The last Zelda game on Wii is one of the best, but control issues and a slog of a final quarter spoils what is there.
Skyward Sword represents probably one of the last great releases for the aging Wii hardware, and with the consoles sequel just around the corner needed to be a memorable title in its own right to justify spending money on a game for a system that will be obsolete in a few months. Unfortunately, while this game is a great one, waggle is not gone entirely and control frustrations and a last quarter that proves to be a real slog mean this is not the instant classic many were hoping for.
That is not to say the latest Zelda isn't great, it is, in fact it is one of the best Zelda games I have played, period. The story is actually genuinely interesting, providing more context for your actions that most other Zelda games and proving quite memorable, making you care about the characters and provide quite a good set of villians to face off against.
The art style is gorgeous too, I am not going to use the phrase 'for a Wii game' because that will mislead you. It really does look good and I really didn't notice that it wasn't in HD on my big TV because the art really draws you into the world, and the gameplay is good enough to suck you in and keep you immersed, that is until you start fighting anything.
A problem that has plagued the Wii since its inception, the controls, while arguably way, way better than most games before it, still provide so much frustration as to take you out of the game and make you want to throw the Wiimote across the room. Touted as 1 to 1 control with the motion plus, that is definitely not the case, though it is close.
I know its not 1 to 1 because on several occasions I had to charge a powered up sword strike and I threw it forward over head and it sent an under arm strike forward. Its a little thing and in the context of what I was doing didn't matter but it does again break immersion. It's little things like this that throw you out of the world, but also during boss fights that require precision strikes it can prove absolutely maddening. Sometimes it wouldn't even let me charge the previously mentioned stike, instead I had to swipe side to side to get to recognise that I was doing something and then point upward to charge, which in the middle of a boss battle is less than ideal.
It's a shame, because this is one of the most fleshed out and worthy games to carry the Zelda mantel. There is so much to do, and the world you inhabit for the forty or so hours it takes to complete the game feels like a living, breathing place. As you take to the sky's around Link's home of Skyloft, other people can be seen flying about on their giant birds, as well as milling around or working on the floating island itself.
Head below the clouds and there maybe a few less people around, but wildlife exist all over and show that yes, this is a world that could exist. Speaking of the wildlife, one of the most clever additions is that by collecting certain bugs you can power up purchased potions to increase the number of hearts they give you back or make their effects last longer, and its not hard to do the capturing and just by playing the game you will get plenty to cover your progress.
The same goes for collecting treasure left behind by enemies, which go into powering up your array of weapons and tools and giving a good sense of progression rather than the standard 'completed dungeon, here is a new device' fare, though that is still in there.
The biggest problem, apart from the controls, is that the last quarter or so of the game is a real slog. It's a problem that has faced many Zelda games, especially those on the DS, as just when you thought you were at the end you have to go spend about three hours finding something else so that you are officially powerful enough to defeat the big bad. Its annoying, but the gameplay is good enough that you can get through this section without boredom setting in too badly.
Over all, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is a great and beautiful game, let down by at times maddening controls and a poor back end, which is compounded by the poor controls. I do still recommend this game for any Wii owner, but maybe, as I have done, as a swan song to your Wii, the last hurray before you pack it up and get ready for Wii U.