-
Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
-
We have made minor adjustments to how the search bar works on ResetEra. You can read about the changes here.
What is the consensus on Skyward Sword?
- Thread starter MAX PAYMENT
- Start date
I'll say it has a great story, amazing dungeons, fantastic music and visual style. But I have absolutely no interest in going back to it. Piss poor empty overworld in the sky, repeated dialogue prompts (I KNOW WHAT A FUCKING AMBER RELIC IS), Fi's hand holding, and absolute slog of a middle to end game is just not worth it.
I don't think there will ever be a consensus. I think most would agree, though, that the fundamental game design is good, but the implementation is iffy at best. Whether you enjoy it depends on how much tolerance you have for those implementation issues - the hand-holding, the linearity, the motion controls, the backtracking and reused content...
I think a remake that smoothed out the rough patches would be top notch, not unlike WWHD. But the motion controls worked perfectly for me - except the harp which I could never figure out.
I think a remake that smoothed out the rough patches would be top notch, not unlike WWHD. But the motion controls worked perfectly for me - except the harp which I could never figure out.
Pretty much where I'm at.
Liked the game a lot and it did tons of things right, but wasn't what the series overall needed
It's a flawed game that needed more time in the oven. It had a lot of interesting play mechanics and fun characters, but I never want to battle The Imprisoned in my life ever again
It's the worst 3D Zelda game by a mile, but I wonder if my opinion might be tainted by the completely shit motion controls. I would like to have a go at it with traditional controls some day to see if that changes my opinion of it.
I liked it, but this is the only mainline zelda fame.i haven't finished, due to shitty controls.
I'd definitely go for a remaster with controller support and the joycon option
I'd definitely go for a remaster with controller support and the joycon option
I hope Nintendo fired the madman who decided to release the game in November 2011 (seriously, look up that month, it was pure insanity).
I didn't particularly liked the game because of motion controls but I also think that game was sent out to die (I think it sold well eitherway). I'll give this game one more try under Dolphin sometime in the future. I was not a fan of how the game looked with the Wii's resolution, has not doing the art style any favors.
I didn't particularly liked the game because of motion controls but I also think that game was sent out to die (I think it sold well eitherway). I'll give this game one more try under Dolphin sometime in the future. I was not a fan of how the game looked with the Wii's resolution, has not doing the art style any favors.
I really like it; it's a heavily flawed game for sure, but it's better than both Wind Waker and Twilight Princess. I always roughly lump those three together in quality. They all have major issues, but SS comes off the best overall. They're solid entries in the series.
It's a game with very high highs and some low lows. The highs by far outweigh the lows.
It's a game with very high highs and some low lows. The highs by far outweigh the lows.
Super creative game full of ideas and potential, held back by small annoyances that unfortunately do stack up. I absolutely love the controls, the puzzle elements and the art direction. Unfortunately the Wii was just way too weak for their vision. The textures look bad at parts and while I absolutely love the effect of the watercolour filter, there was some really ugly dithering at times. Higher res emulation looks great, but it can't recreate looking into the distance and seeing that beautiful effect on wii (from what I've seen).
More or less this, but I think the game had issues with Fi (IIRC she once basically straight gave a puzzle suggestion) and pacing.
Motion worked great though, people that blame "waggling", with all due respect, don't know what they are talking about (game uses gyro as we all know, it's no Wii Sports but more akin Resort)
It's good, it has some genuinely great moments. The time stone mechanic and all that it led to (a ship sailing sequence on a body of water that isn't there anymore) was great. I also loved how the overworld areas were like dungeons themselves.
It has some extreme filler. Motion controls aren't perfect, but they are a lot better than people think they are.
I also love Zelda in it.
And Groose!
It has some extreme filler. Motion controls aren't perfect, but they are a lot better than people think they are.
I also love Zelda in it.
And Groose!
I personally loved the fact that IR was replaced with gyro. I was able to just lay on the couch and not worry if my wiimote was pointing correctly at the sensor bar. I could have it point at the ceiling and hit the Dpad button to recenter.
I never had to hit pause. You normally just have to hit the d pad button (up/down?) and it re-centers in-game.
The consensus is that there is no consensus. It's a wildly divisive game, probably the most divisive Zelda game of them all.
I like it on the whole but it's flaws are also undeniable. Definitely a mixed bag with some high highs but also low lows.
Still better than TP, though.
Still better than TP, though.
Been meaning to get a dolphin bar for PC so I can play it at a nicer resolution. Tried the game for an hour or two on Wii U but my Wii remote refused to respond during the first race in the sky, so my bird would just shoot straight down and kill me lol
For me, I simply couldn't finish it or get past the second dungeon because it was physically painful for me to play. Despite them saying it would include southpaw controls, it doesn't which mean either playing mostly with my weak right hand which is painful for mid-long periods of time of my left and having the play the game with link swinging with his right, but with the left which got disorienting and annoying very fast and just unfun.
Nintendo constantly did that back then, focus solely on a gimmick, screw anyone with physical issues or even just basic player convenience but the Wii is very sour spot for me because I couldn't play a game I wanted to because of the refusal to add some southpaw mechanics. One of the reason why I really dislike the "Don't like it, you just a "hater"" mentality this game brings out. Also why I've been wary of Motion controls ever since.
Nintendo constantly did that back then, focus solely on a gimmick, screw anyone with physical issues or even just basic player convenience but the Wii is very sour spot for me because I couldn't play a game I wanted to because of the refusal to add some southpaw mechanics. One of the reason why I really dislike the "Don't like it, you just a "hater"" mentality this game brings out. Also why I've been wary of Motion controls ever since.
Hated it upon release. Likely because I hated the direction the Wii was going.
Played it in WiiU several years later. Loved it. Probably because I'd let my hate go.
It's a great game. Play it on a sofa though. Not in your bedroom.
Played it in WiiU several years later. Loved it. Probably because I'd let my hate go.
It's a great game. Play it on a sofa though. Not in your bedroom.
Im going to disagree with you there. I actually think that, had this NOT been a Zelda game, people would have loved it. I think the hate it gets is largely down to the sky high expectations that comes with a 'zelda' game.
It's a bit like Mario Sunshine for me. It's a really good game. But it struggles as a 'Mario' game.
I really like it. Though I think Skyview Temple (and its god awful music) is the worst in Zelda history.
Overall, the dungeons are pretty good. Sandship is one of my favorite dungeons ever. Music is good. Characters are good. Story is cute, and I did not see that twist coming.
The motion controls frustrated me so much on my first playthrough, but that's because I did it wrong. Once you learn it's alright.
The worst parts of the game is where you keep going back to the same 3 areas. I can't believe the game was in development for 5 years. Other really bad thing is that everytime you pick up a treasure, you need to see this really slow "cutscene" where it shows your inventory. Sure, it goes away next time you pick up the same treasure, but when you reboot the game it's back. What the hell, Nintendo?
Would really like an HD remaster, with some of the stupid things finetuned.
Overall, the dungeons are pretty good. Sandship is one of my favorite dungeons ever. Music is good. Characters are good. Story is cute, and I did not see that twist coming.
The motion controls frustrated me so much on my first playthrough, but that's because I did it wrong. Once you learn it's alright.
The worst parts of the game is where you keep going back to the same 3 areas. I can't believe the game was in development for 5 years. Other really bad thing is that everytime you pick up a treasure, you need to see this really slow "cutscene" where it shows your inventory. Sure, it goes away next time you pick up the same treasure, but when you reboot the game it's back. What the hell, Nintendo?
Would really like an HD remaster, with some of the stupid things finetuned.
it was pretty well received at the time, the backlash was mostly staggered i think
i had the pikachu open mouth face playing the game simply because it was a new zelda. if you asked me then i would've been like "yeah this is amazing" but now you probably couldn't pay me to play it again
Too much hand holding. Too much backtracking. The art style was good though. The motion controls were underrated.
Sometimes I think I'm the only person that had a functional Wii remote setup. I think lots of people played in bedrooms filled with LEDs which killed the controls. An option to play without motion control would have been nice.
Despite all of the flaws, SS was one of my most seamless and enjoyable 3D Zelda game experiences. I enjoyed it more than either N64 game.
The shopping plaza with blended music and great characters remains my favourite shopping experience in any game.
Despite all of the flaws, SS was one of my most seamless and enjoyable 3D Zelda game experiences. I enjoyed it more than either N64 game.
The shopping plaza with blended music and great characters remains my favourite shopping experience in any game.
It's not a game that stands the test of time very well. Even now not even close to a decade since it's not really a game that is referenced/brought up all that often, and I get the sense it's not all the easy to revisit- you need a Wii or a Wii U along with the game and a Wii Remote Plus or a motion plus accessory. I don't think there are all that many people who have those things to hand- heck even the game is relatively rare, being a disappointment sales-wise, I don't see it at all often in second-hand stores or such. I find this is a standout thing about it now, especially considering the series' pedigree- most Zelda games are not like this, they can be played rather easily in a variety of ways.
As for the game itself? I like it a lot- certain aspects of it are a little overblown like the motion controls at least for swordplay and the linearity which is fine overall just not everyone's cup of tea. Certain other aspects- the interruptions, Fi, the lack of original content in the last third and the general stagnation of the series' formula are not so easily overlooked. The dungeons, visuals, music and puzzle solving are all ace.
As for the game itself? I like it a lot- certain aspects of it are a little overblown like the motion controls at least for swordplay and the linearity which is fine overall just not everyone's cup of tea. Certain other aspects- the interruptions, Fi, the lack of original content in the last third and the general stagnation of the series' formula are not so easily overlooked. The dungeons, visuals, music and puzzle solving are all ace.
Yeah, exactly what I wanted to say. A game I wanted to love, but the gameplay is annoying and the environments are bland and repetitive to a baffling degree. And Fi is the worst. The most horrible companion in videogame history. She is the reason the whole game feels like one big, bloated tutorial.
all lover the place, even compared to the usual zelda all over the place..for many it's the worst 3d zelda (psst, it's not , it's wind waker), for other is a great game...i'm kind of in the middle...definitely underwhelming in many parts but has some great parts that stand tall even among other zeldas
The consensus among Zelda fans seems mixed.
The consensus among gamers in general don't exist - they never played it.
Zelda should be about exploration and a sense of adventure in my mind, so I consider it a blight on the franchise - but it forced Nintendo to take drastic measures with BotW, so I can appreciate it for that at least.
The consensus among gamers in general don't exist - they never played it.
Zelda should be about exploration and a sense of adventure in my mind, so I consider it a blight on the franchise - but it forced Nintendo to take drastic measures with BotW, so I can appreciate it for that at least.
Once I got used to the controls, my biggest issue was that the overworld was just so lacking. The sky was empty and then the little areas on the surface outside of dungeons were basically dungeons themselves, but there wasn't enough of them. You just went back to the same 3 areas repeatedly. At least the Lanayru area felt a little different with the time stones and sand sea.
I would really love an HD version on Switch to replay it because the game does some unique stuff, but they would have to totally redevelop parts of the game to migrate it to traditional controls. It's not just items that used motion controls - the entire games combat and enemies are built around them
I would really love an HD version on Switch to replay it because the game does some unique stuff, but they would have to totally redevelop parts of the game to migrate it to traditional controls. It's not just items that used motion controls - the entire games combat and enemies are built around them