The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
The first game in the Zelda timeline, revealing the Master Sword's origins.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is an action-adventure game from 2011, made by Nintendo for the Wii. It belongs to the main series of Zelda games and sits at the very beginning of the timeline, explaining how the Master Sword—a weapon that appears again and again in the series—came to be. The hero, Link, lives in a floating town called Skyloft. When his childhood friend Zelda is taken to the empty lands beneath the clouds, he sets off to bring her back.
Players control Link as he explores Skyloft and the world below, finishing quests that push the story forward and solving puzzles found in dungeons and the environment. Combat relies heavily on the Wii MotionPlus add-on, with sword and shield attacks and blocks tied to the player’s movements. The game took about five years to build, starting after Twilight Princess came out in 2006. Earlier Zelda games like Twilight Princess, Ocarina of Time, and Majora’s Mask shaped the developers’ ideas. The overworld and gameplay were designed to feel more populated and streamlined. The art style took cues from impressionist and post-impressionist painters, especially Paul Cézanne. Getting the Wii MotionPlus to work was tough for the team, and they nearly dropped it. Skyward Sword was the first Zelda game to use a live orchestra for most of its music, which was composed by a team led by Hajime Wakai and overseen by Koji Kondo.
Nintendo announced the game in 2009, aiming for a 2010 release, but pushed it back to November 2011 to polish and expand it. The game did well with critics and in sales, earning perfect scores from several review sites and winning or being nominated for many industry and journalist awards. It sold over three million copies worldwide. Still, some critics and fans complained about how linear it was, the amount of backtracking, the motion controls, and a lack of fresh ideas in the gameplay. Opinions on the story were mixed. What people said about Skyward Sword later influenced later Zelda games, including A Link Between Worlds and the next home console entry, Breath of the Wild.
A high-definition version, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD, was made with help from Tantalus Media and came out for the Nintendo Switch in July 2021. By March 2022, that remaster had sold nearly four million copies around the world.
Quick Facts
- Publisher
- Nintendo
- Series
- The Legend of Zelda
- Platforms
- Wii; Nintendo Switch
- Genre
- Action-adventure
- Modes
- Single-player
- Director
- Hidemaro Fujibayashi
- Producer
- Eiji Aonuma
- Programmer
- Toshio Iwawaki, Kazuaki Morita
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Skyward Sword takes place at the beginning of the Zelda continuity. According to legend, three ancient Goddesses bestowed the Triforce, a great wish-granting power. The Demon King Demise laid waste to much of the land seeking it, but the Goddess Hylia gathered survivors and sent them into the sky, then launched a full-scale offensive against Demise. Though victorious, the land was severely damaged. Uncounted years later, the outcrop is known as Skyloft, and its people believe the surface below is a myth.
In the present, knight-in-training Link passes his final exam despite interference from his class rival Groose. During a celebratory flight, Zelda is whisked below the clouds by a dark tornado. Link is led to the Goddess Sword by Fi, the spirit of the sword, and draws it, showing himself to be the prophesied hero. He opens a way to the surface and is guided to the Sealed Temple, where an old woman tells him to track Zelda. Link crosses the regions of Faron Woods, Eldin Volcano, and the Lanayru Desert, encountering the Demon Lord Ghirahim and the guardian Impa. At the Temple of Time, Link defends Zelda and Impa from Ghirahim, allowing them to depart through a Gate of Time into the past.
Returning to the Sealed Temple, Link and Groose end up on the surface together. Link defeats the Imprisoned, a monstrous form of Demise, then sets out to strengthen the Goddess Sword by passing trials set by the ancient Goddesses and using their gifts to find Sacred Flames. After resealing the Imprisoned with Groose's help, Link activates the Gate of Time.
Reader's Guide
Skyward Sword was a critical and commercial success, receiving perfect scores from multiple journalistic sites and winning or receiving nominations for numerous industry and journalist awards. However, critics and series fans expressed criticism over its excessive linearity and backtracking, its motion controls, a general lack of innovation in the gameplay, and were divided on its narrative choices. Feedback on the game later influenced the development of future Zelda games, including A Link Between Worlds and the next entry for home consoles, Breath of the Wild. A high-definition remaster, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD, was co-developed by Tantalus Media and released for the Nintendo Switch in July 2021. As of March 2022, the remaster had sold nearly 4 million units worldwide.
Did You Know?
- Development took around five years, beginning after the release of Twilight Princess in 2006.
- The art style was influenced by impressionist and post-impressionist painters, including Paul Cézanne.
- The implementation of Wii MotionPlus proved so problematic that it was nearly discarded.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who directed The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword?
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword was directed by Hidemaro Fujibayashi.
Who composed the music for The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword?
The music for The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword was composed by Hajime Wakai, Shiho Fujii, Mahito Yokota and Takeshi Hama.
Is The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword single-player or multiplayer?
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword offers single-player play.
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