Topic: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

[Luigi Dude]

For everyone complaining about about the setting and storyline, you people do realize Aonuma has already said what the basic storyline is.  The Link in this game lives on on an island in the sky called Skyloft and when it turns out the land below is being taken over by some evil force, Link goes down there to save it.  Throughout the game Link must travel back and forth between Skyloft and the land below using the Skyward Sword which will later become the Master Sword.

Well it's pretty obvious that Hyrule is the land below that Link has to save, but it sounds like this Skyloft is going to be a pretty big place as well.  So it's already been confirmed that a pretty big portion of the game is going to be a completely new area for the Zelda series.

Plus the fact that the game is pretty much telling the story of the Master Sword means we'll probably have a different villain from Ganon as well.  Unless they make the storyline like the Terminator and have Ganon go back in time and try to take over Hyrule and stop the Master Sword from ever being created so he'd never lose in the future.  Of course if he never loses in the future, then he'd never have a reason to go back in time which would..........

*Universe Implodes*

[Mop it up]

I apologize for my last post, I was not in a good mood at the time.

[Caterkiller]

IGN posted a video breaking down the trailer. Very interesting to stop and look at everything. 2 environments in particular stood out more due to them just pausing so much. I think its worth a look, right in the wii homepage.

[Stogi]

After watching the breakdown, I'm not as hyped as I once was.

Weird. :\

[Sarail]

As long as this new Zelda has a type of "Okami" feel to it, then I'll be good to go.

And by that, I mean a seamless transition from overworld to dungeon areas -- and vice versa. Every single bit of Okami felt organic in the sense that all of the different parts of the world were truly connected. I never felt that with OoT, MM, WW, or even TP (and I LOVED TP).  A Link to the Past was the last time I felt that with a Zelda game.

[SixthAngel]

And by that, I mean a seamless transition from overworld to dungeon areas -- and vice versa. Every single bit of Okami felt organic in the sense that all of the different parts of the world were truly connected.

Except everytime you fought somebody because they stuck you in a magical barrier.

[Sarail]

And by that, I mean a seamless transition from overworld to dungeon areas -- and vice versa. Every single bit of Okami felt organic in the sense that all of the different parts of the world were truly connected.

Except everytime you fought somebody because they stuck you in a magical barrier.

I don't recall fighting enemies in OoT or even WW in a mile-wide radius.  Sheesh.  That "magical barrier" wasn't a big restraint.

[Caterkiller]

I keep reading many of you state how you want these seamless transitions into dungeons. Dungeons that feel extremely connected to the outside world. I just don't get it, maybe it is one of those small touches that need to be played to be appreciated, but I really don't see how that change much of anything. Anyone care to explain?

[broodwars]

Probably the big thing environmentally I'd like to see is the end of the obvious tree rooms the 3D Zeldas like to call "forests", especially after playing Alan Wake which did forests so believably.  I'm fine with dungeons being distinct from the rest of the game world, but it really kills me in a Zelda game to walk into a forest entryway; see the fade to black; and then when the environment loads see that you have an extremely small playable environment with cardboard "trees" just outside the playing area.  Now, I'm not sure if the Wii could handle larger environments like that.  Alan Wake pulled it off by having very carefully-constructed environments with smart use of obstructions; cliffs; and fog to hide the technical limitations.  Maybe Zelda could do something similar?
 
Hell, for that matter I'd like to have a Zelda where I could go from one end of the overworld to the other without having to walk through 3-4 obvious loading screens, but I suppose Wind Waker spoiled me on that.

[King of Twitch]

I keep reading many of you state how you want these seamless transitions into dungeons. Dungeons that feel extremely connected to the outside world. I just don't get it, maybe it is one of those small touches that need to be played to be appreciated, but I really don't see how that change much of anything. Anyone care to explain?

Here's what I think: after playing 3 or 4 Zeldas, people are starting to wonder why these dungeons are even built in the first place? Who put them there? Aren't dungeons basically prisons? So why is there treasure hidden so carefully in each one? Why is there a boss guarding everything? This kind of stuff is really videogamey when you think about it, and the plot has been so focused on the triforce that other OZS's (obligatory Zelda staples) are left to the imagination for too long.

Someone tell me where I'm wrong.

[Sarail]

I think you're absolutely right.

I just keep thinking about Okami and the whole mystical huge tree "dungeon" area, and how it's seamlessly integrated into the outlying land. I didn't even realize I was in a "dungeon" type area until almost 3/4s of the way through it!

I also want to see the items used all throughout the world... not just a couple of times in a dungeon/temple area. I remember in ALttP how I'd go around bashing in enemies using the Cane of Somaria or even the Bombos medallion to kill all enemies on screen... the sword was almost secondary to me because of how I could use each of the items. I miss that about Zelda games!

[Ian Sane]

  I keep reading many of you state how you want these seamless transitions into dungeons. Dungeons that feel extremely connected to the outside world. I just don't get it, maybe it is one of those small touches that need to be played to be appreciated, but I really don't see how that change much of anything. Anyone care to explain? 

To me Zelda has become very formulaic.  Part of that is the rigid structure of the gameplay.  You go into a dungeon, you find a new item, you use the item on the boss, you leave the dungeon and use the item to open up a new area, you perform some side-quest in the new area, you go to a new dungeon, and the whole thing repeats.
 
If you have seamless transitions from the outside world to the dungeon or areas that are dungeon-like but are not so specifically a dungeon you break from the rigid structure.  Same with items found in other areas.  I think what people are looking for is some way to make Zelda feel fresh and ditching the formulaic design of it is an obvious way to do it.  As long as you have one big interconnected world, non-linear progression, and the ability to interact with the world in realtime, you've got Zelda.  With that very basic definition the developers have a lot of freedom.
 
But instead we'll probably get fire dungeon, ice dungeon, water dungeon, forest dungeon, etc.  I actually find myself thinking of ways to change up the formula of other Nintendo franchises as well.  Most of them are pretty old now and don't offer many surprises.  The challenge is in changing the game enough to feel fresh while still feeling like part of the franchise.  I think the way to do that is to narrow down the game to only its most core elements.  With Zelda, Nintendo's definition is very specific and that's why it's getting stale.

[Stratos]

Epic Yarn has some changes to what the formula is and hopefully it is a sign of what is to come.

[ThePerm]

Obviously they havent shown it off, but Link is going to hover with his sword.

Aonuma talks about a flying Link like 2 years ago, the game is called skyward sword.....

http://gamrfeed.vgchartz.com/story/6010/rumor-zelda-wii-to-feature-flying/

[Sarail]

Obviously they havent shown it off, but Link is going to hover with his sword.

Aonuma talks about a flying Link like 2 years ago, the game is called skyward sword.....

http://gamrfeed.vgchartz.com/story/6010/rumor-zelda-wii-to-feature-flying/

Oh, I would love that. Link, ala Marty McFly with his hoverboard, using the power of the Skyward Sword (or the sword itself) to fly or hover around. Sorta reminiscent of the spinner from TP. I'm totally down with that idea, man.

[ThePerm]

oh lol riding his sword like a hover board, i didn't even think of that! That would be pretty awesome, no i just figured you raise your sword in the air you start floating all Peter Pan like. My idea sounded really fairy

[broodwars]

Obviously they havent shown it off, but Link is going to hover with his sword.

Aonuma talks about a flying Link like 2 years ago, the game is called skyward sword.....

http://gamrfeed.vgchartz.com/story/6010/rumor-zelda-wii-to-feature-flying/

Oh, I would love that. Link, ala Marty McFly with his hoverboard, using the power of the Skyward Sword (or the sword itself) to fly or hover around. Sorta reminiscent of the spinner from TP. I'm totally down with that idea, man.

That'd never happen, because that would be "cool" and Nintendo doesn't do "cool" in that sense unless it's Funky Kong.      I find it extremely unlikely given Nintendo's past games that we'll have freeform flight.  What we'll probably see are pads or markers or something in the game world where Link can hold up his sword, pixie dust or something fills the screen, and Link will have temporary flight capability via wings ala Kid Icarus.  Having Link able to fly anywhere at any time would prevent Nintendo from cutting many corners on object design (see: Twilight Princess' pathetic Hyrule Castle Town), since you could conceivably see an object from nearly any angle.

[Caterkiller]

Yeah I remember that interview, since then I was convinced Link would take flight in this game. Born in the sky? Skyward sword? How could anyone not take the biggest hint known to man? By that I mean I wonder how people are not getting excited about the potential super different flying gameplay?

[Stratos]

A TP-like Spinner that could glide would be pretty neat.

[Caterkiller]

Obviously they haven't shown it off, but Link is going to hover with his sword.

Aonuma talks about a flying Link like 2 years ago, the game is called skyward sword.....

http://gamrfeed.vgchartz.com/story/6010/rumor-zelda-wii-to-feature-flying/

Oh, I would love that. Link, ala Marty McFly with his hoverboard, using the power of the Skyward Sword (or the sword itself) to fly or hover around. Sorta reminiscent of the spinner from TP. I'm totally down with that idea, man.

That'd never happen, because that would be "cool" and Nintendo doesn't do "cool" in that sense unless it's Funky Kong.      I find it extremely unlikely given Nintendo's past games that we'll have freeform flight.  What we'll probably see are pads or markers or something in the game world where Link can hold up his sword, pixie dust or something fills the screen, and Link will have temporary flight capability via wings ala Kid Icarus.  Having Link able to fly anywhere at any time would prevent Nintendo from cutting many corners on object design (see: Twilight Princess' pathetic Hyrule Castle Town), since you could conceivably see an object from nearly any angle.

Lately I'm inklined to believe Nintendo would do it to be cool. The way Link attacked bosses in TP screamed an attempt to be "cool" along with the cut scenes and actual motion capture. Remember how he jumped on the Dragon's back or that Eel fish thing? It was like they wanted to appeal to that God of War type audience with all the hacking away.

[ThePerm]

mastersword chick seems Wingy, maybe if she hasn't been cut from the game you hold onto her feet and she does a Owl sort of carry, more like mario 64 then ocarina

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Wb9kmI4dlQ

[Ian Sane]

Flying in Super Mario 64 was really cool and I've always wondered why Nintendo has not really done that since.  There was a little bit of it in Super Mario Galaxy but nothing else.  To me that seems like an ideal way to change the game.  But broodwars is probably right.  Super Mario 64 is level based.  They didn't have to worry about you being able to fly anywhere.  No flight cap = no flight.  But Zelda is one big world and items are permanent.  So they have to take into account your ability to fly anywhere in the entire game.  That's too much work for them.  I'll admit it also would be difficult to design puzzles that prevent access if you can just fly over everything.

Doesn't this new Zelda have a jump button?  Platforming elements could add a lot to the game.  I used to get pissed off when people complained about no jump button because the game design was such that you didn't need a jump button (it was the original Metroid Prime FPS closemindedness).  But if you're going to put a jump button in, well, you might as well make it so the game needs one.

[Adrock]

I'd welcome a jump button, but not heavy platforming. It changes Link's repertoire of attacks which ultimately leads to more varied gameplay. I don't expect Link to become Dante or Kratos, but being able to downward thrust any time for example (as opposed to as a finisher like in Twilight Princess) would certainly pique my interest. I trust Nintendo enough to add this to Zelda without complicating the game.

[Stogi]

Then didn't add a jump button, they added a dashing run.

[Caterkiller]

One thing is that Link can actually run (faster) at any time, I believe when holding A. I always wanted something like that, I wonder how that could affect the game. Just reminds me of the way classic 2D games do it.