The Official Nintendo Magazine has now released more Skyward Sword details. People have gone and asked a few more questions about Skyward Sword like if Tingle is in it (nope, he’s not in it, thankfully, in my opinion). I’ve gone ahead and posted what they have said below, but beware, there are spoilers.
wolfboy300 asks: In the game itself, you know the items you pick up and use to upgrade your items? Is there a limit to how many of each item you can carry?
Not that I found but by the end of the game the most I had of any one item was somewhere in the high 80s. They were bees – you get a bunch of them every time you knock down a hive.
LocalHero asks: Is Tingle in it?
Sadly not.
onmsam asks: Do the controls work well and are there lots of areas to explore like on Wind Waker?
Much like in Wind Waker, there are islands in the sky that are entirely optional to explore.
Nbz asks: Does the overworld (as in the world below) link together in any way?
There are three unconnected chunks of Hyrule that you access from the Sky Realm by flying through one of the three portals in the clouds – Eldin Volcano, Faron Woods and the desert area seen in trailers. These portals are marked by pillars of light, which you can see on our cover. The only way to travel from one part of Hyrule to another is to return to the sky.
theycallmejack asks: Do you have to re-sync the Wii Remote a lot?
Only if you set the controller down for so long it turns off. Otherwise, you’ll only ever have to tap down on the D-pad to re-centre the cursor, which happens infrequently.
keero16 asks: Do you think Lord Ghiharim (or however you spell it…) is better, worse, or about the same as the other Zelda villains?
He’s definitely one of the weirdest and most mysterious. You’ll have seen the bit in previews where he licks Link’s ear – the dude’s creepy as hell.
lex_informer asks: How are upgrades incorporated into the game? Are they mostly entirely optional and combat/collection-oriented – or are most of them used for puzzle-solving at some point in the adventure?
Materials are used to upgrade weapons, items and shields. Bugs are used to upgrade potions. The upgrade system is optional, and you can finish the game without upgrading a single item or potion.
lex_informer asks: Are there new items?
Yep, stuff like the Mogma Mitts, which allow you to dig up treasure (rupees, hearts, collectibles) and burrow underground into a Bomberman-style crawlspace. There are also items that have appeared in some other form other Zelda games – much like the Beetle is basically a pilotable Boomerang. Expect to see adaptations of other familiar items.
lex_informer asks: Zelda games have fluctuated between offering fully-developed casts and featuring mostly nameless NPCs (non-playable characters). Which approach does Skyward Sword swing more towards?
Something I didn’t really elaborate on in the review was how fleshed out Skyloft is. All of the NPCs are named characters, and most, if not all, have their own house on the island. As an aside: many NPCs, on Skyloft and elsewhere, will set you tasks and reward you with gratitude points.
These gratitude points are then used on another, larger side-quest.
I don’t remember reading any assessment of the game’s challenge level. Any comments on that?
The game’s not remarkably difficult nor especially easy – though I would say it’s easier than Ocarina Of Time and Twilight Princess. Most of the challenge comes in figuring out the dungeon’s puzzles.
Amelie Pulain asks: Are there any returning NPCs other than Beedle?
There are a few Gorons, but to say anything else would spoil.
CyberGW asks: Are there any very funny moments or cutscenes?
Yep, Skyward Sword definitely has a great sense of humour. One of the vendors in Skyloft’s bazaar had me cracking up, and there are a few brilliant in-jokes for fans of the series.
retrotoad asks: Do all of the items benefit from Wii MotionPlus, or just a select few?
I can’t think of any items that don’t use it in some way. But even basic aiming with Wii MotionPlus feels much more intuitive than it did in Twilight Princess.
triforce-manc asks: Did you miss the boomerang?
Right up until I got the Beetle. I love the Beetle.
Toad Rules asks: What’s the music like?
The main theme (the reversed Zelda’s Lullaby theme) really grew on me – it’s used in some creative, goosebump-inducing ways too.
Elsewhere, the music’s of an incredibly high standard, though not as catchy as it’s been in other Zelda games.
I’d struggle to hum the Faron Woods tune to you now, for instance. Wind Waker’s still got my favourite Zelda music.
Medea asks: Is it true the game now has save points
Yes, there are bird statues dotted about the place. You can save at these, or return to the sky from these. When you skydive into Hyrule through a portal, you choose which bird statue you wish to land at.
noodle link asks: Your review stated that the story of Skyward Sword is a more linear affair than most Zelda titles and this slightly annoys me. Are there still a fair share of epic moments, set-pieces, well-written cutscenes and whatnot in the mix?
The more linear nature of the dungeons just means there’s less backtracking than in other Zelda games, but don’t get me wrong: the dungeons aren’t straightforward or basic, they just give a great sense of progressing deeper and deeper into them. The pace of the game really benefits from it.
Also, as I don’t know where else to put this: there’s no compass in Skyward Sword. The dungeon map comes with the locations of chests already on there.
Malice of Yoshi asks: Is the Sky overworld as developed, and as large as the Great Sea overworld was in the Wind Waker?
Nope. Wind Waker’s Great Sea was larger and I’m going to take an educated guess here, but I think it has more islands. Having said that, Skyward Sword’s got Hyrule, too!
Malice of Yoshi asks: How extensive in the game is the Silent Realm gameplay, and is it any good?
You visit the Silent Realm a handful of times, and not for very long. It’s essentially a “dark” version of a small area of Hyrule, around which 18 collectible orbs have been placed. Each orb grants you 90 seconds of immunity from three hulking great guardians – if your immunity expires, they wake up and chase you around.
It’s actually quite scary as a single attack from a guardian forces you to start all over again. The trick is to collect the orbs in the correct order, so that you remain immune throughout the whole thing. Is it any good? It stressed me out a bit, to be honest, but was incredibly satisfying to complete.
Malice of Yoshi asks: Are there many enemies and aerial battles in the Sky Overworld?
No! Even though I guessed there would be, there aren’t. Flying is mostly peaceful.
onm101 asks: Is the upgrade system easy to use? Normally I get frustrated with them and never remember to upgrade
You pick up so much stuff and revisit Skyloft so often that on most occasions you’ll just happen to be able to upgrade something you’ve got. The upgrade system itself is really straightforward – just take your stuff to the smith and as long as you’ve got the materials and the rupees it’s a matter of hitting a button.
Beyond Birthday asks: What is the name of the dark-skinned blonde woman shown at the end of the most recent trailer?
Hah! Well spotted. Let’s just say she’s a very important character, and one you might remember from another Zelda game.
What do you guys think of this information?
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