The opening sequence of Skyward Sword contains two moments that stick out to me in a comical manner. First, Link can use a toilet, and also sit down on chairs. Oddly enough, he sits on the toilet without actually removing his pants, yet a flushing sound is heard afterwards. Weird. Second, there is a tongue-in-cheek moment when you’re getting ready to participate in the ceremony that might lead to you becoming a knight where one of Skyloft’s leaders mentions that it is the 25th anniversary of the event. Playing off of that, there is even a moment in the opening section when the Zelda 25th anniversary logo displays on the screen.

Outside of that, my big takeaway from my first prolonged experience with Skyward Sword is that it’s not that different. Sure, MotionPlus makes it control differently, but the feel of the game is nothing I haven’t seen before. It is not that great big change that was teased years ago, and it most certainly does not reinvent Zelda at all. At its base, Skyward Sword is just a Zelda game, albeit the first new Zelda game of this scope and magnitude since Twilight Princess five years ago.

The funny thing is, as I went through the typical elongated introduction scene with mildly entertaining dialog that I mash the A button through, I found the game refreshing. Surprisingly, there aren’t many games like Zelda these days. I think part of that has to do that with the fact that very few companies can get away with having their opening hours be so glacially slow, but even still, Skyward Sword is a pleasant experience, despite the fact that it just feels like a Zelda game.

I love the fact that Skyward Sword almost forces you to stop and smell the roses. Even still, it gets you into action quickly, unlike Twilight Princess, which to me has one of the most plodding openings in any halfway decent game. You’re fighting real enemies with a MotionPlus-boosted sword within an hour, and you don the fabled green tunic by the start of hour two.

The world opens up a bit but then promptly narrows down once you land in the first area, dubbed The Sealed Grounds, which spills over into the familiarly named Faron Woods. You follow a somewhat linear path as you progressively go through different sandbox-esque rooms. This also introduces the dowsing mechanic, which, at this early juncture, comes off as one of the stupidest additions to the series. In certain areas, you just walk around like an asshole in a first-person view “dowsing” the world around you looking for tree people. It’s just such an unnecessary mechanic. Let me explore the world. Mark the little bastards on my map. I really hope it is used sparingly throughout the rest of the game.

After you journey through that area, you reach Skyview Temple, the game’s first dungeon...