Skyward Sword + Breath of the Wild Review - The Building Blocks of the Next Zelda

[@flashfire3564]

Imagine if we fought like cursed versions of the Champions instead of the blights...

[@veijiouuuu]

that would be epic

[@odingerke1463]

Spoiler for the dlc: Or at least they should've added this in the ballad of the champions dlc instead of fighting the SAME bloody ganon blights

[@flashfire3564]

@@odingerke1463 yeah I totally agree

[@BossCrazyRoss]

That would honestly be awesome.

[@EM-qw7bj]

HECC YEA

[@pinecone5551]

Alcoholic Link was one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time

[@allan4278]

Alcoholink*

[@natty3738]

You profile picture is acoholic link.

[@pinecone5551]

Huh, no wonder I found that segment so funny then.

[@hanburgundy4317]

@@pinecone5551 lmao Link - "Bruh... try this Deku Green..." Groose - "No one takes as big of bong rips as the Groosenator!" Link - "Hah, nice hair."

[@cutecommie]

@@natty3738 No, he's coffeholic.

[@michaela.888]

after seeing skyward sword get shit on so passionately for 8 years, it's extremely refreshing to see someone actually analyze the things it did right. I know the game is very flawed, but I enjoyed it.

[@hepwo91222]

Skyward Sword controlled fine for me. I didn't like the segmented world nor the empty sky, but overall it was one of my favorite Wii games.

[@chironthecuddley6144]

I really liked Skyward Sword's dungeons and I actually liked revisiting the areas to find new mechanics (gimmicks) to explore the area further. Like the forest becoming flooded, sailing on the open sea with the time stones and the spirit trials were a lot of fun.

[@David-bc4hh]

I didn't like it. I was confused with all the praise when it came out. I didn't know it has been getting shat on for the past 8 yrs

[@hepwo91222]

@@David-bc4hh I mostly got positive reviews when it came out. I thought it was weak for a Zelda game, but Zelda games tend to be so damn good that even a weaker game was still a good game. So good that in 2011 it was probably still my favorite game of the year, a toss up between SS and Skyrim.

[@David-bc4hh]

@@hepwo91222 it was weak for a Zelda game true. I just couldn't get in to it. It was a gut through for me mabe it was the controls, I don't know I can't put my finger on it. Skyrim however I was shocked of how balls deep I got into that one.

[@bradl.602]

4:24 Audio: "Skyward Sword fell far short of this." Captions: "Skyward Sword somehow fucked this up." I chuckled.

[@blueyandicy]

I think the captions is his script, which is why if isn't 1 to 1. Great either way.

[@VonSnuggles1412]

I love skyward sword, but i agree with that closed caption at times

[@ThunderLord-fq7rk]

Time stamp pls

[@ghost_cat_enthusiast]

@@ThunderLord-fq7rk4:22

[@GhostEmblem]

"The Zelda series has a history of taking fan feedback to heart and overcorrecting" is pretty damn accurate.

[@BlaxeFrost-X]

@OMEGGA You mean, not listening at all? XD let's seek balance!

[@BlaxeFrost-X]

@OMEGGA But thanos was an extremist seeking balance... i mean, he was seeking balance... in extreme...

[@BlaxeFrost-X]

@OMEGGA extremely balanced e.e too much balance is lack of balance in balance

[@BlaxeFrost-X]

@OMEGGA Try to balance "Balance" and "Extreme" as concepts... it's imposible, if you extremely seek balance you may break yourself XD it's good to have a bit of both

[@XanderVJ]

Yeah. The trend started with the backlash against the art style of TWW, and it's been like that ever since.

[@MisterYura]

I've been saying to my friends for a while now that the BotW sequel needs to be "Majora's Mask-ized": - reuse the core engine and assets to spend the time on more important things - cut down on the world's size, while increasing the density of content - create more sidequests and interesting characters - add new fun ways to explore or travel - increase the variety of enemies, and make them specific to different locations - make it weird, memorable, and unique It's nice to see that I'm not alone in these thoughts

[@jonm3915]

I really don't want all the Zelda games to be like BOTW from now on. If they made a "____ of the Wild" spinoff series I won't mind but I really prefer the regular Zelda games in every aspect.

[@TexTalksSometimes]

Wow I just finished posting a response with this same idea. Glad to see someone else is thinking along the same lines!

[@RightEyeRaptor]

After playing BOTW and sticking solely to the story and finishing it in 4 days compared to the month it took on my first playthrough with exploration my first priority, I agree. You take away the exploration and sidequests and it is very sparse and disjointed story-wise. The Champion Descendants don't leave enough time for you to develop emotions for them (maybe except Sidon) and the fact that they don't accompany you into the Beasts themselves is a wasted opportunity. On another note, I have severe motor coordination issues and due to BOTW's love of motion controls, I can't complete the Champion's Ballad. So I hope they don't bring back mandatory gyroscope puzzles. I love BOTW, but that doesn't mean that I can't see its flaws

[@IrvineTheHunter]

Just said the same thing to my brother, koroc seeds/towers are based on the world being to big to explore, more items like Majora so that the basic puzzles can be solved with quirky extras AND built around basic skills. Majora's masks generally only had a single use but the content they accessed made collecting them feel like part of, not an aside, to the open world.

[@omsa]

@@RightEyeRaptor can you not turn the motion off?

[@jackgarcia5926]

I refuse to accept any scoring scale other than Twerking Tingles from now on.

[@Fia_Faustus]

I love how it's not on a fixed scale. You can give as many twerking Tingles as you please which is really freeing

[@siamesetool7103]

I'm twerking Tingle tight now

[@veeeen]

plague knight, did mona leave you for tingle?

[@allanssupposedlysecretacco817]

lol

[@VenoMantis]

the whiplash of a serious thread of points followed by that hit like a truck

[@agentbuckshot4697]

Watching this after TOTK dropped the ball makes me wish the oldhead devs weren't so out of touch with what made older Zelda games so loved, especially after that recent Eiji Aonuma interview and the "Somehow the Sheikah tech disappeared" debacle.

[@MAYOFORCE]

That segment with link drinking alcohol and rolling into walls was on point

[@7heBoss]

"Majora's Mask only had four dungeons and it's objectively the best game ever made and has tingle in it." This one got me. Best line of a video ever

[@ReadCS]

I think he might've said "and is subjectively the best game ever made and has tingle in it." which would make more sense given he's not super polar about rating the games over each other.

[@BlaxeFrost-X]

@@ReadCS That's exactly what he said

[@HaydenTheEeeeeeeeevilEukaryote]

Blaxe Frost 6:20 It’s actually impossible to tell based on just hearing it since “is subjectively” sounds exactly the same as “is objectively” when said the way that he said it. However, if he made the english captions then that confirms he said “objectively”. Plus it’ll just make more sense considering it’s a joke.

[@JustAHat]

I very clearly hear subjective there, 2 S's

[@HaydenTheEeeeeeeeevilEukaryote]

A Hat I don’t, and it makes more sense for him to say “objectively” given the context.

[@jerryseinfeld0]

Damn I had no idea people disliked skyward sword so much. I remember enjoying the hell out of it.

[@Goozeeeee]

Thanks Jerry

[@teaze1642]

For me, it was mostly because the swordplay made the game unplayable for me.

[@quinnmarchese6313]

watch game grumps play it, Arin rips it a new one at least once per episode, he really hates the 3D Zelda formula and Skyword Sword most of all

[@SansMain]

Quinn Marchese well he needs to calm down. Skyward Sword is awesome

[@jeremymeyler8980]

I read this in Jerry's voice

[@dorf7219]

5:17 that box art is nearly spot on with what the switch boxart actually looks look

[@drakemayhugh3749]

Nobody else is commenting on that and I think that's wild

[@Jack_MxM]

That's because that art existed already. It was used for the European release of Skyward Sword from Jan 2012 onwards if I remember correctly. They've just crushed it into the format of a Switch box

[@tonifa2067]

My copy for the Wii has this cover. Plus a stupid sticker with a score from a videogame magazine which ruins it a bit :)

[@Ghesh_Vargiet]

it’s the icon

[@paulj6805]

@@drakemayhugh3749 looks look

[@kypello3512]

Skyward Sword perfected dungeons but the dungeons leaked into the overworld too much Breath of the Wild perfected the open world but the open world leaked into the dungeons too much

[@thecarwasherofshangri-la]

Oh no! There's a leak in my system!

[@BlaxeFrost-X]

SS: Good Music, Good Story, Good Dungeons, Bad Overworld, Bad Mechanics, Bad...? BotW: Bad Story, Bad Dungeons, Good Overworld, Good Mechanics! Yeah, perfectly balanced if put together My hope: Breath of the Wild 2... Good Music, Good Story, Good Dungeons, Same Good Overworld, Same Good Mechanics

[@claire6452]

@@BlaxeFrost-X BotW story isn't bad per say. It's very simple and similar to most Zelda games. Presentation is the issue. SS Mechanics are not bad. None of them are. The most offensive would be the Gyro control, but even that isn't bad, just not good. Everything else is really solid, from the stamina, repair and upgrade system, amazing Hero mode (unlike the dumpster fire that BotW DLC is) because it just works perfectly with the game structure (like the potion system, or having campfi... I mean chairs to sit and heal in the world).

[@BlaxeFrost-X]

@@claire6452 agreed, i just polarized it via ignoring details

[@lpfan4491]

honestly,botws motioncontrols are much,much worse than ss motioncontrols. thank god they were only used for like 3 or 4 shrines.

[@SecksyMan]

The dungeons in BOTW were my biggest complaint. I hope they bring back the traditional dungeon system in the future.

[@eletgres519]

I agree. While I liked the dungeon/shines puzzles in botw they needed to feel special and different. They all have the same style

[@hepwo91222]

120 Shrines/4 dungeons is superior to what between 4-12+ dungrons in most other Zelda games?

[@LeonTheSp00ky]

@@hepwo91222 quality>quantity

[@hepwo91222]

@@LeonTheSp00ky I would normally agree, but I feel like in BotW the sidequests were finding and beating the 120 shrines, which was addicting exploring a rich open world better than any open world game I have ever played.where Skyward Sword did have more in depth dungeons and some exploration to get to them, but the whole game had a compartmentalized feeling, not much for exploration.

[@isodoubIet]

@@hepwo91222 "rich open world" That's not how you spell "blatant copy paste content".

[@ElFlippage]

Regarding rain: I think the most hilarious and damning thing about BOTW is that a loading screen tip recommends that when it rains, you simply wait it out to continue exploring. The game itself literally recommends that the best way to overcome some of its randomly timed events is to stop playing the game lmao

[@shadedepeche2556]

Well, you are supposed to take a break every once in a while when you play video games.

[@narutobestanime1186]

@@shadedepeche2556 You're trying to justify breath of the wild not letting you play the breath of the wild.

[@shadedepeche2556]

Naruto Best Anime I repeat, you are supposed to take a break every once in a while when playing video games. I’m not really justifying BOTW stopping you from playing the game, I’m saying that most games give a warning that you should stop and take a break. Besides, it’s not like you can’t pick up and play the game later on.

[@Mr.Scott86]

@@shadedepeche2556 what if you just started playing and it rains "oh well guess I have to wait another 20 minutes"

[@shadedepeche2556]

Politically Correct Wait, that can happen?

[@natelover3000]

"There's been some rumbling about Skyward Sword HD coming to Switch, but the controls would be worse without a bar to recalibrate" well... we got even better than that

[@at0micl0bster]

They backed down from their bs claim?

[@natelover3000]

@KingInTheNorth i definitely do understand that it’s not great, but they can’t fundamentally change the fact this was meant for motion controls. right stick controls will def suck balls but they can’t change the angle-based combat.

[@ryelo5448]

@@natelover3000 also 60 dollars for a wii game in 2021 when you can argue the horrible 3ds all stars is a better deal. they should of packed in skyward sword with two other zelda games to give the illusion of value, instead of just shitting on us.

[@natelover3000]

@@ryelo5448nah yea totally, i feel like at this point they’re just testing it out to see how terrible they can make the games and still price them full price, but the controls were kind of inevitable

[@ryelo5448]

@@natelover3000 yeah the controls were, but man is this sad

[@smashwagon777]

Seeing the Breath of the Wild 2 trailer, I appreciate Calamity Ganon a lot more considering it was just a phantom made from Ganondorf

[@DiosBabilonia]

Phantom Ganon got promoted to final boss for his long service.

[@lgmmrm]

I feel like BOTW is supposed to be a hard reset for the timeline. They didn't set it any of the three established timelines because they intentionally made it pointless to put it into any of the established timelines. It's been 10,100 years since the last heroic cycle.

[@chuganoga1908]

Noo... just... no..

[@chuganoga1908]

Wade nah.. it was still trash just like every other boss in BOTW

[@alejandrobenavides766]

​@@lgmmrm This might be pretty accurate, I like it. Like the original, Ganon is a very simple depiction of evil in Botw, then Botw 2 might grab the resurrection aspect from Zelda II and the characterized Ganon from A link to the past.

[@CTStyles31]

It always bugged me that people believed botw could do no wrong or that ss was irredeemably trash. Nice to see a video with a more differentiated opinion.

[@emolovetree]

That was a lot of the public right after skyward was released, people saying it dethroned oot and that it was like the the first game in the series in 3d. I think it's a normal part of the zelda cycle

[@Distress.]

@@emolovetree isnt it a reverse zelda cycle now? Botw and ss both were considered 10/10 until everyone realized their flaws afterwards.

[@emolovetree]

@@Distress. it could be though an alternative explanation is that WW was an outlier and reversed the normal cycle. Though MM wasnt an instant so maybe the cycle is always the same just which direction it goes changes?

[@Pan_Z]

Welcome to a fanbase of oversensitive nerds

[@summerycast7936]

Honestly people are very critical of BOTW after the first few months of its release. Lack of enemy variety, weapon durability, too much empty space, poor story, not enough incentives to explore the world (heavily disagree), etc. Oh and Yiga Clan's hideout. It was alright, but did they have to force a stealth section in a Zelda game again?! It's not flawless for sure, but personally the pros outweigh the cons. Although weapon breaking coupled with a small inventory is annoying!

[@TEMINIX]

I miss the item unlocks in dungeons. I hope the next mainline entry can bring back huge uniquely themed dungeons and items while keeping the physics driven overworld that is so highly praised. On paper, all they have to do is blend these few things that have been done well in previous titles.

[@Nedoxu]

yes please, do this nintendo.

[@lpfan4491]

i think nintendo had a few creativity problems in botw. instead of making more unique overworld bosses,they just had 5,2 of them just elemental versions of our stonebois. and having items does not mean restrictions. if they just had secondary options for the insanely creative,then itembased stuff could have worked in any dungeonorder

[@amanofnoreputation2164]

You almost summarized BOTW's story, but allow me to do it some justice. "Gee -- it sure is dead around here!" "My boi! This desolation is what all true warriors strive for! -- now fuck around until Hyrule is saved."

[@firenze6478]

Underrated comment.

[@Christopher-md7tf]

*MAH BOI*

[@MinibossMakaque]

"In BOTW it's like a team of scientists engineered the precise opposite of that feeling in a lab." Oh my God, lmfao.

[@m9imgr7]

thats how i felt flurry rushing everytime i dodge. i miss the fast paced sword play with more moves and animation. shit even just taking out flurry rush would make it better. I hope the sequeal uses a sword skill formula like twilight princess. Would help add that sense of progression botw lacks

[@jimit.4220]

@@m9imgr7 agreed. Mcflurry rushing is cool for the first couple of hours but after that you realise that the timing is completely broken and is far too easily exploitable. Personally I'd like to see a combat system in botw 2 that is akin to most open world games with sword fighting (for example ghost of tsushima) while still keeping the elements that worked in botw. Also enemy variety needs to be way way waaaaay better.

[@m9imgr7]

@@jimit.4220 have you ever played nioh 2? I think ghost of tsushima was a weird version of that games combat, but that would be cool. I wouldn't mind flurry rush if it was like a 1 frame perfect dodge that you would have to master to use or make it an option in the menu u can turn off

[@jimit.4220]

@@m9imgr7 no I've not played nioh 2, nor ghost. I'm mainly talking about the parry, dodge, light and heavy attacks system. Maybe multiple fighting stances

[@m9imgr7]

@@jimit.4220 I think they should learn from shadow of the colossus too. Some large scale battles climbing on the monsters and shit would be sweet

[@KaiSchSp]

I kinda love the Zelda series for how different each game feels. While similar in concept, their execution always has a different focus.

[@benb4805]

Exactly man.

[@jcplays236]

Kai I couldn't describe my love for Zelda any better

[@HonsHon]

Just hearing, "Link, fuck around until Hyrule is saved." brought me to tears

[@cartermilan]

best part of the video

[@snyders2]

Well it looks like Nintendo took your feedback to heart, and instead of staying away from skyward sword at all cost, they're re-releasing it for 60 dollars, how wonderful!

[@matthewmuir8884]

If the re-release doesn't include a left-handed mode, then I'm not buying it; just like I didn't buy the original Skyward Sword. EDIT: Well, it doesn't have a left-handed mode, so once again, I'm not buying it.

[@rustyshackleford4117]

@@matthewmuir8884 It doesn’t but more importantly it includes a new control scheme that doesn’t require motion controls at all, which is a plus in my mind because the motion controls didn’t really add anything to the game as they were too simplistic.

[@matthewmuir8884]

@@rustyshackleford4117 I know about the stick controls, and I honestly don't care about it. For me, it's a simple matter of accessibility and consideration; both Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks on the DS had left-handed modes for the touchscreen controls, yet Skyward Sword, despite having five years of development, didn't, and neither does this re-release.

[@thatonehumanoid7756]

@@matthewmuir8884 I think it’s good that there’s no left handed mode, since it discourages people from being left handed, which is generally a burden to society

[@matthewmuir8884]

@@thatonehumanoid7756 …You'd better be joking.

[@ricardo.r]

I agree with the majority of the review. In fact, some complaints you mentioned are ones that I had but couldn't quite articulate into words. However, I disagree with BOTW puzzles being solved in a way that "doesn't feel right" leads to a feeling of dissatisfaction. I feel like puzzles should have more than one correct answer. Finding a solution that even the developers hadn't envisioned makes the game feel more realistic. How many times do you come across a real life scenario that only has one solution? I would argue that this mechanic is one of the reasons BOTW is such a great game. Portal did the same with it's puzzles and its become arguably the best puzzle game out there.

[@icecoldnut5152]

I agree that the fact that no puzzle has 1 definite solution makes it great, but when so many puzzles are copied and pasted but slightly altered in the world. It makes the game feel watered down. To the point where i felt like i was play windwaker and just exploring the ocean instead of the islands. I once invested a ton of materials and tools to kill a literal horde of silver/black lizalfos in the desert and i got 5 fuckin lightning arrows. Like wtf. I already am not satisfied just fighting the same bases of the same enemies all over the world. Shouldnt i get some cool loot for doing it at the very least? Not to mention loot that is literally worth LESS than what I had to invest? Some of the puzzles are pretty great, but the risk vs reward was WAY off.

[@TheBrazilRules]

I think you have the right idea. But realistic is not na inherently good characteristic.

[@THEM0J0MAN]

Maybe it had multiple solution and that is realistic but its a game. 5 boring solutions = a boring puzzle and a boring part of the game. Portal was designed so it really did have pretty much 1 proper solution and others were quite difficult to find, botw's alternative solutions are often easier and negate any fun to be had.

[@megasoniczxx]

@@THEM0J0MAN I wouldn't say it negates the fun. For me it's pretty fun to find my own solutions instead of only having one since you can make it a different experience every time you play it and it doesn't feel as scripted as past zeldas. My only problem with this approach is that it makes them all too easy to complete since there aren't enough considerations made to the possibilities of what the player could do. I think a good compromise would be to have some dungeons where you have to follow it's structure and you're more limited but others let you do what you want in order to solve it. It's something that I really want nintendo to work on since I always thought one of zelda's biggest weaknesses was that it was so focused on puzzle based dungeons even though they lose a lot of their magic when you know the solution already. All of the fun happens mostly outside of the dungeons so I want that to expand into those too.

[@dp7552]

Yeah the concept of solving a puzzle the "wrong" way in BotW is antithetical to the entire game's concept.

[@U.Inferno]

I have been saying this since BotW came out. BotW(Overworld+Gameplay) + SS(Story+Dungeons)= Best Zelda Game

[@claire6452]

But TP dungeons are better. And many aspect from SS gameplay (anything that isn't about swinging the weapon around) are better than BotW. "But muh paraglide and climbing" , that's because of the size of the world. Neither would make any sense in a game with SS structure, that's simply not a thing to account for. If BotW2 ends up being massive again, they will return, if it's not, they won't, and that all there is to it. But everything else SS did? Upgrading anything? Repairing anything? Having a limited number of potions you can carry to heal before having to restock instead of the infinite amount of healing item you can carry? A really simple but amazing Hero mode? All better than BotW.

[@truesoulghost2777]

YES

[@lpfan4491]

i would honestly prefer skyward swords level of atmosphere with mms complexity. and well,if the scale is the problem with dungoens,just make it bigger. as long as size is not used as a replacement for quality and instead is scaled to let the quality shine the most,then it is fine

[@hubblebublumbubwub5215]

I preferred the Twilight Princess dungeons to those of skyward sword. Like, why does SS have two fire dungeons? Why do so many of them look orange?

[@twist7533]

Majora's mask dungeons are the best.

[@idon896]

"Luckily Link is NOT an alcoholic" I'm crying.

[@GoldenMushroom64]

Your Next Line is *Chateau Romani

[@irmese06]

There, there.

[@Brinta3]

“Half the sales of Twilight Princess”: I think that also has a lot to do with the late release in the Wii’s lifespan. In 2007, I bought a Wii with Twilight Princess, like so many other people. By the time Skyward Sword released in 2011 I wasn’t using my Wii anymore and I didn’t follow the news about upcoming games. I was playing 360!

[@therealsploge]

It was more a problem with the Wii having a lot of casuals buy it. Meanwhile the PS4 has God War of War and the last of us coming it in its last couple years and they sell like hot cakes. The Switch will be like the PS4 in that regard since it focuses on the games, not on the casuals so much.

[@haruhirogrimgar6047]

@@therealsploge tbd, the Switch is still by far the most casual console on the market and lacks both competitive games and titles that cater to people who want more than "wahooo" from their gameplay. 3rd party devs are finally releasing interesting titles on the Switch within the next 2ish years though so that might help. Otherwise the Switch is solely for Nintendo fans who are generally uncritical casuals.

[@daniellap.stewart6839]

Bitch i bought my wii in 2012

[@rustyshackleford4117]

Also the fact that by 2011 everyone and their mom had a soft-modded Wii and stopped needing to pay for games when they could just be copied to a usb flash drive or external hard drive. At least that’s what I did, don’t judge me I was a very poor college student back then 😆

[@AnimatedTerror]

The switch seems to suffer from similar issues as the wii. Nintendo seems to not understand wether they want to appeal to casuals or hardcore gamers. It doomed the wii in the long run, killed the Wii U almost immediately. It’ll doom the switch too. And at this point it seems too late. I’m just gonna wait to see what happens with their next console in a few years. Hope it doesn’t get screwed by indecisiveness on the part of the developers.

[@SmashEBrada]

“Majora’s Mask only had 4 dungeons and it’s objectively the best game ever made and has Tingle in it.” Truer words were never spoken

[@LikanMX]

Man, I love Skyward Sword. I don't remember it in a bad way, and I loved Fi (even when my batteries were low) the story was so good and dungeons so nice. Breath of the wild is cool.

[@lichiangaming3503]

Skyward Sword is good, but a lot of people throw a lot of shade at it. It is definitely the most flawed though.

[@JimankyGaming]

I absolutely love Skyward Sword. I know it gets a lot of criticisms, and rightfully so, but it’s still a great game in my eyes

[@BlaxeFrost-X]

Just look past the Wii Motion problems and everything bad is dismissible

[@sergevictoryyt]

Master... YoUR wii ReMOTe bATTeRies ArE RUnnING LoW

[@isaacferguson8329]

Same

[@killashroomz]

"Majora's Mask only had 4 dungeons, and it's subjectively the best game ever and had Tingle in it." Wow my dude. That's hilarious.

[@kobaltsteel6418]

Yeah, BOTW only has "Tingel" Island... that's not how you spell his name, game

[@BB_Promoter]

He said objectively

[@M0D776]

@@BB_Promoter because it's true!

[@wwld9823]

The fact that Aonuma had to point out how "different" skyward sword is compared to breath of the wild almost in an apologetic way worries me a bit, breath of the wild brought legions of new fans and unprecedented popularity to sales ratio to the zelda franchise, I think they are releasing skyward sword HD precisely to see if the new audience is receptive of the old school formula and ideas before they trash them altogheter.

[@sunshineyrainbows13]

Everybody buy SS quick 😫

[@saricubra2867]

If it is Twilight Princess HD for 60 dollars and a reorchestrated soundtrack with more content than the original, the price is worth it. Skyward Sword is dogsh*t as a game compared to Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess, the port for the Switch is also garbage, basically Dolphin emulator at 1080p with a 60fps patch for the Switch but weird lighting and texturing oversights...

[@EvilPowerStealsOn]

@@saricubra2867 Twilight Princess isn't worth the $60. That game is the biggest travesty of a Zelda and one of the worst games Nintendo has ever released.

[@sunwukong5518]

​@@EvilPowerStealsOnNever played it but why do you think so?

[@BDeerhead]

"You never feel more heroic than when saving a random character from harm." I can't even fully express how much I agree with this!

[@victorhugocosta1127]

Or when Link finally shows a glimpse of emotion when interacting with a goofy npc. Man, I wish they showed his emotions on cutscenes

[@link-kun5974]

@@victorhugocosta1127 I'm replaying wind waker, and I wish all Links would has as much expression as toon link.

[@radiofloyd2359]

@@victorhugocosta1127 He's not expressive because he feels the pressures of being an appointed knight. Iirc, in zelda's diary it explains that that's also why link barely talks.

[@firenze6478]

@@link-kun5974 twilight link was pretty good with expressions.

[@mangolie21]

And SS Link too!

[@caviicape]

like how this video isn’t just another “skyward sword bad, breathing of the wild good”

[@troyuher1218]

I think that both of the games are really good and both have their ups and downs, but Botw is definitely a better game in comparison to Skyward Sword.

[@Darkneonflame13]

Troy Uher I fail to see how, a very bland, empty lifeless feeling open world is quite boring, nothing about the game outshines anything else in the franchise but the open world

[@mbccgliczsdnm7627]

ObviousBaitAccount it’s just preference and different opinions. I absolutely love botw and it’s one of my favorite game in the series. However, I could definitely see why some might dislike it, and agree with some of it sometimes. I like the open world, the exploration, always having something to do, a large overworld that’s filled with content, and the refreshing feeling of being able to do whatever you want whenever you want. However, I know why some people don’t like it. I could see people disliking it because most of your time is spent on a horse traveling to your destination, only a few main story points, then beating abhorrently easy bosses, with only one being well designed around the game’s combat. The story is definitely lacking, with most of it being cutscenes that wouldn’t leave you confused at the end if you skipped them. Story that actually happens in the present is just dialogue and then a couple of quests then boss fights. I love this game, but I admit it has weak points

[@S0ME_GUY]

@@mbccgliczsdnm7627 did you really make a paragraph responding to someone named, Obvious Bait Account?

[@mbccgliczsdnm7627]

Some guy bruh

[@cyncynshop]

I love the atmosphere of the BoTW soundtrack. I will defend it everytime people argue for an overworld theme. Now, however, I think using another instrument for regional differences will be nice. A more characteristic music will be a better alternative between minimalism and bombastic theme. The impressionistic soundtrack should stay the same, but using more instrument variety to seperate mountain from grasslands, dessert from rainforests. For example, added drums in dessert area, flute for forests, bass clarinet for snow areas...etc. Anyway, thank you for another great video! It always led me to think about games I love more critically. Thinking about the details always made remember the times I have with a video game.

[@legrandliseurtri7495]

The overworld music is actually different for very hot or very cold areas.

[@rustyshackleford4117]

I agree with this idea. There are some very slight differences between regions but they’re so subtle it’s barely noticeable. A bit more ambient variety and themes would go a long way. The lost woods theme for example is one of the few parts in this game where the music really stands out, as it perfectly captures the spookiness of confusing a strange place while playing homage to earlier renditions from previous titles. Would love to see specific tracks play during certain events, quests, or weather while still exploring the overworld.

[@SomeGuyWhoPlaysGames333]

I enjoyed Breath of the Wild, but it definitely could’ve used overworld music. It’s not like it would have to be one track. Like some other open world games, they could‘ve made it so that multiple different tracks can play in all areas of the overworld.

[@joshwhite5730]

I would like an option to have either

[@BottledPoe]

I mean some areas are different, like the snowy areas, death mountain and the desert. The usual piano jingle we hear normally plays in temperate areas

[@n0kidneys]

I would love to see Koloktos reimagined as a boss in the Breath of the Wild style. Imagine taking his swords, beating each limb with them until they shatter, and if you use different weapons instead, you're rewarded with being able to take one or two of Koloktos' own swords with you on your journey.

[@HonsHon]

Not insanely related, but Nerrel also had a very good suggestion with the breaking mechanics. Only make the swords/weapons get damaged when an enemy blocks it. He got this from the player not timing the shield right, but that would make the durability mechanics far more interesting and encourage skillful play

[@raven75257]

​@@HonsHonWith how ToTK works, they can also make it so that weapons don't break at all, but the materials you attach break instead. They can also make it so that each unique weapon has some unique effect that happens when fused (weapons that share a theme, like all gerudo weapons can share their effect between themselves). This would still make it desirable to use different weapons. Or, the easiest laziest most foolproof option: triple or quadruple durability for each weapon

[@divinecomedian2]

And then those swords would break lol

[@n0kidneys]

@@divinecomedian2 if it was totk you could always rematch and get them again. I wouldn't say having to rematch a fun boss is a bad idea

[@batfan1939]

_"link! f*** around until the world is saved!"_ ↑⇑↑⇑↑⇑ This killed me.

[@connorcole3408]

19:17 “It’s the kind of game that leaves so much room for improvement, that it could be rendered obsolete by a good sequel.” HMMMMMMMM...

[@MrMoon-hy6pn]

You never know, the sequel might be complete horse crap. ᶜᵒᵐᵐᵉⁿᵗᵉᵈ ᵇᵉᶠᵒʳᵉ ᵗʰᵉ ˢᵉᵠᵘᵉˡ ᶜᵃᵐᵉ ᵒᵘᵗ

[@alvareo92]

I could see that happening

[@josswheeedonnnnn4502]

I dont want to think about this possibility

[@MrSir-vk6dk]

Honestly, sometimes I kinda think like this and get worried that by making a sequel, it will either suck, or just ruin going back to the first game, and it just psychs me out and I wish they’d leave it be. But I think my best help with this is looking at arkham asylum and arkham city. I love asylum to death and city is the perfect example of a sequel taking everything that was great about the original and improving it in practically every way, turning into one of my favorite games of all time. And even with all the improvements, asylum still has enough charm that it’s worth going back to play. I really hope this is what ends up happening with botw 2

[@saricubra2867]

Great, another game in my favorites list with OOT, MM and TP. BOTW 1 in my flawed 3D zelda games's list with WW and SS.

[@aleemabdul2232]

Rapidly becoming one of my favourite youtubers. Your videos are so well pondered and thoughtfully put. Always a pleasure sir.

[@jamiecal11]

well pondered, sir!

[@darkstardayne8760]

I smell Sh*#e

[@darkstardayne8760]

@@redeemer66666 haha I kinda asked for that one.

[@ayA.-ff4lh]

Darkstar Dayne haha

[@athorem]

This video is still relevant because Tears of the Kingdom didn't fix any of the biggest issues with Breath of the Wild.

[@cait7701]

“Link, f*ck around until Hyrule is saved.” Killed me! 😂

[@clockwork_mind]

This is the best Skyward Sword analysis I've ever seen. I agree wholeheartedly. I really hope to see more traditional Zelda dungeons with memorable themes in the next game.

[@divinecomedian2]

We won't sadly. The new games were too popular.

[@KiTheMC]

BotW had some bad enemy variety. Bokos, Lizards, and Moblins. Occasionally you'll get a guardian or a keez, a chu, or a Wizrobe, but that's not nearly enough. I know the enemies are some of the most dynamic and advanced in the series, but you need more. There were only 4 types of overworld bosses too which is also nothing. The only one I thought was a competent boss fight was Molduga.

[@firenze6424]

Plus you fight them all the SAME way

[@firenze6424]

I sit at a desk all day they would be if they didn’t destroy all your weapons because of how spongey they are to damage

[@KiTheMC]

@I sit at a desk all day It is ridiculously easy after getting the hang of it. It would have been fine if there were FAR more types of these bosses that are possible to learn. It would be like if Dark Souls had only one boss you had to learn.

[@firenze6424]

Dark knuts in twilight princess were more complex than anything in botw

[@cowboycurtis4944]

Moldugas suck. You climb up on a rock and feed it a bomb, then go stab it a bunch. Easy, boring fight. Hinoxes and Taluses are marginally better, but they become jokes after a while. Lynels are perfect, always able to fuck you up if you don't fight smartly.

[@mina829ag]

Something i hope for in the sequel is also the return of a charming cast of secondary characters. Sidon was only ever really popular because there really isn't anyone interesting in the game aside from characters who are already dead

[@diccchocolate416]

No it's because he's sexy

[@thomazplays9305]

​@@diccchocolate416indeed.

[@HoseB932]

@@diccchocolate416 He has a tall upper body and like tiny ah legs. He’s more goofy. Looks like Johnny Bravo but as a fish man

[@diccchocolate416]

@@HoseB932 Johnny Bravo is sexy as well

[@HoseB932]

@@diccchocolate416 Every man should strive to be like Johnny

[@eternalnausea]

Glad to hear someone actually talk about the positives of Skyward Sword.

[@TheSkelzore]

One of my new favorite sentences, "but luckily Link _isn't_ an alchoholic"

[@Cute___E]

15:20 "With voice acting so robotic, it sounds like l could've delivered it" Damn, uhh, self roast?

[@stronkman9157]

Fijiboy99 hmmmst

[@Kirzerk]

Kamikaze

[@origamigoose9308]

ooh a self burn, those are rare!

[@LosN209]

This is why we are here, right? A huge Dork reviewing games with quips and can take the heat when he dishes it lol.

[@michaelasnicar6684]

Lmao I legit thought it was the Zora voice actor at first

[@BeastlyEevee]

Wow, this is a pretty thorough examination of both games, calling out both their strengths and weaknesses. I appreciate this a lot! Makes me appreciate Skyward Sword even more.

[@thejamman4070]

"Link... fuck around until Hyrule is saved."

[@Krystalmyth]

Lmaoooo

[@Cloudead00]

Skyward Sword had some of the best music in series

[@Sarif98]

Agreed

[@armandogonsales7052]

Person Person mhmm

[@integralcialbay4633]

Definitely

[@SansMain]

Yeah

[@archicube]

agree.....also the story and cinematics are far better than BoTW

[@matthewmuir8884]

20:34 Well, from the reveal trailer alone, it seems like Breath of the Wild 2 may yet do exactly that. Mummified Ganondorf, an ancient temple of some kind, a mysterious green energy hand, all of it pointing to a greater emphasis on story, more traditional Zelda dungeons, etc., now that they finally have the foundation in place thanks to Breath of the Wild.

[@rooty]

What are you basing that on? Even 3 years on there's no hint of any morr story than BotW, and definitely nothing to suggest proper dungeons. In fact BotW had way MORE story stuff to work with and did absolutely nothing with it. I can easily imagine TotK going the same way. CUTSCENE 1 "Link, Ganon has been resurrected, use this cursed hand to kill him" **100 hours of collecting heart pieces and stamina points** CUTSCENE 2 "yay link, you killed ganon" **CREDITS**

[@matthewmuir8884]

@@rooty The comment is three years old (so it was from a time when all we had was the first reveal trailer) and it opened with "from the reveal trailer alone", so I'm going to say it was entirely based on the first reveal trailer. I honestly had almost completely forgotten about this comment. Now that we know more, two things that would suggest something closer to proper dungeons is the absence of shrines and footage of fights in underground caverns.

[@rooty]

@@matthewmuir8884 yeah I see that. There was nothing at all in the first reveal trailer that suggested more story (it was literally just an intro cinematic, which every zelda game has, including BotW) and literally no gameplay. So where "story and dungeons" came from remains a mystery. I don't expect to see them. Responding to the two biggest criticisms of botw would make too much sense, so I fully expect nintendo to go the opposite direction.

[@morgboat744]

sadly it just looks like more of the same now that it’s out. that’s fine for BOTW enthusiasts, and sure i like BOTW and all, but i really miss what Zelda used to be :(

[@matthewmuir8884]

@@morgboat744 From what I've played so far, Tears of the Kingdom is a big improvement over Breath of the Wild in some ways reminiscent of the older games: 1. The dungeons are a lot more unique and creative; for just one example, the Rito dungeon is a giant Viking longship inside a cyclone, and the boss is just as unique and creative. 2. The fuse mechanic making it that monster parts can be fused to weapons allows for more enemy variety with less risk of running out of weapons. Like-Likes are back, as is Gleeok. 3. The sages act as useful travelling companions throughout the game. Sadly, they're completely silent after their story mission since it's just an avatar of them, but it's better than Link adventuring completely solo in Breath of the Wild. 4. The story is a big improvement. A lot of it is driven by backstory again, but this time it revolves around investigating and uncovering what happened in the past and what's going on now. This also means that there's more happening in the present than there was in BotW. I will admit that the game is still Breath of the Wild again in a lot of ways, but let's not forget that this game began from the Zelda team brainstorming ideas for BotW DLC and deciding to make a sequel instead with those ideas.

[@yungthunder2681]

3:18 I'm going to have to disagree with this. My opinion of Skyward sword had definitely gotten better since Breath of the Wild. In fact, it's breath of the wild's greatest fault that shows skyward sword's greatest strength: well designed dungeons (and the lack thereof)

[@calc8999]

Completing a divine beast felt as satisfying as beating a mini dungeon like the bottom of the well which says something about how unfinished they feel

[@yohschannel5226]

@@calc8999 Honestly, The Bottom of the well was satisfying for me....That holes and the low heart

[@calc8999]

@Aaron I agree with this. It seems the focus of botw was more on the geography and the exploration rather than the actual substance of hyrule. Also, MM is the complete opposite in this aspect where there is substantial content shoved into much smaller areas. Hopefully, they pick up on this issue during the development of botw2.

[@VonSnuggles1412]

This is random but i have to say this....FUCK the goddamn motion control shrines when ur on a switch lite, it is hell

[@sofern2681]

Yeah god tier music in skyward sword vs perma snoozers in botw. And the dungeons and characters. Botw lacked all of this.

[@studioshadowlight]

It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to enjoy a nuanced and balanced look at the Zelda series that is so well done. Hats off to you brother. The whole composition of this video works so well. Message, soundtrack, etc - damn good and well thought out and executed. The juxtaposition of the emotional story content of Skyward Sword vs lack of it in Breath of the Wild (using Alcoholic Link and “Link, fuck around until you eventually save Hyrule” as a comedic foil to drive the point home) made my day. Subscribed.

[@ThrillingDuck]

1:39 This was the EXACT thought I had while playing the FIRST area of Skyward Sword. Honestly Fi didn't even bother me as much as THAT feeling.

[@guyWSonicpicture]

Watching this after the last nintendo direct makes me wonder if Nintendo is giving us skyward sword HD as a way to show that they listened to the feedback about Breath of the Wild and are intending on giving us some more of the old zelda things or if it's kinda of a way for them to make BoTW 2 exactly like the first one and use skyward sword as an excuse like: "oh you have an old styled zelda game to play now if you don't like the direction the new games are going". I do hope that the HD version of SS is just a nod to us to say they heard what the fans said about breath of the wild.

[@ThatGuy-ky2yf]

Same here. That being said it's hard to tell if Nintendo's executives mess with the Devs or not these days Post-Iwata tho I do think they'll let BotW 2 be the best it can be considering the time it's been given and the success of the last game.

[@TheAlibabatree]

SS is one of the worst selling games in the series, it also received the most amount of negative feedback. Botw is easily the best selling game in the series, and hasn’t received nearly as much negative feedback.... Basically, they’re not going to change the direction of one of their biggest franchises for the sake of a minority group of fans.

[@jacksobrooks]

@@TheAlibabatree yea, they won’t change because of SS, but that isn’t to say they won’t listen to feedback. BotW’s lack of Zelda story/dungeons and general Zelda-ness is the most common criticism of that game. I hope they listen because if they listen at all, that is what they would have heard at this point.

[@Christopher-md7tf]

I think you're reading way too much into this. SS HD is not a grand statement, just like the other remasters weren't. They knew they basically had to acknowledge the Zelda anniversary in some way, but BotW 2 is seemingly far from finished, and SS was the only 3D Zelda that hasn't gotten a remaster yet. So just add 2 and 2 together. It's also a super low-effort way to make tons of money because Nintendo fans are willing to pay full price for an upscaled 10-year-old game, so it's a brilliant business decision.

[@brycebitetti1402]

@@jacksobrooks Didn't Aonuma already say that they were looking at putting more involved dungeons in the sequel? A part of me feels that the development team themselves knew that the Divine Beasts weren't as good as they should've been. Their entire construction feels slap-dash, like the dev team needed to hit a late 2016-early 2017 deadline and created a bunch of modular Sheikah assets in order to put them together as quickly as possible.

[@KurowChibifan1]

nerrel: "skyward sword fell far short of this." subtitles: skyward sword somehow fucked this up. lol

[@bespokecloud4034]

Having multiple solutions and being able to solve things in "not the right" way actually felt way more rewarding to me since you could utilize your tools in much more creative ways in BotW. This also made it the best open world sand box Ive ever experienced.

[@Sylvie00]

Bespoke Cloud I shook my head when he complained about having more ways to solve the puzzles. They just make the game less linear with puzzles

[@Vincent-fv1ch]

yeah he is a fucking moron for wanting it linear and easy....

[@Igneeka]

Yeah I mean systemic games are a thing for a reason

[@flip.flap.]

I somewhat agree with you but I also see Nerrel's point, some of the ways that you can solve things feel pretty jank and kinda cheap if you do them.

[@flip.flap.]

@touma Yeah, exactly. Like there was one shrine where you were supposed to rotate a cube that had torches on it and one torch underneath so that all of them were lit, but there were also streams of water on two sides so you had to do it a certain order or the ones you'd already lit would be extinguished. I remember being unable to solve it and getting frustrated, and at one point I used some fire arrows to light the remaining torches; but then I decided that I'd rather actually solve the puzzle instead of cheating, so I reset and eventually did it legitimately.

[@DarkCloud7]

My thoughts exacly. Skyward Sword: Man, these dungeons are great but the exploration is lacking. Breath of the Wild: Man, this exploration is great but the dungeons are lacking.

[@saricubra2867]

A Link To The Past: "Why you bastardized my legacy?"

[@They_are_Arthur]

I can easily say that Skyward Sword despite all of it's flaws managed to be such an immersive and magical experience for me.

[@rawman44]

Same. That probably also came from SS being my first Zelda that I experienced firsthand

[@filipecomimesmo]

It was amazing at the time, but it still felt disconnected from the whole. And the controls...

[@They_are_Arthur]

@@filipecomimesmo at the time? This game released in 2011 and I played it in 2019. That was far away from the hype period.

[@filipecomimesmo]

@@They_are_Arthur I'm not doubting your magical time with the game, I'm stating that if you look beyond it you can see it really is broken in pieces. Yet, the game is so good at making us immerse in its universe that we barely notice it. I love SS too, but there are reasons there I prefer MM over OoT, for example, and it is mostly exploration, sidestories and replayability.

[@They_are_Arthur]

@@filipecomimesmo That's what every game ever does, SS just makes a bit more noticeable.

[@jack.h99]

It's weird but kinda fitting that BOTW's story is more comparible to the original NES game than it is to Skyward Sword: You're the hero elf boy and that's the evil pig man. Save the princess who wields a triangle.

[@jimit.4220]

But then why are there all these cutscenes?

[@divinecomedian2]

It's sad that the level of storytelling in a game actually trying to tell a story is comparable to its 30 year old predecessor that wasn't really trying

[@CompanionPrism]

Really solid arguments for where BotW could be massively improved with a little bit more care, especially the ability to "favorite" certain weapons with a repair and upgrade shop to make use of the inventory system alongside armor. The review scale is untouchable, and I will now be disappointed if I don't see IGN start referencing "Twerking Tingles". Outstanding as usual!

[@Boredman567]

I so much wanted to use all the different hero weapons, but the weapon durability meant that I just left them on display in my house.

[@yakarotsennin3115]

CompanionPrism Perhaps, but that’s the flaw in your thinking. The developers went out of their way so you wouldn’t have such a strong attachment to a specific weapon, including the Champion Weapons.

[@jeremyrodriguez1989]

Damn this is the conparison that i was so desperately searching for back when BotW came out and nobody wanted to discuss its shortcomings. Thank you 4 this video. You did an incredible job.

[@joe-edward]

Damn, it's as if the Zelda design team watched the last minute of this video, memorized every word you said, and said, "alright gang, let's make a game exactly the opposite of what Nerrel said!" Except, you know, in Japanese.

[@Cinemadaptation]

Perfect Zelda for me : BOTW open World + More "true" Dungeons with varied bosses + Less blue/pink robotic Monsters and more heroic fantasy like in 64 episodes.

[@Jdudec367]

heroic fantasy 64 episodes? what do you mean? also what "pink" robotic monsters are there?

[@doomslayer8985]

@@Jdudec367 he talks about the guardians

[@Jdudec367]

@@doomslayer8985 I mean.... I guess you could say the color they glow is sort of pink.

[@legrandliseurtri7495]

I have to say that I really like the guardians and I hope we see other versions of them in the sequel.

[@kakizakichannel]

I just want to point out that BotW's Japanese voice acting is actually really, really good

[@drkedug]

Thanks, its impossible to hear that cringey british Zelda after the japanese version

[@alvareo92]

oh so it’s NoA who phoned it in

[@ExEBoss]

And that’s why I avoid dubs of *Japanese* media.

[@jerryborjon]

I prefer how to British voices sound, but to each their own

[@COOLMCDEN]

In my opinion zelda, king rhoam, revali and urbosa are the only good voice actors in the American version.

[@Alloveck]

I honestly assumed that Breath of the Wild would eventually allow you to upgrade weapons or find special fixable weapons or something other than what it did with the weapon system. Yeah, weapon breaking was interesting at first, but it was already getting old about a dozen hours in and I figured that surely Nintendo would have included remedy to this to earn eventually. Weapon breaking is obviously just there to make sure you experiment early on and to make durable weapons a meaningful improvement. I mean, Zelda games are all about regularly finding new things and upgrades and stuff, and this has the biggest world to explore of them all so weapons that aren't made of brittle will be just one of the many interesting and meaningful improvements to find by exploring it all. It's not like ALL that space would just hold korok seeds and shrines with spirit orbs, right? ...So yeah, I definitely think BotW did things wrong with the weapon durability. Even after a hundred hours the lack of durability never quit chaffing and just felt more like a problem that should have been solved long ago. Also BotW generally dropped the ball on giving you exciting things to find by exploring over all. Absolutely a game with far more potential than it successfully realized.

[@Jdudec367]

eh...I agree about the weapon durability thing but I felt like it gave you a lot of exciting things to find by exploring over all wouldn't say it dropped the ball but could be better

[@radiofloyd2359]

You can actually recraft the champion weapons...

[@damien18462]

Radiofloyd 235 But, it just doesn’t feel right, it feels like you’re holding a fake weapon.

[@Jdudec367]

@@damien18462 eh...I wouldn't say that. But I see where your coming from.

[@radiofloyd2359]

@@damien18462 Eh. Canonically what is happening is that they're repairing it from the bits and pieces you bring back, they don't make a new one. At least that's how I like to think about it. Either way, then, at least there's the ceremonial trident, which IS a fake weapon in canon.

[@lpsoldin3162]

While BotW broke the "Zelda Cycle", it created a new problem of polarizing the community because it's so drastically different that many people avoid it as if it is diseased.

[@DonCurrywurst]

@Griff - Yep, same here. I went back to Link between worlds. Only after a little playtime, you really experience how empty and devoid of meaningful gameplay BotW really is. And then you want to go back towards meaningful gameplay.

[@ClumpypooCP]

@mendaix I agree. BOTW just doesnt feel like a Zelda game.

[@ciceroflyman]

mendaix I had like the exact same experience lol

[@divinecomedian2]

​@@DonCurrywurstI revisited the original Links Awakening. That game is a masterclass on world building and storytelling... oh and music! Puts BotW to utter shame.

[@DonCurrywurst]

@@divinecomedian2 Played the remake last year in december. Great game, very atmospheric and incredible soundtrack. And ofc, very melancholic and at the end you realize what you are really doing and start doubting yourself. A little bit short, but everything is on point.

[@Garinovitch]

Thank you for this review. Among my friends, I felt so out of place because they treated Breath of the Wild as this perfect thing, and I had my criticisms (Pretty much everything you thing you said with a couple more things) and I just got bashed for it, but I still love the game I've poured countless hours into it like many others. I felt even weirder when I found myself returning to skyward sword a few times despite knowing it's flaws. Watching this video make me comfortable knowing I'm not the only one. While a game is great; doesn't mean it's perfect. And while a game has it's problems, doesn't mean everything it tried to do was bad.

[@redviolet5158]

You're not just gonna break up a serious review with a segment of alcoholic Link, and then keep going like nothing even happen. I almost spit out my drink seeing Link on the floor surrounded by bottles.

[@hyperhedgehog7]

When Skyward Sword hd eventually comes out people will be praising it to the high heavens

[@allanssupposedlysecretacco817]

were you paying attention to the video? it said it would make the game worse with no sensor bar or magnetometer to recalibrate with. And in my opinion I think that it would make it worse because of the joycons and the controls

[@hyperhedgehog7]

@@allanssupposedlysecretacco817 my point was more about the zelda cycle

[@allanssupposedlysecretacco817]

@@hyperhedgehog7 well mine relates to that too

[@allanssupposedlysecretacco817]

lol doing this at 1:12

[@neddiespaghetti5646]

I still love Skyward sword, I mean yeah the repetitive bosses was lame but I enjoyed it ALOT

[@Khal337]

"So robotic, that it sounds like I could have delivered it" Holy shit lol, I reached for the like button but had already hit it when link was downing that red alcohol potion.

[@ZamiGami_]

I've never seen a video that put into words the opinions and thoughts I struggle to even fully render in my head so well. The best way I could put my thoughts into words until now was "I like Skyward sword because it made me feel like I was on an actual adventure" but now when people ask me I can just sent them this video!

[@cinnamonnoir2487]

I really appreciate your pointing out that, in a perverse way, these two games complement each other; they're opposite sides of a spectrum on which most Zelda games are somewhere in the middle. Skyward Sword dispensed with overworld exploration and mechanical freedom, while Breath of the Wild dispensed with dungeon crawling, item-based puzzles and a focused story. The result is that Skyward Sword feels patronizing and claustrophobically linear, while Breath of the Wild feels like a mere toy with none of the unique atmosphere or soul that Zelda is known for. I don't mean to harp on this point, but the fun to be had in Breath of the Wild is so similar to other open-world games like The Elder Scrolls or Far Cry that I can't think of it as a bold experiment; it's more like a compromise with the mainstream that Zelda had been resisting for more than a decade. This stuff may have been new to Zelda, but it wasn't new. Thanks for bringing some nuance to this discussion. It's too bad that it took almost two years for that to happen. P.S. I can't wait for Regretful Alcoholic Link to be worked into the official Zelda timeline.

[@YUGAMISEKAI]

Zelda hadn't been resisting open world. The hardware just wasn't there to make one.

[@JoelLinus]

@@YUGAMISEKAI Open world isn't the problem, botw was just pure shit and that's about it

[@snintendog]

SS was pure garbo the only redeeming thing about it is groose we need more groose like character and less "i'll dissapear for the rest of the game" zeldas. spirtis tracks did zelda good far far better game than SS. and MM is objectively subjectively the best the game has ever been with windwaker getting a close second the story never hindered gameplay and gameplay never hindered story. (except for tingle scamming me out of thousands in both games "Who needs a MAP?")

[@hanburgundy4317]

@@snintendog Good luck getting the legendary Triumph Forks without a map. XD

[@magicalgirl4]

And interestingly, both games are on opposite ends of the Zelda timeline

[@r_bear]

I agree with a lot of this, but I *love* the music and generally the musical choices in BOTW. In something like Lon Lon Ranch, they could maybe have some what they did in the Temple of Time--a stripped down, minimal echo of the core of the song so subtle that most people took a while to notice it if they noticed it at all. But like you said: it's just a pile of bricks, now. I feel like that's kind of the point; it *is* just a pile of bricks. Everything is broken or ancient, and there's a quality of sameness that naturally comes out of that. Places that *aren't*, i.e. towns and stables, are full of life and their scores reflect that (and Hyrule Castle, alive with evil has a score that reflects that better than anything else I've ever heard). Moreover, nearly everywhere in the game is a reference to a previous game--how many of them would have to be scored to be satisfying?

[@AustinAwsome]

To extend the idea of the subtle temple of time music, I agree and feel like they should of done that with other ruins to make the open world feel like empty. So it avoids an overworld theme constantly playing, but ruins would have their unique tone depending on the context. Lon Lon Ranch could have the Ocarina of Time theme but echoed softly, Fort Hateno / Ruins could have their unique theme, and etc. It would bring the world more thematic charm. Heck even the Twilight Mirror could have the Twilight Zone music echoed.

[@Nedoxu]

I can't help but disagree here. I agree with Nerrel. 5 light piano notes does not a memorable experience make. You hear any overworld theme from any Zelda and your mind is brought RIGHT back to the best moments of those games.... I hear the overworld music for Breath of the Wild and I think, instead, of how empty the world felt when you were in an area you'd already been to even just once before, or how a lot of the things to find/do were kind of the same just copy-pasted and altered slightly (*cough* korok puzzles *cough*). Honestly the overworld music felt incredibly dull and boring, and I would often find myself just hanging around in towns or purposely getting into fights JUST to hear some kind of music.

[@quinnmarchese6313]

I'm one of those people who struggles to not break into tears in the BotW Zora and Rito Kingdoms, because of the redone Dragon Roost and Zora themes. In a game i love outside the fact that it's a Zelda title, hearing those tracks bring me back the 4 year old me playing OoT and the 7-8 year old me playing WW

[@Nedoxu]

@@quinnmarchese6313 While I agree those themes are beautifully done and do hit the nostalgia bone, I'm not gonna be blinded by nostalgia in the face of an otherwise lacking soundscape. All (or almost all) of the town themes were really really good, and THOSE bring me back to the good parts of BotW. But as I said, hearing the overworld music makes me feel like the game missed a big opportunity. Think back to how Wind Waker handled things. Huge open world... still wonderful background music. Hell, I love the ocean theme so much in that game, when I was younger I'd break sequence and go back to windfall after dragon roost by sailing against the currents just to get the Sun Song. That game had amazing overworld music and they balanced it out by having the non-major islands be quiet, and by having the music fade during nighttime. They should have done a similar thing with BotW! Imagine, while you're travelling the overworld you hear amazing music, but while you're, say, in a really scenic area, or climbing a mountain to get a view, the music fades out. That seems like a perfect balance to me. maybe it's expecting a lot, but it's not like they've never done it in the past.

[@quinnmarchese6313]

@@Nedoxu I generally agree, except when i think of what BotW is to the other Zelda games before it, I can't help but appreciate the sparse soundtrack. BotW is supposed to be a meditative experience, a reflection on where LoZ started, and where it went. BotW shares its DNA really with only one other Zelda game (the first one ever) and how much of that game's soundtrack do you remember (except the main theme)? So while some may disagree, i think BotW ultimately benefits more than it loses with its music

[@Nihilvale]

Nice vid. I give it an Alcoholink/10

[@allanssupposedlysecretacco817]

I give it 20 twerking tingles

[@lpfan4491]

i give it masksalesman/drunken link

[@Sharff514]

Going back to watch this video and a lot of the points stand, even with TOTK out. I hope that they don't completely abandon all of the ideas from Skyward Sword and the previous games. Looking within the franchise could create one of the best zeldas ever

[@AFPgamer]

I wish you made more analysis videos, but at the same time, I can understand if you wouldn't wanna get burnt out on them. Good job Nerrel, as always

[@Boamere]

Exactly, I felt this when I was playing. The game felt incredible at first "imagine all the dungeons and content" then you as you get deeper in you find out that the dungeons are the same, there's no specific food recipes and all they give is certain resistances, the 120 little dungeons aren't very good. It felt incredibly deep when you first start, but as you play you realise the games mechanics and systems aren't that deep and neither is the story. (Plus the sidequests were awful!)

[@XanderVJ]

Good video, even if I disagree with some points. I don't think SS combat is flat since the enemy variety opens up possibilities as you progress and keep things fresh through the game, unlike BotW, which has such little enemy variety that it becomes repetitive, and the more "creative" ways to fight them are either so cumbersome or deal so little damage that they're just not worth it. Also, I don't think that raining in BotW is that big of a deal either, since you can time your jumps in a way that you can overcome most walls, specially with an upgraded stamina bar. The only legitimate bad part of the video is when you say that BotW and SS have the same plot, and you do it in a way that's a pet peeve of mine: by reducing these plot points to laughably broad statements that ultimate mean nothing and leave out all sense of context. I'm sorry, but that's "Cinema Sin's" levels of bad criticism, even if you don't dwell on it too much (thankfully). Fortunately, the rest of the video makes up for it. Just one more thing, though. The "Zelda Cycle" is a very contested idea within the fanbase, at least in the form that most people describe it as (a new Zelda game is released and the community hates it, but then people start to magically praise it when the next installment appears). The counter argument is that it's not that people change their minds about previous Zelda games by playing the new ones, but rather that it's just different people with different opinions expressing them at different times, coupled with some bandwagon effect. People who disliked TWW didn't appreciate it more after playing TP. That just didn't happen. The vast majority of people who hated TWW kept hating it after TP. Rather, when the hype for TP died out and people started to criticize it, the people who did like TWW, who couldn't speak during the time when that game was released since the haters took over the narrative, saw the chance to vindicate it as the superior game, and some of it stuck. And that has happened ever since, which I think it's one of the main reasons why Aonuma and his team have been over correcting the series so much for over 15 years. Heck, even "Skyward Sword" has received some vindication in certain circles, even if it arrived somewhat later than with previous entries, and to a somewhat smaller extent (partly because this development is partly mirrored and spreaded by the gaming press, and nowadays game journalists prefer to put both of their hands in a blender before writing something that may vindicate ANYTHING that has motion controls).

[@BrainInAVat7]

Having just finished the new HD re-release of Skyward Sword in July 2021, I was reminded of how much I enjoyed the game despite some important shortcomings. With the BOTW sequel around the corner, maybe this revisit to SS bodes well for a slight return to form on the dungeon and story front.

[@raven75257]

Looking back, nope. We did get the dungeons again, but they're incredibly simple and easy with forgetable environments. It's still a step forward from a Breath of The Wild dungeons, but that step is nowhere close to even the worst dungeons in the series

[@Richvwolfie8]

Amazing video. I love both games and the series as a whole, but to see someone actually putting side to side Skywad Sword and Breath of The Wild is amazing, to point out the flaws in BoTW while highlighting the good stuff in SS is mind blowing. I hope to see more videos like this, your quality and humor are top-notch. By the way, are you going to do a review of Resident Evil 2?

[@Nerrel]

You bet your ass I'm reviewing it.

[@dalgusmaximus4557]

@@Nerrel Can't wait to see your review on it.

[@AnythingReally]

I'm so glad I found your channel.

[@Littleton3513]

“Zelda and Link just stand there” “SPIOLERS!” This is what I love about Nerrel

[@EldrinOS]

In many respects, the title of this video did more to accurately predict Tears of the Kingdom than anything else I've seen.

[@shieldon530]

-dramatic echo voice effect *”LINK! Fuck around until Hyrule is saved!* i laughed out loud that is great stuff

[@marcgomez8391]

I have to agree with most of the points you made. If I may add my personal feelings with the two games on my first playthrough: Skyward never engaged me too much, but I felt a desire to keep moving forward through the linear path to see what lied ahead, and its ending made me feel satisfied, like I had a full experience playing well crafted game. Breath of the Wild is the opposite, as its gameplay had me mesmerized and addicted, but upon reaching for the story and finishing the game, I felt nothing but a void in my heart. Where is the epic killing blow on Ganon? What was the point of everything I did? Your video is great because it really showcases how opposite these games are, and it explains perfectly why I felt the way I felt playing the games.

[@drfoto2673]

>What was the point of everything I did? So honestly I think the ending of the game was intentional and while not obvious it was still in tune with much of the theme of the story of the game. The whole story of BotW is actually very bittersweet and tragic in a sense. The hero falls, the champions fall, even Hyrule castle falls, but in all that people still survive and start building their lives anew. When you wake up pretty much no one knows who you are and they barely even know whether Ganon is alive or not. When you defeat Ganon you put an end to a 100 year old curse but you and Zelda are the only ones alive who were really directly affected by it. In the end you are now free of the curse and the land is free of a threat they knew nothing about. There's no triumphant return of the hero because the old culture of Hyrule is long dead. That's sort of reflected in the ending, Link and Zelda just stand there, they won but did they really win? They can't celebrate because essentially everyone they ever knew is dead. Hyrule hasn't had a monarchy for 100 years so can Zelda even be a princess anymore? Despite all this they still have each other and as a promise of a bright future we see a field of thriving Silent Princess flowers. The point of defeating Ganon was clearing up the mistakes of the past and making peace with it so there's a chance to actually move on into the future.

[@alexvjuz882]

@@drfoto2673 Very well said, I understood completely everything you said, but I wouldn't have been able to type it myself.

[@jonathansmith2438]

You know skyward sword has good story telling when they make an easily hated character like Fi exist but then somehow make you sad that they died. Not to mention groose who literally had the best character development in the entire Zelda series and earned becoming a fan favorite character

[@Strat-o-caster]

Wow this is the best video on both of these games I’ve seen, showing both strengths and weakness’ as well as what needs to happen in the future

[@toongirl007]

13:46 - 14:14 I can't stop laughing at this part

[@aquamidideluxe5079]

Whoa, crazy how he said "the sequel" at the end meaning the next Zelda game, then it turns out there's a direct sequel coming.

[@alvareo92]

VestedAqua Zelda games usually come in pairs

[@matthewmuir8884]

@@alvareo92 Actually, it's not very common. There was Ocarina of Time & Majora's Mask, Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks, and the Oracle games. That's it.

[@vuppet5684]

If they made a new Zelda game that had the same world like breath of the wild, I’d be ok with it. If they added a new story to that new world, then it’d be amazing, and would fix the semi lacklustre story of breath of the wild. If they added a new story, new dungeons with a theme and more memorable characters, the game would be close to perfect. If the added all of that, and stuff like stronger durability for weapons, repairable items and a beautiful soundtrack AND solid character development, the game would be pretty much prefect, and could even match up with OOT for some people. What I’m trying to say is that if they put the strengths of BOTW and Skyward sword together, they could make the perfect game. Zelda is a franchise loved by millions, but BOTW gave the series a huge new audience. If the developers took the opening of new fans and developed a new game such as this to please the fans, Zelda would be highly praised, and could even topple BOTW, or maybe even OOT for many people

[@aletanook]

SS should've had stoic characters though. Link and Zelda were too selfish and expressive.

[@aj_burns]

The problem with BotW’s story I think is that it’s much more subtle and toned down than other Zelda games, not that it’s lackluster. But I have to say I do prefer the old Zelda formula when it comes to the storytelling

[@milddiffuse]

@@aj_burns What about the story is subtle?

[@TheAlibabatree]

Personally, i think Botw is a million times better than OoT. But then again, they are completely different games with different goals in mind. As someone who loves exploration, combat, creativity, light puzzles, and hates dungeons, Botw is just about perfect. The problem is that the Zelda fanbase has once again become divided. There are basically 3 camps: 2d fans. OoT formula fans. Botw fans. Its ok for older Zelda fans to not like Botw. The game wasnt meant for you. Its like when Majoras Mask first came out. Many fans hated it. Many people still hate it. But thats ok, because its a unique game with a huge cult following. Same with Botw.

[@aj_burns]

The memories are completely optional, and they’re very short, so there’s still a lot of stuff that the player themselves has to figure out through the characters interactions with each other. Maybe subtle isn’t the right word, but I just wanted to point out that it’s different

[@wille5080]

10:03 “or set up a campfire... oh” I don’t know why but I lost it here. 🤣

[@Psychkemia]

I agree with all of the points you made in the video except for the player feeling sympathy for Fi. The reveal that she gained emotions only comes in the eleventh hour and is never foreshadowed, and felt half-assed. Compare this to the amount of development Midna got in Twilight Princess. One little scene wasn't enough for me to make me feel sorry for her after all her annoying interruptions and her way of speaking through the entire journey.

[@89ji76]

BotW felt like I could finally do all the things I was pretending to do while I played OoT as an elementary schooler. Unless the sequel makes some unexpectedly major changes to the formula or is severely lacking in polish for whatever reason, it’s hard to see it not being another great game.

[@MrMoon-hy6pn]

As long as Nintendo doesn't chuck out what they made and just improve and iterate it'll be a hell of a game.

[@wwxluvr2643]

I hope you liked the new one 😭

[@Evil_Chronic]

Thank god someone else sees this. I have said since launch that Botw dungeons suck. Everything else except the weapon durability I really enjoyed.

[@IWantToStayAtYourHouse]

I just hope the sequel goes back to its roots

[@MysticBGaming]

BoTW feels like the MSGV Phantom Pain of Zelda games. They tried a lot of new things for an open world game and made a game with some of the best gameplay in the series but ended up falling short because of the story. Here's hoping BoTW 2 is just 1 with actual Zelda dungeons.

[@loziclec.1295]

I really like A Link Between Worlds. I feel like it’s a nice middle ground between these too games. It’s just a shame the dungeons are too easy.

[@snozer6966]

Not gonna lie Link Between Worlds is my favorite Zelda game and my number 3 favorite game of all time. Like, I know it’s easy, but it’s the perfect game to play when u just want something nice and fun.

[@Nedoxu]

I'm gonna get hate here, but I didn't really enjoy Link Between Worlds. I loved Link to the Past, and it was either the first or second zelda game I ever beat... but ALBW was really bad for me because of the item system. I had every item in the game purchased by the time I beat the third dungeon and went to Lorule. Like... that's... boring. I would much prefer getting the items in the dungeons and not knowing what you're gonna get. Instead you can have every item in the game before you're even halfway done, and there's no mystery or joy in getting that last item you needed for that puzzle you saw earlier-- you can just do it all. And yeah you can upgrade the items, but you could do that a bit in ALttP too, albeit in a limited capacity. I tried to like ALBW... but... for some reason the items being purchasable kinda ruined the experience for me, and I just can't enjoy it... which is oddly not really a problem I had with BotW.

[@Alias_Anybody]

@Nedoxu I disagree. I think renting all items early but needing to get rubys to buy and explore for upgrades (which you can also apply on your favourite item first) is the best way to handle it. I really can't stand it when games only start to be fun after getting specific item/upgrade XYZ. For example when a shooter gives you the best gun after 90% is completed or even during post game. What's the point?

[@Nedoxu]

​@@Alias_Anybody Well... I hate to say this, man, but Zelda has literally always been a metroidvania style of gameplay until ALBW and BOTW. Meaning you get items as rewards, and those items unlock other things elsewhere in the world. That is supposed to create a rewarding gameplay loop, and honestly, it does. Giving you every single item completely ruins that... soooo I don't agree. If you don't like the way things were then you didn't like Zelda games imo. "May as well play Skyrim" is how I would word it. Also, you say rent, but I literally owned every item before I got to Lorule because I never died. Definitely could've used more balance on that front. and looking for upgrades just felt meh. Like finding korok seeds in breath of the wild, not my thing because I know exactly what I'm going to get, but I do it because it's basically required to get stronger. That was another problem I have with both BOTW and ALBW; lack of surprise. What are the odds, in BOTW, when you open a chest after you're halfway through the game, you are going to get the same piece of equipment you've already had, yet more rupees, or some kind of material that you probably don't need? Basically almost 100%. I can't be surprised if I already know what's going to be in every chest in the map. They may as well have cut chests entirely and just placed the items on the damn ground with that being the case. The only items I felt genuine surprise and joy finding in BotW were pieces of armor. I couldn't even enjoy finding random pieces of heart in the game because, guess what, they're now all spirit orbs, and every single one of them are in shrines. And I never ever asked myself, "Oh gee I wonder what I'm gonna get from beating this shrine!" because the answer is self-evident. It felt like a chore you had to do instead of feeling fun to me. Especially by the time you get through 120 of them. I had a similar problem with ALBW, although not as extreme. Here's the thing, though, I still enjoyed BotW a lot, because while it lost a lot of what the previous games had, it made up for it by giving it a huge unique, and enjoyable twist. But I had to put down ALBW. Every time I try to pick it back up now I just don't feel the motivation to play it. It's probably my least favorite game in the series, and I _hate_ to say that, because I haven't played every game in the series yet (Though I think I'm only missing Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks)

[@quinnmarchese6313]

I'm probably of a different Zelda ilk than some, but A Link Between Worlds was for me the most disappointing game in the series. It's not that I dislike the 2d/3d hybrid with LttP style of play, I just found that version of the game world boring and too pandering to a certain audience. As far as the other handheld Zelda's, I grew up with the older titles but the only one I'd recommend to a modern Zelda fan is Phantom Hourglass. Outside of that game's central (terrible) dungeon, there were some really cool ideas there and it built off my personal favorite Zelda world, Wind Waker

[@Metroid4ever]

3:26 The story of my life, or at least how it went for me in playing BotW. "Oh hey, what's that balloon doing in a tree, lemme go check that ou--OH look, there's horses, do I want a horse? Yeah, I want a horse. Let's go get a hors--OH GOD ITS A GUARDIAN, RUN." *5 minutes later* "...what was I doing before and how the hell did I wind up on the other side of the map?"

[@2nooby2idol90]

I’ve loved skyward sword’s story and gameplay. The motion controls were a bit frustrating every now and then, but it was worth it in the boss fights like girahim, and demise. My favorite in the series.

[@lichiangaming3503]

It had very strong dungeons as well. People are way too hard in this game.

[@2nooby2idol90]

Lichian Gaming Which makes it feel so much more satisfying when you win. Also the dungeons weren’t that strong, you just need to take some time to think about them for a second.

[@cato3277]

Think you’ll review the Switch remake’s controls? It’ll be interesting to see how the joycons fare.