THE LEGEND OF
ZELDA: SKYWARD SWORD
Over land and sea and air, Link and Zelda are there.
By the time sread this issue, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword will be just about ready to land in stores, allowing players to embark on the biggest Legend of Zelda adventure ever created. But before put the game through its paces with a review next issue (spoiler alert: we're probably going to say its really good), we decided to take one more detailed look at the vast world that link will get to explore.
This time out, we ventured to Faron Woods, a beautifully forested area that Nintendo unveiled as a playable work in progress back at the 2010 Electronics Entertainment Expo. Now, as then, the region is home to massive trees and magnificent giant mushrooms, as well as dangerous foes such as man-eating plants and those nasty sword wielding Bokoblins. But the woods are also host to (usually) small creatures known as Kikwis. These fuzzy fellows are pretty timid, but they're willing to help Link on his mission to find Zelda- as long as he helps them first. To earn the Kikwis trust, you'll have to track down the missing members of their tribe. Fortunately, by using the Goddess Sword's "dowsing" ability (used in first-person view), you're able to pinpoint their locations.
After helping the Kikwis and earning the slingshot, you're able to journey deeper into the woods and visit Skyview Temple. This ancient structure is crumbling and full of Skulltulas (among other threats), but by acquiring the flying drone known as the Beetle you'll be able to reach the lowest level of the dungeon and come face to face with Ghirahim, the Skyward Sword's main villain.
Much later in the game you'll return to Faron Woods, but its dangers will have grown considerably. Not only are the enemies tougher - stronger blue Bokoblins replace the red ones- but you'll have to overcome a trial that requires you to enter a world called the Silent Realm (referred to as the Siren Realm at this year's E3). Though it occupies the same physical space as the regular Faron Woods, the Silent Realm version is much deadlier. You can't use your sword or any other items, and the area is patrolled by Guardians - foes so fierce that they will defeat you with a single blow. Fortunately, every time you acquire an object called a Tear of Farore, the Guardians become passive for 90 seconds. Your goal is to find 15 tears and escape to the exit without being found and defeated, but there are numerous forces working against you, including Waking Water (which alerts the Guardians if you step in it) and enemies that act as searchlights. but make no mistake - the Silent realm isn't about sneaking around. It's about mastering the terrain and using your speed and agility to get the job done quickly.
If you survive the Silent Realm, you'll earn a sacred artifact called the Water Dragon's Scale. This item lets Link dive and swim freely underwater; while in a body of water, simply press A to submerge,then point the Wii Remote Plus to move in whatever direction you want. You can also shake the Nunchuck to perform a spin move, which can smash through enemies and obstacles, and can even be used to launch Link out of the water and over objects. Such underwater mobility comes in especially useful when you reach Lake Floria, located south of Faron Woods. Here, you'll encounter the squidlike Parella Tribe and learn that the region's protector, the Water Dragon, has been injured. Once you've helped heal her wounds (which requires a trip back to Skyview Temple), the Water Dragon aids you by granting you access to another dungeon: the Ancient Cistern.
Clean, beautiful, and possessing a distinct Asian motif, the Ancient Cistern is full of underwater passages, and it's where you'll add the whip to Link's arsenal. The whip can be used in a number of ways - you can swing from objects, you can grab (and activate) levers and switches, you can pull enemies out of the sky, and in one instance you can even snag a key out of a foe's grasp. At the end of the dungeon you'll face one of the coolest Zelda bosses we've encountered: a six-armed statue that's been brought to life by Ghirahim's magic. The boss changes forms and attack patterns several times during the fight - it even raises the undead- and you'll have to finish it off by using its own weapons against it.
But don't think that Skyward Sword is nothing but nonstop quests and combat. Like all Zelda games, there are plenty of things to do to take a break from the action. On one of the floating islands near Link's hometown of Skyloft, for example, you'll encounter a clown by the name of Dodoh; he runs a minigame, in which you launch high in the air, then attempt to earn rupees by passing through score multipliers and landing on a small colored square on a huge spinning wheel. If you pass through all five multipliers and land on the 50-rupee space (not easy to do!), Dodoh promises a special prize. Such diversions only add to the list of reasons why the Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword will be the must-play Wii game of the year.-Chris H.
