Review: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword was hailed as Nintendo’s last great game to be released on the Wii in North America. Well that was until Xenoblade and The Last Story were announced, but that’s another story. Regardless, Skyward Sword is indeed one of the last good games to be released on the Wii, and dare I say one of the few. The Wii has had its championing days in Super Mario Galaxy and Super Smash Bros. Brawl, but it never had a true and proper Zelda title released to the system. Say what you may of Twilight Princess, but there is no denying its Gamecube roots. And so we have the one and only true Zelda title for the Wii, completely catering to the system’s core gameplay aesthetic of motion control. Nintendo of America’s President Reggie Fils-Aime stated that he didn’t know if “there’s going to be a video game in history that’s going to be able to compare to Skyward Sword," clearly pushing the title to be one of the greatest of all time. Hmm… let’s take a look and see.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword features the main characters we are used to in every Zelda game: Link and Zelda. Link is training to become a knight of Skyloft, a rather large and floating island in the sky. Zelda has been chosen to be a part of a ritual for the Goddess of Skyloft, and so it is her duty to sing and sew a blanket. Okay just kidding! On the day of the ceremony Link must prove himself to be a knight to Zelda, or rather pass a few challenges to be worthy of the ceremony. In these events Zelda falls through the clouds to the land below and it is your job as Link to save her.


The game goes on to reveal that you are the hero of legend and that it is your duty to save and protect Zelda, similar to other Zelda games in the past. Overall the story is good and well worth completing to the end. That said, Skyward Sword is rightfully hailed as an origin story for the series. The ending explains what the Legend of Zelda truly means, and that alone is worth playing through. Although the story also has its weaknesses that are primarily featured in structure and not quality. Much of the game feels like you must do this to get this and to get here. You then repeat this process throughout much of the game. It’s not a terrible structure but it slopes to being repetitive and somewhat tiresome.

Thankfully the dungeon designs are well fleshed out and truly fun to experience. Although none of them are extremely challenging, some areas will have you thinking for quite a while. I will admit that I looked up what to do at least twice when I was stuck, and each time it was for a silly reason. Most of the time the game is smart in making use of the equipment you have, and as long as you don’t forget what options are available to you the game will be fluid in its challenge.

Battling a foe in Skyward Sword is different from any other Zelda because of the Wii Motion Plus sensitivity to your hand and arm movement. Whichever way you swing your hand Link’s sword will also move that way. It’s an incredible feature that can’t be taken lightly. If you plan on playing Skyward Sword by waggling the Wii-Mote around, you will soon learn that you won’t get very far. At first it’s challenging to get used to the necessity of swinging your sword in a particular direction but over time you adapt. In fact there are a handful of enemies that will block your sword if you strike a certain way. And so you have to constantly think of a new strategy to defeat such foes. Some of the more challenging boss fights in the game utilize these concepts to their fullest potential.


Aside from the main quest there are a number of mini-games and sidequests to explore. The mini-games are okay and I only dabbled in them a bit but sometimes they have good rewards. The sidequests in the game mainly originate with the people of Skyloft and the various issues they may be having. Whether it be the young love between some of Skyloft’s students or the request to clean a woman’s house, you will dabble in the many facets of life on a floating island.

A strong issue I do have with Skyward Sword is its graphical presentation. It’s entirely difficult to judge Wii games on the basis of graphics because it’s as if we need to place them in a separate category. The Wii is not an HD system, so technically the games will never be in a higher resolution. Skyward Sword has a beautiful art direction that’s entirely gorgeous, yet unfortunately the Wii holds the game back. Colors become blurred and washed out, objects aren’t sharp like you would want them to be, and playing the game on an HDTV only makes these imperfections more obvious. I started playing Skyward Sword on a standard definition TV and the game was nice to look at and everything was fluid. But in transitioning to my flatscreen a lot of the game’s atmosphere was stripped of its virtual beauty. It’s a shame, really, and I do hope the next Zelda title makes great use of the current technology at hand.

Like the majority of Zelda titles, this one shouldn’t be missed. I don’t believe that Reggie was right about Skyward Sword being one of the best games ever made, but I do believe it’s one of the finest in the series. It has an extra dash of heart that adds to the characters and the way they interact with one another. Story is a key element in an enjoyable video game, and I believe The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword has mastered this art. A few tweaks to the game’s progressive structure and a warning that you’re playing a game that’s not up to snuff with the current generation of gaming consoles would have put a little more oomph into this installment of the franchise. Regardless, I believe it will sustain in being a title worth comparing to future installments and it has the aura to be a classic.

Title: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Developer: Nintendo

Genre: Adventure/Role-Playing Game

Year: 2011

Platform: Nintendo Wii

Completion: Beat the game in roughly 55 hours and erased the file to make room for Hero Mode. Collected the majority of Goddess Chests, had four bottles, and was missing one item pouch. In the treasure display I was missing two items completely. Fulfilled a number of sidequests but didn’t attempt to win any of the mini-games. Could hold 5,600 rupees at end game and was missing two full hearts.

-Jared Cyhowski

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is regarded as one of the best games of all time, or simply the best game ever made. It is now 13 years old and although it may sometimes look dated, the mechanics presented first in this game have carried on as landmarks in most action/adventure games since. Its simple story, lovable characters, fun gameplay, sense of courage and heroism all add up to one of the largest adventures presented in the land of Hyrule. It is with my utmost confidence that I can say that Ocarina of Time 3D only improves on these facets of excellence.

It is easy to sit back and push this one to the side because Nintendo has re-released Ocarina of Time a couple times before, right? I can certainly see where you are coming from. People played it, a lot, on the Nintendo 64. People played it and the Master Quest on the Gamecube. More people played it on the buggy Collector's Edition, or on the Wii's Virtual Console. So really, why play it again on the 3DS?

The first thing that must be pointed out is the entire game has had a graphical overhaul. Every tree, every stone wall, every enemy, NPC, skulltulla... everything you can imagine. It all looks better. The framerate's been improved to 30 frames a second. It all just feels good.

Here are two images that compare the original Ocarina of Time to the 3DS version:

Ocarina of Time 3D is just that, a title for the Nintendo 3DS. The depth is simply incredible. It really allows you to feel like you are in Hyrule, as if you are the hero traversing across time to save a land corrupted by evil. If you run down a hallway you can see the end of it and truly sense that you are approaching it. I could sit here for hours trying to explain what the 3D looks and feels like, but it's something that must be experienced individually. It brings the world to life.

One of the coolest new features is how the game makes use of the 3DS' gyroscopic abilities. This means that the 3DS senses when you move the handheld which allows you in turn to look around in the game world. You simply L-target and move the 3DS in any direction you like. You move the system left and Link looks left. The same goes for using your bow, hookshot, boomerang, and slingshot. In the first-person perspective you no longer use a joystick to aim, but rather move the 3DS to target your enemy. It all feels natural.

This leads to my only problem with this release on the 3DS. The 3D can become bothersome if you are either lazy or you are in an area where the 3D simply does not help. If you go into a first-person perspective and try to aim with your hookshot, you need to move the handheld to find your target. But with such a limited window for viewing the 3D effect, moving the 3DS too much can cause the image to split or have a flickered-like reaction. This isn't an end of the world issue, but rather an annoyance. The reason I bring up being lazy is because all you have to do is either shift your eyes or move your head a certain way to see the 3D clearly. But after repeating this process many, many times it can be a bother. Honestly the easiest way to deal with this is to just turn the 3D off when you don't want it on. That's all I had to do to get through certain areas or fight certain enemies. At the same time the 3D effect heightened the visual experience altogether. If you were to ask me how much I had the 3D on or off during my experience with Ocarina of Time 3D, I would have to say 70% on and 30% off.

I must admit that the 3D did glitch on me once, and I was even able to record it:

When I was doing my duty to shake my booty and save Hyrule, I noticed a new feature that definitely was not in the original game. This feature is a seeing-eye stone that Link can use to access special hint videos. This feature was added for those who are new to Ocarina of Time, or for those who need help every now and again. I did check out some of the videos, but preferred the good ole' Prima's strategy guide for the original game whenever I got stuck.

Other new features include a boss challenge mode that allows you to visit the bosses you've defeated in the game and an updated Master Quest experience. Not only are the dungeons more difficult than before, but the game is also mirrored. Master Quest is unlocked only once you beat the original game. It's a solid way to guarantee replayability. And I have to mention the new menu system. It's completely awesome and allows you to access your gear on the fly. Items are conveniently located for your fingers to tap what you want. It is especially helpful for locations like the Water Temple. Remember putting on those boots only to take them off a second later, over and over again? Well now it's just the tap of a button. It's simple and cleverly designed.

Ocarina of Time 3D is scored with blissful amounts of nostalgia that we all remember when we were kids. We remember those great moments in gaining Epona, dealing with Princess Ruto, learning Sheik's true identity, and ultimately becoming the hero of time. We remember those catchy tunes and hum along with them, and we're proud to own our real ocarinas. Bolero of Fire is my personal favorite.

The magic poured into this game is incredible. If I had to define it, I would say this is one of NIntendo's finest masterpieces. Their games already have the ability to feel magical, but this one is at the top. As this title in the Legend of Zelda series allows you to become the hero of time, it has certainly aged well over time. Will another video game ever achieve what The Ocarina of Time has presented to us as one of the best video games ever made? Hey! Look! Listen! It could be around the corner.

Title: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D

Developer: Nintendo, Grezzo

Genre: Action/Adventure

Year: 2011

Platform: Nintendo 3DS

Completion: According to the 3DS's stats application, I beat Ocarina of Time 3D in 24:50. I did skip out on a number of sidequests such as the Biggoron sword, two of the bottles, a number of heart pieces, and more. I played through the boss challenge mode, unlocking the additional gauntlet mode.

-Jared C.