Spoiler Bow and Slingshot Function

[Garo]

(I marked this thread as spoiler because I know there are people who don't want to know anything about the items and tools available; I am typically one of them, but this time I decided to dive into pre-release coverage.)

I recently reviewed the Skyward Sword E3 demo (as seen here), and I noticed a few intriguing things. One is that in the Sky Temple, Link has access to the Bow and Slingshot, yet the Nintendo rep (whose name escapes me) claims that the Sky Temple is the first dungeon that players encounter.

This to me says a few things of note. Apparently the Bow and Slingshot are going to hold a fairly critical role in Link's arsenal, as he obtains them even before entering a dungeon. (The Beetle is also already obtained, and Link gets an upgrade for the Beetle in the demo.) This would also seem to indicate that the Bow is not an upgrade to the Slingshot, as it is a separate item (as per usual, but note that the Beetle's upgrade is not a separate item), and is also obtained likely around the same time as the Slingshot. But most noteworthy is that within the demo, Link appears to use the Slingshot and Bow for very distinct purposes. The Bow seems to be used to shoot down enemies hanging from vines and webs, whereas the Slingshot appears to be used to trigger certain world objects, such as coiled vines that, when struck with a Slingshot pellet, uncoil and allow Link to swing on them.

Now I know that this may simply be for demo purposes, and the shown items will not actually be obtained in that order or even at that time. BUT - Do you guys think that the Bow and the Slingshot are going to have distinct functions, as opposed to the Bow simply replacing the Slingshot?

 

[zeldawesome]

slingshot=weak but fast

bow=strong but slow

or the bow only showing up.

 

[StarBound]

Basically what zeldawesome said. The slingshot will be used to kill small/weak enemies. It will be quick to take out enemies that are on the wall. The bow will be slow to pull, but it can do a lot more damage to bigger/stronger enemies.

 

[Lex_Informer]

Pro-tip: Don't assume that your inventory in the demo is the same as your inventory will be in the actual game. You NEVER, EVER need to use the bow in the demo, so more than likely you won't have it by the first dungeon. I imagine you WILL have the Slingshot though, since it looks like you obtain the Beetle from the central "egg" structure based on the GDC 2011 footage, and you need to hit a switch above the entrance to get inside (which you would only be able to reach with a projectile item, more probably the Slingshot).

 

[Wolf Sage]

Yeah, I remember another thread similar to this one. It basically has a lot of comparisons and contrasts between the two items and their individual functions and effectiveness. :yes: There's also this.

 

[skybird11]

i'm pretty sure the only reason that the DEMO has both is so nintenndo could show them off. we most likely won't have the slingshot AND bow this early in the game

 

[Agent Spaghetti]

This was only a demo. They included a lot of these things so people could better experience the game. That's why they had so many potion bottles; we'd probably have that much only closer to the end of the game. I also noticed that he had all three shields in his arsenal. I doubt that they'd smash them all together so close to the beginning. We had a ton of hearts and lots of other stuff that is not likely to appear at the start of the game. This was only a demo, with most of its purpose being to show off what it can do in this game.

 

[link9]

They just had them both to show them off. The controls should be very similar.

 

[JuicieJ]

The answer is it's a demo. Link also had 8 hearts, all 5 bottles, and all 3 shields. They put those items in there for the people to use them. Simple as that.