Hey hey, this is Smiles here with a blog post! I originally wanted to write the review for the Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. But at the time, I didn’t beat the game and didn’t have my Wii on me, so Ryan wrote it. Granted, I knew that he had some problems with the game, but I didn’t think he’d give it that harsh of a score! Before you continue, I recommend watching his review:

Yep, he gave it a 7.5. Talk about unfair. It’d make any true Zelda fan cringe to hear that number. So, I’m going to write my rebuttal. A review of a review so to speak.

Ryan complained that Twilight Princess had formula fatigue where “you would go from dungeon to dungeon, collect an item, and beat a boss to save Zelda.” Then he goes on to say that little has changed in Skyward Sword.

Wait a minute…what about backtracking? In Skyward Sword, there are many times when you have to backtrack to previous areas after obtaining new items. New items unlock new paths and areas that were previously unavailable the first time around. For instance, you find a whole water area in Farore Forest after obtaining the Dragon Scale. The idea of backtracking usually isn’t employed in Zelda games and provides a fresh look on things. Ryan’s very critical on the matter, but I find it refreshing.

There was also the stamina gauge that Ryan didn’t mention in his review. That was something completely new to the Zelda series and played a huge part in Skyward Sword! Running up hills as Bokoblins threw rocks at you was always fun. It also prevented you from continuously spinning in battle. The stamina gauge put a limitation on Link’s abilities which adds a new challenge to the game.

Another one of Ryan’s complaints is that the storytelling was weak. Granted, he mentions the plot twist that Zelda isn’t necessarily kidnapped and Ganon isn’t necessarily the bad guy. But what about Groose!?!

Skyloft’s resident Gaston. Groose goes through some serious character development as you get further in the game. It’s a shame Ryan forgets to mention him, or other characters for that matter.

Ryan also complains about the fact that characters don’t have voicework and instead relies on text with “minimal matching animation.” “It can really take the impact away from dramatic moments when you have to look away to read paragraph after paragraph of dialogue.”

Of course you’re going to get minimal matching animations! This game is originally a Japanese game. The character mouth movements wouldn’t match English words obviously. Try making animations for every language this is launched in. Third, voice acting in videogames is a dangerous thing. Remember Megaman X4?

I can go on and on about how voice acting have ruined games like Sonic the Hedgehog and Megaman. Point being, voice acting in a Zelda game would be horrendous. Remember the language thing we talked about earlier? Yeah, you’d have to get voice actors FOR EACH CHARACTER IN EVERY LANGUAGE!

The one thing that Ryan fails to talk about is how the presentation captivates the mood. For instance, when you’re at the Silent Realms, the use of green gives off an eerily calm until you awaken the guardians. The background quickly changes to yellow, the music becomes fast paced and chaotic, and you’ll quiver with fear as the guardians get ready to strike. Ryan doesn’t talk much about the visuals for this game, which is a shame really. Skyward Sword has one of the most beautiful visuals in modern games and really stands out as a creative title. I’m personally happy they didn’t go full Wind Waker because that art style’s been used in 5 Zelda titles already (Minish Cap, 4 Swords Adventure, Phantom Hourglass, Spirit Tracks, and Wind Waker).

Mr. Evans evaluation of the challenge Skyward Sword brings is contradictory. At one point, he says that the dungeons are quite challenging, the bosses quite clever. At another point, he argues that Nintendo doesn’t know who is exactly playing their games because the game “holds your hand the entire way.” Wait, I’m confused. So is it challenging or not? Did he even think about the Silent Realms or the stamina gauge as he was writing this? I for one say this game is challenging, but not impossible. Granted, it does feel easier than other installments like Twilight Princess, but it offers a good challenge.

Don’t think I’m only bashing Ryan completely on his review. We both agree about the controls…to a certain extent. The combat controls aren’t the most fluid, but I believe Ryan is over exaggerating about how bad it is. According to him, many of the misreads from the controller would lead to “life-threatening consequences”, but I’d have to disagree with that. More often than not, you’re attacks will bounce off your opponent so you’ll have to strike and restrike again. One trick I used to overcome this was to use my slingshot on Bokoblins. After the Deku seed stunned them, I’d rush in and flail the Wii mote around. There were workarounds to the controls which made them bearable.

Ok, so now for my breakdown of the score

Story-9

Presentation- 10

Gameplay- 8.5

Design- 9

Replay Value- 8.5

Overall, Skyward Sword deserves a 9.3. Honestly, Ryan was too harsh on this game and didn’t really give good enough reasons as to why his score was low. I loved Skyward Sword, and I feel it’s a great Zelda experience.

-Stephen “Smiles” Ramirtha