Topic: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

[Adrock]

I agree regarding the scope. Zelda games always feel small despite being so big because the world is so empty. There are like 30 NPCs. It never feels like the world or anyone is in danger. When half of Skyloft fell out of the sky, that entire community should have been flipping out but the denizens of Skyloft either don't acknowledge it or are like, "Gee, what was that?" Do you have any idea how close you people are to oblivion?

Zelda games could also benefit from more courageous storytelling. Skyward Sword is filled with cliches. Link just collects enough plot coupons to trade in for a predictable conclusion. I'm not sure if any of these things will help the games sell better but the games themselves would benefit.

[Luigi Dude]

It's too bad Zelda doesn't perform like 2D Mario or even 3D Mario. I wonder what they are going to try to do to increase sales dramatically? Maybe a full blown top down Zelda?

Nintendo doesn't need to do anything since Zelda is still one of their top selling series.  Look at the actual sales and you'll see the Zelda series has been pretty consistent in sales.


The Legend of Zelda - 6.510.000

Zelda II: Adventure of Link - 4.380.000

A Link to the Past - 4.610.000

Link's Awakening - 3.830.000

Ocarina of Time - 7.600.000

Link's Awakening DX - 2.220.000

Majora's Mask - 3.360.000

Oracle of Seasons and Ages - 3.960.000  (Nintendo combined the sales of both games so we don't now which sold more)

A Link to the Past / Four Swords - 1.890.000

Wind Waker - 3.070.000  (These were the sales Nintendo gave in March 2004, a year after the game was released so the games final sales are higher since Zelda games have legs but we don't know how much higher since Nintendo hasn't said anything since)

Four Swords Adventure N/A - (Never sold a million and Nintendo has never stated it's sales)

Minish Cap - N/A  (It's been said it's done over one million but Nintendo has never given offical sales of any kind)

Twilight Princess - 7.140.000

Phantom Hourglass - 4.130.000

Spirit Tracks - 2.610.000

Ocarina of Time 3D - 2.490.000

Skyward Sword - 3.420.000


As you can see the Zelda series is still quite strong.  Twilight Princess which was released at the start of the Wii's lifespan is the second best selling Zelda and Phantom Hourglass is the best selling handheld Zelda.  Even Skyward Sword which has come out when the Wii sales are at their lowest, has still sold better then a lot of other games in the series and by the time it finally stops selling will end up surpassing several more as well.


The only thing Nintendo's going to do to make the next Zelda sell better is get it out earlier in the systems lifespan since as the sales show, the first Zelda released on each system sells better then the later games released on each system.  No surprise since the first Zelda on each system usually comes out when that systems is having good sales while the later ones that sell worse come out when the sales are down. 


This is no different then most other video game series as well.  When a system is selling better the games on that system usually also sell better, while when sales of the system drop, so do the sales of the games.  This is why Iwata himself told Aonuma after Skyward Sword that he want the next Zelda to come out in 3 years instead of 5 since Iwata knows the next Zelda will sell much better on the Wii U in 2014 then in 2016, since Wii U sales will more then likely be much higher in 2014 then in 2016.

[Caterkiller]

Now is that world wide? I'm going to check between TP and few other franchises like Donkey Kong Country Returns.

[Mop it up]

I'm not exactly sure what Zelda needs from here, and it isn't my job to figure that out. I'm not a game designer. But I do think that Skyward Sword is headed in the right direction. The story was mostly boring, so that aspect still needs some work in some such way. But the gameplay was mostly good, I liked the more focused overworld and the dungeon designs and the sword combat. Every Zelda game always has some kind of filler to lengthen it, but I had less issue with that stuff in this game than Wind Waker's Triforce hunt and Twilight Princess's empty overworld and uninteresting wolf segments. Still, they should try to make the whole game interesting all the way through, or shorten it a bit.

In the end, Skyward Sword is definitely the best Zelda game since Ocarina of Time. I can't help but wonder if I'd think it was better than OoT if not for nostalgia... but, maybe not. OoT really is a well-design and well-paced game.

[Luigi Dude]

Now is that world wide? I'm going to check between TP and few other franchises like Donkey Kong Country Returns.

Yes, every sales number I posted was worldwide totals that Nintendo has officially released.  The only other series to sell better then Zelda this gen were the Wii (insert name), Mario Platformers, Mario Kart, Mario Party, Smash Bros, traditional Pokemon, Nintendogs, Brain Age and Animal Crossing. 

[Kytim89]

I just beat Imprisoned for the third time and now the game has me on another fetch quest involving parts of a song. One thing that annoys me about Skyward Sword is that it just has too many fetch quests. I am starting to suffer from dungeaon and fetch quest fatigue with this game. Do not get me wrong, this game is very good, but it is only good in short doses, or atleast for me.

[leahsdad]

I am starting to suffer from dungeaon and fetch quest fatigue with this game. Do not get me wrong, this game is very good, but it is only good in short doses, or atleast for me.

Yeah, I was feeling a bit of fetch quest fatigue myself, though to put it into perspective, it's not nearly as bad as the fetch quest in Link's Awakening.   Remember that one?  Where it was some stupid bartering thing, where you needed something but to get it you had to get like a melon for some rabbit, who would give you a hairbrush for someone, who in turn gave you a letter, etc. etc. etc. for about 9 trades later?   That was obnoxious.

I think the most misleading thing that people have said about the game is that it only has 3 areas, which in a way is kind of true but makes it sound like there's only 3 dungeons/temples.   I think you have to think of the 3 areas as 3 separate overworlds, or sub-overworlds, or whatever, and their respective dungeons/temples/mining facilities/etc. as the true dungeons, which would really bring the number to more like.....what, at least 7?  Or more? 

[Ymeegod]

Finally getting around to finishing this game, I'm nearly 4/5 done or so (I'm getting the third "flame" for the sword).  Very mixed about the game, it's a great game but it's doesn't have that "epic" feel to it, mostly do to the sub-par characters like your partner Fi or the main villian Lord Ghirahim.  Zelda's TP had some great characters like Midna and Zant. 

As for the gameplay, flying sucks--you really don't do much other than pick a point and head in that direction.  Exploring the open-areas is the same--boring, exploring the levels/dungeons is great though.  Combat is great as always.  So another worlds it has the same flaws as most zelda games, transportion issues, either Nintendo needs to add more filler quests/objections inbetween points or have a freaking Quick teleport option for those of us that get sick of going back and forth.

Do I consider this the best Zelda yet?  No but it's still a damn good way to kill a couple of weekends.

[Caterkiller]

Yeah it's funny how Nintendo talked about big open landscapes with nothing to do in past Zelda games and how they would fix that. So yeah down on the ground you constantly have to figure out what to do and where to go, but flying is no better than horse riding or sailing in that regard.

I enjoy the flying more because of the freedom, but if we got to fly over huge landscapes with towns or places of interest in between would have been better. I hate that the birds have almost zero interaction with the worlds inhabitants.

[Fatty The Hutt]

Finally finished this game and then also read the last 20 pages of thread. Boy some folks sure like to complain about stuff. 
 
Anyway, absolutely loved this game. Took me about 75 hours and I did just about everything. In fact, I have technically beaten the last boss but declined to save since I want to finish finding Goddess Cubes and may try and tackle Fun Fun Island. Also, there's a pumpkin shooting min-game with Fledge? I had no idea! Gonna look for that too. Oh, and replay the boss rush to get the heart piece. I already got the super-shield long ago. So, yeah, still looking forward to milking some more fun out of this game. Then there's Hero Mode. Might give that a spin, too.
 
I agree with most of the comments from the folks that enjoyed the game and will only add a few, hopefully novel comments.
 
Something funny about my experience with the final boss: I never used any Skyward Strikes at all. Just blocked the crap out of him with my indestructible shield and got in a few sword swipes when I could. Usually I could get in one at a time after he bounced off my shield a few times. The when he was charging his sword with lightning, I could get in about three slashes. Just kept going like that until he fell and I could do the finishing move on him. Had to repeat until getting to the finishing move a few times. Maybe when I go back and fight him again, after completing some side-quests, I will try out the Skyward Strike method! I like that this game has options for killing enemies!
 
I can understand why folks didn't care for the silent realm stuff though I personally really enjoyed these sequences, especially the last one. I fgured since the final realm was Skyloft, I would breeze through it since, by then, I knewe the layout of the area like the back of my hand. Not so! Good job, game.
 
I am, however, utterly baffled by folks' dislike of the bit where you swim in flooded Faron to collect musical notes. That was one of my absolutely most favourite pieces. It was so cool and trippy swimming through ares that you had only walked through before. I made a point to take two bottles of fully upgraded air potion with me just so I could swim longer and trip around. I loved it. I really enjoyed the swimming mechanic in this game and was greatful for an extended chance to use it. Maybe the fact that the Endless Ocean games are some of my favourites on Wii has something to do with my affection for flooded Faron?
 
Anyway, I can't recommend this game highly enough. Just very satisfying throughout. So much creativity and fun gameplay that, to me, never got stale or repetitive. There was always something new and interesting to do.
 
I particularly admired that when the game "re-used" assets, it changed them up so creatively. The familiar was changed enough that you had to re-think your way around the area or, in the case of biosses like the Imprisoned, you had to re-think your approach to defeating him. For each "re-visit", either you were changed (i.e., had new items), the enemies were changed, or the environment was changed. So, it was like a whole new thing to deal with. This is part of what I like about the Metroid games and it is also a part of what I really admired in Batman Arkaham Asylum.
 
Loved this game. 

[MagicCow64]

Yeah, I really liked the water sequence too. Reminded me of the Zora portions of Majora's Mask. Also like the silent realm stuff. Stealth-ish sections go way back in Zelda, don't know why they stick out as out of place for people. I guess it's lingering ill-humor about the Phantom Hourglass repeat dungeon, but then again, I liked the idea of that section and thought they just needed to make the streamlining more clear/satisfying on repeat runs.

[EasyCure]

Glad I'm not the only one that took forever to beat this game. I must of finished it last month or the one prior, and according to my save file the last time I played the game was in February. I was already up to the final boss but I didn't want the game to be over (after doing all side-quest etc) so I just kinda let it sit there.

Glad I went back to it though and hopefully I'll have enough time on my hands in the future to do it again in Hero Mode. Would anyone who has played/completed Hero Mode out-line the differences for me? Like, do the enemies only inflict/take more damage or are dungeons switched up as well??

[Luigi Dude]

Glad I went back to it though and hopefully I'll have enough time on my hands in the future to do it again in Hero Mode. Would anyone who has played/completed Hero Mode out-line the differences for me? Like, do the enemies only inflict/take more damage or are dungeons switched up as well??

In Hero Mode enemies inflict twice the damage and hearts don't appear unless you equip the Heart Medal.  You can also skip certain cut scenes now and the final boss can be fought in the boss rush.  Other then that, the rest of the game is the exact same. 

[EasyCure]

hm, might be a while before I go back and do it all again. I love SS, it's easily one of my favorite Zelda titles in recent ages but I just don't have the kind of time to devote to these types of games anymore, another reason it took so long to complete.

Looking back, the difficulty wasn't TOO great.. I should of done the 6-heart challenge from the very start.

[Luigi Dude]

Looking back, the difficulty wasn't TOO great.. I should of done the 6-heart challenge from the very start.

If you want difficulty, do the 6 heart challenge in Hero Mode next time you play.  Most of the enemies can kill you in only 3 hits since damage is doubled and no hearts to refill health.

[Mop it up]

Luigi Dude covered the major changes for Hero Mode, but here are the minor ones:

-You keep your treasures and bugs, but no other items.
-You start with the fully-powered Skyward Strike, and can power it up even further.
-A couple of characters have dialogue changes (such as Fi), mostly noting that you're playing on Hero mode.
-When swimming, the spin move uses twice as much oxygen.
-Your minigame records carry over.

[Fatty The Hutt]

In Hero Mode, do you start with all the hearts you gained from the first playthrough?

[Luigi Dude]

In Hero Mode, do you start with all the hearts you gained from the first playthrough?

Nope, the hearts are all reset.

[BranDonk Kong]

I just started playing this several months ago...declared it the best Wii game...played for a few nights straight...haven't played in months.

[EasyCure]

Looking back, the difficulty wasn't TOO great.. I should of done the 6-heart challenge from the very start.

If you want difficulty, do the 6 heart challenge in Hero Mode next time you play.  Most of the enemies can kill you in only 3 hits since damage is doubled and no hearts to refill health.

If I ever decide to play the game again, this is exactly what I intend to do, but as stated earlier I don't really have the kind of time for these types of games. We'll see..

[Stogi]

LOL...Last person on the forums to finish the game.

My fresh thoughts? Amazing. Epic. Best Link ever. Controls were damn near perfect. Best Ganon ever. Best final boss/boss sequence. Finally, a LIGHTNING STRIKE! Sometimes a Dragon's bitch. Sometimes padded. **** quicksand. Wish there were more than four places to explore. Beetle is the best item ever. Bosses don't die in three's. Need more Zelda's like this. Watching Zelda's story was actually very, very interesting. Makes me think a literal Zelda game might work.

[Ceric]

Your Wrong Stogi.  After the epic feat I went through to get this game Day 1 I still haven't beaten it.

[Ian Sane]

I beat Skyward Sword but still haven't beaten Twilight Princess.  I'm at the very end but feel no incentive to carry on.  But I've done that with games before.  Often for me the big appeal is exploring the world and when you're near the end you've done that.  The main incentive to complete the game at that point is to conclude the story but lots of a games have piss poor stories so often that doesn't end up being an incentive to me.  Zelda in particular isn't going to have some mind-blowing reveal in the ending.

[Stratos]

I pulled the same thing in Okami. Except there I just didn't want to see the game end. I really should beat it because I picked up Okamiden.


I have not even gotten to the first boss in Skyward Sword. I lost focus where you needed to find the little woodland guys. Did not like that part at all.

[Luigi Dude]

I have not even gotten to the first boss in Skyward Sword. I lost focus where you needed to find the little woodland guys. Did not like that part at all.

Might want to go back and finish it since you're only 10 minutes away from the first dungeon.