
	Platform Wii Genre Action Adventure Publisher Nintendo Developer Nintendo ESRB E +10 (Everyone) Released November 20, 2011

- Lots to do and explore - Great use of integrated motion control - It’s Zelda!

- Game gets off to a slow start - Sometimes it sticks to the Zelda formula too much

Review: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (360) Review: Kirby's Return to Dreamland (Wii) Review: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (3DS) Action Figure Review: Link and Epona (Legend of Zelda)
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The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Score: 10 / 10

Well, it’s a 10 out of 10. Thanks for reading. Goodnight.

It’s not quite perfect but I have to give it a 10 anyways because it represents a perfect value for your gaming dollar so you have to go and get it. If you don’t have a Wii or you traded it because you were frustrated by the games that were available, you have to get it back.

Let’s first of all talk about this game as if it was the first time you have ever played a Zelda game. You start out in what is essentially a tutorial as your character named Link (although you can change his name) and you live in an idyllic land

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called Skyloft. The people have heard about a mysterious place called the “surface” but nobody has been there or really knows much about it. As you are preparing for challenges as you mature into knighthood, your sweetheart (Princess Zelda) is taken away in a terrible wind storm and is rumored to be on the surface. You must follow and rescue her and so the full game begins.

Using a bird you fly

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around Skyloft and as you progress there are three areas on the surface that open up. There are also numerous islands in the sky that you can visit (and more become available as you play) to complete side quests much like a full RPG. Skyward Sword has many RPG-like elements such as the ability to upgrade your weapons and defenses but combat and other elements are all real-time.

The game consists of various “dungeons” that almost all contain a boss and often a new item that you must use in order to complete all the various puzzles in order to progress. There are various time shifting moments in the game but it’s quite different than what we experienced in Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

I suppose this is where I will address the issue that many of you are probably wondering. Ocarina of Time is often cited as the best reviewed game ever and is also the top game for many people (myself included) ever made. So how does Skyward Sword stack up?

Overall, I have to say I am very impressed. Where I felt that Twilight Princess got a little too “weird” and off the beaten path, Skyward Sword manages to retain the same sense of adventure and wonderment that Ocarina did and yet it feels fresh and new at the same time.

The Wii Motion Plus controls are extremely well integrated into the game. It definitely doesn’t feel like an add-on (like it did in Twilight Princess) and you will find yourself having to chop and slice enemies in specific directions. Even opening doors with keys requires turning the Wii remote in interesting ways (although one time I swear I experienced a hand cramp).

The bosses in this game will leave you smiling and experiencing multiple “oh wow” moments. I think I said that when I experienced the “Raiders of the Lost Ark” moment. The game will also take you a long time to complete. Completing all of the side quests could take you as long as 100 hours. The value in this game is just absolutely incredible.

It’s not perfect. At times I felt myself thinking that maybe they could change some things. It’s a Zelda game by formula but fresh enough that you don’t usually feel like you’ve done this before. It’s the conflicted feelings that come out after so many years and so much waiting for this title that have me feeling this way, but honestly it’s a minor gripe.

Whatever you do, don’t give up on the game too early. It does get off to a slow start but it gets much better. You should also be aware that there is a show-stopper bug in the game. Make sure you search out the information on it before getting too far into the game (it has to do with obtaining the Thunder Dragon song if you wish to look it up).

Overall, this is the best experience I’ve had playing a Zelda game since Ocarina of Time and I’d have to say they are pretty equal in my opinion. Either way, you won’t be disappointed getting this game, it’s a masterpiece.

- Syd Bolton

(February 6, 2012)

Syd Bolton surrounds himself in thousands of classic video games as Canada’s top video game collector at the Personal Computer Museum (http://www.pcmuseum.ca) in Brantford, Ontario, Canada.