Daily Debate: Did Skyward Sword Suffer From Too Much Filler Content?

Since its release nearly seven years ago, Skyward Sword has been among my top five favorite Zelda titles. Similarly to my all-time favorite video game, Twilight Princess, it’s one of the most well rounded entries in that it boasts virtually everything I love about the series: a rich world, endearing characters, a boatload of varied dungeons and bosses, and an infectious musical score. When it comes to what Skyward Sword does well, the game stands high above most of its brethren.

That said, the road to these amazing elements — particularly the dungeons — can be a bit of a slog. I recently revisited the game — the first time in a couple of years — and was reminded of how much of the adventure feels as if it’s structured around tutorials and busywork. From the search for Faron Woods’ Kikwis to a scavenger hunt for key fragments to repairing one of Skyloft’s propellers to filling a dragon’s water basin, a significant portion of the game feels like filler content.

I’ve completed Skyward Sword at least a dozen times since 2011, but during this most recent trek through untamed Hyrule, these sequences negatively impacted my experience more than ever before. As much as I give Breath of the Wild a hard time for what it lacks in terms of story and characters, I will give it this: the main quest typically gets right to the good stuff. Granted, its highlights are not as strong as many of Skyward Sword’s, but at least errands that would’ve been mandatory in the Hylian Hero’s Wii adventure are mainly limited to side quests in Breath of the Wild.

Don’t get me wrong — I love Skyward Sword. Like I said, it’s one of the all-time greats, and when it brings its A-game, it brings its A-game! However, I was surprised by how much the hand-holding and tutorial-based filler content bothered me in a post-Breath of the Wild world. I plan on revisiting a few of my other favorite Zelda titles throughout the rest of the year, including Link’s latest quest, so I’ll see definitively how the two games compare in my mind soon enough.

What about you, though? Did you enjoy the content in between Skyward Sword’s dungeons, or did it slow the game’s momentum down for you? Let us know in the comments below!