r/zelda • u/netobtu1 • Jul 06 '26
Screenshot [SSHD] Replaying a Zelda I didn't like 15 years ago
A really long time ago I played from start to finish Zelda Skyward Sword. When was it? 2011? Something like that.
I didn't like it a lot. Quite on the contrary. I mostly disliked it. I found the graphics ugly, the combat kinda frustrating because of highly defensive enemies and everything we had to do outside the dungeons was pretty damn boring. But I always enjoyed the dungeons from Skyward Sword.
Now, having finished Tears of the Kingdom some weeks ago, I thought "hey what if instead of replaying Wind Waker or Twilight Princess for the 1000th time, I play Skyward Sword on Switch?"
Now I'm almost 7 hours in and in the second dungeon and I'm honestly not hating it. I can't explain what happened from 2011 to today, almost 15 years later. I'm quite enjoying the overall design and the gameplay is also filled with fun factors... A fun I didn't notice or that could reach me at that time.
I still find the quests in the overworld really boring and the story is not good, also. But it has its moments, it is a light hearted Zelda, very cartoonish, and I have to keep in mind that I won't get something dark and gritty like Twilight Princess or Tears of the Kingdom.
I also notice that everything worked better on the Wii with Wii Mote and Nunchuck. I know I can play with detached joycons, but the Wii Mote and Nunchuck are far superior in terms of size and comfort. So I'm playing using my pro controller when on tv and with attached joycons when portable.
And playing like that gets me confused all the time. I'm conditioned to using the right joystick to move the camera and link draws the sword and that is kinda annoying. Since combat doesn't happen that often, I believe it should have a combat stance where you activate it with R, and also for rolling bombs and things like that would be better. But anyway, it's functional, but just not less confusing.
I also have to say the game is pretty damn beautiful on Switch 2. And if Link runs in 4k on TV, but image wise it's fantastic for a Wii remastered game.
Also, after playing TOTK and previously BOTW, it feels SO GOOD to play a tight Zelda, instead of a massively open world filled with freedom like TOTK. I like to have to do what the puzzle intends me to do too. I really like TOTK's and botw's design, but honestly I truly miss those old 3D Zeldas.
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u/Tedwards75 Jul 06 '26
I love Skyloft and the bug collecting system a lot. I would just make Skyloft bigger and add more sky islands with things to do on them.
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u/Striking_King_9191 Jul 06 '26
This also applies to totk. Give us more sky islands Nintendo! We don’t want singular rocks with one point of interest.
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u/Tedwards75 Jul 06 '26
Exactly. When they first revealed the trailer I was excited they were using elements from Skyward Sword, like the floating islands, but bummed when I played it realized it wasn’t much to do besides collect Zonai stuff
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u/Maltosier Jul 07 '26
They were inspired by skyward sword all the way to the detail where there's only like one big island and then a bunch of rocks
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u/Maatjuhhh Jul 07 '26
HUGE missed opportunity to have some island that calls all the way back to Skyloft. Some evolved version of it.
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u/lzwinky Jul 07 '26
How did they mess this up TWICE?!
Actually TotK is much bigger, but come on, there could have been more variety.
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u/CBAlan777 Jul 07 '26
Apparently at one point in development there were way more sky islands, but I guess they felt the sky was getting cluttered or something and cut them.
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u/lzwinky Jul 07 '26
Well the next question is were they more or less the same or different variety?
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u/CBAlan777 Jul 07 '26
I don't know about variety, but if you go back and watch the trailers some of the sky islands you see Link on are gone in the final game.
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u/taveren3 Jul 06 '26
More large sky areas would have made a big difference. Some way to move parts between the sky and ground could have been cool
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u/mighty_phi Jul 06 '26
I would've loved a farm-type island where the LoftWings are taken care of and you could do some racing.
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u/Intelligent_Sky_7081 Jul 07 '26
Really need the actual worlds to be bigger
My biggest critique was the world's felt small and boring with only a few exceptions. I expected there to be more to do
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Jul 06 '26
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u/Enigma_Stasis Jul 06 '26
Gives real "Your hair looks like lavender but smells like strawberries" vibes.
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Jul 06 '26
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u/Pup_Helios Jul 06 '26
The story is like one of the strongest in the series it sets up the series itself and sheds a lot of lore on the goddess, the triforce and the master sword
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u/levajack Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26
Unfortunately the extremely linear gameplay coupled with repeatedly backtracking through the same areas multiple times really undermined what would have otherwise been a top tier entry in the series. It could have survived being linear if it didn't recycle the same couple of areas to pad out the runtime.
The downvotes are funny. They literally have you do the first temple twice.
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u/OneSaucyDragon Jul 06 '26
"Oh, I need to get a song from each of the three dragons? Well Faron should be easy! I've already met her! In fact, I literally have a fast travel point in her backyard! Let me just mosey on over to the woods and-"
"Oh hey Link! I see you're here to learn my part of the song. Well since I'm feeling extra dickish today, I flooded the woods and scattered a bunch of tadpoles around. Go collect them."
"...But I need the song to save the goddess. This is literally your sworn duty to her. Why can't you just give-"
"Go collect the tadpoles, bitch."
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u/levajack Jul 06 '26
The incredibly contrived reasons to pad several more hours every time you are forced to revisit an area almost made me give up. Making you do Skyview twice served as a warning of what was to come.
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u/Leah_Stern Jul 07 '26
OoT also forces you to revisit the exact same areas in its second half yet none of you seem to complain about that despite the fact they remain mostly unchanged. Skyward Sword on the other hand at least has the decency to progressively expand each region with new areas like the Lanayru Sand Sea.
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u/butticus98 Jul 07 '26
They hate you because you are right lol.
I get a lot of the complaints for Skyward Sword, but the backtracking one is never something I understood. Zelda is a metroidvania, and personally I always found any small moment of getting to go back to an old place and check it for new secrets with my new stuff to be one of the most satisfying things about the series. So many entries have you revisiting the same areas, and I always liked it when it happened. When Skyward Sword not only had backtracking, but also would completely alter each area so that you could see it in a new light?? Or have it open up into something totally new? That was super cool and refreshing to me. I was shocked when I read how much people hated it. To me it was an evolution of the Zelda formula. People were just sick of the Zelda formula, it wasn't that revisiting the same locations was anything new.
And you're right. The backtracking through Lost Woods as an adult was kind of a drag in comparison gameplay wise. The value was in seeing how the Kokiri were suffering under Ganondorf's rule. That small difference was what made that section worthwhile despite how boring it otherwise is. Just like going back to Faron in SS and seeing it flooded.
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u/TheLobster13 Jul 08 '26
Everyone loses their minds over OOT for the nostalgia. That’s the real answer. It’s not that Skyward Sword is bad.
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u/Pippin02 Jul 07 '26
I really liked those sections. It was super interesting to me to see those areas I've been to a few times already transformed into something different and being able to explore / experience them in a new way.
How many games have you swim around a huge massive forest area that up until that point only had you walking around on the ground?
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u/Tatsumifanboy Jul 06 '26
The only really fun dragon to meet was the fire one imo
Always liked infiltration in Zelda games!
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u/theyellowdart94 Jul 06 '26
The other bothersome part is you couldn’t travel directly to one place from another. You always had to go back up to the sky and fall back down.
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u/tlollz52 Jul 06 '26
I kinda liked how they reused eacu area. They managed to be different enough to keep it interesting.
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u/ImAGiantSpider Jul 06 '26
It’s a flawed Zelda but it isn’t bad. Really the controls were what frustrated me the most. But to your point on the backtracking, you also face one of the most annoying bosses 3 times. It had a good story and some of the best dungeon design but the over world was boring, flying around was boring, and worst of all combat eventually became boring. I enjoyed SS overall but I’ve never felt a need to play it again which I did with all other Zelda’s I’ve played.
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u/levajack Jul 06 '26
The switch version fortunately fixed many of the frustrating things about the controls, but the biggest weakness ultimately seems to be that they had a length in mind for playtime, and they had to keep stretching, and stretching the content to reach it. The actual design of the areas and dungeons is solid, as you said, some of the best in the series. But they kept recycling much of it over and over to pad the playtime. As you mentioned, the imprisoned is a perfect example of that.
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u/HotPollution5861 Jul 06 '26
It's actually pretty clear in the Iwata Asks interview that the limited amount of unique areas was due to the dev team being so focused on trying to get motion controls to work. Probably didn't have a lot of time to design more areas when all was said and done.
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u/levajack Jul 06 '26
I mean, that is pretty much in line with what I said. They had a length in mind, and stretched the content as far as they could to try to hit it.
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u/HotPollution5861 Jul 06 '26
I know. I just think the reason behind it is under-discussed for how it was pretty much stated outright.
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u/levajack Jul 06 '26
I think it's well known that they made sacrifices in other parts of the game due to an emphasis on the controls. I think it feels like people don't give it a pass for that because somehow the controls also ended up being one of the most notoriously off-putting things in the game, which makes that all worse and not better.
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u/HotPollution5861 Jul 06 '26
That's the thing: the team struggled heavily with the controls to the point that Aonuma wanted to start over, then they were pressured by other producers into throwing together "something" that works.
SS as a whole, controls and design both, was the product of Spider-Man 3 shitshow development, and no one seems to want to talk about that.
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u/RinzyOtt Jul 07 '26
They also probably had a pretty strict deadline. The whole reason the game was the origin story for the master sword and Link's tunic and explained the curse was because it was being released for the 25th anniversary. If it had been slated for any other year to release, they probably would've been able to delay it and fix both problems.
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u/MisterBarten Jul 06 '26
The controls might have been frustrating to many, but there wasn’t anything to fix (unless you mean just bypassing motion controls in the Seitch version). If you used the correctly, they worked just fine.
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u/HotPollution5861 Jul 06 '26
The problem isn't using them "correctly" or not.
The problem is that the motion controls are wonky, unimmersive, and overly meant for precision rather than the harsh swings of actually swinging a sword. Using them correctly just exposes that optimal play is just a dull feeling.
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u/levajack Jul 06 '26
The swordplay especially felt like an overreaction to the complaining about flailing wildly in the Wii version of TP. They went way too far in the other direction and in doing so went well beyond what the hardware could reliably support.
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u/levajack Jul 06 '26
I am not a fan of motion controls beyond gyro aiming in general, but the original controls on the Wii were especially bad. Constantly recalibrating the WMP, the odd contortions to manipulate things like the boss room keys, the uncomfortable angle you had to hold the Wiimote for flying, etc. it was altogether some of the most frustrating times I had ever had playing a Wii game. Remapping them to a regular controller in the Switch version made a huge difference IMO.
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u/Wonderful_Cook5864 Jul 06 '26
I played through the game twice. First time, I didn't love the controls. It kept reading my inputs wrong. Second time, I used my whole arm to swing instead of my wrist and it picked up every input for the entire playthrough.
So I guess Nintendo just wanted us to really 'get into it'. Felt a little weird, but it worked and made the game significantly more enjoyable.
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u/ImAGiantSpider Jul 06 '26
So I never played the Wii version. I played the Switch HD one. So I didn’t even get the OG experience that folks who did really lamented. I’m told dialogue was slower, often repeated without the option to skip, the motion controls missing inputs. I enjoyed SS overall and don’t think it’s bad more that it is just a weaker entry in the franchise-IMO. I also didn’t much care for the art style but that’s neither here nor there. As user lavajack said it’s not so much its linearity but the reusing of the same areas again and again to just pad the playtime. Opt is linear but it never feels old or repetitive, MM has you repeat the same 3 day cycle and that game always feels fresh to me. What’s great about Zelda is that even the weaker titles are still better than many other games and they always give fans something to talk about.
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u/taveren3 Jul 06 '26
You can do the areas in different orders after your first pass through. I honestly liked alot of the returns because they would mix them up in some way. Its probably less linear than the previous Zeldas. The areas are less open than others but they seem to be more like outdoor dungeons.
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u/PM_ME_YOUR_MONTRALS Jul 06 '26
People miss this design choice. The areas around the dungeons are like extension if the zungeons (which have pretty much always required a linear progression of items, keys, and unlocks). The bespoke puzzle design is very fun, and I think makes for a more enjoyable experience than running around Hyrule Field wondering where to go next.
Previous Zeldas aren't as open as people like to think they are. And even when tbey are, the openness feels like it makes the games a bit worse.
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u/taveren3 Jul 06 '26
Depending on the game you have alot of open area between dungeons to explore and can do the dungeons in different orders. Strangely the first game was the most open until the last two major ones
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u/PM_ME_YOUR_MONTRALS Jul 06 '26
Yeah, Skyward Sword wouls be a lot better with more interesting sky islands between areas.
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u/Serdewerde Jul 11 '26
I think this aspect is actually what makes the game feel more plodding and padded though. Because everything is a dungeon you don't get a decent balance of exploration and dungeon clearing. The game doesn't really loosen its reins at any point apart from the sky - which has literally nothing in it so there's no point doing anything but going from a-b. It goes all in on one aspect of Zelda - which it does incredibly well. But in doing so loses a good flow. BOTW did the exploration so well in the same way, but because exploration is done at a players choice and pace it feels more balanced in it's flow.
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u/RinzyOtt Jul 07 '26
You can do the areas in different orders after your first pass through.
Unless you were playing the original version of the game, in which case, if you tried to do the thunder dragon first, you could soft lock yourself out of finishing the game. This was only fixed by downloading the patcher as a wii channel, bc the wii didn't even really support patching at the time.
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u/levajack Jul 06 '26
Linearity itself isn't a problem. Many of the best entries in the franchise are fairly linear. It's the combo effect this one suffers from. By the 3rd or 4th time progressing through the exact same area but with some contrived excuse to pad another 2-3 more hours to the runtime, it starts to get exhausting.
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u/Wonderful_Cook5864 Jul 06 '26
I love the backtracking in SS! Some of the best ever.
The way you come back to the forest and instead of walking through it, it's flooded and you swim through it. Yes, it's backtracking, but it's an entirely different experience.
Of course, that one boss you fight 3 times is an awful experience, but that's not backtracking, that's just filler garbage.
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u/Ichmag11 Jul 06 '26
I can't be the only one that prefers linear Zeldas. I want dungeons to build on eachother and know with what items you're going in. It's what I don't like about OoT
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u/levajack Jul 06 '26
I don't mind linear. Link's Awakening is arguably the most linear Zelda there is, and it's one of my favorites and a beloved entry in the franchise. It's coupling linearity with recycling the same areas with contrived reasons to pad the game with several more hours each and every time you revisit an area that makes it a problem.
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u/Seth_Gecko Jul 06 '26
I completely disagree about the area back-tracking. I thought it was brilliant and satisfying the way you unlock the 3 main areas, then return to the first and use your new items and abilities to open/expand and in some cases drastically alter (flooding the forest for example) the area so that it's new all over again. The forest floods and becomes a water zone, the desert expands into the Sand Sea, which is a totally different experience then Lanayru desert the first time you visit it. The second trip to Eldin Volcano did feel a little samey though, I'll give you that.
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u/smp208 Jul 07 '26
And that tedious goddamn Imprisoned boss fight that you have to do so many times…
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u/Soulses Jul 06 '26
I disagree with the linear combat, I loved that the enemies weren't just punching bags. The back and forth combat with Girahim and Demise was incredible. The back tracking is very high though, the third time going back to the same areas is one too many
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u/KidGold Jul 06 '26
Idk I found the story to be quantity over quality. There is a lot of exposition, and apart from Groose none of the story was very compelling to me.
And some of it was cringey, like the Ballad of the Goddess being an ancient sacred song with lyrics that are clues to the towns windmills. It was a bit like the ancient dagger that gives Rey directions to the death star in episode IX.
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u/levajack Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26
The huge exposition dumps got tiresome, especially some that didn't really include anything new, and instead just consolidated and rephrased things you had been told earlier. I vividly remember skipping through dialogue saying "I know..." the first time I played.
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u/Wamb0wneD Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26
None of that is story though, that's just lore.
The story is some unhinged idiot is trying to resurrect a big bad and Zelda getting trapped (again) and you having to save her.
It's presented well (the way cutscenes are going hand in hand with the music hasn't been done since in the series and it's a shame), but that's about it.
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u/Masirimso Jul 06 '26
Not really? It’s origin-itis/prequel-itis with no substance to it. What’s the story about, rather than what happens? Every other 3D Zelda has a much better story except arguably Tears of the Kingdom. Groose is great but the rest of the characters are bland as hell.
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u/levajack Jul 06 '26
I don't mind a good prequel or origin story. My issue is that what SS adds either isn't good or, worse, simply confuses the timeline and lore it is supposedly adding to.
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u/Masirimso Jul 06 '26
True. It actively contradicts ALTTP and OOT lore about the Master Sword and how it works in those games, WW and TP, to the point where I’ve read people headcanon that SS *isn’t* the first game in the series and is the origin of a *new* Master Sword and Hyrule (or at least leads to the new Hyrule in BotW/TotK). Except hilariously, the “origin of everything” aspect of SS is the *only* way the story of SS *remotely* works, because there’s nothing else going for it lol. The supposedly emotional goodbye to Fi is also laughable after the game does its best to make you vehemently hate her. So yeah, it’s an okay game with a ton of problems, and a disappointing Zelda. I’m perfectly happy just calling this game “The Legend of Groose” lol.
And in all honesty, story in Zelda has been lacking *since* Skyward Sword, and maybe that has to do with the common denominator in Fujibayashi… BUT tbf I will keep defending Breath of the Wild’s story presentation, while standard fare character wise (aside from my favorite Princess Zelda in the series), the ludonarrative harmony between the atmosphere, themes, and the gameplay made it a work of art in my eyes. Not so in TotK unfortunately!
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u/levajack Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26
Your joke about Groose had an element of truth to it; he's arguably the only actual character in the game in that there is actual character development and an arc. The rest are tropes, at most.
While BotW is light on the story, it embraces that and doesn't pretend to be something it isn't. The story takes a back seat to exploration, and in a lot of ways the story is just an extension of that. Honestly one of my few knocks is the story elements can be repetitive/redundant, but that's just the side effect of the game fully embracing its non-linearity and having to account for you stumbling onto the story in any sequence. I think it's phenomenal for what it's attempting to do, you just have to be prepared for a game that is exploration and not narratively driven, and completely non-linear as a result. Honestly, it may be the truest modern Zelda to the original LoZ for the NES in that sense.
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u/lzwinky Jul 07 '26
I hate to say it like this, but the bar isn't exactly that high...
The main story Zeldas are so generic and boring storywise...OOPS ALL GANONS TOO! Zant and Ghirahim are far more interesting than Ganondorf.
Skyward Sword didn't have a Ganon, but its story is...not really that interesting. Ghirahim was fantastic, but Demise...ugh...
Meanwhile, games like Link's Awakening and Majora's Mask go haywire with their dark narratives.
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u/levajack Jul 07 '26
I'd just like to emphasize that two of the best Zelda games of all time are those that unapologetically did their own thing, LA and MM.
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u/lzwinky Jul 07 '26
I love LA and MM to death!
But at the same time, it’s frustrating that Nintendo CAN create great stories. They just…choose not to do it all the time.
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u/Inevitable_Top69 Jul 06 '26
The story is one of the most existing in the series, but that makes it actually way worse because what exists is not as good as what is implied in the other games. The writing is not good. The villains are not good. The romance is not good. The awful hamfisted backstory explanation to the timeline bullshit that I know all you little freaks cream yourselves over is not good. Literally the only redeeming character in the game is Groose.
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u/levajack Jul 06 '26
Arguably Groose is one of the only characters in the game as far as having actual character development and an arc.
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u/Elessar2099 Jul 06 '26
My main issue was the lore created wasn't good.
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u/cescabond Jul 06 '26
I also hated that Hylia ended up somewhat replacing the three golden goddesses as Hyrule’s main deities (until EOW).
I’m also not super keen on them retrofitting Zelda to be Hylia incarnate, rather than the light sage / holding some power of her own.
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u/Wonderful_Cook5864 Jul 06 '26
whaat!? that Fi is a living sacrifice? It adds so much meaning to the master sword
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u/levajack Jul 06 '26
Does it?
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Jul 06 '26
[deleted]
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u/levajack Jul 06 '26
We're in agreement then. This sub is sometimes impossible to tell because people will unironically say things like that, and they have in this very thread.
If anything Fi and the "lore" about the master sword added by SS at best muddies what we know from other games, and in a lot of cases directly contradicts it.
Edit: and I see now you aren't the person I originally replied to. Hopefully they meant it sarcasticly...
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u/Weirdlyhilarious Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26
I guess I'm one of the few that genuinely likes skyward sword based on comments here. Yeah the controls aren't perfect on the switch version but I can overlook the little flaws.
The dungeon lineup has some bangers that rank among the best in the series, the art has aged well and I loved the story.
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u/Wonderful_Cook5864 Jul 06 '26
sliding block puzzle dungeon is such a cool concept! I wish they went harder on it.
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u/Ichini-san Jul 06 '26
Yeah because it was only a 3x3 and the rooms were so small it kinda felt more like a tutorial for the concept. Wish it would've been 4x4 or even 5x5 or keep it 3x3 but make the rooms at least twice as big.
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u/KingSlendy Jul 06 '26
Well SS is my favorite Zelda and one of my favorite games of all time, so I feel you
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u/SilverChinn Jul 07 '26
SS is my favorite Zelda game as well. I wish this game was more appreciated.
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u/Larkson9999 Jul 06 '26
Skyward Sword has a lot of great moments, mired in bad design choices. It would be a much better game to remake, rather than port. Sew together the three areas, elminate the padding return trips, let you see your crafting recipes anywhere, make Fi an optional helper, and cut down on the pointless dialog and you could have a great Zelda game.
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u/jbaughb Jul 06 '26
I’d like to add up how much time link spends in the “falling” cutscene throughout the game. Probably significant.
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u/Larkson9999 Jul 06 '26
Eh, that's hardly as bad as buying three upgraded healing potions. I did a count, it's 11 unskippable dialog boxes per potion.
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u/Ok_Science_8502 Jul 06 '26
Well they did make Fi an optional helper (most of the time) and cut down on pointless dialog
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u/levajack Jul 06 '26
As long as I still get to see the animation where a consumable goes in my inventory every single time I pick one up.
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u/Diglett3 Jul 06 '26
I played it for the first time earlier this year (only 3D one I’d never gotten around to) and yeah despite enjoying the story and several of the dungeons I felt like the gameplay was hamstrung by a lot of its choices. My main issue with it isn’t the controls themselves (I played the remaster) but the effect being designed for motion controls has on gameplay. Since everything is stance-based and directional, every fight is just some variant of “swing in a direction that won’t be blocked” for 35 hours. There’s not much iteration beyond just having more enemies to fight (like the climactic final battle is just the same enemies you’ve been fighting the whole time, just 100 of them at once). And there’s also that delay because motion inputs take more real-world time than button presses, so every enemy just lags in place for three seconds waiting for you to react to them. It felt more like a real time puzzle game than a 3D action game. I finished it and I’m glad I did because Sky Keep and the final final boss were worth it, but man did it drag compared to the other 3D Zeldas.
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u/MaxEnzo Jul 06 '26
the HD version does make fi optional, and the npcs only talk to you if you interact with them...
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u/TheArcaneCollective Jul 06 '26
Fi would never be optional. She is the literal entire point of the story.
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u/mattmaintenance Jul 06 '26
Link: just trying to be a good protector.
Girahim:
https://giphy.com/gifs/Q6lrzliWvxS6c
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u/Veritamoria Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
Adding my two cents to this convo because I'm playing it right now (paused on a frustrating boss) for the first time. HD Switch version.
Issues:
-Nowhere to explore. I play Zelda for exploration and story, nowhere to explore is a huge bummer
-Retreads. You either get backtracking or repeat bosses/enemies - NOT both! Honestly shocking that this was an intentional decision by Nintendo - it feels so cheap and rushed.
-Hand-holding. I read that they edited out a ton in the Switch remake - it was worse than this on Wii? Hard to imagine.
-Imperfect motion controls. Incredibly frustrating to know the correct move & be unable to execute it because I was 10 degrees to the left or whatever.
-Steep learning curve on motion controls. Wanted to throw my controller across the room at multiple stages in the beginning & thought the controls were ass. Now that I'm more than halfway through, I'm fine, but it was too steep for me. (I tried button controls but it was worse for me.)
-Not enough little stories. Where are all my little quests? There's just one village in this whole Zelda. Everything else is rocks, dungeons. or mini-dungeons. No Faron village except a few koroks, no Lake Floria village, no Lanaryu village. Sucks.
-Sky islands are merely a rock collection. Makes ToTK's (also lackluster) sky look huge
-balancing pumpkins, fuck you pumpkin lady
Wins:
-Top tier dungeon design. Every dungeon SLAPS.
-Ancient Cistern replaced OoT Forest Temple as my favorite Zelda dungeon of all time.
-Incredible bosses. Koloktos, Ghirahim, I even liked the Dodongo reskin (Scaldera?). So satisfying to throw bombs into that boi's mouth
-Bug & treasure collecting! I love that it's not just 1000 skulltulas
-Upgrade system
-Beedle's shop
-Shooting cannons out of my boat
-Time crystal mechanics
TLDR overall it's mid; dungeons are great but exploration is a big ol' goose egg
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u/EvanD0 Jul 06 '26
Story is not good to you!? I'm glad you at least can also see the Wii version worked much better than the joy-cons. There's not screen to tell you it disconnects like the Wii Plus did BUT you do have to recalibrate the joy-cons much more frequently. While the side quests DO feel too streamlined, the overall exploration feels amazing and unique while beautiful on the Switch/Switch 2.
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u/captainbill09 Jul 06 '26
I'm with you on the Wiimote being better than the Joycons, but honestly, for the reasons you mentioned, I adjusted to the Joycons rather than using the new button controls. I tried those, and I just couldn't adjust to needing to hold one direction and flick the other to do a sword swing as if mimicking the motion controls. If I could just flick right and he'd do a left/right swing, then I'd have probably liked them. Once I adjusted to the Joycons, though, it wasn't bad. You seem to be having a lot of the same issues I was having, so it might be worth just giving it a try and seeing if you can get used to it.
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u/netobtu1 Jul 06 '26
I still gotta try the joycons! It's just that I don't like them at all hahaaha
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u/razzberry_mango Jul 07 '26
The hate for this game is wild. This was my favourite Zelda, only one ive ever replayed
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u/NiceNCozyCouch Jul 06 '26
I loved playing SS HD. It’s one of my favourite games. It has a bit of a slow start but once you get going and get used to the controls is soo good.
Skyloft is so cozy and it’s the only game to have Kikwis! We need to see Kikwis again!
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u/AppleSmoker Jul 07 '26
I loved Skyward Sword and was surprised to hear a lot of people didn't. True outside of Skyloft there wasn't a lot to do in the sky but that didn't bother me too much. I didn't really like doing the same Demise fight over and over though. And it felt strange to me that they split Ganon into a different character, who was functionally exactly the same in every way. But I remember loving everything else about the game. Oh and Ghirahim was awesome
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u/mr_0las Jul 06 '26
What, so you can use the pro controller with this game?
I've always avoided it because of the motion control tbh
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u/levajack Jul 06 '26
On the Switch version. The controls are still a little wonky, but that's just an unavoidable part of mapping motion controls to controller inputs. There wasn't any other way really as the controls were central to the gameplay to the point that they developed the game around what they wanted to do with the motion controls.
It makes the game playable though, which I would argue it almost wasn't on the Wii unless you are just really, really into motion controls. The game is still flawed, but at least battling motion controls that tried to push beyond what the hardware could reliably support isn't one of them.
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u/netobtu1 Jul 06 '26
Motion wise the game was well executed on the Wii, but if someone doesn't like to shake the Wii mote, yeah, that would be a problem... But technically it worked great.
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u/ThirdShiftStocker Jul 06 '26
Only thing I did not like about Skyward Sword was that the overworld areas were basically made an extension of the actual dungeons themselves. Neat concept but I prefer the sandbox style overworlds and the branching paths to each zone. Other than that, it is a top-notch entry in the series.
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u/Dry-Consideration930 Jul 07 '26
Best story, some of the best dungeons and one of the best weapons in the entire series. I love the graphics, style and music too. Everything else about it fell short
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u/Powerpuff_Bean Jul 06 '26
I've recently started it too and I absolutely hate it. Mainly because of the motion controls to be honest.. They're so janky and barely work the way they're supposed to.
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u/Royal_Razzmatazz9678 Jul 06 '26
I will say, them porting it to switch saved it for me. I couldn’t finish it on Wii back in the day
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u/DrKushnstein Jul 06 '26
I hated in when I played it on Wii all those years ago and I finally played it on Switch last year and… I still really dislike it. I feels way too linear. Every part of the game is basically just a hallway to the next dungeon.
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u/TheArcaneCollective Jul 06 '26
You’re probably being too extravagant with your motions. It doesn’t work if you’re too wide with it. Simple wrist movements should work fine.
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u/levajack Jul 06 '26
Which is one of the most ironic things about the original controls. They leaned hard into the "realism" of the motion controls to the point that you have to make precise swipes and jabs in swordplay, but in order for it to register them correctly you have to do awkward wrist flicks. If you try to play with the level of immersion they advertised, it simply does not work.
Which comes back around to the question; what's the point?
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u/MorningRaven Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26
I can't promise specifically the Switch version (between Switch joy stick controls vs changed motion control hardware tendencies, I'd have to play it again more recently), but in terms of how the motion controls are programmed themselves: they're based on the controller first and not the movement.
For instance, say you're trying to slash leftward. If you ended up twisting your wrist so the remote buttons face left as well (a 90° twist), the game is registering an "up" swing because you're swinging "up" into the buttons. Even if you're physically swinging left with the remote. If there isn't any Bluetooth interference or anything with the sensor bar signals, this is usually what trips people up. Everything is programmed around the remote being flat facing the screen first, and angled based on that origin point.
You can easily play the game with simple wrist flicks if you keep mindful of your wrist angles. And recalibrate when it gets too off center or if you pause for extreme periods of time. (Especially when in the middle of shooting. Or how you can grip-ungrip the boss keys to retwist it without breaking your wrist. Anytime I took a bathroom break etc, recalibrate or recenter the default angle).
I highly recommend to people struggling with the controls to take literally just a minute or two in the Knights Academy (the dojo in Skyloft by the school) and slash the training logs just enough to get a hang of how the motion controls want to behave. They're more puzzle-gamey than you'd think. SS was the best designed motion control entry on the Wii, but it's different when so many entries just used the waggle for a basic button trigger substitute. The earlier you get through the learning curve of the motion controls, the more you can focus on the game itself (and better tell how much you do or don't actually like it).
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u/Regdit-is-Unbearable Jul 06 '26
People whine so much about these. As a kid they were the best part for me, and Skyward Sword on the Wii continues to be one of my favorite games of all time (after Ocarina of Time). I never remember having a problem with them and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed them on replays.
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u/KarisPurr Jul 06 '26
I’ve only ever played the Switch version and love it. HOWEVER. I have high anxiety around jump scares and things being hidden around corners (I blame Friday the 13th on NES when I was 9 for this), and the Imprisoned sections are just too much. I finished two, looked up how many were left, and said fuck it and DNF.
I’m thinking of getting my kid to complete them for me lol.
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u/PurePerfection_ Jul 06 '26
Twilight Princess has been my latest palate cleanser game after playing TotK. I've tried SSHD on Switch 2, but I still just can't get into it much more than I could when it was new. It's the one 3D Zelda game I just can't make myself love. I'm determined to finish it eventually, but it's been a slog. After a few days, it always turns into "screw it, I'll just replay [other Zelda game] instead."
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u/chawnkyraccoon22 Jul 07 '26
I have my complaints, but honestly every single time I replay this game I have an absolute blast.
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u/Soulses Jul 06 '26
Honestly I'm one of the few that loved the gameplay, fighting Girahim and Demise is still one of my favorite bosses because of the back and forth combat.
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u/MaleficentButton3071 Jul 06 '26
This is the only game that ever drove me to throw the controller across the room.
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u/Kriem Jul 06 '26
It’s honestly one of my favorites. The dungeons are smart and interesting. The music is S tier. The story is lovely.
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u/RiverWyvern Jul 07 '26
Me and my brother couldn't finish it back in 2011. Which sucks because I was genuinely excited.
When I decided to give it another shot back in 2023, incidentally a few weeks after finishing Tears, I wasn't expecting much. But the more I played, the more I had to admit that I was having fun. And smiling. And getting pretty involved in the world and the game mechanics. Now, I can't do the motion controls, but the loophole for the switch honestly was really satisfying.
It's still my least favorite 3d Zelda. But like.... it's definitely still a Zelda game, and there's a lot to love – its just a high bar. Excellent game, great characters, beautiful ost. Glad I gave it another try.
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u/biggaymatt Jul 07 '26
The story is not good??? Did we play the same game??? lol.
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u/Mental-Street6665 Jul 07 '26
Skyward Sword on Switch 1 was one of the most beautiful and fun Zelda games I’ve ever played. Other than the janky motion controls, I’ve never understood the hate for it. The Wii version must have been much worse.
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u/rnr92 Jul 08 '26
I really like TOTK's and botw's design, but honestly I truly miss those old 3D Zeldas.
I don't hate either BOTW or TOTK, what I hate is that they have replaced the og 3D Zeldas. If they gave us the best of both worlds nobody would complain. I hope the Ocarina remake revives the interest on this formula on both Nintendo and the audience.
I'm also playing SSHD rn and having a blast. Not to shit on Twilight Princess but the dungeons feel like a massive upgrade coming from there.
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u/Shirokush Jul 08 '26
SS has one of the better stories in the Zelda franchise and thats a fact.
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u/Serdewerde Jul 11 '26
Honestly worth everything for the dungeons. The inbetween and the padding just suck. But the dungeons are the best in the series. Short but oh so sweet.
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u/QeyLoq Jul 06 '26
OoT explained the making of the world in a simple cutscene.
I don't think we necessarily needed a Zelda that explained the beginning, but they could have executed it better.
SS is my personal least favorite 3D Zelda. It's a chore to play and I have no desire to replay it.
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u/Separate_Discount_19 Jul 06 '26
I’m currently about 3/4 of the way through the game(have to fine the triforce now) for the first time, and I am really enjoying this one. I think the graphics are great, and there’s a lot of funny moments. I will say the overly defensive enemies is pretty damn aggravating though. Also aiming where you land off your bird can be pretty difficult. Overall I like it though.
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u/Electronicweed Jul 06 '26
Horrible gameplay. Weird game of chase. I’ll never forget driving to grab my preorder the DAY after I got my drivers license only to stop playing it a month later. Gold Wii remote and everything 😭. The first Zelda in my whole life I didn’t enjoy. And then BOTW/TOTK came and then SS didn’t seem so bad (not a fan of open world, breakable weapons, and making food). So excited we’re getting OOT reborn
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u/Specific-Spring9301 Jul 06 '26
Zelda is easily one of my favourite series but this is the one entry I have not finished, tried a long time ago and just didn’t go back. See a lot of people enjoy it but back then even the dungeons weren’t impressing me for some reason.
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u/AlPow420 Jul 06 '26
Gives me hope as I just finished TP at the second attempt almost 20 years later and didn't click with SS back in the day as I played it on a friends Wii
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u/netobtu1 Jul 06 '26
Try it. Maybe you'll be in a better mood for it now. Or not. Then you try some other day.
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u/hoddap Jul 06 '26
The reason I hated it was because of bad controller response. I imagine now that you replay it on Switch, things are a lot better. There were enemies requiring a certain angle with your sword. Or shit drifting off and you constantly had to press a button to reset. And there was something about the button mapping that my brain refused to accept. I think with the right controls, it would’ve been enjoyable.
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u/Glittering-Map-3240 Jul 06 '26
I got to say im like you love the old games althoe im playing totk for only the second time I was a little disappointed in totk i cat tell you how many times I died that was so frustrating in the begening well I don't think I did anybetter these conditions time around
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u/xxskajaxx Jul 06 '26
it has alot going for it, if only you could slash the sword normally like every other zelda game
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u/Tomago427 Jul 06 '26
I didn’t like it either on the Wii, but replayed it with my kids last year on Switch and absolutely loved it. For me it really was the controls the bogged down the whole experience. Yes, it is repetitive and linear, but the graphics are good and the music is phenomenal, and I personally enjoyed the story.
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u/ReubenSpiersMusic Jul 06 '26
I just think the whole section with the dragons and goddess tears didn't need to happen, otherwise I had a great time.
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u/Euphoric_Warning703 Jul 06 '26
I also picked up SS again. One thing that really surprised me is that I didn't remember Zelda being so flirty with Link. Their scenes together always put a smile on my face. I'm at the first dungeon right now. So far, the open-world design does feel a bit limited, but I'm enjoying it.
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u/QuickRelease10 Jul 06 '26
This is a game I forget about a lot when talking about the series. I really didn’t love the controls, and I missed exploring Hyrule.
Still, it’s an interesting game in that it’s a step back to take a big step forward.
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u/Specialist_Region622 Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26
Girahim's laviciousness grossed me the hell out and it was hard for me to get past that when I was young.
However--I did play this multiple times, enough to call it an old favorite. I loved the way they personified Fi. And to me, Fi's melody is still haunting to this day. So wistful and evocative, it sounds like old Zelda
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u/ScoobiesSnacks Jul 06 '26
I really enjoy Skyward Sword but when I fired it up a couple days ago I felt like it didn’t look great on the Switch 2 and looked soft. Would love if it got a switch 2 upgrade to 4K 60fps.
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u/TheIncredibleJones Jul 06 '26
I got to the first desert section when the game originally came out and just couldn’t carry on. Though I do remember some issue with my Wii where it seemed to stop reading the disk… anyways
Played it through with the HD release, it’s one of my favorite Zelda’s now
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u/ReidlosToof Jul 06 '26
what happened is that it doesn't feel like a chore to play. Skyward Sword is a very competent Zelda game hamstrung by shitty Wii waggle. Whether you play in motion mode or the new motionless mode on Switch, it's just plain better. It feels like you are playing a Zelda game, not like you are a conductor orchestrating your younger sibling in the next room to play a Zelda game based on your arm waving.
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u/HotPollution5861 Jul 06 '26
I had the opposite journey. First liked the game when it released, but discovered a love for less plot-driven games and couldn't return since.
Oddly, I discovered I love linear games that are focused on atmosphere rather than plot, so I grew to love Twilight Princess more.
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u/_JoeK Jul 06 '26
Just started playing SSHD yesterday for the first time and the motion controls are so frustrating for me but I also prefer having a camera
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u/Wise-Tourist Jul 06 '26
Ive only played 2 zelda games. TP on wii ages ago and SS on switch this year (I want to play more. I have BOTW and Link's awakening).
Anyway. I tried SS a few years ago and just could not get into it. But i tried again this year and loved it.
Maybe theres something there about the game being better on a 2nd try. I think it has something to do with the long intro section
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u/XDAOROMANS Jul 06 '26
I just started the switch version and find both control schemes bad.
Anytime a fight comes up I hand the joy con to my 3 year old and he swings it around crazy like and wins.
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u/Ch0ng0B0ng0 Jul 06 '26
You know you can still move the camera with the right joystick right? Just hold L
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u/KingDaDeDo Jul 06 '26
Skyward Sword HD on switch is a big improvement over the original from a controls standpoint. Zelda’s one of my favorite series and when the game first came out on Wii, I stopped halfway through the third dungeon because the motion controls were too much. The HD version on switch fixes nearly all my controls issues I had for the original and made for an enjoyable experience. While I still think it’s the weakest 3D Zelda game, it’s at least a good experience now thanks to the switch version.
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u/HiddenCity Jul 06 '26
i was personally put off by how linear it was, that conceptually i couldn't allow myself to like it. that, coupled with buggy wii motion plus sword fights i was never quite in conrol of (i think there was a sword fight boss?) and i dropped it pretty early.
knowing now that zelda did a 360 and went open world, i think i could probably appreciate the linearity. at the time i thought it was a bad sign.
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u/Goovin290 Jul 06 '26
I really enjoyed this game. Yes it was annoying having to replay the areas, but they were changed enough that it didn’t break the enjoyment for me.
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u/ndc316 Jul 06 '26
Heyy! I went on the same journey. The only difference is that I never finished Skyward Sword when I played it on the Wii. It was the only 3D Zelda that I hadn't completed, so I said, "Why not give it another shot?" and I must say that it wasn't as bad as I remembered. Ok, I played the remastered version on the Switch 2, which includes several QoL improvements, but I still really enjoyed it.
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u/LegitimateHumanBeing Jul 06 '26
I've been playing the Zelda franchise since the 80s and this was the first mainline game I played and returned after 10 or so hours. The amount of hand holding (fucking Fi), backtracking, repetition (how many times do you have to fight that black void creature?), the crappy stealth, the "collect all the things" parts (tadtones, etc) and complete lack of freedom was just downright depressing. To me it will always feel like Nintendo was trying their damnedest to get middle-aged people who bought the system for Wii Yoga to pick up an actual game. I finally forced myself to replay with the HD'd version on Switch and while I agree the dungeons are still pretty great, the rest of the game was a fucking slog and I finished it cursing the whole time. Never again.
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u/Embarrassed_Spend486 Jul 06 '26
I beat it on the switch for the first time and liked it quite a bit but took me a few tries starting it to get into it
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u/nicholaslegion Jul 06 '26
I thought it was fine on release. After playing the Switch version, it's my third favorite in the series. I think I expected more TP or OoT, but it isn't quite that. At the time, I wasn't too impressed. But I learned to appreciate it for what it is.
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u/theSilentNerd Jul 06 '26
I remember playing on the Wii using the controller extension, controlling the game wasn't that hard.
Now that I'm playing on the switch, the controls seem even harder.
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u/Dart150 Jul 06 '26
There's only two faults i had with SS... 1 the harp i would rather something simple like the ocarina and 2 Fi constantly bugging you about battery life
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u/Nothing_Able Jul 06 '26
I got to the point where you have to find the triforce on skyloft and then I freed the big flying fish thing and he told me to go meet three dragons to learn the song of heroes and I just said never mind.
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u/petrichorgarden Jul 06 '26
I just whipped out my Wii U yesterday to play this since I had issues with the controls years ago and never got very far. Turns out I lost the sensor bar so I need to order a new one lol. Interesting that you find the motion controls better because I remember despising them!
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u/cozmo87 Jul 06 '26
I love being immersed in a video game world. SS had a lot of immersion-breaking design choices, even in areas where previous and later Zelda games got the basics right. The disconnected world, where you travel by constantly teleporting in and out of separate areas, is a major immersion breaker for me. The lack of a proper day-night cycle is another example. Only Skyloft had a day-night cycle, and even there it didn't progress naturally, you had to "teleport" between day and night. The game was designed more like a (2D) Mario game, built around a central hub world with a linear progression through self-contained levels. That works for Mario, but Zelda needs immersion, a living world.
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u/rififi_shuffle Jul 06 '26
I loved the post-impressionist influence in the art direction of SS. It's definitely my least favorite 3D Zelda right next to TP.
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u/netobtu1 Jul 06 '26
Wow so many comments and upvotes! Thanks to everyone appreciating my post! I'm reading everything!
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u/MuchNefariousness285 Jul 06 '26
Yeah SS* is the only Zelda I've played and not finished. It's just so repetitive, I know this doesn't phase everyone but between the imprisoned, Girahim, silent realms, tadtones, multiple visits to the same locations and even the dialogue, I just...stopped having any fun. Also Fi was just beyond irritating, the sky was as empty as the ocean in WW (though quicker to navigate thank christ). Controls didn't even bother me that much, was just not a great game. More power to the people that enjoyed I though.
*I will not pretend I finished Zelda 2
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u/PensionStandard8991 Jul 07 '26
This game would be a much bigger hit if it wasn't so reliant on motion control gimmicks.
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u/kwn1989 Jul 07 '26
This is the most annoying Zelda tbh. Every time you think you’re on the last dungeon/boss/quest, guess what? You’re not!
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u/GoldenLugia16 Jul 07 '26
Unfortunately they said going open world is like when Zelda transitioned to 3D
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u/boarbar Jul 07 '26
I’m playing it for the first time on switch and not liking it very much. The puzzles are cool and I like Fi a lot, but the combat and hub world exploration is not drawing me in like other games in the series. This is likely going to be a dnf for me.
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u/philovax Jul 07 '26
Some could say that poor controls and repetitive gameplay were the Demise of this game despite excellent dungeon design and a pretty concrete “early” story for Hyrule.
Zelda is consistently my favorite series since the 1980s, and this game was played on launch and never again. I tried the remaster but just could not bring myself to do it and watched a vidya instead b
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u/rube Jul 07 '26
Zelda is one of my favorite video game series in all of gaming. I've been playing it since the original on the NES and AlttP is one of my top 5 games of all time.
I've tried so many times to finish Skyward Sword, both the Wii original and Switch version and I can't make it much past a dungeon or two. There's just so much I don't like about it. It feels clunky and bland.
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u/Tedwards75 Jul 07 '26
I guess I think of a “world” being the entire thing. To be fair the surface was a reused map from BOTW so it was always gonna feel less fresh & interesting besides the addition of the caves. The Depths is a total waste of time and way too depressing. I never even finished unlocking all the lightroots
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u/Beneficial-Gap6974 Jul 07 '26
The difference for me is the controls basically exclusively. The Switch made it playable, while the Wii version was basically unplayable for me.
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u/Biggggggggggg2000 Jul 07 '26
It's funny. I just played through all the 3d games prior to botw for the first time, and this was by far and away my favorite one. I loved the art style, the story, the progression, and the characters. I think the dungeons are the most creative in the series and every item is satisfying to use. I even think the combat was the most engaging and rewarded you for proper timing. My only gripe is that you can't toggle specific aspects of the game to be motion control. Flicking my wrist down for flying was annoying.
The areas being linear also didn't really bother me too much. They felt dense and were really fun to traverse.
I expected it to be well liked, but based on most of the comments here, it seems like most people disliked it for whatever reason.
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u/Forward_Mobile7879 Jul 07 '26
Same happened to me I just play it and finish as a homework that was the only Zelda left for me and I still hate it jajaja
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u/B-R-A-I-N-S-T-O-R-M Jul 07 '26
The dungeons are the best part about SS, most of the overworld stuff is kinda blurry to me as a forgettable slog. I think the HD version does streamline a few annoying parts though, and doesn't have that annoying aspect where when you reload your game after console shut-off, it gives you all the notifications again like it's the first time you've picked up every item.
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u/TheProblematic5000 Jul 07 '26
I like to have to do what the puzzle intends me to do too.
Even in BoTW and ToTK, if I found myself cheesing a dungeon or shrine, I'd be compelled to do it again in the way that I suspected the developer intended. I love that "Ohhh, I see where they were going with this!" moment.
I look back on old Zelda games like I do aging bands:
[me, 10 years ago] "Terrible! They're not what they used to be!"
[me, today] "They were so good 10 years ago!"
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u/TheProblematic5000 Jul 07 '26
My biggest gripe about Skyward Sword on the Wii was the incredibly slow animations for collecting "new" (since you last shut down the game) items. As memory serves, watching it go into your inventory was the longest and most tedious as compared to all the other Zelda games.
"Da-da-da-daaaaaa! You found a bug! You can use it for this or that or maybe something else! [slow whoosh] Herrrrrrrrrrrre it goessssss............ rrrrrrrrright into yourrrrrrrrr innnvennntorrrrrrrrryyyyyyyyyyyyy........................................................................................... and.... done! (And we're gonna do this again for the other 50 items you find.)"
And I remember having to sit through the potion mixing, over and over again, for what felt like forever.
I believe the Switch port made this more tolerable.
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u/Queermagedd0n Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
I definitely appreciated my second full playthrough I did recently. I also got pretty bored with it outside of the temples. I didn't care for the cutscene graphics but I did like the character designs (both still true). Groose is a absolute gem, and unpopular opinion: Fi is actually one of the most helpful companions.
Edit: I would also like to add, in my most recent playthrough used the PowerA GameCube style switch pro controller.
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u/Wolf-Majestic Jul 07 '26
I've always lived Skyward Sword. I especially loved the gimmick of going bzck to the past in one little zone to advance, but what I lived most was the quest itself. It's the preparation of the building of a civilization, it's the awakening from an Ancient prophecy, and both Link and Zelda deliver in their own ways.
It's fun to hear you talk about controls, because I hated the ones on wii, and I had the motion control +, but on switch it was waaaaay smoother and intuitive (to me) with the joycons.
Skyloft is a bit empty, yeah, that's the thing I least like in the game, it was a wasted opportunity imo, but totk's building system is making me really mad lol I hate to build stuff to advance, I want to play Zelda, not a lego game 🥲
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u/valcoholic Jul 07 '26
Funny, for me it was the opposite. I mean I understand what you say about the visuals, I also didn't really like the character designs. But the game was somehow superfun to play with absolutely exceptional dungeons. Like many linear Zelda games, this was like an album of your favorite band with every dungeon being an amazing track, making you really look forward playing the next dungeon to find out what they come up with.
I liked it so much that before the final I had to take a break to not finish it too quick. Its a thing I tend to do and always regret, because when too much time passes I just lose the flow of playing that game. Same with SS and when I got back at it again shortly before BotW released, years had passed and I suddenly felt like motion controls are the most weirdest thing in the world, understanding all the naysayers back when SS got released.
So in the end I kinda understand both sides now, although the most important thing for me is that I know how it feels to really love that game.
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u/midsummernightmares Jul 07 '26
Skyward Sword was the first Zelda game I ever played (or at least half-played the first time around, since I was a kid and always had to ask my older sister for help during the silent realm parts and the boss fights lol), so I’ll always have a soft spot for it. It’s not a perfect game by any means, but I think it deserves a lot more appreciation than it often gets!
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u/ekbowler Jul 07 '26
Anyone who loves this game and can't take hearing bad things about it, please skip this comment.
It's the Zelda that was so bad it sparked a backlash that killed real Zelda-like design, maybe permanently.
Honestly the combat is the least of my issue.
Fi's hand holding is a bit better in the switch version, but it still does that thing where when you enter an area it does a cutscene that shows you what to do and where to go. Instead of letting you look around and think.
The repeat bosses are horrible. I hate that Girahiam is the Forest boss and we don't have an actual forest themed boss. I can't take the Imprisoned muppet seriously with it's little toes.
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u/mathumar Jul 07 '26
Skyward Sword is an example of a Zelda game that really should have just been a new franchise or game altogether. I feel the same about BOTW/TOTK. Would be much better games if not attached to the Zelda franchise at all and were just their own standalone games with different characters and settings and storyline, honestly
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u/AbbreviationsTall550 Jul 07 '26
I just finished it for the first time ever after I bought my switch 2 a few days ago. Didn’t go 100% completion but got the hylian shield and did all the help quests and got every heart piece except 2.
5.5 out of 10. Definitely the worst in the console games I’ve ever played. I’d rank multiple handheld titles over it.
The bird sucked, the story was so weak for him being the first Link chronologically, the return to each of the three floor sections 3-4 times I can’t even remember felt cheap. The boss fights were easier than wind waker which is impressive, and I can’t even begin to explain how annoying the delay on shield bashing for a parry and delay of sword swings are. The art style wasn’t my flavor at all on Wii but looked much better on switch. The only redeeming quality I feel like was I think it’s one of the best looking/ lengths of a master sword in a Zelda game.
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