First there was the Great Sea, then came the Sky and the Surface. I am at full Zelda-retard mode this winter holiday as I brave through not one but two Zelda games hoping to finish them by the time I go back to Zuellni. As of typing all these words down I've racked in about six hours in Wind Waker, and 5 hours in Skyward Sword - and I'm still hella far from clearing my first dungeon, the Skyview Temple.
But first, here's my progress right from the beginning...my god, this is going to be long.
Booting up the game for the first time will trigger the opening sequence before the starting screen. I've read all about it in Hyrule Historia so nothing there really surprised me but everything from the opening dialogue, "This is a tale that you humans passed down through uncounted generations..." spoken by Fi gave me goosebumps. Even with minimal animation along with the superb background music the intensity of the war could be felt right where I stood. It was a great way to start the lore of Skyward Sword, and overall tell the beginning of the eternal struggle of Courage, Wisdom, and Power.
So, ready? On to the Sky...loft. On to Skyloft!
In contrast to the opening movie, the game starts of pretty light and peaceful shouting to the world that what the Goddess did to protect her people during the war wasn't all for naught since they did leave the surface and they'd have to start all over again, but all was well for the time being.
As with most, if not all, Zelda games we start off asleep either dreaming of future events or just dreaming in general sometimes even waiting for a cute princess to call for help. In Skyward Sword's case Link had a dream about his destiny before being rudely woken up by Zelda's loftwing.
The loftwing spits out a letter from Zelda to Link saying that Link is actually the one being rude by making Zelda wait for him.
After the starting sequence in the game we're finally in control. My first reaction? There's a stamina system. I'd like to think that this is a nice addition to the challenging gameplay of this Zelda title but not really because it gets drained so fast. I mean, c'mon Link you're the damn hero of your game get it together man!
Still, I think it actually makes sense because this is the first Link in chronology so he's not really a 'hero' yet because his destiny has yet to be fulfilled...that's why he must suffer the wrath of stamina (muhahahaha).
The presentation of this vast new overworld is outstanding. At first I thought that the painting-like design of Skyward Sword would turn me off much like the colorful pastel levels of Yoshi's Island, but Skyloft is gorgeously magnificent.
I had no problems with the motion controls just yet since there's no need for combat in this part of the game so I just ran around searching for Zelda.
The background music in this game really knows how to draw out all the emotions emanating between the characters (especially Link and Zelda).
I like how close they are at the very start of the game pretty much like in Minish Cap but take note Zelda isn't royalty here. She's a 'normal' student in the academy and a normal person living in Skyloft - as far as the current progress events in the game go.
The following events lead up to the first real mission in the game: to find Link's loftwing. While I was at it I also got a good look around Skyloft. It's a pretty small compared to other starting overworlds in the Zelda series but the absolute elegance of the place more than makes up for some extra space. I also note that there are other small floating islands in the game that could be accessed via your loftwing but as he's missing right now you're left grounded for the moment.
I think it took me around 30 minutes to find the entrance to the cave where Link's Loftwing got locked up by Groose (I know he plays an important role near the end but for now he's despicable) and his lackeys.
While on the process of saving the crimson loftwing I also got a hand in training with a sword - IT.WAS.AWESOME. No doubt this was one of this game's highlight - motion-controlled combat. The first strikes I dealt were pretty accurate, and it really adds thrill and depth to combat making you feel that you are indeed swinging a sword instead of simply mashing a button. I do, however, find that the camera is a little slippery in most cases prompting me to rely on Z-targeting more often than I would like to.
The adventure continues to the cave where the loftwing is. After a few cutscenes Link is finally reunited with his rare Crimson Loftwing and we get to ride it immediately. I had a hard time maneuvering Lofty (that's what I'd like to call him) because the environment is open. Unlike in the other titles where you ride through a plane with the King of Red Lions, Epona or other modes of transportations, riding Lofty means navigating through a 3D space with up and down directions.
The motion controls for the loftwing was slippery and it took me a while to get used to it. I do however found it fun to just fly around the entirety of Skyloft (including all the smaller islands) once I got used to it but that was later on in the game.
Loftwing Race and a Romantic Moment
Getting through this race took longer than it needed to.
It learned mid-way that you have all the time in Skyloft to catch the small bird statue because Groose and the others don't look like they have any plans to. So as I chased after the agile yellow bird I also took the time to train a bit and by that I mean passionately raising and swinging the Wii remote to gain altitude, speed and some sense of enjoyment other than the rage I felt when Groose and his lackeys keep throwing eggs at me just as I was getting near the damn bird.
Once I finally got the small statue Link and Zelda have a romantic cutscene together as the ritual went on. Zelda gave the Sailcloth she's been wearing since the start of the game to Link.
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| Link seems to like the smell...a lot |
And then they share a friendly/romantic conversation with each other where I thought, I.REALLY.THOUGHT they would share a kiss as part of the ritual...but they didn't.
The game implied the romance but no, they didn't kiss. Still, that was a more realistic approach to the game, it wouldn't have made sense if they kissed right then and there just for the heck of giving fanservice. But the tease really got me there. So what did Link get aside from a Sailcloth (that smells nice) and a close up romantic eye-to-eye with Zelda? A push.
Of course! Zelda has been pushing Link since the start of the game why stop now? But this time the push was for Link to use the Sailcloth to safely land at a specific area on the ground. It would've been a much more exciting moment if I got it on the first try but no, I had to repeat it maybe five or six time to safely land on the proper spot. That was really anticlimactic for the romantically intense scene.
After their cutscene by the Goddess statue Link and Zelda ride their loftwings to further tease me about their romance. Really though, this was one unique way to further develop the relationship of these two smartly using these new concepts in Skyward Sword. If only it could be applied in real life like 'Hey, I have something to tell you, please ride on my loftwing and let us soar to the skies' no, in real life it's 'Hey, wanna go for a stupid walk then dump me?'. Yeah, it's sad. Study hard and passionately play video games, kids. Don't bother about romance in real life it sucks.
Anyway, Link and Zelda's conversation was cut short thanks to a tornado that sucked Zelda and her loftwing in. Link faints and has another dream.
The Goddess Sword
There's a short cutscene with Headmaster Gaepora regarding the whereabouts of Zelda back in Link's room. After their conversation, Link senses the presence of the spirit that resides within the Goddess Sword, Fi.
It was just a cat and mouse chase (well not really) as Link follows Fi to the back of the Goddess statue where another cutscene took place.
Finally, we have the Goddess Sword! It's pretty early in the game, actually. But the sword doesn't really differ from the training sword Link received earlier, the only added feature is Fi pretty much like the fairy companions in other games such as Ocarina of Time. Headmaster Gaepora entrusts Zelda's safety and the fulfillment of the prophecy passed on to certain people in Skyloft to Link, and gives him the proper Knight attire.
Link then, as per instructions of Fi, heads on to the shining green light that opened a path to the surface when Link positioned the Chaos Emerald...sorry I meant Emerald Tablet on a dent inside the Goddess Statue. We ride the Crimson Loftwing once more before Link dives on to the surface.
The Surface
Finally, the world that is to be Hyrule. Despite the similar presentation the atmosphere in the Surface is very different from that in Skyloft. While it is lively and colorful in Skyloft, the Surface is rather lonely, wild and vastly in ruins - the remnants of war perhaps?
There were nothing but monsters in the Sealed Grounds that is until I hit something I thought was the sword of Demise.
It was covered in black mist and its position in the sealed ground was eerie the same way the background music was when I approached it. I gave it a Skyward strike ridding it of the black mist and steam suddenly blew off from the ground. Using the Sailcloth from Zelda Link got to higher ground. Dowsing for the whereabouts of Zelda led us to a temple where an old lady was silently passing the time seemingly waiting for someone.
This old lady I assume to be Impa because Hyrule Historia told me so. I didn't expect the developers to actually make Impa's hair act like a pendulum as stated in the book but they really did and it was, well, bizarre but really fitting of Impa's purpose in this game.
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| never mind the potion, I finally have a bottle! |
After a short conversation with the aged and wise Sheika she gives us a a bottle of potion and tells us to head on to our next destination which is Faron Woods.
Faron Woods
The real action starts off in Faron Woods where Link sees a Goron being harassed by some Bokoblins. The Goron, Gorko, is rather smart here compared to their more wild nature in other games.
Plus Gorko has a sense of wonder in contrast to the Gorons who'd rather stay close to their home. So where in their evolutionary chain made them the way they are in succeeding games in the timeline? Anyway, Faron Woods is a big but the most notable place here is the area where the Kikwis reside.
They're a really cute race that's easily frightened but are friendly nonetheless. Since the chief had information about Zelda but couldn't remember thanks to anxiety he feels for his little ones I had to make sure that these three Kikwis in hiding are safe. Once I did, and it wasn't easy finding them, the chief gves him a slingshot and tells him that Zelda went to the Deep Woods. As Link proceeds to Deep Woods we finally get a glimpse of Ghirahim's leg (it sounds obscene but trust me it isn't).
Deep Woods
I wasn't a fan of Ocarina of Time 3D's gyroscope aiming because, though more realistic in nature of the gameplay, when I drink too much coffee there's like a mini earthquake on both of my hands giving me a hard time in accuracy but at least in Ocarina of Time it was optional, in Skyward Sword it wasn't. I can't tell how many times I thought I was aiming with the nunchuk until I fell of a cliff to finally learn my lesson - YOU.AIM.WITH.THE.REMOTE.
Anyway, one broken wooden shield and some hearts later I found myself back at Skyloft to waste money so that I could replenish my supplies. I started of with some 200 Rupees and ended up with 9 rupees, 10 if I didn't waste my time on that fortune teller with gleaming eyes.
Skyview Temple
Alright here we go! My first dungeon in the game, Skyview Temple. It was another lonely place filled with monsters but along with them are the established dungeon puzzles.
The level design was amazing perfectly capturing an area in complete ruins, overrun with monsters but its previous glory still remain in some parts such as the walls, ceiling and simply the grand space that if fills within.
I spent a lot of time in this dungeon trying to figure out what action returns what result..oh yes! This is what Zelda puzzle-solving is about and I'm playing it in a much larger scale than the handheld games.
I think I'm halfway through the temple getting my second key item and so far my favorite, the Beetle.
Well that's all for part 1. Here's to hoping I get all these done before the next academic term starts. Bye-bye!
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