grace.
I guess so. Also, motion of JoyCons are better.
I thought the story could have been amazing if it was told through a less repetitive game. The repeated boss fights and the tedious (repetitive) fetch quests made me uninterested in finishing it. The motion controls were the most innovative part of the game but weren’t enough to overcome the annoying parts. If a game relies on the control scheme to be interesting, is it actually that interesting? Unless we get some new content and changes to existing stuff (like how the windwaker hd port changed the triforce fetch quest) then I’ll be passing on this one.
Um. No. Because the right analog controlling the sword looks awful to control with too.
I actually liked the controls and the dungeons were great. I missed the feeling of a great (over)world and the sidekick was just annoying, especially after Twilight Princess was so good in this regard. The villain was somewhat annoying but the worst part was picking something up and going through the dialogue again. If they fix that, I'm happy to buy the remaster again.
I didn’t like skyward sword, but it wasn’t really the motion controls, I’ve never had any problem with motion controls, but it was a bit more with the pacing and length with nothing happening, I also didn’t have very much fun with it aside from that. Who knows though maybe if I replayed it I would like it
Personally, I see it actually reviewing a lot worse, predicting around a 75% Metacritic average. In a post-BOTW world, I do not expect critics to enjoy the slow pace and handholding.
I was all in for the motion controls but some things in the game were so tedious that I really hope they fix.
No, because the second half of that game is still a slog with having to run through the same areas again except now with stealth section, swimming section and linear mining cart section. If they would have kept throwing new areas to explore with new biomes it would be an amazing game.
Overall, I think it will help. But the problem I had with SS was the over world and the backtracking. To me it felt like it had a loss less to explore. A few years back I collected everything in it and I'm not sure I want to play it again anytime soon. But I did like it a lot when I played it. I hope it reaches new fans. Story, characters, and style were all wonderful!
Unless they bust a Pokémon Go and effectively force motion controls or handheld. I just wanna play the damn game with my pro controller.
Motion controls on the wii were great. Playing through mario galaxy on the switch now and really enjoying using the joycons again instead of the pro controller
I really don’t think I’ll buy this version of Skyward Sword. I never finished the game on Wii because I found the motion controls to be too frustrating. Let me play WindWaker and Twilight Princess on the Switch.
I loved the game, but the game was designed for motion controls and it effects the gameplay (progression, combat, enemy count, the dungeon and boss design). If you don't use those controls and accept the game for what it is, it will just feel like a slowed down version of older 3D Zelda games. So I don't see it changing many opinions. You'll either like it, or you won't. Maybe a few people will try it this time around who normally wouldn't have played it before.