Jay Snook Reviews: A return to the land of Hyrule, but with a new villain who will stop at nothing to bring destruction to this land.
This game takes players back to the adventures of Link and Zelda, but it is long before any other game in the series. The graphics may seem cartoony and silly at first, but trust me it is worth playing. It is the perfect game for Zelda fans of all ages with no violence and only a few dark scary scenes that may frighten some younger children.
As I have said before, i really love this game series. I have played most of the games that have come out over the years, and each one has been a blast. But when this game came out, I was apprehensive to play it. I had heard the controls were hard to get used to, and the plot didn’t interest me much at first. But once I got into The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, and got used to the new controls I loved it. It is one of the best games that has come out yet, and it is a must play for all Zelda fans.
It begins in Skyloft, and seems to have no mention of Ganon at all. Link and Zelda are just friends and there doesn’t seem to be any kind of peril going on. It isn’t until a few hours of playing that something happens, while you and Zelda are flying a weird looking tornado comes and takes her away. That evening you are led by an odd looking spirit named Fi to an area where you acquire the goddess sword. Your quest is to do what you can to strengthen this sword in 3 sacred flames and stop Ghirarim who is a demon lord and keeps talking about bringing back to life his master. If he is succesful in this goal, it will mean ruin for this Hyrule. Only Link is able to stop him, but it will by no means be easy. There will be a lot of new challenges along the way, and bosses that will push our hero to the limits. Who is Ghirarim, and why is he interested in Zelda? Who is his master? And what can be done to stop them in time?
There are a few familiar locations in this game like a forest area, a volcano and desert. But the people who live in these areas are brand new. Link runs into many new enemies like killer bats, giant spiders and many types of goblins that can be a real pain to beat. The main bosses were very tough for me, especially Moldarach, a giant scorpion and Koloktos, a very tough robot. It is nice to see a game with hard bosses again, something that has been missing in this series for a long time. The Imprisoned and Ghirarim are especially tough, to such an extent that I rarely looked forward to fighting them. Just when you thought they couldn’t be worse than last time, they are in so many ways that I won’t give away here. Just be sure to have strong weapons and lots of health and you should be fine.
With the new motion technology, the controller is literally your weapon. You swipe it to the right, and your sword moves in that same direction. The dungeons are huge, and the puzzles to get through them are a real challenge. You will fight a mini boss along the way, and once you beat the main boss not only does your sword get stronger, but your health will increase. You use your Loftwing to help you travel to each of these areas, and there are many challenges available to you in the sky realm. In many of these lands you can obtain items to help you upgrade you weapons, and if you collect enough rupees you have the chance to buy better shields and weapons to aid you in your journey. One flaw is that many of these shields will break, but as long as you let the gauge go back up it shouldn’t cause too much grief. There is also a place to buy some wonderful potions, something that as you move along in your quest will be an absolute necessity.
There are parts of this game that will be truly frustrating, but it is worth it to complete the goals ahead of you. Whether you are collecting notes to a song, trying to find angry dragons, or traversing a ghost ship, this game is never boring or dull. The plot is very original, and answers many questions fans have had for years. There is the familiar goal of heart pieces, and getting them in this game can be a pain sometimes, but are always a good idea to obtain. The chance to make your weapons stronger is a new feature, and is one that I really liked a lot. If my shield was too weak, I only had to fight so many bad guys and collect enough items to make it stronger. I could also do the same thing to increase the power of many of my weapons, which made some areas of the game easier for me. But the best part is flying around with your Loftwing. You use the controller to literally move his wings up and down, and there is so much to explore.
I really liked this game. No matter how many times I died, or how tough some of the bosses were, I enjoyed every minute of it. Some of the side quests were a real challenge, like to get the Hylian shield, which for the first time isn’t just handed over to you. If you want it, the road is a rough one to get it, but once you do it is so worth it. There are a lot of twists and turns in this game, and many surprises that you won’t see coming. Once the game ends, so many things make sense to me now. Once the game is over, you have the chance to play it again on hard mode. The enemies will be stronger, and you will take more damage from attacks, but it is worth it if you want a new challenge.
If you are a fan of the Legend of Zelda, this is a game you have to play. If you liked playing Twilight Princess or Ocarina of Time, you must give this game a chance. It is really an amazing game, one that every Zelda fan must play. Go out and get it, and play it with your kids. They will be glad that you did.