[Spoiler-Free] Zelda: Skyward Sword

[Ike]

This game is a real contender for worst soundtrack in a Zelda game. The music is so totally lacklustre and forgettable. After Wind Waker and Mario Galaxy, this is what we get?? And is it so much to ask for a few seconds of traditional Zelda music?? There seems to be less and less with each passing game.

 

Agreed. Majora's Mask, Wind Waker and Twilight Princess had amazing soundtracks. Skyward Sword's is really disappointing, was really looking forward to hearing it as well.

 

The fact it comes with the CD doesn't help it either :P

[dazzybee]

I've just finished the game and I absolutely loved it. A have a few niggles and I think the fire temples were easily the weakest sections (must have the same team working in the same sections), but ultimately absolutely excellent.

 

It's better than Ocarina (confirmed after playing it on the 3DS) but I guess it doesn't have the same wonder that Ocarina gave us all back then. That's the thing.

 

Best game of the year, one of the best games of the generation!

[Ronnie]

From the sound of things, the ending bits are quite good then?

 

For those who have completed it, I've just gotten into the fourth dungeon, I assume once that's done I'll be about two thirds through the game?

 

I'm really surprised by the lack of story-telling cutscenes, I expected this game to be really fan wanky and put in loads of Zelda mythology stuff. I guess that prob comes later.

[Serebii]

From the sound of things, the ending bits are quite good then?

 

For those who have completed it, I've just gotten into the fourth dungeon, I assume once that's done I'll be about two thirds through the game?

 

I'm really surprised by the lack of story-telling cutscenes, I expected this game to be really fan wanky and put in loads of Zelda mythology stuff. I guess that prob comes later.

I'd say you're about half way through it

[Tales]

When mr. bad guy kidnaps Zelda and goes through the gate of time, is that the last dungeon/boss? Should I be done with all sidequests and such before I enter? Yes or no.

[Cube]

When mr. bad guy kidnaps Zelda and goes through the gate of time, is that the last dungeon/boss? Should I be done with all sidequests and such before I enter? Yes or no.

 

You can carry on a little bit longer

 

[Agent Gibbs]

since the spoiler topic derails over spoilers i thought i'd repost this here for discussion

 

The motion controls work great, at first i had to teach myself to not do a TP and waggle the mote like i'm a 14 year old with a playboy mag, but once i did i found the controls great, for the sword atleast

 

I still think the flying could be analogue, as flapping was very difficult and alien to do while keeping a straight line

Swimming i was more generous to, although it worked great in MM i did like being able to quickly turn the wiimote vertical and start swimming up/down that was slightly faster than an analogue. basically it was slightly less than on par for me

 

but i never got used to clicking "b" to ready an item and holding to choose. I'd often hold it too long and the menu would pop up and i'd end up releasing and selecting something else, and it made using the bow on keeze very slow and to the point where i waited for them to come to me 99% of the time and then sword stab them. TP had the better set up for items.

Z target/Strafe/easy till was too easy in TP, but target/no lock/take time to aim was too slow, the only reason it worked to an extent is because there wasn't any sections like some of the caves in TP that would require you to kill lots of flying enemies quickly. when ever you needed, well could attack enemies like keeze from afar you had all the time in the world. I think i only used the bow on the switches and for sniping bobkins on death mountain slopes

[Ronnie]

I really like selecting and using items as the game was going on around you, but agree those sorts of controls took a lot of getting used to. At first I hated having to hold down Z to target, but now I wouldn't have it any other way. It works well for combat IMO.

 

One thing that pisses me off though is when you have Link facing the camera, you take a weapon out to aim but instead of leaving Link facing/aiming in that direction and moving the camera around instead for 1st person view, it makes Link turn around and face the other way then goes into 1st person. Very annoying.

[Goron_3]

Like Ocarina, Wind Waker and Twilight Princess?

 

Sure, it's more in-your-face in Skyward Sword, but it's not exactly a big problem. The main difference is that Fi tells you why she suggests going somewhere, whereas Navi just suggested that you should go there.

 

Huh? I think he's referring to inbetween dungeons. Twilight Princess did it a couple of times once the game got rolling (The bird statues were on particular example) and WW had the Triforce quest, but come on, OoT? You had Navi going 'hey!!' which you could ignore, and even then she'd suggest where to go. It's not like you got there and the game was like 'sorry but to enter you need to collect 5 items' or 'go get something first'. This game definitely does this much more than a couple of times and more than the other Zelda's.

 

As for Fi. She is defo the worst part of the game for me. Revealed the answer to a few too many puzzles and holds you hand too much..'Master, there's a 80% chance the key you picked up opens this LOCKED DOOR RIGHT NEXT TO YOU'. Really, Fi. Really?

[Ronnie]

Fi started out with a bit of personality when you first get the sword. She was quite snarky to what's his name, but seems to have lost anything of interest since.

[Cube]

but come on, OoT? You had Navi going 'hey!!' which you could ignore, and even then she'd suggest where to go. It's not like you got there and the game was like 'sorry but to enter you need to collect 5 items' or 'go get something first'.

 

It was more like:

Zelda: Go to Death Mountain

- Head to Death Mountain, speak to Darunia. He's in a mood.

Navi: Hey! Why don't we randomly visit Saria!

[Goron_3]

It was more like:

Zelda: Go to Death Mountain

- Head to Death Mountain, speak to Darunia. He's in a mood.

Navi: Hey! Why don't we randomly visit Saria!

 

After you first meet Zelda, what is the FIRST thing Navi says to you? It's to visit Saria right? And also, if you save the game at that point you end up in Kokiri village so it's not too bad as most people had it by that point.

 

But true, one of the few examples. But at least when you spoke to Darunia he let you into go into the cavern, as opposed to send you on a fetch quest to collect 4-5 items.

[Cube]

as opposed to send you on a fetch quest to collect 4-5 items.

 

And how is that different to dungeons?

[Goron_3]

And how is that different to dungeons?

 

What do you mean? In the sense that each Zelda since OoT doesn't show plot progression until you've travelled and beaten 3/4 dungeons? I never stated this game did that worse than the others. But doing that BETWEEN dungeons is a bit tedious, they need to find something other than padding/fetch quests between dungeons for the player to do. Though ofc, a lot of that may be due to hardware limitations.

[Cube]

What do you mean?

 

In Zelda dungeons you explore new areas, do some fights and solve puzzles to collect what you need to fight the boss.

 

In Skyward Sword the same applies to the main areas themselves as well as the dungeons.

 

My definition of a "fetch quest" is one that doesn't add new areas or gameplay elements.

[Goron_3]

In Zelda dungeons you explore new areas, do some fights and solve puzzles to collect what you need to fight the boss.

 

In Skyward Sword the same applies to the main areas themselves as well as the dungeons.

 

My definition of a "fetch quest" is one that doesn't add new areas or gameplay elements.

 

It applies to the areas themselves yes, which is brilliant! And much more metroidy. I loved these sections, probably the best addition to the whole series.

 

However, take a couple of the early areas for example. You walk up to the dungeon and it says you can't enter until you find 4-5 pieces of a key, or 4 characters. Twilight Princess had the whole 'you can't progress until you find these tears'. I'm saying it'd be good if they bothered to find a way to let you progress through the game without saying 'oh you need to collect these first'. You could get rid of loads of those sections. Most of the section between the 3-4 dungeons could be cut out. You can develop and length games in others way other than 'go collect some items before you can progress'.

 

I guess the main problem is that there's barely any story & NPC's in the game except at certain points so they can't exactly take time to develop some story in between dungeons. Maybe it doesn't bother you but it's clearly an issue and if any other game did it, it would get looked down on a lot. Hell, I stopped playing Assassin's Creed 2 at the very end because I had to fetch about 10 of these items and I was basically like 'wut?'.

[dazzybee]

Why didn't nintendo have left and right dpad be camera controls? I got used to it by the end, but what a retarded decision!

 

From the sound of things, the ending bits are quite good then?

 

For those who have completed it, I've just gotten into the fourth dungeon, I assume once that's done I'll be about two thirds through the game?

 

I'm really surprised by the lack of story-telling cutscenes, I expected this game to be really fan wanky and put in loads of Zelda mythology stuff. I guess that prob comes later.

 

No where near 2 thirds of the way through. Long way to go yet And the best bits are to come! I wouldn't even say half way through!

[Ronnie]

^ Great to know, thanks! I assumed as no one mentioned any dungeon past 6 I was nearing the end.

 

As for the fetch quests, although I can't remember any of the other 3D Zeldas sending you on such blatant ones (apart from the triforce hunt), I personally don't mind them in this game, it gives you a good reason to explore the land. But I do think they'll be the main criticism the game will have attached to it over the years.

[Dog-amoto]

I've just finished the third trial.

 

Am I over two thirds the way through?

[Grazza]

The fact it comes with the CD doesn't help it either :P

 

Now that really is a 10/10! The Twilight Princess Symphony in particular is unbelievable.

 

Huh? I think he's referring to inbetween dungeons. Twilight Princess did it a couple of times once the game got rolling (The bird statues were on particular example) and WW had the Triforce quest, but come on, OoT? You had Navi going 'hey!!' which you could ignore, and even then she'd suggest where to go. It's not like you got there and the game was like 'sorry but to enter you need to collect 5 items' or 'go get something first'. This game definitely does this much more than a couple of times and more than the other Zelda's.

 

I don't want to keep moaning about it, honestly I don't, but it's not normal fetch quests that I dislike. WW's Triforce hunt was great, TP's statues were fine. It's literally when collectathons and trials are set up for you. Never had a problem with any "fetch quests" until the Tears of Light thing in Twilight Princess, and that was really because it was a different gameplay mode rather than a fetch quest. The trouble is, that has continued in all the games since.

 

I'd be happy if there was never a "Silent Realm", "Tears of Light" or "Spirit Vessel" in any Zelda ever again!

 

 

I've just finished the third trial.

 

Am I over two thirds the way through?

 

I can't remember exactly when that happened, to be honest. The way to think of the structure of this game is like this:

 

There are six dungeons. After the last one, you have to do a lot more quests than usual in a Zelda game.

 

Edited December 15, 2011 by Grazza

[Ronnie]

The S*****t R***m was amazing I thought. Spooky and nerve-wracking and at least you could sort of forgive the way the game asked you to do it three times for each area because of the storyline. The fetch quests that get you into the dungeons though are way too convenient and predictable. They could have mixed it up a bit more.

 

Edit: loving the fourth dungeon :-)

Edited December 15, 2011 by Ronnie

[FalcoLombardi]

The S*****t R***m was amazing I thought. Spooky and nerve-wracking and at least you could sort of forgive the way the game asked you to do it three times for each area because of the storyline. The fetch quests that get you into the dungeons though are way too convenient and predictable. They could have mixed it up a bit more.

 

Edit: loving the fourth dungeon :-)

 

Yeah, that spooky part scared me. Found 14, but can never find the 15th...

[killer kirby]

....This game...it's...it's...perfect in every way, I have no urge to play previous 3D Zelda games now...it's like deja vu with the handhelds...after Minish Cap no other portable Zelda could touch it's awesomeness...skyward sword is the same on home systems.

[Burny]

This game is a real contender for worst soundtrack in a Zelda game. The music is so totally lacklustre and forgettable. After Wind Waker and Mario Galaxy, this is what we get?? And is it so much to ask for a few seconds of traditional Zelda music?? There seems to be less and less with each passing game.

 

Actually, there are some real standout-pieces. And there are some absolute classic pieces, too.

 

New pieces:

	Audio

	Audio

	Audio

	Audio

 

Classics:

	Audio

	Audio

	Audio

 

 

 

But it's really easy to overlook, as some of the new tracks are only played in cut-scenes. As for the rest, I think being largely played by actual instruments and mixed with lots of environmental sounds makes it very easy to overlook much of the music. The more "electronic" themes in earlier Zelda's stood out far more among all the sounds there were imo. Being more complexly arranged makes it also hard to memorize tunes, that would otherwise stand out.

Edited December 15, 2011 by Burny

[Mokong]

WW's Triforce hunt was great

 

OK are you sure you didn't typo somewhere in that part?