Let me throw this out there right now: Skyward Sword is an unbelievable game. It is a lot of fun, contains plenty to do, and contains most of that Zelda magic we’ve grown accustomed to. It doesn’t have the tedious beginning like Twilight Princess’ wolf sequences, and doesn’t have the boring overworld navigation of Wind Waker. This Zelda is arguably the best since the Zelda games from the year 2000, when we saw the likes Oracle of Ages, Oracle of Seasons, and of course Majora’s Mask. That being said, it has a huge setback, and it has nothing to do with the developers of the game and more to do with the system itself: the Wii’s hardware limitations prevent it from being something special and groundbreaking.
For years I have been stating that the reason why 90s Zelda is far more memorable than modern-day Zelda is because we have not had a Zelda that raised the bar for gaming since Majora’s Mask. The reason why we fondly remember Link to the Past and Ocarina of Time is because these games at the time represented the peak and the limits of what video games can do, and then associated that time incredible gameplay. Every official Zelda game from the original to Majora’s Mask (and this even includes Link’s Awakening) reinvented the gaming industry in different ways, and also was gaming on top of its game (no pun intended). Zelda became a synonym for quality in the world of games.
But after Majora’s Mask (still in my opinion one of the most underrated games in history), the rest of the gaming world started catching up. Because of a different approach to the franchise and also because the developers (and Nintendo’s hardware) started lagging behind the competitors, the handheld Zeldas, Wind Waker, and especially Twilight Princess became decent games marred by potential, and marred by superior presentations of other games. Now, I know graphics aren’t everything, but part of the appeal of Zelda was its incredible presentation, attention to detail, and the fact that this was Nintendo’s sandbox for creating the ultimate game. The Legend of Zelda series is the equivalent of an epic film aiming to earn all the Academy Awards. Nintendo always pushes the boundaries of what they can do when the famed hero is in the center of the game.
Now we go back to Skyward Sword. This game is superb, but (just like Twilight Princess) suffers so much from the Wii’s limitations that all I can do is sit back and be upset but what it could have been. Skyward Sword looks even weaker than Perfect Dark Zero, an XBox 360 game that is already over 6 years old. This Zelda was aiming high with its gripping storyline, creative and expansive environment, and its new art style---which suits Zelda quite well. It contains some of the best Zelda gameplay since Ocarina of Time, as well as the best story since Majora's Mask. It has the right blend of heart, humor, and whimsical adventure. This game honestly is the best we've seen from the Wii since Super Mario Galaxy 2. But the game suffers from lower textures, lack of graphical details we now see in PS3 and XBox 360 games released at around the same time, and small little bugs like partially going through a wall.
So what should Nintendo have done? Made Skyward Sword a WiiU launch title. While I am a Wii owner and am repeatedly frustrated by the pure lack of games in recent times, Skyward Sword should have been pushed over to next year and become a launch title. The WiiU also implements motion controls, so why not make this game for a system that’s rumored to be twice as strong as the 360? Not sure if you saw it, but the Zelda demo in the WiiU during E3 earlier this year looked quite phenomenal. Personally, I would have pushed for the HD next-generation graphics as opposed to continuing to make the game for a system that is pretty much 7 leagues behind the competitors in terms of graphics and hardware. What better way to start the WiiU’s life than delivering Nintendo’s first HD Zelda? Skyward Sword is quite grand in scale and would have definitely benefited from a stronger hardware at the helm.
Releasing it to the WiiU would have finally given Zelda a spot it has not received in 11 years: the peak. Skyward Sword in HD would have been Zelda on top of its game, and would have been action-adventure gaming on top of its game. It would have made a far bigger impact and would have risen amongst the surprisingly vast array of awesome action games. Skyward Sword would not have been just another good game; it would have left its mark on the industry, much like what the earlier Zelda games accomplished.
We would have gotten a Zelda game with an orchestrated soundtrack, a very different (and downright fun) mix of dungeons, adventures, and side-quests, AND then high-definition graphics that would have showcased what Nintendo’s first HD system could deliver. They should have waited. Now, we have a great game muddled in the pack of excellent games we’ve gotten in Fall 2011. While this is usually no issue for franchises like Uncharted, Call of Duty, and Saint’s Row---this is freakin’ Legend of Zelda we are talking about. It feels strange seeing this game quietly whip up good reviews and decent sales, when two generations ago the franchise delivered a game that eternally changed the gaming world forever. Skyward Sword will entertain, but won’t inspire anything like what NES Zelda, Zelda II, Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time, and Majora’s Mask did.
Bottom Line: The Wii has run its course unfortunately, with unmet potential, several disappointments, competitors catching on to the motion-control craze, mysterious disappearances (where the #()*)# is F-Zero?), and a Zelda game that was aiming for the moon but could only reach the sky. Skyward Sword is a superb game that is great to follow and lots of fun overall, but it stinks to see the WiiU just around the corner and this 35-40 hour mammoth adventure have to graphically and stylistically cut corners just to fit in the realm of Wii’s limitations. If I were personally running Nintendo, I would have delayed the game to next-generation, or pulled a Twilight Princess and just release it for two systems at the same time. Much like how an excellent film can be marred because of low-quality footage, Skyward Sword is a bundle of joy that is wrapped in mediocre presentation. But if they had waited just a year more, we would have had a totally different ballgame.
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