When all was said and done I'd logged in over 55 hours, give or take a couple hours for food and bathroom breaks. Those are 55 hours that flew by as I found myself immersed in another epic Zelda game. How was it, and how does it stack up to previous Zeldas? IMO, the best Zelda is the one I'm playing right now, and I stopped picking favorites long ago. Skyward is a great game in it's own right.
As I stated in my first impression blog, I felt the game started kinda slow, and in retrospect, after experiencing the full game, I can see why. The new control system is vastly different than previous Zeldas and is an improvement, IMO. Switching to different items with the new menu scheme is much more efficient and a welcome addition, although I had a tough time kicking the habit of holding the B button down to draw projectile weapons and start pressing A to shoot them.
The other major enhancement is the 1:1 sword swinging aspect provided by Motion Plus. I like the idea, and when it worked it was great, but I did have a little trouble, some of which was a result of my home setup. Sunlight beaming into my living room during the day contantly interfered with the reception of my controller. This isn't news to me, I'd experienced this before, but performing songs on the harp in the proper tempo was impossible for me unless I got up and walked into the hallway. It also made executing skyward strikes a tedious process.
Another problem I have is with the hardware itself. There were rare times when left and right were reversed. Those who've played Skyward know that recalibrating the center point happens often, and I wonder if that also effects the swordplay. Regardless, I'm not entirely sold that Motion Plus is completely 1:1 all of the time, and that did effect my experience in Skyward, particularly during battles that require precise movement.
Hardware deficiencies aside, Skyward was a blast to play. Once you reach the Sealed Grounds the game picks up and and never looks back. I never found myself lost or confused about what to do next, something which seemed to happen at least once in previous Zeldas.
I found Fi, Link's sword-bound companion, to be helpful when she wasn't insulting my intelligence by stating the obvious. When the dowsing ability was introduced, I thought it might be a game-breaker for dumbies and decided to completely abstain from it, but there are times when it was necessary and I begrudgingly complied. At any rate, as per the current Nintendo trend, with all the hints and suggestions available to the player from Fi, the game is obviously idiot-proof and made accessible for all ages. Is it so hard, Nintendo, to just add different difficulty modes instead of making the game one-size-fits-all? And why does Fi always round her percentages to the nearest 5? Why can't it ever be 93% or 81%? The probability of all probabilities being a factor of 5 is 0.0372%.
The game adds some new items and borrows from previous 2D adventures. I thought the Beetle was a clever addition, and liked seeing the Gust Bellow and Digging Mitts finally get some 3D action. I also liked the Whip, but thought it was under-utilized. Toward the end of the game when I had one empty item slot left, I was willing to bet that this Zelda would omit the Bow like it had the Boomerang, and wouldn't have missed it if they had.
I thought the bosses were well-crafted, albeit a tad easy (another victim of Nintendo's easy access design?). I have to say, though, that I was completely stunned when Demise, the final boss, didn't transform into a huge final phase monster. It was a superb sword fight for sure, but a little disappointing.
When I reached the end of the game I thought, "Okay, I played the entire game and didn't hear it once. Now HAS to be the time when they play it!". Sure enough, as the credits rolled, the original Zelda theme song played in all it's glory. I would like to have heard more of it throughout the game.
One question remains as I contemplate the trade value of Skyward: is hard mode worth playing through? What is really different other than double damage? I don't see myself playing through again without a drastic difference.
What I liked:
Colorful graphics.
Once it starts moving, the game keeps a steady pace to the end.
Revamped item menu access.
What I didn't like:
Motion Plus is glitchy at times.
Kinda on the easy side, overall.
That the iconic Zelda theme is played only once.
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