Topic: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

[Ceric]

Just finished the 3rd dungeon. I also went around and got some Gratitude Crystals. I managed to get 30. So I have the Big Wallet.So by itself it can carry 1,000 rupies. I can carry 1,900 right now.I have 920 right now.

Gonna explore more of the skyword and see if I can get some things to upgrade the hook beetle.

If you need the Hornet Larvae, what I was missing, the best place to drop into Forlorn Woods is the Observation Deck or was it the Outpost... Its right before you start doing tight ropes just go towards the first temple there and the hornet nest are right there.  Just pop into the air and come back till you have all you need.

[ShyGuy]

So, is Groose Gannon's ancestor?

[Ceric]

So, is Groose Gannon's ancestor?

He's just a prick.  I'm fairly sure Ganon's ancestor is someone later on our side.

[Caterkiller]

So is this game Nintendo's way of explaining why those weird bird symbols are plastered over every inch of every zelda game?


So what does Ian think? He chime in yet?

[BeautifulShy]

So is this game Nintendo's way of explaining why those weird bird symbols are plastered over every inch of every zelda game?


So what does Ian think? He chime in yet?

He doesn't have it yet. He said in the hunt topic that he usually gets his Birthday present with his Christmas presents.

[marty]

an hour in and I'm really embarrassed for anyone that worked on this.  There is no game yet, only terrible writing.  I can't think of a more boring hour of gaming i've ever experienced.

[broodwars]

an hour in and I'm really embarrassed for anyone that worked on this.  There is no game yet, only terrible writing.  I can't think of a more boring hour of gaming i've ever experienced.

Just stick it out because it does get a lot better, about the time you enter the first real dungeon IMO.  I don't know what Nintendo has against one of their games not starting terribly, though at least this isn't anywhere near as bad as Twilight Princess' opening (though that's an achievement no game is likely to ever surpass).

I'm currently working my way through the 3rd main area, and honestly I don't like it very much.  The gimmick with the crystals is fine and interesting and the level design is good, but I just detest deserts by their very nature.  It's a lot of running through sand and seeing nothing but brown as far as the eye can see.

[Kytim89]

Is it just me or does the begining of Skyward Sword have a Chrono Trigger vibe?

[BeautifulShy]

Is it just me or does the begining of Skyward Sword have a Chrono Trigger vibe?

How do you mean?

[broodwars]

Is it just me or does the begining of Skyward Sword have a Chrono Trigger vibe?

Don't even begin to insult Chrono Trigger by comparing its wonderful first hour to Skyward Sword's abysmal barrage of tutorials, cutscenes, and text skipping.  Seriously, that's sacrilege.

[Caterkiller]

Broodwars this was the first desert that truly did it for me! The crystal thing is what I love about it. The temple really won me over as well.

One thing I liked about the few places I have been so far is that things are a bit more whimsical than TP.

[BeautifulShy]

Broodwars this was the first desert that truly did it for me! The crystal thing is what I love about it. The temple really won me over as well.

One thing I liked about the few places I have been so far is that things are a bit more whimsical than TP.

That has to do with the art style actually. If you had this art style with the tone of TP then it would be a mismatch. Things are somewhere in between Wind Waker and Twilight Princess much like the art style for the game.

[broodwars]

Broodwars this was the first desert that truly did it for me! The crystal thing is what I love about it. The temple really won me over as well.

One thing I liked about the few places I have been so far is that things are a bit more whimsical than TP.

It's nothing against the game, just that I grew up in Utah and SLC is full of sand, rock, and barren earth.  It's a wonder of human ingenuity and diligence that my ancestors ever managed to turn that barren pit into a viable human settlement.  The nearby natural areas of interest are all dedicated to various collections of rocks (Arch's National Park and Goblin Valley).  I've seen all the desert I ever want to see for the rest of my life.

I seem to be a bit stuck at the moment trying to find the last power generator that will let me access the nearby temple.  I already have the Lightning and Fire symbols lit up.  Just trying to find the Cloud symbol...

Oh well, back to Skyloft to see if there's any new sidequests at night.  Incidentally, do you eventually get the ability to fly at night?  Because there's an island in the Sky with a sign from Beetle saying he's there at night, so you have to figure the game will eventually let you fly whenever.

[Ceric]

Don't believe you ever do but, clever use of the bed mechanic can fix that.  Where do you get quests in Skyloft?  I think I'm doing it wrong because I have never gotten any Rupee rewards.

[broodwars]

Don't believe you ever do but, clever use of the bed mechanic can fix that.  Where do you get quests in Skyloft?  I think I'm doing it wrong because I have never gotten any Rupee rewards.

You don't get Rupee rewards for completing the quests, as far as I've seen.  You get "Gratitude Crystals", which do look exactly like the starbits from the Mario Galaxy games.  You bring those to another NPC who lives underneath the city, and your receive rewards (including wallet upgrades).  The quests are scattered around Skyloft depending on the time of day.  You'll know a character has one when you see them because they'll have a little thought bubble floating out of their head.

[BeautifulShy]

Broodwars this was the first desert that truly did it for me! The crystal thing is what I love about it. The temple really won me over as well.

One thing I liked about the few places I have been so far is that things are a bit more whimsical than TP.

It's nothing against the game, just that I grew up in Utah and SLC is full of sand, rock, and barren earth.  It's a wonder of human ingenuity and diligence that my ancestors ever managed to turn that barren pit into a viable human settlement.  The nearby natural areas of interest are all dedicated to various collections of rocks (Arch's National Park and Goblin Valley).  I've seen all the desert I ever want to see for the rest of my life.

I seem to be a bit stuck at the moment trying to find the last power generator that will let me access the nearby temple.  I already have the Lightning and Fire symbols lit up.  Just trying to find the Cloud symbol...

Oh well, back to Skyloft to see if there's any new sidequests at night.  Incidentally, do you eventually get the ability to fly at night?  Because there's an island in the Sky with a sign from Beetle saying he's there at night, so you have to figure the game will eventually let you fly whenever.

The cloud one is kinda hard to find but keep an eye out for basket statues.  I usually scout a new area with the beetle so I can see what I might be able to do.

As for getting to Beedle's island well look around in Beedle's ship. I haven't been able to fly at night so far but I am only just past the 3rd dungeon.

To add on to what Broodwars said. The way you get down to the guy who upgrades your wallet is through the graveyard.

[Kytim89]

Is it just me or does the begining of Skyward Sword have a Chrono Trigger vibe?

How do you mean?

I played a part of the begining at a friend's house and I got a Chrono Trigger vibe when looking at the art style and Zelda dissapearing during the start of the story.

[BeautifulShy]

Is it just me or does the begining of Skyward Sword have a Chrono Trigger vibe?

How do you mean?

I played a part of the begining at a friend's house and I got a Chrono Trigger vibe when looking at the art style and Zelda dissapearing during the start of the story.

Yeah that is pretty reasonable vibe to get in that regard. Then again you can relate that to alot of games.

[Luigi Dude]

So after some delays I've finally had a change to play Skyward Sword.  Just spent 16 hours playing in the last day and finally stopped after the 3rd temple and I must the third temple is the greatest Zelda dungeon EVER.  Holy sh!t that was just amazing.

Now the first two dungeons were great but the third dungeon is just on another level.  Whoever designed that deserves a raise because that wow, just one intense ride the entire way.

[broodwars]

So after some delays I've finally had a change to play Skyward Sword.  Just spent 16 hours playing in the last day and finally stopped after the 3rd temple and I must the third temple is the greatest Zelda dungeon EVER.  Holy sh!t that was just amazing.

Now the first two dungeons were great but the third dungeon is just on another level.  Whoever designed that deserves a raise because that wow, just one intense ride the entire way.

I just completed the dungeon, myself.  I don't know if I'd call it the "greatest dungeon EVER", but it was a very good (and very long) one.  It reminded me a lot of typical Zelda water temples in its concept of accomplishing tasks after lowering levels of terrain, as well as what a certain dungeon tried to do in the last console Zelda game.  The boss was very easy (I'm starting to think that first boss fight was just a fluke in difficulty), but at least it was entertaining and it only used the dungeon's new item sparingly.  Speaking of which, I know some windmills back in Skyloft that could use a little air...

Looking at my inventory, I must be about halfway through the game, which makes me a little sad because that must mean there's only about 4 or so dungeons left in the game.  Still, I got another new key item in a cutscene that should add to the exploration.  I also fully-upgraded my Beetle and my Slingshot carrying capacity before I left for that dungeon.

EDIT: Ugh...and after a pretty epic (and fairly reminiscent of Spirited Away) fight, now the game's sending me on a series of tedious fetch quests to unlock what should be my next location.  Oh joy.  At least I happened to have an Ancient Flower on me already, so I managed to skip part of this tedious B.S.  And oh joy, the ever-lovable game time-extending dowsing is important again!  Because it's been so much fun the entire game! 

[Ceric]

Since everyone is having a hard time getting to Beedles at night.  I'll tell you how.

Go into Beedle's shop.  Run until you hit the far wall.  You'll see what looks to be a carpet.  Use A on it and you'll notice its a bed.  At that point just Sleep till Night and Beedle will take you to his island. 

The Lumpy Pumpkin same deal.  You find Pump and Kinn's beds over to the right of Pump.  Now you can sleep there at night.
Did anyone else find the Fun wheel in the desert and couldn't interact with it?  I had that problem I'm guessing I need the new Item.

[Killer_Man_Jaro]

Time for a progress report. I'm 20 hours deep, saved in the first room of the 4th dungeon.

Some advice: I view the dowsing mechanic largely as a crutch, a thing that somewhat discourages exploration. As a result, I don't really use it unless I'm very lost as to the next port of call, which has only happened once or twice.

The sequence of events leading up to the fourth dungeon is worth mentioning. The part in which you have to set things in motion again in Skyloft - the bit that Broodwars is apparently at - does have a few too many unneeded steps (like retrieving one of the windmills), but once you return to Faron Woods, the game gets back on track, as you are required to use new abilities in an early area to proceed.

I had my first Siren Realm experience, which given the apprehensions everybody had pre-release, was much more fun than I expected. If I may describe it in some detail:
The comparisons to the tear hunt in Twilight Princess and the Ocean King temple in Phantom Hourglass have been exaggerated to the extreme. Yeah, you're collecting tears and there are Guardians after you, but the dynamic is very different; in my opinion, it's more intense, while at the same time more manageable. Basically, they are always chasing you, but every time you collect a tear, the Guardians are disabled for 90 seconds, allowing you to look around with less tension. Plus, there are these Light Fruit pick-ups, which will temporarily place beacons on the tears. However, certain things in the environment will trigger an 'alarm', so to speak, cancelling that stuff out and putting the Guardians back on your tail. There's no denying that the Siren Realm is far better realised than the aforementioned sections of those other games, and I'm actually intrigued to see how it plays out in the other areas, which are quite different in geometry terms.

Later, you need to re-enter the 1st dungeon to collect an item. Fortunately, unlike a couple of the more time-consuming and less interesting "fetch quests" you've had to do on the way here, this was well done. For one, all the shortcuts are still in place, so cutting through this dungeon is quick and easy. Different enemies have also populated the place, which changes things up a little. Best of all, there are a couple of new puzzles that utilise items you've obtained since the last time you came here. I may have even found a Piece of Heart that you couldn't have gotten previously, although don't quote me on that -- I might have been silly the first time through.

Looking forward to seeing what dungeon #4 can bring to the table. Dungeon #3 set the bar high.

[broodwars]

Ok, the harp-strumming mini-game in the Pumpkin Bar can go to hell at this point.  The game gives you no feedback on how you're doing until the end, and it's a very hard bout of almost pure waggle.  Ugh.  I really don't like the harp in general compared to the other instruments, as it doesn't feel like you're playing anything when you use it.  It just feels like you're randomly waving your hand across the strings to the time of a metronome.  Very unsatisfying.

EDIT: I've completed my first Silent Realm on my first try.  It wasn't fun, but if you don't panic and plan your routes well it seems pretty harmless.  I think Nintendo took the lazy way out just reusing environments they already made for these trails, but whatever.

[GoldenPhoenix]

Ok, the harp-strumming mini-game in the Pumpkin Bar can go to hell at this point.  The game gives you no feedback on how you're doing until the end, and it's a very hard bout of almost pure waggle.  Ugh.  I really don't like the harp in general compared to the other instruments, as it doesn't feel like you're playing anything when you use it.  It just feels like you're randomly waving your hand across the strings to the time of a metronome.  Very unsatisfying.

EDIT: I've completed my first Silent Realm on my first try.  It wasn't fun, but if you don't panic and plan your routes well it seems pretty harmless.  I think Nintendo took the lazy way out just reusing environments they already made for these trails, but whatever.

Haven't gotten that far yet (just got the game last night), but glad to hear it isn't obnoxious.

Anyway so far I'm really enjoying myself, the game manages to distinguish itself from the other Zeldas. Yeah the intro segment is kind of boring and bland, but if one can trudge through Kingdom Hearts 2's intro segment you can get through anything (I think KH2's introductory stuff was far more tedious then any Zelda game). I am most impressed by the controls, they work wonderfully for the most part, even the tightrope stuff isn't bad.

[Shorty McNostril]

I have to say the controls are annoying me.   I love the game itself to bits, but I'm  afraid of all the games I have played on Wii, this is the one that proves to me that motion controls are an exercise in futility. 

I have played with worse controls on the system, but those games were NOT Zelda.  Zelda should be perfect and it's not.  Multiple times I have died due the the controls messing things up on me.  Most unpleasant experiences. 

I think that if motion controls were going to work with this kind of tech it would have by now.  Nintendo have been working with it for a few years now and used it for some high end games.  Still has issues. 

I think it's safe to say that Ian will not be impressed when his time comes.