Forums

Topic: Why is Skyward Sword the new black sheep of the Zelda franchise?

Posts 21 to 40 of 104

Dreamz

I didn't touch Skyward Sword until two months ago. While overall I enjoyed the game, I really, really disliked several aspects. I'll try not to make a wall of text here. Also, warning, there will be spoilers, so. definitely don't read below if you don't want certain things ruined.

The Good:

  • The characterizations. The cast of Skyward Sword is the best the franchise has ever seen. The various people of Skyloft all have very distinct personalities, and even Link himself this time isn't nearly as bland as we're used to him being. Groose is quite possibly my favorite character in the entire franchise. Impa and Zelda felt just right, the various people at the Knight Academy were all great to interact with, and even the girl who ran the bank had her own little side story with Link. Fi's computer-ness was a really interesting take, and Ghirahim...oh my. He's by far the most unusual foe we've ever had in the franchise, and honestly I liked him so much that I didn't really want to fight him - Demise felt bland in comparison.
  • The music. I really adored the game's soundtrack. Special honors go to the Ballad of the Goddess, a haunting piece which is one of my favorite songs ever seen in the franchise, second only to the classic Zelda main theme.

The Bad:

  • The overworld. The area around Skyloft is massive waste of space. We have this awesome bird to fly about with, yet absolutely nowhere interesting to go with it. How did Nintendo manage to make flight of all things boring?
  • Tunneling. No, not the mogma variety. I mean the fact that game is extremely linear. While it's not as bad as say, FFXIII, the game is practically glued to rails for the vast majority of the game. While this has been a recurring problem ever since the 3D Zeldas were introduced, it's never been quite this bad or noticeable before.
  • Excessive hand-holding. What I mean by this is the way that Fi always warns when your health gets low. The constant reminders of game functions. The information window that pops up every single time the first time you get a crafting item during a play session. Yes game, I know what Amber relics are. I have 75 of them in my inventory, after all. Yes Fi, I'm well aware of the giant target painted on the enemy's vulnerable point. Captain Obvious is obvious.

The Ugly:

  • Recycling. This was bad, really bad. While it's not unusual to revisit areas in Zelda games, never before have we seen entire areas recycled repeatedly like this, and even dungeons were given this treatment. Recycle an area once, understandable. Recycle an area two, three, four, five, more times? That's a development team that needs remedial courses on resource allocation. But it didn't stop there. We had two different boss fights that were recycled multiple times. While they weren't exactly the same, they were so similar that it felt like exactly the same fight. The final fight with Ghirahim before he summons demise is the exception as it was different enough that it felt fresh.

For me, while I think Skyward Sword was a great game, it was really frustrating to see how easily it could have been the best entry in the series with a few changes.

Edited on by Dreamz

My 3rd Party Games List: Click here
U-Wishlist: Splatoon, Zelda U

Nintendo_Ninja

FishieFish wrote:

Untitled

So funny, yet so true.

Nintendo ID Network: Nintendo_Ninja
Mario Maker ID: LR5-VQV-THG

HappyHappyist

FishieFish wrote:

Untitled

gotta love 4chan

i am part of a social group interested in uniting the world by painting it blue.
Blue blue.

HappyHappyist

Dreamz wrote:

I didn't touch Skyward Sword until two months ago. While overall I enjoyed the game, I really, really disliked several aspects. I'll try not to make a wall of text here. Also, warning, there will be spoilers, so. definitely don't read below if you don't want certain things ruined.

The Good:

  • The characterizations. The cast of Skyward Sword is the best the franchise has ever seen. The various people of Skyloft all have very distinct personalities, and even Link himself this time isn't nearly as bland as we're used to him being. Groose is quite possibly my favorite character in the entire franchise. Impa and Zelda felt just right, the various people at the Knight Academy were all great to interact with, and even the girl who ran the bank had her own little side story with Link. Fi's computer-ness was a really interesting take, and Ghirahim...oh my. He's by far the most unusual foe we've ever had in the franchise, and honestly I liked him so much that I didn't really want to fight him - Demise felt bland in comparison.
  • The music. I really adored the game's soundtrack. Special honors go to the Ballad of the Goddess, a haunting piece which is one of my favorite songs ever seen in the franchise, second only to the classic Zelda main theme.

The Bad:

  • The overworld. The area around Skyloft is massive waste of space. We have this awesome bird to fly about with, yet absolutely nowhere interesting to go with it. How did Nintendo manage to make flight of all things boring?
  • Tunneling. No, not the mogma variety. I mean the fact that game is extremely linear. While it's not as bad as say, FFXIII, the game is practically glued to rails for the vast majority of the game. While this has been a recurring problem ever since the 3D Zeldas were introduced, it's never been quite this bad or noticeable before.
  • Excessive hand-holding. What I mean by this is the way that Fi always warns when your health gets low. The constant reminders of game functions. The information window that pops up every single time the first time you get a crafting item during a play session. Yes game, I know what Amber relics are. I have 75 of them in my inventory, after all. Yes Fi, I'm well aware of the giant target painted on the enemy's vulnerable point. Captain Obvious is obvious.

The Ugly:

  • Recycling. This was bad, really bad. While it's not unusual to revisit areas in Zelda games, never before have we seen entire areas recycled repeatedly like this, and even dungeons were given this treatment. Recycle an area once, understandable. Recycle an area two, three, four, five, more times? That's a development team that needs remedial courses on resource allocation. But it didn't stop there. We had two different boss fights that were recycled multiple times. While they weren't exactly the same, they were so similar that it felt like exactly the same fight. The final fight with Ghirahim before he summons demise is the exception as it was different enough that it felt fresh.

For me, while I think Skyward Sword was a great game, it was really frustrating to see how easily it could have been the best entry in the series with a few changes.

Addressing the good:
*The characterizations - It's true that the NPCs each have a personality, but I didn't find a single one interesting enough to care about. Link was more expressive in the Wind Waker than in this game. Groose is a simple character with an incredibly simple character arc, but it works I guess. Fi is a problem though, why is she even in this section (the good)? I saw no signs of character, had no interest in her, and no redeemable qualities.
*The Music - Agree here, but I think some of the best music isn't given the time it deserves to shine. Most of the time it's the same background music from the areas that are constantly being recycled. However, upgrade the Spirit Tracks soundtrack to higher quality audio performance, and it's easily much better than the SS soundtrack.

i am part of a social group interested in uniting the world by painting it blue.
Blue blue.

TromboneGamer

It's entirely about preference if you ask me. I don't have a problem with any of the 3D zeldas. Egoraptor (omg referencing a popular internet entity, how atrocious) made a pretty in depth argument as to why he finds they are not rewarding. The points he makes make a lot of sense. Some people are gameplay oriented and others find the gameplay at least tolerable enough to take in the atmosphere, story, and sense of adventure no matter how illusory they may be. Personally I find them enjoyable either way. However, The new Zelda has the potential to create the greatest sense of freedom and adventure the series has seen since the original.

My Twitch

3DS Friend Code: 5412-9902-3413 | Nintendo Network ID: TromboneGamer | Twitter:

moomoo

I wasn't a big fan of Skyward Sword, but I'm pretty sure Zelda 2 will always be the black sheep of the franchise. That's a game with way more problems.

Still doesn't make Egoraptor's rant any less great.

Best thread ever
Feel free to add me on Miiverse or PSN.
Miiverse is Moomoo14, PSN is Moomoo1405390

3DS Friend Code: 4940-5561-6002 | Nintendo Network ID: Moomoo14

MsJubilee

I love skyward sword and i had no problem with the controls, and the black sheep of the zelda series is all of them cause all of them has their pros and cons.No one can say a zelda game is perfect gameplay or story wise,but is my opinion in the matter.

The Harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. When the going gets tough, the tough gets going.

I'm currently playing Assassin's Creed: Revelations & Watch Dogs 2

Switch Friend Code: SW-5827-3728-4676 | 3DS Friend Code: 3738-0822-0742

MixMasterMudkip

I'll be honest the only reason I like Skyward Sword more then Twilight Princess is because Groose, but to be fair Ooccoo is also pretty great.
Untitled
I want both to be playable in Hyrule Warriors.

Edited on by MixMasterMudkip

Friend Code: 5241-2232-9791
Friend Safari is Fire with: Ponyta, Pyroar, Braixan
Mario Kart 8 Tournament: "Rosalina's Booty Cup" Code: 5852-0678-9577

Nintendo Network ID: MixMasterMudkip | Twitter:

unrandomsam

I never liked Windwaker. (I did love the Ocarina of Time Master Quest though.) and I still don't like it. I cannot understand very much how now it is liked but previously it wasn't.

I liked Twilight Princess (But I got the Gamecube version).

“30fps Is Not a Good Artistic Decision, It's a Failure”
Freedom of the press is for those who happen to own one.

Jazzer94

Nintendo_Ninja wrote:

kkslider5552000 wrote:

This has happened with nearly every 3D Zelda. It is nothing new.

I mean, I could point out the actual valid reasons to not like the game but it doesn't matter because much of the people are hating it because it's the new 3D Zelda. That is it.

Nobody hated on MM or OoT this much.

I see you've never come across the LTTP elitists, also MM still gets a lot of hat to this day because of the time system.

PSN: mangaJman
SSBB FC: 1204-1132-2888
My YouTube
The Jazzloggery
Once you see you can never unsee

3DS Friend Code: 5155-3100-6367 | Nintendo Network ID: Justinius94

Eel

There certainly exist a part of the fandom that regards ALttP as the greatest game ever created, and every other non-ALttP Zelda as mere imitation garbage.

And yet I think sword play is very unreliable in that game. Almost as bad as in the original.

The GB games games perfected the 2D art of the sword.

Bloop.

<My slightly less dead youtube channel>

SMM2 Maker ID: 69R-F81-NLG

My Nintendo: Abgarok | Nintendo Network ID: Abgarok

sinalefa

I liked the game a lot. I love how it looks, the storyline and the music. Groose and Ghirahim are my favorite characters. Of the new races my favorite are the Mogmas.

And I had zero problems with the controls. It does not get more intuitive than "swing the sword as if you were Link", and parries add a lot more strategy than just blocking and dodging. If Zelda U goes back to combat using buttons, I will feel it is a step backwards. In SS, fights became puzzles, even fights with simpler enemies like Lizalfos or Stalfos. No other game that I know of has given me the feeling of having the sword and wield it (except of course Wii Sports Resort). And because of the IR pointer, item select is a lot faster than in most Zeldas.

I will comment in this thread, never being able to find it again.

Number_6

randomlypikachu wrote:

since the controls are being brought up so much am i the only one who didn't have an issue with them or what o.o ? really the controls were pretty simple, pretty easy to preform was i just lucky or what? motion control wasn't even bad when i played.

I didn't think the motion controls were that bad overall EXCEPT when I had to perform a straight forward stab. Soooo many times I just wanted to do a simple stab, but nope, Link would swing the sword. This would even happen sometimes when I was being extremely careful with my control movement. That caused my frustration meter to spike more than once. Otherwise I rarely had issues with the controls. I like SS, although for the record I still prefer Twilight Princess.

I am not a number, I am a free man!
Er, except on my 3DS - 3308-4553-9848

Rezalack

I loved this game. It's probably the best console Zelda next to Majora's Mask for me. The controls were a bit strange at first, but once I got the hang of it I just felt that much more immersed. The art-style is excellent as well. Glad they're kind of taking a similar route with the Wii U as far as the color goes.

Rezalack

Nintendo Network ID: Spuratis

ZurrrrBlattTron

mamp wrote:

People are saying every new game of Zelda is the black sheep, but then there's A Link Between Worlds and people seem to like that game considering how it changed up the formula.

I know tons of people that hate A Link Between Worlds I'm kinda divided on it as well

ZurrrrBlattTron

Twitter:

Octane

Ah.. Skyward Sword.. It's not my favourite Zelda game, in fact, it's one of my least favourite. Is it a bad game? Not really, but it doesn't live up to the quality of gameplay other Zelda games have offered;

The controls were terrible. I've seen plenty of other games use motion controls a lot better. Combat wasn't great with motion controls, but the mini games became tedious because of that (I still haven't finished that harp mini game in the Lumpy Pumpkin). Plus that fact that I had to center my Wii Remote every 5 minutes didn't do good to the experience either.

The game was linear, and there was little exploration. I still don't understand why they didn't connect the three regions (Faron, Eldin & Lanayru). I'd rather walk to the other side of the map, than trying find a bird statue, get back on birdy in the sky, fly all the way to another hole in the clouds, and land again. It would at least make the world feel larger as well. The Sky was quite empty on the other hand, most of the sidequests were located in Skyloft. Some more sidequests across the Sky and down in Faron, Eldin & Lanayru certainly wouldn't hurt the game either.

I didn't mind the revisits to previous areas, I actually thought they were done in a clever manner. The dungeons were neat, although the bosses weren't very memorable. Well, I guess the music and the visuals were pretty good as well. Skyward Sword tried to be a new Zelda, but was held back by Fi's handholding, the lacklustre linear gameplay and bad controls.

Edited on by Octane

Octane

19Robb92

IMO Skyward Sword suffered a lot due to the Wii's hardware limitation. It feels like they wanted to do a lot of grand things that didn't work with the current hardware, so they had to work around the hardware to try to make it work. Re-used areas, re-used bosses, scarce overworld etc..

I like it though, but it's not my favorite Zelda by any means.

Looking forward to: No More Heroes: Travis Strikes Again

3DS Friend Code: 3007-8070-6318 | Nintendo Network ID: 19Robb92

Grumblevolcano

WaveBoy wrote:

unrandomsam wrote:

I never liked Windwaker. (I did love the Ocarina of Time Master Quest though.) and I still don't like it. I cannot understand very much how now it is liked but previously it wasn't.

I liked Twilight Princess (But I got the Gamecube version).

Wind Waker was the only zelda experience that i found boring.....The snail slow sailing was sleep inducing, lack of dungeons, annoying soundtrack and lack of difficulty really through me off.

Most of your problems were fixed in Wind Waker HD. Sailing became much faster with the Swift Sail and a difficult mode available from the start exists (Hero Mode). "Annoying soundtrack" can of course be fixed by muting the TV/gamepad and listening to other music which leaves the lack of dungeons as the only remaining problem.

The only 2 Zelda games that I've played and have issues with is Skyward Sword and Zelda II. I don't like the side scrolling gameplay of Zelda II, Skyward Sword has precision issues and Fi is annoying.

Grumblevolcano

Switch Friend Code: SW-2595-6790-2897 | 3DS Friend Code: 3926-6300-7087 | Nintendo Network ID: GrumbleVolcano

Benjelo

I just found that in SS that the dungeons were easy as far as figuring out how to complete it but hard in the sense that I needed to get the motion controls to work correctly. No, they were not so bad that I couldn't successfully perform each attack, but concentrating on both the puzzle and the motion controls was just too much for me. I'm not saying it was a bad game, it just wasn't for me. Also, I feel like they overdid the motion controls. I enjoy the simply pressing buttons instead of swinging my arms around when I'm just trying to relax and play a Zelda game. So far, SS is the only Zelda game I did not enjoy, but again that's just my opinion.

FC(3ds):2423-1966-6724
"I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause." Job 5:8

3DS Friend Code: 2423-1966-6724 | Nintendo Network ID: Benjelo

This topic has been archived, no further posts can be added.