I used to think this was the best Zelda and then I grew up and learned about game design. In a lot of ways Skyward Sword feels like anti-Nintendo design, like it was made by a third party.
Obviously the attention to detail is there: the environments are gorgeous (especially on the Wii), the score is truly amazing, some of the items you get are quite unique and fun to use.
But at almost every other step the developers feel the need to drag you by the hand: through story beats, through gameplay features, by showing you your bag EVERY TIME you pick something up, I don't even need to mention Fi. It's the game in this series that felt the most like a tour rather than an adventure. Absolutely no mystery, everything is overexplained, padding and filler is apparent, some of the weakest bosses and most annoying enemies in the whole series. Some of the puzzles in these dungeons, and the dungeons themselves, are genuinely great, but the rest is such a formidable slog that I just can't go back.
Obviously the attention to detail is there: the environments are gorgeous (especially on the Wii), the score is truly amazing, some of the items you get are quite unique and fun to use.
But at almost every other step the developers feel the need to drag you by the hand: through story beats, through gameplay features, by showing you your bag EVERY TIME you pick something up, I don't even need to mention Fi. It's the game in this series that felt the most like a tour rather than an adventure. Absolutely no mystery, everything is overexplained, padding and filler is apparent, some of the weakest bosses and most annoying enemies in the whole series. Some of the puzzles in these dungeons, and the dungeons themselves, are genuinely great, but the rest is such a formidable slog that I just can't go back.