The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

 Wii
User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 2628 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,980 out of 2628
  2. Mixed: 360 out of 2628
  3. Negative: 288 out of 2628
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  1. DailySalesman
    Mar 22, 2015
    10
    I've never played a game with such fantastic controls and gameplay as this. Skyward Sword amazed me at every turn from its thrilling story to its shocking plot twists (does that count as a spoiler?) and its Wind Waker-esque art style. Skyward Sword takes the best from all the Zelda games (except for the three-day cycle, that is) and makes it bigger and better than ever before. The combatI've never played a game with such fantastic controls and gameplay as this. Skyward Sword amazed me at every turn from its thrilling story to its shocking plot twists (does that count as a spoiler?) and its Wind Waker-esque art style. Skyward Sword takes the best from all the Zelda games (except for the three-day cycle, that is) and makes it bigger and better than ever before. The combat is improved and the motion controls add new life to an already great franchise. Skyward Sword is one word: outstanding.… Expand
  2. Vataro
    Mar 16, 2015
    9
    Die Steuerung war zwar gewöhnungsbedürftig , auch die Grafik , aber der Soundtrack (Orchestral *.*) , die Dungeons und die Bosse + Ideen waren überragend , auch Ghirahim konnte ich etwas abgewinnen ^-^
  3. starraider
    Mar 13, 2015
    9
    To everybody who hates on this game for being linear and having motion controls really make it worth giving a 0. If you want to see what a zero looks like check out Big Rigs over the Road racing. This game is not perfect but it does so much right at the same time that it can be forgiven. First of all the motion controls for me worked 95% of the time. I don't know why some people had such aTo everybody who hates on this game for being linear and having motion controls really make it worth giving a 0. If you want to see what a zero looks like check out Big Rigs over the Road racing. This game is not perfect but it does so much right at the same time that it can be forgiven. First of all the motion controls for me worked 95% of the time. I don't know why some people had such a problem getting them to work properly. The only real flaw that this game has is the companion Fi. She is just so annoying spouting exposition and pointing out the painfully obvious. But story wise she works great… Expand
  4. SirKirbyThe4th
    Feb 9, 2015
    6
    Quick, Fi! Summarize the cut scene I LITERALLY watched less than 1/2 a second ago! Let's explore the same places 7 million times! Where is the eye I need to hit?
    Good game.
  5. Coolcaspar
    Jan 22, 2015
    10
    Skyward sword a fantasitic game:

    I just need to say the controls in skyward sword were not bad guys they were actually very responsive and the combat was really cool cause it meant that every fight was like a chess game reacting to what the enemy did and reacting upon the action your enemy took. i reallyyyyyyyy like the combat that also made the bossfights very cool i especilly liked    Skyward sword a fantasitic game:

    I just need to say the controls in skyward sword were not bad guys they were actually very responsive and the combat was really cool cause it meant that every fight was like a chess game reacting to what the enemy did and reacting upon the action your enemy took. i reallyyyyyyyy like the combat that also made the bossfights very cool i especilly liked the giantrobot which named has escaped my head right now.

    I agree tht t took som getting use to but when you or at least when i did i truly felt that i was the great hero who was send on a questwielding the skyward sword in my hand. i know some might think that this game had no exploration which might be true i didnt really bother me cause i was so driven by chaacters cool gameplay and a fatastic story. Also i think that the way they made the game by not only focussing on dungeons but also the land sorrunding them was fantastic and made me explore a far more great area than just a dungeon.

    I also really liked the side mission which made me learn a lot more about some of the best charecters the zelda series had to offer while taking me on quest which were generally exciting and made me explore.

    The puzzels in this are also fantastic made so they're not cheap (so you ge stuck and) but stil quite interestin/demanding of the player.

    The places you wentwere also amazing and place were unique which made you feel like you were treversing great distances and added to the feeling that you were and a epic journe.

    It always felt like i was on an adventure which is what i want from a zelda game and i never felt frustrated in this game it always made me want to keep going because of all the things i ave listed. I really love this game and i get a feeling playing this game which none other can recreate. I even like this game more than ocarina of time a lot more actually, this game is truly a masterpiece.

    Ps: shooting with bow and arrow in this game is the best thing ever espesially when you snipe an enemy from a long distance :3    … Expand
  6. Brendon6446
    Jan 21, 2015
    7
    I beat the first temple (thats enough to judge the game i believe) and the game is good. Solid story, big map, decent art style, eh....ok characters. The bright colored world is different but probably most similar to wind waker if i had to choose anyway the game has good intentions but what really got to me were the motion controls. The motion controls are very annoying and difficult. ThisI beat the first temple (thats enough to judge the game i believe) and the game is good. Solid story, big map, decent art style, eh....ok characters. The bright colored world is different but probably most similar to wind waker if i had to choose anyway the game has good intentions but what really got to me were the motion controls. The motion controls are very annoying and difficult. This zelda had the worst controls of the entire franchise. The controls is what lowered the score of this game for me. Nintendo is a great company and what is cool about them is that they are always trying something new and succeed a lot but sometimes you fail. That being said everything besides the controls are solid so i believe my score is reasonable until i play the game more… Expand
  7. Sploin
    Jan 18, 2015
    9
    I really liked the motion control this game offered. It made me feel much more immersed into the game.
    A blast game to try it out!! The story, plot are so well written. A master piece.
    I truly like it that you can upgrade your items by collecting materials that are spread out in the world. It makes me feel upgrading myself all time by upgrading.

    A master piece.
  8. MrCommonSense
    Jan 11, 2015
    4
    I'm just going to cut to the chase, This game honestly kinda sucks. If it wasn't on the **** console in recent history then things could have been FAR different but as it is the controls are wonky thanks to the fact that you have to reset your freaking controller every few minutes just so that you can actually freaking play the game. The graphics are decent but they are blended with aI'm just going to cut to the chase, This game honestly kinda sucks. If it wasn't on the **** console in recent history then things could have been FAR different but as it is the controls are wonky thanks to the fact that you have to reset your freaking controller every few minutes just so that you can actually freaking play the game. The graphics are decent but they are blended with a bubblegum bright color scheme to hide the fact that the wii was a cheap piece of **** barely capable of producing graphics on par with the gamecube.

    My biggest gripe with this game is that every aspect of it seems to be marketed towards children. All of the things that made Twilight Princess and Majora's Mask so amazing are completely absent in this game. The dark brooding atmosphere and creative enemies and bosses are replaced with neon bright colors and almost friendly looking foes, Not to mention the fact that there are like. MAYBE twenty people in the floating city that you are protecting and the fact that the freaking zoras are replaced with TALKING SEAHORSES.

    This game is just plain **** and I never even bothered to finish it.    … Expand
  9. CaptainFalco
    Jan 11, 2015
    10
    Skyward Sword is a fantastic game, and my personal favorite in the series. The elegant and engaging control system is what makes this game my most cherished in the series. The dungeon and puzzle designs are top notch, and the boss fights are thrilling. The art style is beautiful and unique. There are some minor flaws such as the occasional control hiccup, a general lack of meatySkyward Sword is a fantastic game, and my personal favorite in the series. The elegant and engaging control system is what makes this game my most cherished in the series. The dungeon and puzzle designs are top notch, and the boss fights are thrilling. The art style is beautiful and unique. There are some minor flaws such as the occasional control hiccup, a general lack of meaty exploration (likely due to the limitations of Wii hardware), unpolished graphics in some places and some backtracking, but overall the game is a masterpiece. 11/10.… Expand
  10. DjChainsaw24
    Dec 27, 2014
    10
    The game is perfect. The controls are great,the story was awesome,the art style was beautiful, and everything else was great a awesome game. The one bad thing Fi but only during the first part. Still i love the game as much or more than Ocarina of Time.
  11. TheBlondeNerd
    Dec 7, 2014
    10
    Controls are awesome. Visuals and story are best in the series. Sure it's a little more linear but I think it a change for the best. Stop reading this review and go buy it, it's not very expensive on half.com or Amazon.
  12. Joaco890
    Nov 27, 2014
    1
    Zelda Skyward sword was a game that was meant for Wii U but rushed to be sold on the Wii console, that's the only possible explanation, since it showed elements that had enormous potential, yet snowballed in the small but relevant aspects of a Zelda game, being the worst Zelda I've ever played so far and the only ones i still haven't played are the ones on Phillips CDI.

    The story:    Zelda Skyward sword was a game that was meant for Wii U but rushed to be sold on the Wii console, that's the only possible explanation, since it showed elements that had enormous potential, yet snowballed in the small but relevant aspects of a Zelda game, being the worst Zelda I've ever played so far and the only ones i still haven't played are the ones on Phillips CDI.

    The story: Filled with the new Japanese trend where the evil guy belittles the hero only to find himself being beaten at the end. But besides that it still keeps a Zelda-ish story.

    The World: A world you want to explore yet you find yourself walking around small stages-like maps with some puzzles that unlocks an item in another map that you have visited hundreds of times(ridiculous), with the exception of the desert map(that was an awesome fresh map). The concept of an explorable sky world was awesome but it was so empty and monotonous that exploring it didn't give me any satisfaction.

    The assistant: Useless, annoying, it's like one of those MTV shows were they test how long can you keep your cool before raging making her the hardest boss of the game. Not only it will interrupt you in the middle of a fight breaking your "immersion", it will do it to inform you about trivial things or things you already know.( PS: She also spoils all the puzzles in the game.....a game that consists about puzzles and exploration)

    The Menu: Was decent.....until you reach the part where you start picking up items to upgrade your equipment... Who was the genius who thought it was a good idea to show you the menu and the explanation every time you turn on the game and pick one of those items?? If you are in the middle of a fight and a monster drops one of those you will not only see the classic pick up animation, but also be taken to the collectible items menu where they will show you what you collected.....

    (I'm not implying they should make the puzzles harder to solve, but to actually give the player a chance to think of a solution, instead of having the assistant playing the role of a tourist guide immediately.

    The items: Really liked the scarab one, it really made full use of the wiimote, the whip was so-so since it was pretty much a fancy grappling hook. The other items didn't add anything new to the game except that new interaction with the bomb.

    The mount: Funny to use, but only available in two maps which is kind of sad, also you cant use your items while you are mounting it....

    The final boss: Didn't even face him, Phi, the true final boss beat me after the "final boss" opened the portal to the final battle.

    So to the people who gave this game a good rate and dare to criticize those who disliked it should go back to all the other Zelda and play them once again.

    It didn't feel like a Zelda.

    No interesting side quests, extra items and stories
    Lack of puzzles( since Phi spoils them)
    Lack of open world elements

    1/10 as a Zelda

    3/10 as a Game    … Expand
  13. MisterButter
    Nov 22, 2014
    5
    I have a bunch of small complaints but the big one is the motion controls. It's an interesting idea but it makes fighting simple enemys very difficult. So think about it, do I wanna play a video game or do I wanna get sword fighting lessons?
  14. jkersey
    Nov 21, 2014
    3
    This game is like a mad scientist's experiment to create the worst possible Legend of Zelda game. Vast, explorable words? Take that out, and put in clunky flying to get anywhere. Awesome monster, boss, and level designs? Nah, replace that **** with repeating dungeons, recycled bosses (you literally fight two bosses twice), and very few monster types.
    Vast arsenal to collect and use? Hah,    This game is like a mad scientist's experiment to create the worst possible Legend of Zelda game. Vast, explorable words? Take that out, and put in clunky flying to get anywhere. Awesome monster, boss, and level designs? Nah, replace that **** with repeating dungeons, recycled bosses (you literally fight two bosses twice), and very few monster types.
    Vast arsenal to collect and use? Hah, how about a limited inventory that can only be expanded by collecting thousand of rupees to have a slightly less tiny inventory? Oh, you also have to farm for items like a Monster Hunter game to improve your items...except you're walking as slow as you can with a bug net to catch one bird. That's fun right?
    But the real fun comes with the combat. And by fun, I mean swinging, and getting ticked off that the controller doesn't pick up what direction you're swinging in. And you thought Navi was bad? Wait until you get to meet Fi, who makes her look like a pleasant walk in the park.
    Top all of this off with a dash of fetch quests, a sprinkle of escort missions, a dallop of glitches, and a heap of dungeons just to get to the actual temples, and you have yourself a bafflingly disappointing LoZ game. At least with Wind Waker, I can understand why people enjoyed it while I personally didn't. With this game, I honestly can't see what people even like about it.

    The music is nice, though.    … Expand
  15. Game_Row
    Nov 16, 2014
    6
    This game had potential. Good storyline, decent maps, and a cool new way for transportation. After you stop drooling from all these great new features let's get into the needy greedy. Nintendo tries to implement their motion plus. This makes it really annoying. You will be constantly trying to level it again and again making it difficult to control. This game makes you use thisThis game had potential. Good storyline, decent maps, and a cool new way for transportation. After you stop drooling from all these great new features let's get into the needy greedy. Nintendo tries to implement their motion plus. This makes it really annoying. You will be constantly trying to level it again and again making it difficult to control. This game makes you use this feature by controlling your transportation, sword, and many other aspects. Not cool, especially when fighting enemies. I think I got half way in the game and haven't picked it up since. I'm sure I would have had a better experience if Nintendo gave me a controller option.

    -Game_Row    … Expand
  16. KeyboredMonkey
    Nov 2, 2014
    10
    This is a Wii game everyone must have! It's amazing in every single aspect. I'm talking plot, graphics, atmosphere, bosses, and Kikwis!
    Well done Miyamoto, Nintendo!
    Oh and Warning: Be prepared for Kolotos!
  17. brendansands
    Oct 31, 2014
    10
    This was the first Zelda game I ever played. I was amazed by how fun it was. When I first got the wii, I remember playing wii sports resort fencing, and saying that I wish there was an entire game based off this mechanic. On Christmas my brother got this game and it just sat there. One day I played it and had a ton of fun. the motion controls worked fine I have no idea why people dislikeThis was the first Zelda game I ever played. I was amazed by how fun it was. When I first got the wii, I remember playing wii sports resort fencing, and saying that I wish there was an entire game based off this mechanic. On Christmas my brother got this game and it just sat there. One day I played it and had a ton of fun. the motion controls worked fine I have no idea why people dislike them. it is like no other game. Now I love the Zelda series. I have played almost every game in the series and this is still one of my favorites. A must play.… Expand
  18. ACM3PTS
    Oct 28, 2014
    10
    Don't listen to bad reviews, they're just pissed because of the motion controls and more linear structure, but that doesn't make this game any less a Zelda game. The motion controls work great, and the story, while not the strongest in the series, it's quite good. Same with the music, it's great.

    Going into the stuff this game does right, there are the dungeons; this game has easily the    Don't listen to bad reviews, they're just pissed because of the motion controls and more linear structure, but that doesn't make this game any less a Zelda game. The motion controls work great, and the story, while not the strongest in the series, it's quite good. Same with the music, it's great.

    Going into the stuff this game does right, there are the dungeons; this game has easily the strongest set of dungeons in the series and the bosses are as good as Ocarina's and Twilight's. It also has the best characters and character development, with a Zelda that you actually care about. The game is colorful and it's one of the best looking games on the Wii. One worry I had was that it would overuse the motion controls like most Wii games, thankfully it doesn't.

    Now, for what the game did wrong, it feels kind of linear because you go back to the first three areas twice, the difference each time you go back is that you explore new regions. People use this as an excuse to say that it's linear, but it's just an illusion. The other major thing I have issues with is Fi, she is by far worse than Navi. This are all just little complaints that don't really affect much the experience.

    This is a must play if you have a Wii, and remember, don't listen to the bad reviews.    … Expand
  19. dugmate
    Oct 28, 2014
    10
    Fantastic game. The Wiimote control aspect is intuitive and adds to the gameplay experience. Overall I found the controls fluid and responsive, just like a Zelda game should. Enemies are designed around this mechanic, each one with their own particular system, a mini-game within a game. The puzzles are engaging but not too difficult. The graphics are commendable considering the limitationsFantastic game. The Wiimote control aspect is intuitive and adds to the gameplay experience. Overall I found the controls fluid and responsive, just like a Zelda game should. Enemies are designed around this mechanic, each one with their own particular system, a mini-game within a game. The puzzles are engaging but not too difficult. The graphics are commendable considering the limitations of the Wii. Sure, the lack of anti-aliasing is fairly obvious, overall, I am willing to overlook this because everything looks so darn beautiful. More importantly, the art direction is fantastic. The sound is what you come to expect from the big N, perfect. It gets better and better with each generation. Some really nice orchestral pieces really add to the atmosphere. The story is fairly well written and serves as the linchpin for the entire series, good twist at the end too! I struggle to understand how you could rate this game a zero. I am admittedly a fanboy of the series so I am biased, but I think that it is a disservice to assign this game such a low score. I give Skyward Sword 9.6 out of 10.… Expand
  20. Chris71186
    Oct 15, 2014
    0
    This is the only Zelda game I ever bought that I resold to a used video game vendor. To learn that this game had so many high reviews was just baffling to me. The wii controls made me want to pull my hair out. Yeah it made fights more challenging but I always liked the feeling of knocking back a ton of enemies and feeling a step above all of my opponents. The fact that even battling aThis is the only Zelda game I ever bought that I resold to a used video game vendor. To learn that this game had so many high reviews was just baffling to me. The wii controls made me want to pull my hair out. Yeah it made fights more challenging but I always liked the feeling of knocking back a ton of enemies and feeling a step above all of my opponents. The fact that even battling a goblin was a tiresome task made me want to throw the game away before it ever started. I admit the flashy cutscenes are really truly enjoyable but if that is what gives this game it's high ratings than it truly defines where we put our value in videogame quality. Fi felt like a dripping faucet and a nagging girlfriend who did everything but actually help me. There is absolutely no exploration with this game either. Worst Zelda game ever and I truly hope Nintendo doesn't repeat this model or zelda games might very well be ruined for me forever.… Expand
  21. Steeldude
    Oct 13, 2014
    9
    The controls easily turn this game into a must-play. There is nothing more satisfying other than using the Wiimote as a real sword and fighting the enemies in this game. There are equipment upgrades as well as many sidequests, definitely a lot of content. Nevertheless, the story is quite bland, which is a shame for a Zelda games. Also, boss fights seem to be re-used way too much in thisThe controls easily turn this game into a must-play. There is nothing more satisfying other than using the Wiimote as a real sword and fighting the enemies in this game. There are equipment upgrades as well as many sidequests, definitely a lot of content. Nevertheless, the story is quite bland, which is a shame for a Zelda games. Also, boss fights seem to be re-used way too much in this game. Still, it's a game that has to be experienced by everyone.… Expand
  22. thebeachinator
    Oct 12, 2014
    6
    I have played every zelda game so far. I am a huge fan of the series, but this may be the worst one in my opinion. My main objection is with the combat style. The sword follows the wii remotes movements. You have to swing at the openings in the opponent's defense. The angle of the swing is very important and I just can't control it properly. When i wind up for a backhand swing, LinkI have played every zelda game so far. I am a huge fan of the series, but this may be the worst one in my opinion. My main objection is with the combat style. The sword follows the wii remotes movements. You have to swing at the openings in the opponent's defense. The angle of the swing is very important and I just can't control it properly. When i wind up for a backhand swing, Link just swings forehand right into the enemies' block and then staggers backwards. Its clumsy and frustrating. Everything else is good and the flying system is great. But overall I have lost interest and don't think i will ever finish the game.… Expand
  23. PAOerfulone
    Sep 11, 2014
    10
    My first 100% playthrough of the Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, was an experience I will never forget, for all the right reasons. This game is simply beautiful in just about every aspect that it's trying to do. I loved it so much that I did a 2nd 100% playthrough just a few months afterwards. #3 is right around the corner. The motion controls are the best that the Wii has to offer and itMy first 100% playthrough of the Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, was an experience I will never forget, for all the right reasons. This game is simply beautiful in just about every aspect that it's trying to do. I loved it so much that I did a 2nd 100% playthrough just a few months afterwards. #3 is right around the corner. The motion controls are the best that the Wii has to offer and it executes perfectly your WiiMotePlus movements and Link's sword movements are a perfect 1:1 relationship. The dungeons are the best that the series has to offer, everyone of them is a joy to travel trough and none of them were a chore, tedious, or down-right frustrating. (OOT: Water and Forest Temple, MM: Great Bay Temple, TP: City in the Sky) It's linear design will turn off the explorative type of player, and Fi (your partner) can get a little annoying every now and then, but those are very small negatives from what is overall a masterpiece!
    This, in my view, is the best 3D Zelda game ever made!    … Expand
  24. Oreogamer
    Sep 6, 2014
    8
    A great game! One thing i didnt like, was the art style. I mean it was cool, but i think it wasnt good enough. That beeing said, its a really good zelda game!
  25. PlayGreatGame
    Sep 4, 2014
    10
    This was the first Zelda game i played in my life, and it became the best game that i have ever played. Clearing the dungeons was very interesting and fun. Ending was emotional and music was awesome. the bad thing i felt about this game was that sometimes the control doesn't go as what i expected. and it was annoying fighting with tower-like monsters and some with electric weapons. butThis was the first Zelda game i played in my life, and it became the best game that i have ever played. Clearing the dungeons was very interesting and fun. Ending was emotional and music was awesome. the bad thing i felt about this game was that sometimes the control doesn't go as what i expected. and it was annoying fighting with tower-like monsters and some with electric weapons. but overall, i spent 50 hours of unforgettable adventures, and the wii is worth its money just for this game. 10/10.… Expand
  26. Alpod
    Aug 24, 2014
    10
    Man, this game is epic! You learn the history of the Master Sword, history of Ganon (Demise) and why Link and Zelda are appearing in every Zelda game but in different times. Anyways, the story was epic, graphics were really good (I liked Twilight Princess's and Wind Waker's crossed graphics) and I didn't have any problems with the gameplay.
  27. GamersInk
    Aug 24, 2014
    9
    Skyward Sword is a fine example of experimenting with expectations with the long-standing Zelda series and represents a wonderful experience to enjoy.

    It is important to realize that the game does use motion controls and such the control scheme should be taken into account if you desire the game or not. Score wise, the control scheme is irrelevant as long as it works. Skyward Sword    Skyward Sword is a fine example of experimenting with expectations with the long-standing Zelda series and represents a wonderful experience to enjoy.

    It is important to realize that the game does use motion controls and such the control scheme should be taken into account if you desire the game or not. Score wise, the control scheme is irrelevant as long as it works.

    Skyward Sword works well with the wii motion plus. The combat is not mindless button pressing or waiting for openings as it has been in previous Zeldas. Just as Twilight Princess and Wind Waker offered a secondary means to engage the player in battle so does Skyward Sword by turning all enemies into mini puzzles. By doing this, each encounter and enemy is different and brings a different threat. Bokoblins that have shock sticks are more dangerous to attack without caution then those with wooden sticks. Giant Moblins with steel shields cannot be aggro'd like their wooden shield brother's by breaking their shields as the steel shields cannot be broken by the sword. Though timing is not gone thought, blocking no longer is simply holding a button. It now requires timing to use successfully and without damaging your shield. By giving shields a health bar, the player must also be mindful with blocking too. By allowing the player to fully interact with their enemy instead of pressing a with openings allows for the player to feel directly connected with the combat. Also by making combat more puzzle oriented instead of simple button pressing, the combat feels much more mindful and deliberate. Now there are flaws with this system, it is very slow compared to earlier Zeldas. The player cannot get the same flashy combos as in previous games and cannot dispatch enemies so easily as before. And for fans of having very fluid combat, this more slow-paced but mindful puzzle combat might be tedious.

    Exploration is Skyward Sword's weakest aspect as the game is very linear. While you can explore within the set paths to temples and areas, their isn't much blowing up holes and finding secrets as in previous games. However, the game world does feel more cohesive in comparison unlike the very empty worlds of Wind Waker and Twilight Princess, which had very compact areas of secrets and treasures with large swaths of nothing. Both types of world and exploration has their charms but also their flaws, so if you really enjoyed the random searches in those previous games, the secrets in Skyward Sword will be a bit on the easy side for you.

    The music is beautiful as always with some nice homages hidden in some songs and the story is fabulous with some of the best character building in the series to date. Skyward Sword is undoubtedly, in my humble opinion, one of the greatest Zeldas to date. It is a wonderful game that offers a wonderful experience.    … Expand
  28. guitarguy001
    Aug 20, 2014
    10
    Many people out there loathe this game, i however love it. This is a game that pretty much splits into two sides, you hate it or you love it. The 3D Zelda's suffer the fact that they have to be compared to Ocarina if they manage to be good Zelda games, which i find highly unfair.

    Skyward Sword has a really good story that explains the origins of Link, Zelda and Ganondorf and has    Many people out there loathe this game, i however love it. This is a game that pretty much splits into two sides, you hate it or you love it. The 3D Zelda's suffer the fact that they have to be compared to Ocarina if they manage to be good Zelda games, which i find highly unfair.

    Skyward Sword has a really good story that explains the origins of Link, Zelda and Ganondorf and has probably one of the best ensemble of characters in a Zelda game. The game also has the most like-able Zelda in a Zelda game since probably Wind Waker. You ACTUALLY care if you save Zelda this time and that is a huge plus considering the series is called The Legend of ZELDA. Ghirahim is an awesome villain. His eccentric movements and attitude make him very fun to watch and when he has to fight, he can fight. Groose is actually a very good supporting character as he grows and becomes more mature as the game goes on. Fi is one of the worst sidekicks Link has had, but she is a very good character when it comes to story.

    The gameplay is Motion-Control Zelda. The controls work great. It isn't perfect, but it never seemed to interrupt my experience with game. The dungeons are extremely well done and designed (The Sandship is one of the best dungeons in a Zelda game) and the bosses are awesome (Koloktos). The visuals are beautiful and the soundtrack is excellent.

    The game however suffers when it comes to exploration and even though you can go wherever you want, there is nothing worth finding and the landmarks you go to are very small. The Sky is big and large, but you have to go down to land to make it worth exploring by finding certain blocks. Some of the fetch quests are very annoying and makes certain levels drag out far more then one would think. The Imprisoned really could have been shortened down to 2 fights instead of 3.

    Skyward Sword is an amazing game and one that gets a lot of hate for no reason. If you have a Wii, there is no reason not to pick this up as it's worth every penny. It's shortcomings are very minute in comparison to the rest of the game and it's something you definitely should have in your library. It is one of the those games you need to play for yourself to see if you love or hate the game.    … Expand
  29. HSuke
    Aug 6, 2014
    7
    Skyword Sword is a prime example of why you can't trust critic reviews for a blockbuster game. 93 Critic Metascore, 7.9 user score.

    Skyword is the retarded, bastard son of the Zelda series. It had lofty ideas that were poorly implemented. First, using the Wii-mote Plus was so frustratingly cumbersome because the Wii was just unable to detect it accurately. That was essentially the only    Skyword Sword is a prime example of why you can't trust critic reviews for a blockbuster game. 93 Critic Metascore, 7.9 user score.

    Skyword is the retarded, bastard son of the Zelda series. It had lofty ideas that were poorly implemented. First, using the Wii-mote Plus was so frustratingly cumbersome because the Wii was just unable to detect it accurately. That was essentially the only reason the boss fights were any challenge at all. It felt like I was playing the QWOP version of Zelda. It would've been much better with a GC controller.

    The story was decent, but Zelda games are never about the story. Skyward Sword has some of the worst dungeons of all Zelda games. If its puzzles were twice as smart, they'd still be grossly stupid. In terms of gameplay, SS was basically the CoD equivalent of adventure games--it was very linear. You go from point A to B to C without much of any thought. Gone were the brilliant puzzles of OoT and LttP. Skyward Sword's dungeons all felt 1-dimensional.

    The game was also tediously long. Getting from any place to another required minutes of flying in the sky, which didn't really add anything to the gameplay. Being able to teleport between owls would've fixed that. Lastly, the songs (with the exception of Fi's Theme and the Gate of Time) were quite repetitive and annoying.

    Criticisms out of the way, it was still a decent game. It just was nowhere near the level of its predecessors.    … Expand
  30. kevinwalker77
    Aug 6, 2014
    9
    This game, aside from a legacy (and slightly quirky) control scheme, is an absolute perfect game from start to finish. Building on a proven formula, Skyward Sword takes previous titles like the Wind Waker and Ocarina of Time and throws in some needed new dynamics to keep it fresh. A must have.
  31. GypsyPeach
    Aug 1, 2014
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Although I generally do favor Zelda games I had a hard time with this game. It was difficult to see where this story fit in until the official timeline came out and then it was a little easier to accept that Zelda wasn't the princess, there is only 1 goddess as opposed to 3, there's no master-sword etc.

    Still the controls with the wii-mote felt TOO sensitive for aiming and swinging alike and I didn't like the gameplay as much overall. The art style was definitely better in twilight princess as well as was the story and pretty much everything and I'd much rather play that. The music in Skyward Sword was still good though and the bosses were challenging, the temples were fun and the new items were cool but overall it was just a meh game for me.    … Expand
  32. macskii
    Jul 29, 2014
    3
    Easily the worst Zelda game ever created, it has a mediocre boring storyline, it's the same dungeon solving except made tedious. I did not even finish this game, it brings nothing new to the series besides gimmicky controls. There is not even a left handed version! Link being left handed and they didn't even bother to make a mode for lefties. Truly a failure, don't waste your time.
  33. bearbishop
    Jul 22, 2014
    7
    The critics on this site should be ashamed for the way they review stuff. Why is it that every single Zelda game regardless of whether it is a good game gets a 90+. This game was pretty fun, but it does the typical **** that Nintendo loves to do in Zelda games now where a huge part of it is just stupid filler garbage. I never beat this game, but I got to dungeon 6 and realized that all IThe critics on this site should be ashamed for the way they review stuff. Why is it that every single Zelda game regardless of whether it is a good game gets a 90+. This game was pretty fun, but it does the typical **** that Nintendo loves to do in Zelda games now where a huge part of it is just stupid filler garbage. I never beat this game, but I got to dungeon 6 and realized that all I had to look forward to was a crappy dungeon where you use mole claws as a tool to enter into some weird mini game where link tunnels around. Then after that you backtrack through all the old areas and collect pointless items like tad tones. I saw the ending and it was cool, but not worth going through a bunch of post game garbage that shouldn't have even been included.… Expand
  34. TheTwistedKris
    Jul 22, 2014
    2
    Fun Portrayal of the main characters and passable story, but for something in the action adventure category there us a surprising lack of adventure in the 3 areas you go to which get recycled and rehashed throughout the game. For Pete's sake they flood the forest for the water segment? Did anyone honestly enjoy those design choices? How about the unresponsive controls that most of theFun Portrayal of the main characters and passable story, but for something in the action adventure category there us a surprising lack of adventure in the 3 areas you go to which get recycled and rehashed throughout the game. For Pete's sake they flood the forest for the water segment? Did anyone honestly enjoy those design choices? How about the unresponsive controls that most of the people had, and slight lag or these control issues may not seem like an issue but if every basic enemy has a direction based blocking mechanic it makes the fight against them an exercise in futility. So far from the zelda formula it isn't even funny. Beating bosses with the item found in dungeon, only 3 bosses follow that of the listed 16 in the game (on zelda dungeon). Of those 16, 7 of them are slow and clunky sword fights, 3 are fighting imprisoned, 3 are fighting Ghirahim, and 1 of them is Tentalus (boss at the end of the dungeon has nothing to do with the mechanics at all in said dungeon). The combat itself is far from fun, it has you jumping through a hoop for nearly each enemy because most of the time you are left waiting for the hoop to be at the right height to jump through it. Random flailing of the wiimote as you walk into enemies was more effective at taking out the enemies than engaging in combat was. To me that doesn't sound like an effective system, when having no strategy is preferred over actually using the new mechanics, but the things such as motion delay made that impossible so the best method was to literally make your sword unpredictable by flailing to confuse the computer without lock-on to greatly reduce the chance of them blocking it. Link may be a sword fighter but that isn't what defines his character, his use of a variety of weapons is what makes link such a liking character, becoming a swiss army knife of a character, but this game takes that away. Few item have multiple uses let alone any use given a combat situation and given the new rpg elements introduced are interesting such as crafting or scavenging, but they fall short when the items crafted have such a limited window of use. Don't forget that there is a always dowsing mechanic that tells you where to go, testing your ability to point at the screen instead of actually making you think. Now it was fun seeing more of a relationship between link and zelda, but unfortunately the game did the exact same as tetra from wind waker, upon finding out that they of importance to the plot they immediately lose all sense of character. I did not enjoy my play through of this game nor do I recommend it to people.… Expand
  35. Dolmajic
    Jul 11, 2014
    9
    A really great Zelda game, it's super fun with tons of extra content. Sadly there is A LOT of backtracking. However during my first time playing it I didn't notice the backtracking. The second time I really noticed it though. The relationship between Zelda and Link is fantastic, the storytelling is great and the world is colourful bright and beautiful. However, there are a few things thatA really great Zelda game, it's super fun with tons of extra content. Sadly there is A LOT of backtracking. However during my first time playing it I didn't notice the backtracking. The second time I really noticed it though. The relationship between Zelda and Link is fantastic, the storytelling is great and the world is colourful bright and beautiful. However, there are a few things that are not very well programmed such as thw trees looking like paper. If you're looking for a very story driven Zelda title, I suggest you play this game. If you're looking for something that's a bit freer in terms of where you can go, I suggest A Link Between Worlds.… Expand
  36. timsnewbridge
    Jul 8, 2014
    10
    Favourite game in the series. Loved the motion controls, made the game so immersive. Played it right through with my girlfriend (she watches) and it was her fav Zelda too. Good story, graphics and fantastic music and gameplay.
  37. masterlinkace
    Jul 7, 2014
    10
    Like most zelda games, this is a masterpiece. The game starts slow but packs in plenty of character progression and story, then takes you on an epic quest. With fantastic motion controls and an incredible art style, this game will suck you in and not let go until it's over.
  38. HitomiNoRyu
    Jul 5, 2014
    7
    I am giving this game a 7 for admittedly selfish reason of I couldn't finish the game. Not because of gameplay...gameplay was awesome no doubt about it. I'm giving this a 7 because Fi ruined every aspect of my experience. OMG this character is the most annoying thing ever. She wouldn't shut up about her unnecessary statistics about things we can figure on our own. Worst of all, I couldn'tI am giving this game a 7 for admittedly selfish reason of I couldn't finish the game. Not because of gameplay...gameplay was awesome no doubt about it. I'm giving this a 7 because Fi ruined every aspect of my experience. OMG this character is the most annoying thing ever. She wouldn't shut up about her unnecessary statistics about things we can figure on our own. Worst of all, I couldn't just mute the game to avoid her nonsense because Fi would pause my battles for her to give obvious adv---SHUT UP I DON'T CARE!! I want to strangle this person who pitched Fi to be included in this game.… Expand
  39. le-weirdo
    Jul 1, 2014
    5
    look, i believe that this game is good, but it is just not for me. this game is too slow in the beginning and doesn't go faster after that. some of the characters are SO annoying. Zelda, Groose, Fi. I'm not lying that the first world took me 6 HOURS. in this game (just as any other zelda game) you can collect items for potions, and if you collect it for the first time they explain it toolook, i believe that this game is good, but it is just not for me. this game is too slow in the beginning and doesn't go faster after that. some of the characters are SO annoying. Zelda, Groose, Fi. I'm not lying that the first world took me 6 HOURS. in this game (just as any other zelda game) you can collect items for potions, and if you collect it for the first time they explain it too you as usual, BUT EVERY SINGLE TIME YOU TURN OFF THE GAME AND COLLECT AN ITEM AGAIN IT TELLS YOU AGAIN WHAT IT DOES. this get to you frustrated really fast. i got so mad that i didn't came further than half the second world. the music also feels.............not that great, boring too be honest.
    i'm sorry but this game is just not for me.    … Expand
  40. 19thenn
    Jun 26, 2014
    10
    Out of the 4 zelda games I played, this one is my favorite. The game is beautiful, the puzzles were creative, there is not one dungeon in the game I hate, the combat worked nicely, the story progresses nicely and never halts like in other zelda games, and I rarely ever get stuck. Some might say the puzzles are easier and the game shoves every piece of information down your throat twice.Out of the 4 zelda games I played, this one is my favorite. The game is beautiful, the puzzles were creative, there is not one dungeon in the game I hate, the combat worked nicely, the story progresses nicely and never halts like in other zelda games, and I rarely ever get stuck. Some might say the puzzles are easier and the game shoves every piece of information down your throat twice. But let me ask you something. If you are just walking around trying to figure out what you have to do and trying every possibility, is that fun? Its not is it. Many people criticize this game for being different, but its different in a good way. It took everything that made zelda great and made it better. I give this game a 10 out of 10 and nothing, I repeat, NOTHING anybody says will change that. Unless its the new E.T. (One more thing. Let this serve as a warning, no spoilers. There is a section in the game where you go to three different places in any order to retrieve something. Don't go to the desert first. There is a bug that will stop your game from progressing.)… Expand
  41. tybyrd93
    Jun 19, 2014
    9
    Great game. It took me two playthroughs but I warmed up to it. I found the sidequests and overworlds underwhelming, and all the backtracking that's involved gets a little annoying. Other than that it's a solid edition to the zelda franchise
  42. Twirkkhu
    Jun 12, 2014
    10
    This game is my personal favorite from the Zelda-series. Why? The gameplay is freaking fantastic. I enjoyed the motion controls a lot, even though most of the time you just shake the remote pretty anticlimactically. And the story is amazing! Manly tears have been shed, especially in the ending. I totally recommend playing this game if you have a Wii, and if you're a die hard Zelda fan, andThis game is my personal favorite from the Zelda-series. Why? The gameplay is freaking fantastic. I enjoyed the motion controls a lot, even though most of the time you just shake the remote pretty anticlimactically. And the story is amazing! Manly tears have been shed, especially in the ending. I totally recommend playing this game if you have a Wii, and if you're a die hard Zelda fan, and don't have a Wii, go buy a Wii and play this masterpiece.… Expand
  43. DrewtheDude85
    Jun 11, 2014
    10
    The fact that The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword may not be as good as Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, The Wind Waker and A Link to the Past (IMO) and yet still scores a perfect "10" from me, is a great sign of showing how amazing of a series The Legend of Zelda franchise is and Skyward Sword really does soar.

    Pros: -Amazing Atmospheres and locations, probably some of the best in the    The fact that The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword may not be as good as Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, The Wind Waker and A Link to the Past (IMO) and yet still scores a perfect "10" from me, is a great sign of showing how amazing of a series The Legend of Zelda franchise is and Skyward Sword really does soar.

    Pros:
    -Amazing Atmospheres and locations, probably some of the best in the series.
    -Nice bright and beautiful graphics. (Twilight Princess' Dark visuals were overrated anyway)
    -Cool unappreciated motion controls that give you a great feeling of using your very own sword.
    -Great story.
    -Beautiful Music.
    -Fun dungeons with creative puzzles.
    -Cool items and features.
    -Nice references and cameos of things that are from other Zelda titles.

    Cons:
    -Holds your hand too much
    -Fi is more annoying than Navi in my opinion
    -Felt Linear when compared to other Zelda games
    -A lot of forgettable characters

    Overall I loved Skyward Sword, you really should play this game because Nintendo poured their heart and soul into this game. I know that I listed a few cons here, but really if you try to ignore them then you will find this to be a fantastic game. Buy it now!    … Expand
  44. Doodahday66
    Jun 9, 2014
    8
    Its a cool game...just too slow and linear...too much fetch questing between dungeons...but other than that pretty good.
    Motion controls are great, unlike the general consensus that they're crap because the E3 demo screwed up...
  45. TaraDarveaux
    Jun 5, 2014
    10
    This is probably the best game you can get for the Wii. Legend of Zelda will always be great games, but being able to actually swing that sword with your arm is one of the most satisfying feelings you will have. I had exponential amounts of fun playing this game, and I know I'll play it again in Hero Mode.
  46. drlowdon
    May 27, 2014
    4
    I'll start this review by saying that, while I've enjoyed a number of games in the series, I wouldn't generally consider myself to be a huge Zelda fan. Having heard virtually nothing but positive reviews for this title since its release however I purchased Skyward Sword hoping it would top all the previous games. This may not be the popular opinion but I was left bitterly disappointed as aI'll start this review by saying that, while I've enjoyed a number of games in the series, I wouldn't generally consider myself to be a huge Zelda fan. Having heard virtually nothing but positive reviews for this title since its release however I purchased Skyward Sword hoping it would top all the previous games. This may not be the popular opinion but I was left bitterly disappointed as a number of issues meant I failed to garner much enjoyment from the game.
    Chief amongst these issues is the tedious opening three to four hours in which the majority of the time is spent listening to characters explain the world in far more detail than is necessary rather than just letting the player explore for themselves. I've never played a game where I found myself wishing that NPCs would just stop talking and let me get on with things quite as much. During this time it also becomes clear just how important HD has become to a games visuals. I'm not someone who is usually too fussed about how a game looks but Skyward Sword looks particularly ugly in places, especially when compared to the gorgeous cel-shaded graphics of The Wind Waker. The much hyped motion-controls, while better than the majority of Wii titles, are also as frustrating as ever in places.
    There are of course plenty of examples of the usual Nintendo magic to be found throughout the game and Zelda fans will likely be pleased with what they find but this won’t do anything to attract gamers previously uninterested in the series.    … Expand
  47. 843514
    May 9, 2014
    10
    na minha opiniao esse é o melhor the legend of zelda de todos os tempos o game é muito épico eu
    tambem acho que ele é o melhor jogo do mundo eu do a nota maxíma para ele 100 de 100
  48. UrbanScott
    May 1, 2014
    7
    The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is a great game. With a long story, fun gameplay, and high replay value, the game just feels fun compared to older games. However, that being said, unlike the classics, Skyward Sword lacks any real challenge and puzzle that would take more than 10 minutes to complete. The story is good, not great. It does tie in a lot of the series. The gameplay is highlyThe Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is a great game. With a long story, fun gameplay, and high replay value, the game just feels fun compared to older games. However, that being said, unlike the classics, Skyward Sword lacks any real challenge and puzzle that would take more than 10 minutes to complete. The story is good, not great. It does tie in a lot of the series. The gameplay is highly enjoyable with the Wii Motion plus and is very satisfying. The graphics, although, not realistic by any means, do work for the game. Instead of realism, it's replaced with art. The entire world when viewed, looks like a piece of art which does replace any desire for realism.

    However, the thing that really draws me back is the child-ish nature to the game and the easiness to it. Something I wish Zelda would start doing is making the games darker. Make the game more realistic. Twilight Princess and Majora's Mask are great examples of ways to do it, without making it very violent. Also, compared to older games, I never found myself stuck in one spot very long. Majora's Mask took me almost a year to complete when I first started playing it. Ocarina of Time took even longer. Now, this does make the game more relaxed, family friendly, and enjoyable, but when I'm playing Zelda, I want puzzles and a great story.

    Overall, it's a good game. Worth buying. Would I say it's amazing by any means? No.    … Expand
  49. Ranm
    Apr 28, 2014
    9
    I like the plot and characters but i really don't like the graphics or controls. This game does get frustrating sometimes. The temples are also a little to easy and short.
  50. midipon
    Apr 26, 2014
    8
    I really like this game but the repeated boss and silent realms stop me from being able to enjoy it all the way. I have no horror tolerance at all and the anticipation of replaying those things makes me nearly unable to go on and replay it.

    I never had problems with the control or admittedly more JRPG-like overall design that I couldn't look past. The most I can say to people looking at    I really like this game but the repeated boss and silent realms stop me from being able to enjoy it all the way. I have no horror tolerance at all and the anticipation of replaying those things makes me nearly unable to go on and replay it.

    I never had problems with the control or admittedly more JRPG-like overall design that I couldn't look past. The most I can say to people looking at this is don't expect it to be as perfect as the marketing or fanboys would have you believe.    … Expand
  51. adronator98
    Apr 3, 2014
    10
    This is the reason to buy a Wii. Skyward Sword not only utilizes but it masters the motion controls of the Wii using motion plus, and accompanied by a compelling and amazing story full of twists, it manages to create a completely new Zelda game, while sticking to its roots. In my opinion this game could well be the greatest Zelda game of all time, or even the greatest game of all time.
  52. Sneaksby
    Mar 29, 2014
    10
    Sure this game is on Aging hardware, but the art style is beautiful. It's a nice distraction from all the games trying to look realistic. The puzzles are great and the boss battles introduce a new level of strategy when using the perfect motion controls. The story was wonderful and Hero Mode is truly a Challenge any Zelda Fan will like. No hearts and all the enemies doing double theSure this game is on Aging hardware, but the art style is beautiful. It's a nice distraction from all the games trying to look realistic. The puzzles are great and the boss battles introduce a new level of strategy when using the perfect motion controls. The story was wonderful and Hero Mode is truly a Challenge any Zelda Fan will like. No hearts and all the enemies doing double the damage. The music is invigorating and the items are used more frequently than pass Zelda Games. In Twilight Princess you get the spinner and only use it for one dungeon and your basically done using it for the rest of the game. In Skyward Sword, almost every dungeon requires that you use most of your items. This Game is far superior to Twilight Princess in every way. People only liked Twilight Princess because of the art style, not the game itself. Skyward Sword, Wind Waker HD, and Four Swords Adventures, are all worthy of tens for introducing new mechanics within the Zelda Series. Twilight Princess on the other hand was basically a poor version of Ocarina of Time. They took more mechanics out than added. But after playing Skyward Sword, the Sour Taste that was Twilight Princess is gone. Skyward Sword is truly the definitive Zelda and is worthy of Praise. I got a good 70 hours of the game and its well worth its asking price.… Expand
  53. BROFco
    Mar 3, 2014
    10
    arguably the greatest Zelda game. It has some uniqueness against the other Zelda's which makes for some promising gameplay. You get a giant bird which you fly on which is insanely fun, and you have motion controls which your Wii remote works as your sword perfectly, I mean if you make a circle with your Wii remote Link's sword will do the same and so combat actually feels realistic. Thearguably the greatest Zelda game. It has some uniqueness against the other Zelda's which makes for some promising gameplay. You get a giant bird which you fly on which is insanely fun, and you have motion controls which your Wii remote works as your sword perfectly, I mean if you make a circle with your Wii remote Link's sword will do the same and so combat actually feels realistic. The game is insanely long, it took me more than 60 hours to beat, making this the longest Zelda game. All around Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword is a very fun must buy.… Expand
  54. Dhulfiqar
    Feb 22, 2014
    6
    This game is so horrible that it makes you feel pain. The annoying repetitiousness, linearity in game, horrible bosses, the level design, storyline, the music. This games makes me feel bored every moment when i proceed in the game. I feel like i played another Ocarina of Time clone with horrible design.
  55. g-whiz
    Feb 6, 2014
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I would be willing to give this game a much better review if it wasn't a Zelda game. That said, it is a Zelda game and an allegedly landmark (25th Anniversary) one at that.

    Let's start with the controls. They aren't terrible but they aren't great. Some of the new stuff (targeted diving and harp playing for example) feels clunky and rushed while the old stuff (targeting slingshot/bow and attacking with the sword for example) didn't get a good translation for the Wii Remote.

    Also, I get that it's the first Legend of Zelda made for the Wii and everyone loves swinging the Wii remote but that does NOT mean every enemy in the game needs some form of directional blocking ability. The Zelda series is great, in part, because of its puzzles-not because it takes several minutes to kill basic enemies when they block your attack over and over again because the controls aren't responding (you slash horizontal and Link slashes diagonal and gets countered-hard)

    Where this game truly fails, and why it should be a standalone game, is in the story. Every Legend of Zelda game since Ocarina of Time (at least) has had certain elements and this game had a perfect opportunity to explain where some of that came from but it didn't.

    One glaring example of this is the ring of clouds around Death Mountain in OOT, I thought it would be a nice touch for this game would explain why it was there but this game didn't even mention Death Mountain. Another example is instead of using the existing races of Hyrule (Gorons and Zoras) Skyward Sword introduces three new races (Mogmas, Robots and Parellas) who have never been seen before or since-there is some speculation that Parellas may be an evolutionary ancestor of the Zora though this is not stated in game. We do, however, learn why Link always wears green.

    Moving on...

    I'm honestly unsure what category to put this next failure in but one extreme weak point of the game in my opinion is the inability to walk/run from one province on the surface to another. The requirement to return to the sky is just odd considering the map shows that the provinces border each other. In a move that falls into the same category of not sure where to put it, this game lacks a certain epic quality which is evident when they simply flood the requisite forest to make the equally requisite lake. I have two problems with this. One-there is a lake in the game and it's sizable-USE IT! Two-Twilight Princess was made for a lesser system and had a more epic quality to it than this game does-that isn't right.

    Back to a definite story issue: the guardian dragons. Wait what? In Twilight Princess, there were light spirits sent by the goddesses (presumably before they departed Hyrule so before Skyward Sword). Where are they and why do we need dragons now-why can't we just run missions for the light spirits (who have the same names as the dragons anyway). Of the dragons, one is obnoxious, one is forgettable and one hosts a minigame which is a pain but has a cool prize.

    After the last battle, you get what feels like a rushed cut scene because someone remembered that it was supposed to be a Zelda game and figured they should explain SOMETHING important. So, with the big bad defeated, we finally learn why Link, Zelda and Ganon are seemingly inseparable forever.

    This is actually a very good game. The biggest problem is that it doesn't connect with the rest of the series in any appreciable way. The controls are clunky but serviceable. The story is good but doesn't fit the series in which it exists. This was supposed to be the beginning of the Legend of Zelda but it introduced too much new stuff that doesn't exist anywhere else in the series. Worse, it ignored obvious opportunities to connect to the series-like planting a magic tree, that EASILY could have been the Deku Tree from Ocarina of Time but no-just a tree.    … Expand
  56. smaugrens
    Jan 22, 2014
    6
    It has been some time since I played this game and reading some of the negative reviews reminded me of why this game just did not do it for me as an addition to the Zelda series. Perhaps my problem is coming at the game as a long time Zelda fan? Maybe. This game just felt very gimmicky and childish, I never really felt like I was saving the world in any sensible way, and I could notIt has been some time since I played this game and reading some of the negative reviews reminded me of why this game just did not do it for me as an addition to the Zelda series. Perhaps my problem is coming at the game as a long time Zelda fan? Maybe. This game just felt very gimmicky and childish, I never really felt like I was saving the world in any sensible way, and I could not have cared less about Zelda in the story. As a fan I would score the game lower but I also have to give credit for the parts of it that were actually done quite well. That being said, I can highly recommend Twilight Princess, but I don't feel this one is worth the fans' time.… Expand
  57. Bradncam
    Jan 21, 2014
    8
    Wow. what a game. i wont give any spoilers but this was a Zelda game i truly enjoyed for the most part. Emphasis on the most part. With a pretty good story line and a heartfelt relationship, Skyward Sword is dominant to the 2006 release Twilight Princess. However, SS weak points are its controls. Now, the controls aren't awful, but they take along time to get use to. Now,imagine if youWow. what a game. i wont give any spoilers but this was a Zelda game i truly enjoyed for the most part. Emphasis on the most part. With a pretty good story line and a heartfelt relationship, Skyward Sword is dominant to the 2006 release Twilight Princess. However, SS weak points are its controls. Now, the controls aren't awful, but they take along time to get use to. Now,imagine if you were a programmer and instead of motion controls, you just had one button to attack. Now, imagine the button was pressed, and it only worked 19 out 20 times. That's completely unacceptable, and that's how the controls feel in Skyward Sword. They work most of the time, which is probably why the game starts you out with 6 hearts and not the classic 3 hearts. Also, another weak point is your companion in the game, Fi. She is very robotic and has no emotion whatsoever. Midna was an excellent companion with great lines, facial expressions, and overall deliverance. Fi is just there and doesn't impact the story that much. Overall, great game with some nuisances. If you want the game, buy it. Also, the game usually comes with a symphonic CD of remixes and medleys of the series.… Expand
  58. GiPicchiotti
    Dec 16, 2013
    10
    The Legend of Zelda games are almost always controversial. Same does Skyward Sword. Opnions are divided. So I'm here to show mine.

    First of all, let me talk about the controls. They are just awesome, immersive and create a lot of possibilites. But they aren't flawless. It's stressfull the number of times the control fails when trying to do a Skyward Strike and some normal strikes also    The Legend of Zelda games are almost always controversial. Same does Skyward Sword. Opnions are divided. So I'm here to show mine.

    First of all, let me talk about the controls. They are just awesome, immersive and create a lot of possibilites. But they aren't flawless. It's stressfull the number of times the control fails when trying to do a Skyward Strike and some normal strikes also are performed in a different direction than they are supposed. But the second happens only a few times. So, for this individual section, I give a 9/10. because even with the flaws, the control scheme adds TOO MUCH for the overall experience.

    Now, the graphics: Innovative, just awesome, fit perfectly the gameplay and control schemes and the wii capacities. Skyloft is gorgeous, Zelda is cute and characters are very expressive. 10/10.

    The music is awesome, nice to who likes to "trip" while playing, the song from Isle of Songs and Fi's theme, when played at it's original environment, just really move with your mental state. 10/10.

    Gameplay: The dungeons are incredible and open areas look like biggest dungeons. The flow of the game is awesome, and it has some "different" parts to break the repetition. The upgrade system with treasure and bugs near doubled the experience. It have some sidequests, but it lacks a lot on exploration. 9,5/10.

    Story: Beautiful, made me cry. Full of details and deep charachters. 10/10

    Overall 10/10. Awesome, one of the best games on the series. I preffer a darker atmosphere on a Zelda game, and I like the exploration of game's like ALTTP (which is the best game on the series, and the best game I ever played so far), but this games brings SO MUCH in gameplay, music, graphics and story, that combined they make the greatest experience I ever had in a post SNES console. The second greatest game I EVER played.    … Expand
  59. linkenski
    Dec 12, 2013
    9
    Overall Skyward Sword was a unique entry in the frachise, and a pretty good one at that. It was more daring than Twilight Princess as it tried to do it's own thing rather than lift itself up on a pedestal by being a proclaimed successor to Ocarina of Time. And it showed.

    Dungeon design was very original, continents felt new even in the stereotypical locations such as a wood, a desert,    Overall Skyward Sword was a unique entry in the frachise, and a pretty good one at that. It was more daring than Twilight Princess as it tried to do it's own thing rather than lift itself up on a pedestal by being a proclaimed successor to Ocarina of Time. And it showed.

    Dungeon design was very original, continents felt new even in the stereotypical locations such as a wood, a desert, and a lava-infested volcano crater. A problem however was how those were basically the three only locations in the game. As a whole the game is structured around the city of Skyloft, a city in the skies being the hub world where practically all civil NPCs live. You get a bird to traverse the skies and you can freely fly around with it and locate small floating islands with puzzles, chests or other NPC areas, but most importantly it serves as the proper hub for entering the actual land-areas of Hyrule, which feel more like dungeons now rather than being actual open worlds. But that's one of the thing to make Skyward Sword feel fresh rather than unoriginal.

    The story however felt pretty shallow this time around. It's more anime-style than ever before. There are still archetypic heroes and villains but they do have more characterization this time around. Unfortunately they're just not incredibly charming. I found Link's relationship with Zelda to be too lovey-dovey, Twilight-esque and fluffy-bunny rather than being compelling or just likable in general. That pretty severely hurt my impression of the story considering that a good third of it consists of Link trying to find Zelda who's been taken away.

    It does have some rather interesting twists and turns along the way though, and its presentation is without a hint of doubt the best the series has seen yet. That includes the soundtrack which is fully orchestrated and is generally very good and feels like a proper Zelda OST. I don't like the main theme though as Zelda's Lullaby in reverse sounds very bland but I understand that it was meant as a deliberate throwback, considering this game tries to establish its story as being the first in the fan-famous Zelda timeline, AKA it's a predecessor to the event's Ocarina of Time for the N64.

    Motion controls worked spot-on for me. It has left fans divided and understandably Nintendo has stated Zelda for Wii U might go back to more traditional controls. I'm okay with that because while motion controls in themselves worked well and fluid it felt gimmicky, only because the enemes you're supposed to hit with your swings move around their parries like robots so it's very obvious where you not supposed to strike, and from which angle you should strike, and as a result it just feels unorganic and borderline handholding.

    Speaking of that, Fi the new companion in Skyward Sword unfortunately hinders much of experienced players' enjoyment and most of her commentary is mandatory. This would be acceptable if she gave you useful hints, but most of the time she states the obvious. Imagine you open a door, get inside a cave, then Fi warps in front of you and says "looks like we're inside a cave. There might be something we can do in here". I'm not even kidding, it's that redundant.

    Before I get ahead of myself I should also note that the graphics are pretty decent, but I think they carry just as much good as they carry bad aspects of the game with them. For one, the artstyle itself looks rather bland. You may find that Link looks mighty similair to his Twilight Princess counterpart in stature and even his facial proportions look similar, but on top of this everything has a bright cartoony and colorful tint to it. What you get in the end looks like a mix of Wind Waker's Celshaded style with Twilight Princess's edgy, gritty and detailed artstyle. It comes off as half-baked and just looks rather un-charming to me. Especially the town NPCs look unoriginal and it's just a bit of a mixed bag to be honest. To make things better however everything in the distance has a blur effect that makes it look like a real watercolor painting. It looks impressive both technically and artistically. But like I said overall the graphics are a 50/50. Good and bad at the same time. Here's hoping the next game does something more daring.

    But all in all, I think it's a very good game with some flaws, but hopefully Nintendo recognizes this since there's a rather large consensus for what's good and what isn't in this game looking at online discussions from fans. I give The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword a solid 9/10

    If you still have a Wii, go look for this game. It's a joy to play.    … Expand
  60. TheAussieNerd
    Dec 11, 2013
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. WARNING: OPINIONS INBOUND!!!!!
    I feel that The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, is a game that is underrated by the community, but I can see where they're coming from, I admit that Fi got on my nerves at points, I admit that the game held my hand a little too much throughout, etc. etc. But, I still felt that I went on a grand adventure. First off, the art style, I think that, for the Wii, this game is gorgeous, though there are some little issues, such as the 2D leaves in the Faron Woods, and some low-quality textures here and there, but with those issues aside, this game looks great, the art style is rich and full of colour, I feel that it gives the game personality that some Zelda games lack, now on to something that equates to little more that a nice visual touch; The facial animations on the characters. These facial animations give the characters far more personality than most Zelda games give them, I have not seen Link have so much personality since Majora's Mask...
    Without spoiling too much, the story is coherent enough for it to work, but it is unbelievably simple, even though the typical "Princess is Kidnapped" storyline doesn't kick in until near the end game, it still is something that is far too overdone.
    Now on to the most important aspect of the game; The gameplay, the gameplay is great, but not everything that Nintendo promised (Lesson learnt; Don't raise your expectations). Ground movement works fine, if a bit clunky at points, the flight, on the other hand... I don't know if my WiiMote Plus was misaligned, but I found the Loftwing insanely difficult to control, diving when I was pinting directly at the screen, turning to the left when I was tilting to the right, the boost makes it insanely hard to steer etc. In short, flawed, almost to the point where I would consider it broken. Skydiving is clunky, I don't see why Nintendo would push motion controls so far into our faces that our skulls burst out through the back of our heads, when they are rarely good, having to tilt the WiiMote to shift your weight when skydiving does not work as well as one would expect, the first skydiving mission was a pain because of this. Every item in this game uses the Wii's motion controls in one way or another, some better than others, but they are all fairly solid. Swordplay and general combat are easily the most polished parts of this game,in previous titles, all you had to do was walk up to an enemy and hit it before it hit you, in Skyward Sword, most enemies have a way of defending themselves, turning %75 of enemy encounters into short little puzzles, though this can get repetitive.
    In short, this is not my favourite Zelda game, but it is a close second, being beaten out by Twilight Princess, but that is for another time.
    Gamers, critics and other users of the internet, I bid you farewell.
    (P.S. I do not agree with rating systems, I am only giving this game a rating because Metacritic won't let me leave this review unless I give it a review, I feel rating systems are generally useless, and I feel that the text I have put before you will be sufficient, unless you are an illiterate cretin, in which case: GAME GOOD, GET GAME, GOOD TIME)    … Expand
  61. DemKin
    Dec 9, 2013
    6
    The worst Zelda to date, without a doubt. The graphics, if not super ugly, look old and flat, the dungeons are not what we used to see, the writings are not good, sometimes even a real pain to read, the ideas are not good... But the worst part, where it hurts the most, is definitely the controls. They tried waaaaaay too hard to include motion features, waaaaay too hard. It limited theThe worst Zelda to date, without a doubt. The graphics, if not super ugly, look old and flat, the dungeons are not what we used to see, the writings are not good, sometimes even a real pain to read, the ideas are not good... But the worst part, where it hurts the most, is definitely the controls. They tried waaaaaay too hard to include motion features, waaaaay too hard. It limited the gameplay, felt repetitive, and the game felt more like some kind of QTE Zelda than a real Zelda. Oh, and my arm hurt after a 2 hours.
    Overall, the gameplay feels incredibly tedious, especially for a big fan of the series like me. It's not a Zelda, I couldn't find the personnality and the heart of this unique series. It's a random Wii adventure game.
    Even if A Link Between Worlds was absolutely amazing, after playing Skyward Sword, I cannot help myself but fearing for the future of the 3D Zeldas, and more generally for the future of my favourite video game series ever. A huge disappointment.    … Expand
  62. tomasz009
    Dec 6, 2013
    10
    Amazing. This game takes advantage of all of the Wii's capabilities, and is one of the most beautiful games I've ever played (a word that I seldom use for games). Surprised it made me feel this mushy, but the characters are actually well made this time around! Gameplay and puzzles are perfection too. Before playing this game, I said that nothing could ever beat Twilight Princess, but nowAmazing. This game takes advantage of all of the Wii's capabilities, and is one of the most beautiful games I've ever played (a word that I seldom use for games). Surprised it made me feel this mushy, but the characters are actually well made this time around! Gameplay and puzzles are perfection too. Before playing this game, I said that nothing could ever beat Twilight Princess, but now I'm in doubt. Hope the Wii U gets a Zelda game half this good.… Expand
  63. MissFantastic
    Dec 1, 2013
    6
    After playing this game through, I was pretty disappointed. In my opinion, Skyward Sword is a fantastic game...sadly, it doesn't hold true to the Zelda series. There are two key parts of the franchise that Skyward Sword is missing: the open world design and being able to complete dungeons in any order the player may choose. I honestly don't see how people can say that it stays true toAfter playing this game through, I was pretty disappointed. In my opinion, Skyward Sword is a fantastic game...sadly, it doesn't hold true to the Zelda series. There are two key parts of the franchise that Skyward Sword is missing: the open world design and being able to complete dungeons in any order the player may choose. I honestly don't see how people can say that it stays true to the Zelda series, or how Nintendo thought they were going back to their roots with this one. Aside from the negatives, the game has an as-usual fantastic story along with great graphics suited perfectly for the Wii's aging hardware. I just couldn't give the game a high score because it doesn't "feel" like you're playing a Zelda game. That and the amount of hand-holding in the game was a real turn off for me. I give this a score of 6 because it's a good game, but in my opinion, deserves its own IP and should not be part of the Zelda franchise since it deviates so far from the other games. Of course, like any other Zelda game, it's a must-play for a fan, but be prepared for a game play style much different from what you're used to!… Expand
  64. elitefour
    Nov 29, 2013
    10
    Este juego es una obra maestra
    la jugabilidad no solo es adictiva sino que supo usar muy bien el control de wii
    la historia es fenomenal,quizas sea un poco lineal pero realmente es completamente profunda
    saber como se origino todo,la trifuerza,la espada maestra,el reino de hyrule
    ESTE JUEGO ES EPICO
  65. Cerberus0
    Nov 26, 2013
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This isn't a 10/10 unfortunately. And I can't believe people are giving this a zero and trying to justify it....0 is for games that are next to unplayable. 10 is for games that are in a league of their own, and create an experience that goes above and beyond mere satisfaction. The rant aside...

    First let me state that the controls for this game are amazing. This is really what twilight princess should have been on the wii. I literally felt like I was holding a sword....I was able to move the sword and swing in whatever direction and it worked onscreen! This is an amazing accomplishment in itself, given how bad the majority of wii games fared with motion controls. It made combat and puzzles fresh and interesting.

    My gripes with the game: The final boss is very very .....EASY to kill. He looks completely badass when he appears and you really get the sense that this is the final battle. What happens? He dies in two stages of fighting....now if you know anything about zelda, final bosses usually have 3 stages to them before they die. The major complaint is that he can be killed in under two minutes....you spent 40 hours waiting to kill something that took less than 2 minutes?!! He is seriously easier to beat than his sword was throughout the game. Combat just didn't end on a high note imo. Put aside the fact that it wasn't the hardest fight ingame. The major complaint here is that It was just too short a fight.

    2nd gripe: the crafting system and exploration in the world. Although I thought the crafting system was cool. And I loved how your shield would break and had durability. The lack of items you can craft is quite apparent mid-late game. You can spend all this time gathering materials, but once you max things out....those materials are useless. Plus there's no real need to max out your items. Your shield your gonna want to max out, but that's basically all you need. The game isn't hard enough to require the other upgrades. You'll spend all this time upgrading and collecting materials and your end reward is just little to none. Plus after you finish upgrading the entire crafting system is just sitting there. You have all these materials and nothing to do with them. You can sell them but the extra money can't be spent on anything important. In the late game you can be going around exploring new areas that just opened up...getting tons of rupees...and having nothing to spend them on. Just they don't make the extra exploration bits in the sky worth doing. Yes they are fun at first...but they have no meaning. Also pieces of heart are not worth exploring and gathering in this game. It's easy enough that you don't need to. There is a super hard "fight all bosses without healing" mode you can unlock. and I'll admit I only got to the final stage after a few tries, I never beat it completely. But there's no real reward for completing it anyways. There's no incentive. You just do things for the sake of doing them....which is fine...but its not fun to do the same things over and over.

    Those are just the negatives I have with the game. There are so many positives here that it really does deserve that 9/10. Unfortunately it doesn't top OoT or Majora's mask in my book. It's a step in the right direction though for the series. It had a decent difficulty unlike twilight princess (which had the easiest combat I've played in a long time). And it had more incentive for exploration than wind waker. But it still falls short after a certain amount of time has been invested. They need to up the difficulty back to OoT and Majora's mask quality. Majora's mask had a perfect combat difficulty for people just having finished OoT. I get that nintendo wants to appeal to more people....but its really alienating the core fans that keep buying zelda title after zelda title and each system just for zelda. I mean this may be blasphemy but maybe it's time to add different difficulty settings. A better idea is just making the combat harder, thus giving people incentive to do the extra exploration for these pieces of heart, rupees, and items. completing a zelda game used to be a accomplishment. Hell, killing a temple boss used to be a huge accomplishment in itself....now they are generally just an easy 2-5 minute segment. The puzzles are still great and all, and offer a hearty difficulty but the combat is the other half of what makes it a zelda game. And the combat is still too easy! You will die in this game, no doubt. It has its hard parts combat wise, but they are too few. If you are a zelda fan you will enjoy this game at the end of the day. Please don't be put off by my negatives, it's still a great and satisfying experience. It could be better though with some easy adjustments....and I really hope nintendo sees that.    … Expand
  66. rhaynes7
    Nov 23, 2013
    8
    Nintendo tried something new with Zelda, and sometimes it worked out great, but other times, it came out a little clunky.

    The Wii Motion Plus finally allows for the 1:1 motion play that everyone's being dying for, and when it works, it's great fun swinging your sword, rolling bombs, directing the beetle, and shooting arrows, but all too often, you must recalibrate the Wii Motion Plus    Nintendo tried something new with Zelda, and sometimes it worked out great, but other times, it came out a little clunky.

    The Wii Motion Plus finally allows for the 1:1 motion play that everyone's being dying for, and when it works, it's great fun swinging your sword, rolling bombs, directing the beetle, and shooting arrows, but all too often, you must recalibrate the Wii Motion Plus back again and again. This breaks the ethereal experience of the game. Flying high through the clouds, diving into the unknown and conquering the challenges you face.

    The game's design is as many critics have noted, like watercolors. I especially loved the desert and forest regions of the game and the way water shimmered. I didn't really enjoy the near-sightedness of the game though. I can understand why, but there's a reason why I wear contacts.

    Furthermore, using Fi as a tracker for treasures and goodies, feels like a cheap cut around for exploration. Still, it's a great game, and hopefully, Nintendo can take the lessons and move forward on the Wii U.    … Expand
  67. PastorHagbart
    Nov 22, 2013
    10
    Such a beautiful game. one of the best games i've ever played. The orchestra music, the story, the art. they all match. this is a must own for everybody! 10/10
  68. Zebuala
    Nov 17, 2013
    10
    This is by far my favourite entry in the Zelda series. The story is epic and makes you feel like you are part of the game rather than playing as a character in the game. The art style is beautiful, a cross between the realistic style of Twilight Princess and the Toon style of Wind Waker, making its own unique art style in which the surroundings can make you feel emotions, not onlyThis is by far my favourite entry in the Zelda series. The story is epic and makes you feel like you are part of the game rather than playing as a character in the game. The art style is beautiful, a cross between the realistic style of Twilight Princess and the Toon style of Wind Waker, making its own unique art style in which the surroundings can make you feel emotions, not only happiness, but also when it comes to it genuine fear. However, the game has some flaws. You can not explore any part of the world other than Skyloft at night and there is no Daylight Cycle as a result of this. Also the three regions feel disconnected from each other and the sky feels very empty and lonesome. Apart from this, this is one of the best titles in the series and although the story and gameplay feel a bit more guided than other entries it is a fantastic game which marks a turning point in the Zelda series and shows that Nintendo are not afraid to stray from tradition and this will help to keep the Zelda franchise as good as it is today.… Expand
  69. charrison7841
    Nov 14, 2013
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is my Favorite Zelda 3d Zelda game. The new motion controls )once you take a couple hours to get used to them) feel fantastic and make combat more interesting. I also love how you can upgrade your items and make them more powerful if you take the time to get the necessary materials. The dungeons are fantastic and the bosses are very memorable. The game looks gorgeous and I still don't understand how Nintendo is pushing the Wii that far graphically. The music is par with the rest of the 3d releases (which means fantastic), and this rendition of Zelda's Lullaby nearly bought me to tears a handful of times in the game. The only problem I have with the game was the padding at the end when you have to revisit the earlier areas for that giant flying dragon and fighting that imprisoned like 4 times. It was very unnecessary and gave me the same feeling of fetching all of the Triforce pieces in Wind Waker. Overall, I love the game and I want to thank Nintendo for trying to bring something new to the table and overwhelmingly succeeding.… Expand
  70. malcolmm
    Nov 10, 2013
    2
    Easily one of the worst Zeldas I've played, and I've played most of them.

    Controls are atrocious, the motion sensing doesn't add anything except frustration. As with the latest DS Zeldas, they are recycling the same gameplay over and over again. I suppose I could say that for most recent Nintendo games Mario, Zelda, Mario Kart nothing new or improved in any of them. Hopefully the    Easily one of the worst Zeldas I've played, and I've played most of them.

    Controls are atrocious, the motion sensing doesn't add anything except frustration. As with the latest DS Zeldas, they are recycling the same gameplay over and over again. I suppose I could say that for most recent Nintendo games Mario, Zelda, Mario Kart nothing new or improved in any of them.

    Hopefully the new Zelda 3DS game will be better, it really couldn't be worse.    … Expand
  71. GuyWhoDoesStuff
    Nov 10, 2013
    10
    Skyward Sword is by no means the best Zelda game it's actually my sixth favorite in the series, however it I still a very great game and I had a bunch of fun playing it, even though it kinda felt like I was being babied along
  72. Shadowsxfall
    Nov 9, 2013
    10
    A triumphant breakthrough in the Zelda series. Skyward Sword innovates on the stagnating Zelda formula in many ways while maintaining the balance of great gameplay and fantastic music. The story and characters were also very interesting. The controls also felt great. While a bit strange at first, the sword controls soon feel like an extension of your own hand within an hour and it will beA triumphant breakthrough in the Zelda series. Skyward Sword innovates on the stagnating Zelda formula in many ways while maintaining the balance of great gameplay and fantastic music. The story and characters were also very interesting. The controls also felt great. While a bit strange at first, the sword controls soon feel like an extension of your own hand within an hour and it will be difficult ever going back to standard button combat controls.… Expand
  73. JudgeMathew
    Nov 3, 2013
    10
    Hell, it's not perfect, but it's definitely one of the greatest games I have ever played. The motion controls may be seen as a gimmick, though they are done quite well, despite the odd mishap which may lead to a death. Explaining the origins of the Zelda franchise, Skyward Sword does quite a good job, and doesn't do the typical Zelda formula this time around. Visually it can be hit or missHell, it's not perfect, but it's definitely one of the greatest games I have ever played. The motion controls may be seen as a gimmick, though they are done quite well, despite the odd mishap which may lead to a death. Explaining the origins of the Zelda franchise, Skyward Sword does quite a good job, and doesn't do the typical Zelda formula this time around. Visually it can be hit or miss depending on your opinion in relation to cell-shading. If you can handle motion controls, Skyward Sword is a title you could really enjoy.… Expand
  74. RedLink
    Oct 22, 2013
    10
    This game deserves a 10. Anyone who says it sucks is basically an idiot who can't handle simple wiimotion controls or just a no life who hates on Nintendo. The story is the best of the Zelda series, the soundtrack is amazing as usual, the controls are PERFECT and nothing is wrong with them, the temples are original and new, the characters each have their own special personalities and theThis game deserves a 10. Anyone who says it sucks is basically an idiot who can't handle simple wiimotion controls or just a no life who hates on Nintendo. The story is the best of the Zelda series, the soundtrack is amazing as usual, the controls are PERFECT and nothing is wrong with them, the temples are original and new, the characters each have their own special personalities and the overall feel of the game is amazing. Get this game and don't listen to these horrible reviews. Totally worth buying.… Expand
  75. GamerGameGames
    Oct 19, 2013
    9
    Control of the game unusual, but intuitive. Music smart, she impregnated with the spirit of adventure. Gameplay innovations suffered (Hook for example) and played well. Of course the game is not without drawbacks, management sometimes fails, and can not get bored. Besides displaying bad characters.
  76. Pad_Lock
    Oct 15, 2013
    10
    Definitely my favorite game of all time. Probably the best example of the Wii's motion controls (It sometimes didn't work when I was randomly thrashing my remote around). The storyline, music and art style were all brilliant (I never thought I would see something as beautiful in a game as the scene which had Zelda's Lullaby playing in background). This was the game that showed me whatDefinitely my favorite game of all time. Probably the best example of the Wii's motion controls (It sometimes didn't work when I was randomly thrashing my remote around). The storyline, music and art style were all brilliant (I never thought I would see something as beautiful in a game as the scene which had Zelda's Lullaby playing in background). This was the game that showed me what video games can do and heavily increased my interest in video games. If you have a Wii or a Wii U, you have to play this game, if not, buy one.… Expand
  77. Pedzz94
    Oct 11, 2013
    9
    The games feel, graphics and design is just beautiful to play it feels so fresh and vibrant as if it where a HD game. Such a relaxing feeling i have when walking in skyloft. The soundtrack throughout the whole game is just amazing leading me to go watch a live orchestra of Zelda. Great game to the series hope to see other unique Zelda games in the future.
  78. Staggs
    Oct 10, 2013
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I wanted to love this game. I wanted to love it so much. In fact, about halfway through my first play through, I was ready to proclaim the Zelda series completely revitalized after the (IMO) ho-hum fest that was TP. The game starts agonizingly slowly (but what Zelda doesn't nowadays?), but once I got to the first dungeon I was having a blast. The motion-based puzzles were extremely well implemented for the most part, and satisfying to solve. And a couple of the boss fights rank among the best in the series, simply because there's more to them than exploiting a weak point.
    But then something happened. Nintendo was afraid of letting this game end. Around the 25 hour mark I began realizing that most of the things I was doing, I had done before. And this feeling never ended. Pretty much the entire second half of the game is a bunch of One quest in particular stands out: the objective is to get a certain item. In order to get this item you have to collect three pieces from these three guys. Alright, kinda stupid seeing as how I had been doing this same thing for 40 hours at that point, but whatever. WELL it turns out that each of these three guys wants something done for them, one of which is an infuriatingly dull underwater scavenger hunt that just wastes your time. The other two are similarly boring busy work that require you to either re-collect your items all over again or take an item to a faraway place for three seconds and then return it. Terrible, padded game design.
    Okay so you have your three pieces from the three guys. It made you want to bash your skull open to get them, but there you go, you made it. Give me the item, Nintendo.
    WRONG! Now you have to play through this stupid, frustrating stealth minigame that you have already played THREE TIMES before in different settings. Once you succeed with that, you are given a thing that you need to use to get the item. When you use this thing it unlocks a dungeon in which you FINALLY get said item. Like, holy I spent five hours jumping through the hoops before I even got to the dungeon. After that, there is no dungeon Nintendo can throw at me that wold be worse. In fact, the dungeon is one of the better ones in the game. The stupid fetch quests were the real dungeon.

    I would rather have a short, awesome game than a long and hollow one, Nintendo. Stop going all Harvey Dent on us.    … Expand
  79. Fetacritic
    Oct 5, 2013
    7
    Very boring, hours long opening. Nothing really new. Levels are repeating themselves, puzzles aren't that great. Characters are quite meaningless. Even the sidekick is annoying and boring (I miss Midna!). The graphics are quite bad, even for the Wii. It looks worse than Twilight Princess and is nothing near the graphical quality of e.g. Mario Galaxy. The sword controls with Wii Motion PlusVery boring, hours long opening. Nothing really new. Levels are repeating themselves, puzzles aren't that great. Characters are quite meaningless. Even the sidekick is annoying and boring (I miss Midna!). The graphics are quite bad, even for the Wii. It looks worse than Twilight Princess and is nothing near the graphical quality of e.g. Mario Galaxy. The sword controls with Wii Motion Plus aren't that great either.

    If you can slog one's way through the first seven very boring hours, it gets better. But it stays very dated. Same old elements like every Zelda of the last years had, nothing new, characters still don't speak. Feels very dated in every aspect. I loved OoT, WW, TP but couldn't get warm with Skyward Sword at all. Worst Zelda I ever played. I think the series needs some kind of reboot like OoT was back in the days.

    It's still fun to play if you don't count the first hours. But in my opinion it's one of the most overrated games of all time.    … Expand
  80. clawshot2
    Oct 1, 2013
    10
    not only the best zelda game ever but the greatest game ever. this game is perfect in everyway. it has the best graphics on the wii and the art style is beautiful. a must have for anyone who owns a wii.
  81. LHy
    Sep 28, 2013
    9
    Epic, fun, entertaining, challenging, this game is the complete package, you will get your money's worth. The soundtrack takes you back to old Zelda, its a real nice feeling.
  82. knifeandfork
    Sep 20, 2013
    10
    Skyward Sword is the best zelda ever. There's simply no other way of putting it. In fact, it's the best game I've ever played. It constantly surprises, and just when I thought it had done everything it could possibly do, it wowed me again.
    Skyward Sword does a lot of new stuff. It is definitely the most innovative, creative and risk-taking zelda yet. The best innovation is the way you    Skyward Sword is the best zelda ever. There's simply no other way of putting it. In fact, it's the best game I've ever played. It constantly surprises, and just when I thought it had done everything it could possibly do, it wowed me again.
    Skyward Sword does a lot of new stuff. It is definitely the most innovative, creative and risk-taking zelda yet. The best innovation is the way you control your sword: it responds directly to your wiimote's aim, as if you are wielding a real sword. This enables completely new opportunities, both with swordfights and puzzles. It's the best thing to come to zelda since the introduction of 3D. It wholly immerses you in the game, but the wiimote has many other uses. From slingshot-aiming to swimming to rolling to shield-blocking, motion-sensing is used a lot. But it never feels forced, and it rarely fails you.
    Dungeon-traversing, boss-fighting, and exploration is what you know and love, but with so many surprises and innovations. A great storyline with genuinely emotional moments and immersive character development is a first for zelda, and while it may not be as good as, say, the Last of Us, it sets a new benchmark for the series. The graphics are the best so far on wii and the music is majestic and emotional. A good plot also drives away the repetition some zelda fans may be familiar with at this stage. Sure, the dungeons have kept the structure from previous games, with a mixture of puzz,e and battle, and with a new item obtained each time, but there are plenty of surprises in between, even the odd boss battle.
    The depth of your hub world, Skloft, is also excelent. Expect lots of side quests and character interaction. It's bursting with character and personality, with so much to do. Often you'll have to revisit areas in the storyline more than once, uncovering whole new areas. The world you explore in skyward sword isn't the biggest, but it's certainly the most immersive.
    To reach the end of the plot takes roughly forty hours, but much more with side quests included. There's also a hero mode (like a hard mode) once you finish it, a feature hardcore zelda fans will love.
    Skyward Sword is awesome. It brings motion control into a hardcore game. It's full of ideas, constantly amazing you every step of the way.    … Expand
  83. ShadowofZexa
    Sep 19, 2013
    10
    well I did not like Twilight Princess I really like the hybrid between Wind Waker and Twilight Princess's graphics it looks like a water colors and just adds a whole lot of life to game the gameplay is just as good the controls are pitch perfect I never have ran into a problem with this game the story is mind blowing and just amazing the characters have matured so much I wonder what willwell I did not like Twilight Princess I really like the hybrid between Wind Waker and Twilight Princess's graphics it looks like a water colors and just adds a whole lot of life to game the gameplay is just as good the controls are pitch perfect I never have ran into a problem with this game the story is mind blowing and just amazing the characters have matured so much I wonder what will Zelda look like in the next generation Wii U the Music is perfect no complaints at all the game is just perfect I beat it 23 times and haven't gotten bored this is just pure Nintendo magic 10/10 from me no regrets… Expand
  84. YellowMan64
    Sep 18, 2013
    9
    The motion controls work, the story is good, and the dungeons are good. The sky could have had more things to do in it, and some of the islands should have been in Skyloft (The pumpkin area and the Bamboo cutting mini game) and Fi could have been less annoying. She also could have had more personality.
  85. Greenwood0
    Sep 17, 2013
    8
    Let me first say that I am a huge zelda fan. I love all the games, especially the ones that were made home consoles. This game is not the best Zelda I've played and I was pretty disappointed it used so much Wii Remote features. Here are the good and bad things for this game:

    Good: 1- The lore The story is great, you really feel that it's the first Zelda on the timeline! 2- Level    Let me first say that I am a huge zelda fan. I love all the games, especially the ones that were made home consoles. This game is not the best Zelda I've played and I was pretty disappointed it used so much Wii Remote features. Here are the good and bad things for this game:

    Good:
    1- The lore The story is great, you really feel that it's the first Zelda on the timeline!
    2- Level Design Some of the dungeons are incredible. The time-shift stones was a good idea!
    3- Side Quests A lot of them and they're fun!
    - Reset pointer position Looks like it's a way to say Hey, we know the wii remote is sometimes sketchy, let's give them a way to reset it...!

    Bad:

    1- Sword movement The Wii Remote sometimes lose track of its position and you can't kill the monsters that need a certain slash angle to be killed, it's very frustrating. How about never trying the Hero mode, knowing that at one time I'll lose life cause I can't swing my sword properly...!
    2- Bomb Rolling I don't want to get up of my sofa to go an action, that's too much.
    3- Running Ability Stamina You want to run and the stamina goes off pretty quick. Also, because you run a lot, you always hear this warning sound when the gauge is near empty and it's annoying. Also, sometimes, you end waiting for your stamina gauge to regenerate during combats. How come Link can't kill 2 monsters and be out of Stamina?

    Twilight Princess was a lot better, mainly cause the only thing that was used of the wii was the pointer and "shake" to slash. That's enough     … Expand
  86. javaleno
    Sep 11, 2013
    10
    The story is amazing. The gameplay is better than ever. I can't imagine me playing another legend of zelda game without motion controls. The feeling of actually controlling the swords and your attacks is amazing. I recommended this game to all my friends, and I recommend it to whoever is reading my review. Ignore the Negative reviews, they are on the Ocarina of Time band wagon.
  87. LairdEJM
    Sep 11, 2013
    6
    I have to go against the crowd here I'm afraid, as I found this game very dissapointing, and my least favourite Zelda game on a main console.
    My issues stem from the graphical design which feels childish, but not unique like Wind Waker.
    The wii motion plus controls very rapidly annoyed me and would have been a good feature...IF it were needed, which I don't feel it was. I also had great    I have to go against the crowd here I'm afraid, as I found this game very dissapointing, and my least favourite Zelda game on a main console.
    My issues stem from the graphical design which feels childish, but not unique like Wind Waker.
    The wii motion plus controls very rapidly annoyed me and would have been a good feature...IF it were needed, which I don't feel it was. I also had great trouble engaging in the story and landscape of this prequel game, as Hyrule didn't look anything like the Hyrule we see in Ocarina and Twilight Princess, a good example being Faron Woods which instead of being a dark, mysterious forest was a fairy land with happy creatures and a palette which was far to happy, not to mention the lack of trees...
    I also found the plot particularly uninspiring this time around, being entirely unbelievable and seeming to lack the links we were promised to the other Zelda titles.
    These things aside, it is still a Zelda game with some fun moments. The idea of skydiving by jumping off your bird thing is quite entertaining at first, (but loses it's charm quickly especially since the Sky world is actually very small.) Temples are a puzzle as usual and can offer hours of entertainment.

    I suppose my score for this game just reflects my lack of engagement with the plot...I really couldn't really care if that Sky world was destroyed because it didn't charm me at all. A shame but perhaps I went into the game with too high expectations.    … Expand
  88. XxBlackpoisonxX
    Sep 2, 2013
    10
    This is just one of the best games I have played in my life, the dungeons are amazing and bosses are epic, the story is also pretty good, the characters were great, especially Ghirahim, he was my favorite character of any zelda game, this game is really a must buy
  89. Delta46
    Sep 2, 2013
    10
    An absolute masterpiece. This game gets far too much hate. I loved almost every second of it. Its only been two years since its release and I already feel nostalgic towards it.
  90. imadeausername
    Aug 14, 2013
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is a great game. There isn't enough to do in the sky, and it's still a bit easy for a Zelda game, but the combat really is fantastic. Unlike Twilight Princess, where the combat is really cool but is mostly automatic, Skyward Sword puts you in control of the sword. You won't be contorting your arms around trying to parry like you're in a lightsabre battle, but you'll still need to watch how you're swinging. Every enemy becomes a simple puzzle in this game, that won't so much test your cognitive skills, but rather your coordination and concentration. You need to watch the enemy and make sure you're swinging in the right direction, because if you don't, you will probably take a beating. You do actually have to pay attention to how you move the remote here. If you shake it around like in Twilight Princess, you'll die unless you're very lucky.

    Occasionally you'll need to recalibrate the remote, or shift your sensor bar, but when I played this game, I didn't have many issues at all with the controls being responsive. Skyward Strikes were a bit awkward because the game doesn't always think you're sticking the sword straight up in the air, even when you are. Everything else was fine though.

    The upgrading/shield durability aspects were a really cool addition to the game. Zelda hasn't really had that in the past, but I really hope it doesn't go away. I was also glad to see the return of trading sequences, and really liked the amount of sidequests there were. Twilight Princess didn't have too many, but Skyward Sword makes up for that and more. It must have more sidequests than any other game in the series. There's a whole lot of stuff to do.

    The graphical style is interesting, but I didn't really care for it too much. It didn't make the game worse, really, but if it had been different (either full Wind Waker, or full Twilight Princess, and not a hybrid), that would have been nice. Some of the music is a bit awkward, too. Fi is also kind of a let-down compared to Midna, in my opinion, but still not bad.

    Even if they can be a bit easy, the dungeons are still very unique and fun. Unlike other games where all the dungeons have fairly similar mechanics, Skyward Sword's dungeons are very varied. The final dungeon and the sand ship were some of my personal favorites.

    Overall, I definitely recommend this game.    … Expand
  91. RAM22
    Aug 12, 2013
    10
    This game is obviously the best game play Zelda ever. The ability to move your sword in the exact angle gets no better than this. When I saw it for first time and play on my friend's wii and I was satisfied playing it that I actually bought a wii just to play this game. Its a must have because every single detail of what the game represents does it in a excellent way.
  92. TheDude101
    Aug 9, 2013
    8
    Has more depth than any Zelda game, but the controls are really confusing. The thrust and sword slashes are are almost impossibly hard to master, but the graphical style is almost as good as OoT 3D.
  93. psychogrodus
    Aug 8, 2013
    10
    Skyward Sword is a fantastic game and is without a doubt one of the best Zelda games. Nintendo focused on three things for this game, motion control, story, and making an all around solid game. They definitely succeeded in all three. The story takes place at the beginning of the timeline and it shows. There is no ganon and no hyrule. Instead the villain is the amazing girahim and theSkyward Sword is a fantastic game and is without a doubt one of the best Zelda games. Nintendo focused on three things for this game, motion control, story, and making an all around solid game. They definitely succeeded in all three. The story takes place at the beginning of the timeline and it shows. There is no ganon and no hyrule. Instead the villain is the amazing girahim and the setting is skyloft. What makes the story are the characters, specifically girahim and Zelda. Girahim is both creepy and entertaining, the final battle with him really shows this. Zelda is now Links friend prior to here capture, because of this the player genuinely wants to save her. The gameplay is very motion control heavy but in a good way. Everything from swinging your sword to flying your beetle feels fluid and rarely off. By the end of it, you will never want to go back to regular controls. The graphics in this game take the best of wind waker and twilight princess to create a beautiful game. Overall, Skyward Sword is one of the best games on Wii, one of the best Zelda games, and perhaps the best game of 2011.… Expand
  94. WolfenMcGunz
    Aug 6, 2013
    8
    Another great title release by Nintendo, and another great release in the Zelda franchise. What this game does is add more innovation that naturally comes with Wii style gameplay. Adding motion controls for a Zelda game adds more of a variety of puzzle solving and strategy to enemy fights.

    On the downside, it seems the motion-controls are a two-edged sword forcing to have to sit up and    Another great title release by Nintendo, and another great release in the Zelda franchise. What this game does is add more innovation that naturally comes with Wii style gameplay. Adding motion controls for a Zelda game adds more of a variety of puzzle solving and strategy to enemy fights.

    On the downside, it seems the motion-controls are a two-edged sword forcing to have to sit up and play optimally rather than sitting back and enjoying a regular controller, it would have been nice if Nintnedo included an option to use regualr controllers, but with new types of puzzles to solve it only makes sense that they'd have to put those types of controls in there. The motion controls could be a little more responsive, but don't let that discourage you from using a little patience to master them; it's still definitely a playable game and an enjoyable one at that!

    The storyline is good showing off more of Link's emotion. Seeing Zelda's new Sanguine personality is heart-warming at the very least, and the game adds some interesting new characters to the mix as well.

    Even though this isn't the best Zelda in my opinion, it is still a very good game, and should still be in your library, if you own a Wii.    … Expand
  95. PammieLu
    Jul 31, 2013
    10
    I really liked this game, however the only drawback is that it doesn't seem as long as all the other Zelda games. If it had of been longer it would have got 11/10. After only 25 hours I had completed it, and it didn't take much more in hero mode either, where twilight princess took about a week to finish.
  96. CannonBlaster
    Jul 20, 2013
    6
    I can't really explain this game. You're either love the game, or hate the game. You might love wonderful characters and clevar timeshift stonesm, or you might hate the forced plot and repetitive fetch quests. It's hard to recommend something like this, because it's so hard to tell. You really have to play for yourselve in order to have a TRUE opinion.
  97. juanandesign
    Jul 18, 2013
    10
    The best Zelda for Wii. The best one since Ocarina of Time in my opinion. Magic places, strategy, maps, characters, items, bosses... Really a masterpiece for Wii that it will get you more than 80 hours if you want to complete it. The game does not need blood, sex or cheap tricks to attract you, it does it already in a genuine and pure way. Definitely, a must one.
  98. Tommten
    Jul 14, 2013
    1
    Truly a disappointment. The motion control sucks ass. It doesn't always work and it's tiresome to play with. Also, its pointless. It would be both easier and better to use normal controls. The only reason the game had any difficulty is because the controls are useless and broken.

    Other then that, the game had meaningless conversations, a boring story, you couldn't explore, the dialogue    Truly a disappointment. The motion control sucks ass. It doesn't always work and it's tiresome to play with. Also, its pointless. It would be both easier and better to use normal controls. The only reason the game had any difficulty is because the controls are useless and broken.

    Other then that, the game had meaningless conversations, a boring story, you couldn't explore, the dialogue was slow, and meaningless boring missions. Didn't even want to make it all the way through the game, it was to bad. There was no pleasure in playing it. My brother felt the very same way and neither of us played through it.    … Expand
  99. SileSixEcho
    Jul 2, 2013
    10
    This game just kicks ass. It has got everything a new Zelda requires and more. Just do yourself the favour and play it. I had to get the wii-motion plus especially to play this and I don't regret the money spent. Skyward sword is one of the best games, I ever played, even though it naturally doesn't reach the full magic of Ocarina of Time. It certainly can stand for itslef
  100. phoenixwright7
    Jul 2, 2013
    10
    An absolutely brilliant game. Skyward Sword is like A Link to the Past in that it does a lot of things quite well. From graphics to dungeon design to it's soundtrack, SS is a game that hits a home run on all fronts. SS particularly excels in it's writing, however. Without spoiling anything, Skyward Sword takes the ol' "save the princess from the castle" formula, and makes the adventureAn absolutely brilliant game. Skyward Sword is like A Link to the Past in that it does a lot of things quite well. From graphics to dungeon design to it's soundtrack, SS is a game that hits a home run on all fronts. SS particularly excels in it's writing, however. Without spoiling anything, Skyward Sword takes the ol' "save the princess from the castle" formula, and makes the adventure far more personal then it's ever been.

    SS does have a few flaws, however. Those that aren't a fan of motion controls probably aren't gonna change their minds with this game. And even if you're at least neutral towards 'em, the controls do have something of a learning curve to 'em and are used almost excessively. The game also contains a decent amount of backtracking and is notorious for it's fetch quests. These issues are no where near as bad as some would like you to believe. While you do visit the same 3 areas several times, each time you do so you either open up a completely new and unique area or the area itself drastically changes. And all those fetch quests? For the most part, they're actually pretty fun and short. They're minor problems with the game at the very worst.

    Overall, this game deserves as much praise as it can get. I give it a 9.5 out of 10... Which then gets rounded up     … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Best Wii Game of 2011
1
#1 Most Discussed Wii Game of 2011
1
#1 Most Shared Wii Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
93

Universal acclaim - based on 81 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 78 out of 81
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 81
  3. Negative: 0 out of 81
  1. Armchair Empire
    Feb 6, 2012
    100
    Overall, this is the best experience I've had playing a Zelda game since Ocarina of Time and I'd have to say they are pretty equal in my opinion. Either way, you won't be disappointed getting this game, it's a masterpiece.
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  2. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jan 19, 2012
    90
    New Zelda is the best game of whole series since the groundbreaking Ocarina of Time. It is a true masterpiece with uncompromising playability. [Christmas 2011]
  3. PALGN
    Jan 19, 2012
    95
    A magnificent homage for the 25th anniversary of one the biggest franchises in gaming, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword provides a compelling gaming and artistic showcase for the indefatigable potential of the medium as a whole, and a reason to have gaming as a hobby.
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