Game of the Year 2011: #9 - The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

17 Dec 2011 at 16:00:00 by John Robertson

• Keep track of our Game of the Year 2011 Countdown

To say that I was expecting much from Skyward Sword would be a lie. Twilight Princess was, by Zelda’s lofty standards, not a great game. Frankly, I was struggling to see just how Nintendo were going to successfully bring the age-old formula to their motion controlled machine.

And yet bring it there they have, and in wonderful style. The use of the motion-plus alone makes it one of the finest motion controlled games ever (if not the best) and the undoubted showcase for the technology. If only something like this had come out last year… sales of the system may not have dropped off at the rate they have.

Combine the tech with one the series’ best storylines thus far – a coming of age tale more adult than past adventures – and you’ve got a game to be enjoyed on a number of levels and by a variety of age groups.

And that’s perhaps its greatest success, its appeal among all age groups without patronising or marginalising any. It’s what Nintendo does so well, it’s what Nintendo seemed to have forgotten in regards to their Wii titles in the year prior to Skyward Sword. It mixes just the right level of meaningful characterisation and plot with faux-complex interaction.

The motion-plus control means Link is able to mirror your vertical and horizontal strikes, as well as thrusts and charged swipes. Early enemies play too directly into the all too obvious zone of being weak against a specific type of attack, adding an unwelcome sense of grind that outstays its welcome.

The bitterness is removed soon enough, though, with later enemies and bosses mixing things up by removing the predictable element and allowing you more freedom to attack as you see fit.

What’s remarkable is that, despite the reliance on motion control (and it is a reliance, the gameplay is built almost entirely around it), this still feels like a Zelda game – more so than Twilight Princess ever did. Enemy design and attack patterns don’t feel alien and the pace at which they’re encountered is familiar.

Updating and enhancing a formula is the key to a good sequel and Skyward Sword demonstrates that beautifully.

The same can be applied to the game’s many puzzle elements. Solutions are never unfair but rarely too simple. This forces you to put your brain to work, but once the answer is garnered you rarely feel cheated. The real draw of the gameplay is the ability of the design team to provide puzzles consistently in this manner. Combat is all fine and dandy, but once an enemy type has been beaten you can beat it every time.

Puzzles and locations of hidden items are also fun to solve as a group, combat is fun to watch for a while but it’s hardly interactive for spectators.

At its heart Skyward Sword is a Zelda game of old. The Princess still needs saving, grass needs chopping down for hearts and rupees, people still talk in a gibberish of squeaks and squeals and the slingshot is more than a little handy.

But it doesn’t feel old, not in the slightest. The motion-plus, the storyline, the setting of the cloud kingdom and the genius pacing to puzzles and combat provide a rich and diverse experience that proves the little guy in the green hat has still got it in abundance.

The hardcore 360, PC and/or PS3 crowd may abhor the lack of HD visuals, but to do so is to miss the point. Design will triumph over aesthetics every time.  

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