The release of Skyward Sword brought with it a barrage of favorable reviews. Many of them stated that SS was the best 3D Zelda title since Ocarina of Time. Some went as far as saying that it was better than OoT. A bold claim, yes, but not totally unbelievable because of what Skyward Sword has done for the future of Zelda.
The fact is that they’re both incredible games, and each has done something priceless for the series. Let’s take Ocarina as our first example. It was, of course, the first 3D Zelda title. It brought us into the 3D world and really brought the 2D worlds we had seen in previous installments to life. It made so much sense that when most people think of ‘Zelda’ now, they think of a 3D world. Ocarina’s jump into the 3D realm was revolutionary for the series, and now, four console titles later, The Legend of Zelda has evolved again.
Skyward Sword is the 5th console Zelda title but the first of its kind. It’s the first 4 dimensional Zelda game. Okay so, of course it isn’t ‘4D’ in a real sense, but it does have one more dimension to it than any of the previous console Zelda titles (OoT, MM, WW, and TP). What is this fourth dimension I’m talking about? I’m talking about the 1:1 connection between the player’s Wii remote/nun chuck and Link’s sword and shield. Like Ocarina taking us into a new dimension, Skyward Sword did as well. It brought us to interactive gameplay; it merged the screen with our own world. For that reason, Skyward Sword reached the 4th dimension. This 4th dimension is our world fused with Link’s, for example, when you do a horizontal slash from left to right, Link does it. When you hold up your nun chuck, Link holds up his shield. This 1:1 connection also drove new enemy design like the Deku Babas seen here. Combat became more precise.
Never have I been so immersed in a Zelda game, but that’s because it was almost more than a game. Gone were the days of jamming the ‘A’ button down, gone were the days of even Twilight Princess’ Wii ported, sorry excuse for a motion controlled sword, where I waved the Wii remote around frantically, sporadically, until I wished I had bought the GameCube version of TP. For the first time, Link holding his sword in his right hand felt so…right. Killing those first few Bokoblins in SS was so fun; I was like a kid in a bouncy castle, laughing from pure joy. I thought, “This is it, this is what a Zelda game is supposed to be like. This is the reason why Miyamoto was so giddy before the release of this game, why he was so excited about the 1:1 sword connection, as if his dreams were finally realized.” And mine too.
And now, we’re on the cusp of something new. Legend of Zelda Wii U is in development and I could not be more excited for more 1:1 swordplay, because I can’t go back now. Never again should there be another 3D Zelda title without this 1:1 connection. Zelda has evolved.
So what do you think? Do you think that Zelda Wii U will/should include this 1:1 sword connection? Were you content pressing ‘A’ to do a sword slash? Are motion controls just not for you?
