Introduction

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is the fifth and currently most recent entry in the 3D console Zelda saga. It was released for the Nintendo Wii in 2011 and could be considered the swan song of the console. Intended to reinvent the 3D Zelda formula, Skyward Sword is one of the most divisive games in the series. Some people laud the beautiful presentation and involving combat while others deride the game for its slow pace and sometimes unresponsive controls.


The story of Skyward Sword starts out on Skyloft, a small island eternally floating high above the clouds. The Goddess Hylia sent Skyloft to the sky a long time ago to protect her people from the great evil that roamed the surface. In the present, we find the earliest known incarnation of Link to be living on Skyloft. He's a student at the Knight Academy but also a bit of an oaf. He likes to sleep in late and doesn't appear to take his education all that seriously. Sadly, that lifestyle can't last forever as Link is in for a rude awakening. While flying around the clouds one day, Link's childhood friend Zelda is whisked away to the surface by a powerful storm. Link soon discovers that both he and Zelda are destined to take part in a grand adventure that will decide the fate of the World. Will the great evil that terrorizes the surface be put to an end, or will it be free to conquer the land without contention?


In a lot of ways Skyward Sword is a departure from the 3D Zelda games that came before it. Combat is now entirely centered around using the Wiimote to make precise slashes with your sword. This allows for combat to be a bit more methodical and for the player to dictate the pace of the battle. Instead of a large, open world the game is set in a series of smaller, interconnected hub areas. To make up for this all areas are densely packed and there are no 'empty' zones such as The Great Sea or Hyrule Field.

The intimate nature of everything in Skyward Sword gives the game a cozy and enjoyable vibe. It's a lighthearted affair more along the lines of Wind Waker than Ocarina of Time or Twilight Princess. It may not be a very traditional Zelda game, but it most certainly is a good one.


THREAD RULES:

1) Put spoilers in tags! The 3D Zelda games live and die by their story. Because of this I would appreciate it if we could keep this thread a spoiler-free zone. This LP is going to be a lot of people's first time experiencing Skyward Sword. Let's try our best to preserve that experience!

2) Leave your sass at the door! It's no secret that a lot of people are heavily invested in The Legend of Zelda. As such, I'm not going to stop anyone from using this thread to debate about how Skyward Sword is the worst/best Zelda. However, if you're going to do that please be respectful to the people you're talking to. If you want to argue about Zelda and also be a jerk about it, take it elsewhere.


With that in mind; let's (sky)dive in!

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