Skyward Sword Review

Info
Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Nintendo Wii
E: For everyone

Requirements
Wiimote, Nunchuk controller, Wii Motion Plus 

Story
Skyward Sword is the latest title in the ever popular Legend of Zelda series. Yet another prequel, it takes place at the very beginning of the Zelda timeline. In this installation, Zelda is not a princess, Link is training to be a knight, and the two are lifelong friends. However, tragedy strikes as Zelda mysteriously vanishes into a black tornado, and is carried away from her home on the floating island of Skyloft.


Characters
The characters in this game were, if nothing else, interesting. Link was his same basic self. Zelda got more character development, as well as evident romantic interest in Link. However, two characters really stood out to me. Fi serves as Link's sidekick in this game, offering him enemy info, as well as hints if you get lost. The only problem, is that she's a glorified computer program. She doesn't seem to have any emotions, and this makes it very difficult to feel attached to her. On the other end of the spectrum is Demon Lord Ghirahim. Ghirahim is a sadistic creep. He serves as the main antagonist for most of the game. During his interactions with Link, he tends to get way too close, and threaten Link with murder, torture, and other such things. Whenever he's around, he's either trying to abduct Zelda, or making your life hell. 

Graphics
Skyward Sword's graphics seem to be a blending of two games from Zelda's past; Wind Waker's cel shaded approach, and Twilight Princess' more realistic take on the game. The result is fantastic, allowing for the vibrant colors of a cartoon, and the depth of "normal" graphics. It felt very appropriate in this game, and made for some very grand locations, such as the Fire Sanctuary, and Lanayru Sand Sea.

Sound
With a soundtrack inspired by past Zelda games, this game's music is definitely a pleasure. It continues the series' reputation for having truly fantastic music. However, one of my favorite things was the bonus audio cd that came with the game. The disc contains eight songs from Zelda's 25th Anniversary Concert. It's an absolute pleasure to listen to, with some of the series' most well known pieces re-orchestrated into a beautiful symphony.  

Gameplay
The controls feel better than ever. The Motion Plus powered combat truly makes you feel engaged in battle. Using this technology, every move you make with the Wiimote is duplicated onscreen with Link's sword. It's very cool how you now have to attack enemies based on weak points, or past their parries. Even using the Nunchuk to bash enemies with your shield feels very empowering. Thankfully, the controls were very easy to get a hang of as well; it all felt very intuitive. There was, however, at least one issue. Often times when using an item, you would shift to a first person view with an targeting reticle. Sometimes while in this mode, the Wii's sensor would get confused and cause you to aim in inane ways. This can cause minor issue in tight situations, but thankfully the developers noticed this, and made an easy way to reset your Wiimote, thereby minimizing the problems it could cause.

Conclusion
This game is absolutely fantastic. There were very few issues with it, and it was incredibly enjoyable, and likely to keep you on the edge of your seat. I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys adventure games, sword fighters, those who enjoy puzzles, and any Zelda fans out there who have yet to try it.