Skywrd Sword Review by Gamewise.ie

[dazzsheil]

An independent gaming website,Gamewise.ie has had a Skyward Sword review up for some time now(It's not overly deep like IGN'S,But it goes over the basics)and I'd thought I'd share it woth you guys!

http://gamewise.ie/news/2011/12/legend-of-zelda-skyward-sword-review/

 

[Chibiyu]

It's great review and entirely accurate. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Tearbender]

Do you guys think that exploration and thinking are required in deciding where you need to go and what you have to do next? I agree with it as there is exploration but it seems to be a popular opinion that there is no exploration.

 

[Demise24680]

I loved SS so much and think it should be the best Zelda game ever

 

[MW7]

Do you guys think that exploration and thinking are required in deciding where you need to go and what you have to do next? I agree with it as there is exploration but it seems to be a popular opinion that there is no exploration.

My opinion is that there is some but nearly enough. Most of the time the game seems to push you in a certain direction. Really I think drowsing was a huge part of the problem because a large portion of the game outside of dungeons seems to be just following a straight line to where you need to go. I tremendously prefer actually figuring out where to go and what to do through exploration.

I mean let's compare obtaining an item in Skyward Sword versus Wind Waker. In Skyward Sword in order to get the Slingshot you find the first Kikwi by following a path without any branches, then drowse to get to the Elder Kikwi, then drowse to get the other Kikwis, and then get the Slingshot from the Elder. In Wind Waker to get the Sail you are just told to get a sail and are set loose in a huge town. It could take up to an hour of genuine exploration to figure out where to buy the sail. It's just a preference, but Skyward Sword did quash exploration quite a bit.

 

[zeldafreak101]

My opinion is that there is some but nearly enough. Most of the time the game seems to push you in a certain direction. Really I think drowsing was a huge part of the problem because a large portion of the game outside of dungeons seems to be just following a straight line to where you need to go. I tremendously prefer actually figuring out where to go and what to do through exploration.

I mean let's compare obtaining an item in Skyward Sword versus Wind Waker. In Skyward Sword in order to get the Slingshot you find the first Kikwi by following a path without any branches, then drowse to get to the Elder Kikwi, then drowse to get the other Kikwis, and then get the Slingshot from the Elder. In Wind Waker to get the Sail you are just told to get a sail and are set loose in a huge town. It could take up to an hour of genuine exploration to figure out where to buy the sail. It's just a preference, but Skyward Sword did quash exploration quite a bit.

Could not agree anymore.

 

[Tearbender]

My opinion is that there is some but nearly enough. Most of the time the game seems to push you in a certain direction. Really I think drowsing was a huge part of the problem because a large portion of the game outside of dungeons seems to be just following a straight line to where you need to go. I tremendously prefer actually figuring out where to go and what to do through exploration.


I mean let's compare obtaining an item in Skyward Sword versus Wind Waker. In Skyward Sword in order to get the Slingshot you find the first Kikwi by following a path without any branches, then drowse to get to the Elder Kikwi, then drowse to get the other Kikwis, and then get the Slingshot from the Elder. In Wind Waker to get the Sail you are just told to get a sail and are set loose in a huge town. It could take up to an hour of genuine exploration to figure out where to buy the sail. It's just a preference, but Skyward Sword did quash exploration quite a bit.

But the thing is is that Dowsing is optional. I tried it for one kikwi, stopped and looked myself. I only used it for the Tadpole after that. SS has a bit of exploration that people aren't really acknowledging. But, it could have used some more exploration.

 

[MW7]

But the thing is is that Dowsing is optional. I tried it for one kikwi, stopped and looked myself. I only used it for the Tadpole after that. SS has a bit of exploration that people aren't really acknowledging. But, it could have used some more exploration.

Yes that's true. I guess I'm just mad I didn't think of that haha. Now I'm at a point where I know where everything is, and I never got to search for anything on my own. The game does encourage you to use it though which seems unnecessary such as the game repeatedly alerting you until you open drowsing to turn it off. It definitely has its merits for the people who want to use it, but for me it would have been much appreciated if the use drowsing wasn't so heavily promoted within the game itself. In retrospect I definitely would never had used it if I had realized that things were reasonable placed as to be able find them on your own. When I was first playing I just had the mindset that this tool was given to me so I had to use it.

 

[Tearbender]

Yes that's true. I guess I'm just mad I didn't think of that haha. Now I'm at a point where I know where everything is, and I never got to search for anything on my own. The game does encourage you to use it though which seems unnecessary such as the game repeatedly alerting you until you open drowsing to turn it off. It definitely has its merits for the people who want to use it, but for me it would have been much appreciated if the use drowsing wasn't so heavily promoted within the game itself. In retrospect I definitely would never had used it if I had realized that things were reasonable placed as to be able find them on your own. When I was first playing I just had the mindset that this tool was given to me so I had to use it.

It's one of the complaints I hear about the game is lack of exploration because of Dowsing, especially when it's optional. To me there is quite a bit of exploring in the game, though the Sky while vast and there was exploring there too, it wasn't really as adventurous as Wind Waker's sea. The problem I had with these though is that to me riding to Hyrule and the boat were really tedious. The bird was more fun to me and I really liked traveling on it. To me people don't acknowledge that there is quite a bit of exploration in SS that people don't really acknowledge. While the Sky could have used some stuff, I still found this one of the most adventureesqe Zelda games after AOL. In terms of Linearity, most of the 3D zeldas have been that way. Though I have only played ALTTP, part of AOL, TP, and SS, I have noticed that the all of the 3D zeldas have been Linear.

 

[Koosholts]

It's one of the complaints I hear about the game is lack of exploration because of Dowsing, especially when it's optional. To me there is quite a bit of exploring in the game, though the Sky while vast and there was exploring there too, it wasn't really as adventurous as Wind Waker's sea. The problem I had with these though is that to me riding to Hyrule and the boat were really tedious. The bird was more fun to me and I really liked traveling on it. To me people don't acknowledge that there is quite a bit of exploration in SS that people don't really acknowledge. While the Sky could have used some stuff, I still found this one of the most adventureesqe Zelda games after AOL. In terms of Linearity, most of the 3D zeldas have been that way. Though I have only played ALTTP, part of AOL, TP, and SS, I have noticed that the all of the 3D zeldas have been Linear.

The sky was actually small in comparison to The Great Sea in The Wind Waker. I'd hardly call it vast, and I'd hardly call it exciting due to the lack of content that was put into it. Also, The Wind Waker, Ocarina of Time, and Majora's Mask, are extremely non-linear, which is more than half of the 3D Zelda games. Skyward Sword should be penalized from its basic, linear experience through the whole game.

 

[MW7]

It's one of the complaints I hear about the game is lack of exploration because of Dowsing, especially when it's optional. To me there is quite a bit of exploring in the game, though the Sky while vast and there was exploring there too, it wasn't really as adventurous as Wind Waker's sea. The problem I had with these though is that to me riding to Hyrule and the boat were really tedious. The bird was more fun to me and I really liked traveling on it. To me people don't acknowledge that there is quite a bit of exploration in SS that people don't really acknowledge. While the Sky could have used some stuff, I still found this one of the most adventureesqe Zelda games after AOL. In terms of Linearity, most of the 3D zeldas have been that way. Though I have only played ALTTP, part of AOL, TP, and SS, I have noticed that the all of the 3D zeldas have been Linear.

I think it's just that most of the people who are complaining about a lack of exploration are just disgusted by the lower amount of exploration than they are used to and then exaggerate by using the word "lack" when it doesn't apply. So yes there is a lot of exploration in Skyward Sword not being adequately recognized, but for me and many others this amount of exploration is not nearly what we've come to expect of the series. You are immune to this perspective because the only other 3d game you've played is Twilight Princess which happens to be the only 3d game that is more linear with less freedom than Skyward Sword. From my perspective the game designers have been boxing us in more and more as the series progresses, and although Skyward Sword has more freedom than Twilight Princess it's not remotely close to where I'd like the series to be exploration-wise.

Wind Waker contains some questionable linear game design choices at the beginning, but after completing two dungeons you can go virtually anywhere you want to go. Majora's Mask is more linear than it should be since it's plot is a simple "collect 4 things," but still contained a huge amount of choices you could make. Ocarina of Time is a more linear version of A Link to the Past, but considering how freakishly nonlinear A Link to the Past is Ocarina of Time is really nonlinear as well. So IMO "all the 3D zeldas have been linear" is a hasty generalization based upon the fact that you happened to play the two most linear games of that subset of the series. Ocarina of Time especially is a really nonlinear game, and exploring all the possible choices you can make in that game can take virtually a lifetime. Here's an ongoing project I've been working on about the various orders in which Ocarina of Time can be completed (http://zeldadungeon.net/forum/f9/dungeon-orders-27937.html). The end conclusion is that the main quest of Ocarina of Time can be completed in 274 unique orders without glitches. It took me 13 years of playing the game to come up with that, and with Skyward Sword the same analysis was done upon my first playthrough which took a week. The main quest of Skyward Sword can be completed in 6 unique ways by shuffling the order of the Song of the Hero quest. Also the "virtually a lifetime" thing is true because I haven't even started with glitches yet. I was basing it off of 10 main quest portions, and assuming that glitches allow you to switch everything around that would mean the possible orders to complete Ocarina of Time (according to my definition of the portions of the game) would equal ten factorial which equals 3,628,800.

 

[SuperMetroid]

But the thing is is that Dowsing is optional. I tried it for one kikwi, stopped and looked myself. I only used it for the Tadpole after that. SS has a bit of exploration that people aren't really acknowledging. But, it could have used some more exploration.

I can't see the point of ignoring part of the game when that's how it was designed. I understand the notion of completing parts of the quest out of order and how that is going against design, but if you exclude certain aspects of the game's core mechanics, why play the game? (I'm having a really hard time explaining what I mean) If the game gives you the ability to take a direct route to your goal, there's no reason it should be commended for giving you the option. Especially not when it doesn't push you to turn it down. The key to the exploration with Zelda is that even if you want to complete the main quest without doing anything else, you must explore, because you are told the bare minimum. There is no opportunity for shortcuts.

It's like having the ability to swap from Hero to Normal mode in the middle of a boss battle, except the game tells you do it. The game becomes designed to be easy, because the option is right in front of you with big red flashing signs. The developers gave you a shortcut with the intention that if you knew what you were doing, you'd use it. Therefore it was designed to bypass exploration. Therefore it has bad design in terms of exploration. I can't stress this enough.

All the other Zelda games that I've had the priviledge of playing have a requirement that you must explore. It's the definition of Zelda, and various other Nintendo franchises. In SS, you barely had to. If Nintendo wanted there to be exploration, the choice to have the ability to dowse should be made from the beginning, and should be a choice difficult to change.

 

[jediyodabush]

I find it very annoying when they compare graphics to more powerful systems. It's DUUUH Battlefield 3 better look better or someone is getting fired!

 

[Tearbender]

The sky was actually small in comparison to The Great Sea in The Wind Waker. I'd hardly call it vast, and I'd hardly call it exciting due to the lack of content that was put into it. Also, The Wind Waker, Ocarina of Time, and Majora's Mask, are extremely non-linear, which is more than half of the 3D Zelda games. Skyward Sword should be penalized from its basic, linear experience through the whole game.

When I said vast, I meant the size of it. The sky was a bit barren, not as much as Hyrule Field. But it was barren. You could explore the sky, the problem was that there should have been more islands like in wind Waker. I also disagree about it being really Linear. To me, I would say that Oot was the only true non-linear game. Every other 3D game that I have heard has had some type of linearity. As a whole, to me I had the best zelda experience with SS than with any of the other games. Especially Alttp. If I had to rank the games that had played, it would be 1. SS 2. Alttp 3. TP 4. The legend of zelda 5. AOL.

 

[Sir Duke]

Great review, thanks!