Big spoilers for a game that has been out for about 13 years. Nevertheless, if you plan on playing it, you best avoid reading this!
I seem to have made a habit of playing the Zelda games from new to old. Sure, somewhere in the past, I remember using an emulator to try Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask on the family PC. Though I am pretty sure I never made it further than the Deku tree, just as I barely remember sh*tting bricks as the moon came crashing down on me. After thoroughly enjoying Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, I remembered that my hard copy of Skyward Sword on the Switch was gathering dust. A few weeks ago I took the plunge. And boy, it has been all the good kinds of bewilderment, frustration, and horror that are quite hard to find in big budget games these days.
To be fair, it took me a minute (read: several hours) for the puzzles to click. However, as soon as I got it, I really got it, and started seeing just how cleverly big N does their hints. I certainly had some moments where I was stumped, trying out combinations of tools and other angles to figure out my path forward, but it never got annoying.
Then, seeing Ghirahim for the first time, his gnarly licking of the lips, and the shock on my face as he grabbed my sword with his two fingers; what a treat! Stumbling upon him later and doing battle again highlights the growth of Link both within the story and mechanically in a neat way. The Imprisoned doesn’t pull any punches either. While the fights are generally styled in the classic “three is the magic number” we come to know from Nintendo boss design, seeing its blobby little fingers emerge all wobbly from its scaly appendages still gives me the shivers.
My mouth has been equally agape as I entered the Lanayru Sand Sea. Prior to that revelation, the start of the desert area finally made me understand just how much the Zelda series loves to play around with time (wink nudge Tears of the Kingdom). Being so familiar with time magicks from the two recent open world games, to see them pull it off again (in my case) by transforming a little boat into an engine that can turn an entire desert into the sea it once was. Agape, I said.
On the topic of world design, Skyward Sword stands in complete contrast to open world games now, where the design ethos is “everything has to be large and what you find has to be new”. Yet in doing so, it often leaves the world in between spaces empty and more of a time sink than anything else. Not in this game. An RPG in every sense, cleverly reusing the three hubs in completely different ways: one as a stealth map without your tools, another submerging the forest and making you collect adorable tadnotes (tadpoles in the shape of note). I thought I was impressed with the sand sea, but the game kept giving.
Then, finally finding the Triforce temple in your floating starting village, and seeing it descend into the spiraling pit where you have repeatedly battled the Imprisoned. Pfoosh. Dark Souls is often cited as the beginning for maps cleverly looping back on itself. Don’t get me wrong, I love that game despite its flaws, but the way in which Skyward Sword uses 100% of the map to its advantage, and gives you another 100% on top of that takes the cake for me.
In the end, I was half expecting Ganondorf not to show up, what with Ghirahim being front and center. I suppose we can argue he “technically” didn’t, as he is introduced to us as Demise, but there are some undeniable connections to Ganondorf (e.g., build, face, red hair, etc.). I would say that Ghirahim was the absolute star villain for me, already suspecting that he might be linked to Fi in more ways than their robot-like demeanor.
The diegetic music and sound have been wonderful in this game, though I have always found that to be one of Nintendo’s best features. It lends a layer of polish no matter what aspect of the game you are interacting with. While I know that a lot of people truly adore the soundtrack of Skyward Sword, personally, it was a bit hit or miss for me. There were some standouts, in particular the boss fight tracks, but the environmental tracks didn’t always click. And that’s okay! I was too busy puzzling my way through the game anyway.
I had a Game Boy Advance, GameCube, and Wii growing up, but I never really played Zelda games. Who knows why? Consequently, there isn’t really any nostalgia for me with the series, but I certainly see why it has been, and continues to be such a staple for Nintendo and fans alike.
Skyward Sword is no 100+ hour adventure, as the story ended at about 30 hours for me: the perfect length for an RPG if you ask me. I am looking forward to the inevitable release of Twilight Princess and The Wind Waker on the Switch’s successor (fingers crossed!). Hopefully that way I can continue my travels playing the games in reverse order, sprinkling a little more time magicks on The Legend of Zelda; as if they need it.
