Skyward Sword

Did You Know?

• The game's stamina meter recharges after a few seconds when not performing actions that drain it.
• The developers of Breath of the Wild wanted to improve on Skyward Sword based on feedback about its linearity.

Plot

Skyward Sword is set at the beginning of the Zelda continuity. According to legend, three ancient Goddesses created the Triforce, a great wish-granting power. The Demon King Demise ravaged the land seeking it, but the Goddess Hylia gathered survivors and sent them into the sky, then defeated Demise. Uncounted years later, the sky outcrop is called Skyloft, and its people believe the surface is a myth.

In the present, knight-in-training Link passes his final exam despite interference from class rival Groose. During a celebratory flight, Zelda is taken below the clouds by a dark tornado. Link is led to the Goddess Sword by Fi, its spirit, and draws it, proving himself the prophesied hero. He opens a path to the surface and is guided to the Sealed Temple, where an old woman tells him to track Zelda.

Link travels across Faron Woods, Eldin Volcano, and the Lanayru Desert. He catches up with Zelda but is prevented from returning her by Impa, a young woman guarding her. Link encounters Ghirahim, a Demon Lord working to free Demise. At the Temple of Time, Link defends Zelda and Impa from Ghirahim, allowing them to escape through a Gate of Time into the past.

Development

Development of Skyward Sword began in 2006 after the release of Twilight Princess. It was developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development, assisted by Monolith Soft's Kyoto branch. Eiji Aonuma served as producer, and Hidemaro Fujibayashi as director. Aonuma's main concern was whether the team could continue making Zelda games with the same mindset used up to Twilight Princess.

The starting point was the Wii version of Twilight Princess, as the team felt they had not fully realized their goal of a vast, realistic world. They also sought to create an experience equivalent to Ocarina of Time. Development lasted about five years, with an initial estimate of three years; difficulties extended it by two years. Shigeru Miyamoto noted the budget was high for a Nintendo project.

The art style was influenced by impressionist and post-impressionist painters, including Paul Cézanne. The game was the first Zelda title to use a live orchestra for most of its tracks, with music composed by a team led by Hajime Wakai and supervised by Koji Kondo. By June 2011, the game was complete aside from fine-tuning and balancing.

Release

A new Zelda game was first hinted at in April 2008, when Miyamoto stated the development team was reforming. At E3 2008, he confirmed a new Zelda for the Wii. The game was unveiled at E3 2009, though its title remained unknown; Miyamoto showed promotional art of Link and Fi and announced the use of Wii MotionPlus and a planned 2010 release. Aonuma later cast doubt on that release window.

The title was announced at a later event, along with a revised 2011 release and a playable demo. Miyamoto said the delay from 2010 occurred because staff felt they would release an unfinished product if they prioritized company convenience over quality. The extra year was used to finish core elements and polish the game. Promotional elements included a five-part online comic by Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik under the Penny Arcade Presents series, and television commercials featuring Robin Williams and his daughter Zelda.

Skyward Sword was released in all regions in November 2011, as both a standard edition and a limited deluxe edition with a gold Wii Remote Plus. An anniversary CD with orchestrated series music was included with both editions. After release, a glitch was discovered that corrupted save files if three late-game events were taken in a certain order; Nintendo issued instructions and offered to repair corrupted files. The game was re-released for the Wii U via Virtual Console on September 1, 2016, as part of the series' 30th anniversary celebrations.

Reception

Skyward Sword received critical acclaim, with a score of 93/100 on Metacritic based on 81 reviews. It was the site's 10th highest scoring game of 2011 and the 6th best-reviewed Wii game. It was the third Zelda game and the sixteenth video game to receive a perfect score from Famitsu, and also received perfect scores from IGN, Eurogamer, Game Informer, Edge, and VideoGamer.com. Famitsu praised the overworld and gameplay, with one reviewer saying it would form a new standard. Edge was positive about all aspects except the player-driven upgrade system. Nintendo Power called it 'truly worthy of being called epic'. Ray Carsillo of Electronic Gaming Monthly appreciated its nostalgic value but found the motion control difficult. Jose Otero of 1UP.com praised the developers for moving away from Zelda tradition but noted detrimental elements remained, calling it 'a weird middle ground'.