Skyward Sword has always been a near-perfect 3D Zelda game to me, ever since I played the original back in 2011. I was just a teenager at the time, so it was interesting to come back to this one 10 years later with a new perspective. It's not a bad game at all... but, man was I blinded by nostalgia on this one.
The game itself is pretty traditional in terms of design, but I can understand the discourse with this one. It's much easier than the previous 3D entries, with a streamlined combat system, only three areas to visit (multiple times), and some moments of linearity. When compared to something like Ocarina Of Time, which follows a similar design with the amount of dungeons to go through, Skyward Sword chooses open-world modularity over condensed variety.
All that aside, even with all the drag, I just can't not hate this game. The production value presented here for a Wii game is still as incredible as something like Xenoblade Chronicles. Plot-wise, this is easily the best of the best, tying every story beat and detail together to set up the series to come. Skyward Sword presents itself as an incredibly cinematic adventure, even implementing dynamic character animations into simple text-based cutscenes. The soundtrack here is also phenomenal, and it still gives me those late-2000s/early-2010s Nintendo vibes. (When mixed with certain plot moments, I also get some Kingdom Hearts feel to it, but that's neither here nor there.) It's one hell of an origin story that shouldn't be missed by fans.
Now let's talk about this actual remaster treatment... something I wasn't impressed with. This is the second time this generation that Nintendo ported an older game that doesn't translate well with modern controls (see Pikmin 3 Deluxe), and that's disappointing. The main feature here is mapping the original game's motion controls to the right analog stick, allowing the player to experience Skyward Sword with traditional controls. This mapping misses on so many levels that, as someone who played with motion controls back in the day, makes this feel like a much worse experience. I wasn't confused with sword direction like some others seemed to be, but the analog stick just can't match the pinpoint precision of gyroscope. And that's not all! Certain moments that were also originally motion based, such as swimming and swinging, are also mapped to this right analog stick. Imagine using the left stick to move, but you have to swing on a rope using the right stick. They also added the ability to freely control the camera, but it requires you to hold down the left shoulder button, so that it knows not to use the right stick as a sword... so you can't really control both simultaneously. Thankfully, you can still play with original motion controls here (and control the camera at the same time), although that kinda misses the whole point of this port.
The rest of the new features here are pretty good though. Tons of quality-of-life improvements from the original, as well as improvements to framerate and graphics that make the watercolor art-style and animations really pop. Nothing of significance added here besides the "remaster" treatment. It looks very good both docked and handheld.
So, sure. I'm fine with saying I was wrong to call Skyward Sword a masterpiece. That's not to say there isn't some incredible work here, especially for a Wii game. What's conflicting about this game is the intent to bring newcomers into the series, whether they started with Breath Of The Wild or not. It's the perfect entry point to the franchise and the story it tells, but it's not representative of what's to come in the timeline. As a remaster, ignoring the added control schemes, I think it strums the right strings.
The game itself is pretty traditional in terms of design, but I can understand the discourse with this one. It's much easier than the previous 3D entries, with a streamlined combat system, only three areas to visit (multiple times), and some moments of linearity. When compared to something like Ocarina Of Time, which follows a similar design with the amount of dungeons to go through, Skyward Sword chooses open-world modularity over condensed variety.
All that aside, even with all the drag, I just can't not hate this game. The production value presented here for a Wii game is still as incredible as something like Xenoblade Chronicles. Plot-wise, this is easily the best of the best, tying every story beat and detail together to set up the series to come. Skyward Sword presents itself as an incredibly cinematic adventure, even implementing dynamic character animations into simple text-based cutscenes. The soundtrack here is also phenomenal, and it still gives me those late-2000s/early-2010s Nintendo vibes. (When mixed with certain plot moments, I also get some Kingdom Hearts feel to it, but that's neither here nor there.) It's one hell of an origin story that shouldn't be missed by fans.
Now let's talk about this actual remaster treatment... something I wasn't impressed with. This is the second time this generation that Nintendo ported an older game that doesn't translate well with modern controls (see Pikmin 3 Deluxe), and that's disappointing. The main feature here is mapping the original game's motion controls to the right analog stick, allowing the player to experience Skyward Sword with traditional controls. This mapping misses on so many levels that, as someone who played with motion controls back in the day, makes this feel like a much worse experience. I wasn't confused with sword direction like some others seemed to be, but the analog stick just can't match the pinpoint precision of gyroscope. And that's not all! Certain moments that were also originally motion based, such as swimming and swinging, are also mapped to this right analog stick. Imagine using the left stick to move, but you have to swing on a rope using the right stick. They also added the ability to freely control the camera, but it requires you to hold down the left shoulder button, so that it knows not to use the right stick as a sword... so you can't really control both simultaneously. Thankfully, you can still play with original motion controls here (and control the camera at the same time), although that kinda misses the whole point of this port.
The rest of the new features here are pretty good though. Tons of quality-of-life improvements from the original, as well as improvements to framerate and graphics that make the watercolor art-style and animations really pop. Nothing of significance added here besides the "remaster" treatment. It looks very good both docked and handheld.
So, sure. I'm fine with saying I was wrong to call Skyward Sword a masterpiece. That's not to say there isn't some incredible work here, especially for a Wii game. What's conflicting about this game is the intent to bring newcomers into the series, whether they started with Breath Of The Wild or not. It's the perfect entry point to the franchise and the story it tells, but it's not representative of what's to come in the timeline. As a remaster, ignoring the added control schemes, I think it strums the right strings.