The Omerisms-Skyward High!

I’m not really a Zelda fan. The games are solid, but I find myself equally as frustrated as I am enthralled. The franchise also falls into trappings that, for better or worse, makes me wish it innovated beyond the basic aesthetics and gameplay mechanics. Yet here I am, capping off my mini-series with a piece on The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. Either I’m crazy, or I’m dedicated.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword has a shaky history within the Zelda franchise. Like every 3D Zelda game post-1998, it was criticized for “not living up to OoT”. It also took flak for its E3 promise of “being a Zelda game for everyone”, as that ended up not being true. Nevertheless, I’d already started moving on from gaming to movies by 2011, so I skipped over the game entirely. I’m still debating if I made the right decision.

The most-obvious sticking point is its visual presentation. Zelda games generally have a unique imprint, but this one is a weird beast on its own. It looks like a supped-up version of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, except with colour and no bloom. Both games use the same engine, yet it exaggerates the texture blurring in the background. Not that I care too much, it’s pleasing to the eye, but it’s worth mentioning.

Also worth mentioning is the overworld. I’ve never been a fan of 3D Zelda overworlds, save The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, because they’re barren and boring to traverse. The overworlds are a wasted opportunity; after all, why create massive spaces with nothing in them? It doesn’t add anything, and wouldn’t an enemy or two help with immersion? I think so!

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword solves this problem by scaling down the overworld. There are only three or four places that need exploring, and they’re connected via an overworld hub you fly around in. Some people take issue with this, but it doesn’t bother me given my aforementioned complaint. Also, it’s an interesting take on a tired Zelda trope.

As for the regions, there are three that you routinely visit: Faron Woods, Eldin Volcano and Lanayru Mines. Each of these is distinct: Faron Woods is a forest with an ancient temple, Eldin Volcano is a volcano with hordes of enemies and secret passageways, and Lanayru Mines is a sprawling desert with time traveling. Each of these gets its share of exploration, and later objectives shake them up to keep them from getting boring. I never thought that a Zelda game would ape Banjo-Kazooie, Metal Gear Solid and Tomb Raider for its later missions, but here we are! And they’re easily the best parts!

The last point of note is the game’s score. Fans have criticized this game for not using a live orchestra, especially since the Mario games on the Wii went that route, but it’s never bothered me. Zelda games don’t need a live symphony to have memorable music, they need to have a composer who cares. Given how even the weaker Zelda entries still had great OSTs, isn’t that enough? Not everything needs to reinvent the wheel!

If it sounds like I’m being way too nice, it’s because I want to cover the aspects that I feel are unfairly chastised. Zelda fans love to squabble over trivialities like this, so a fair defence is in order. Fortunately, I have lots to complain about. And it starts with the motion controls.

To be clear, this is a minor complaint. I love the Wiimote and its motion controls, but I was never a fan of their sensitivity. It didn’t help that Wii Motion+ constantly needed to be recalibrated whenever it went awry. This happened more often than I’d like, and the recalibration process took longer than it needed to. The number of times I had to recalibrate the controller because it didn’t register properly, only to then have to go through that instructional window, was enough to make me go mad. Thankfully, it’s not a deal-breaker.

What’s more of a deal-breaker is how dated the franchise formula is. Many of the Zelda trappings make a return: constant backtracking, a companion who tells you information you already know, puzzles that lean on franchise history, boss fights that are repetitive, a final boss that’s frustrating if you lack a specific item, and several opportunities to get lost. I was chained to an online walkthrough, a few YouTube videos and several forum boards during my play-through, and yet I got stuck frequently. I know it might sound laughable, but I’m bad at video games.

I like how this games changes up two of the boss fights by making them sword battles. Unfortunately, they’re with Ghirahim, who’s unfairly cheap and requires exact precision. As someone with Tourette’s Syndrome who makes the same mistakes frequently, Ghirahim was never fun (neither was The Demise, but at least it was easier to hit him.) Each time I beat him, it was by accident, which isn’t a compliment.

Speaking of unflattering, why are the shields in this game so fragile? They break unbelievably fast, and they’re expensive to fix. And given how the best shield in the game, The Hylian Shield, is an optional side-quest most gamers wouldn’t complete, that feels dirty and unfair. I don’t get it.

Additionally, the harp, which you acquire halfway in, is under-utilized. Ignoring how the tears trials are tedious, you barely use it beyond those trials and the occasional easter egg. Much like bug catching, it’s not a productive use of the gimmick. Even Wolf Link’s howling in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess was better-utilized, and that game also had tear-like challenges!

There are other, little details I’m not fond of, like how running and climbing have stamina metres, but it’s all par for a Zelda game by now. For everything that I hated, there was something I adored. For every adherence to formula, there was a deviation. It’s like the franchise is simultaneously too scared to innovate, yet too quick to redefine its mechanics with each entry. The end result, when coupled with this game being lengthy, is a mishmash of brilliant, awful and okay, all-in-one.

I get why fans were let-down by the “a Zelda game for everyone” philosophy…to an extent. The franchise is divisive in general, so I see the disappointment. But making a “beginner’s Zelda game” was a good choice. Because while I’m not in-love with it, I do feel like The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword was made for me. I don’t know if it’s my favourite entry, or if I’d call it a masterpiece (what entry is?), but I had fun with the nearly 60 hours I spent playing it. And you can’t beat that, right?

(All said, Okami is still the best Zelda game. Fight me.)

That wraps up The Omerisms. Thanks for sticking with me these past 5 weeks-it’s been fun-and I’ll see you next time for something more typical.