Skyward Sword Review

[@VictorFr0st]

It's a testament to how well crafted your reviews are that I just sat through all five of the Zelda reviews back to back. And it's 2 am. And I've seen them before.

[@Spartanjames170]

I watched all five reviews, and I have never played a zelda game simply because I have never been a huge nintendo fan. These reviews have made me want to try them out though thank goodness for emulators xD

[@doorcurtain8523]

That's me too. It's almost 4 in the morning over here, lol

[@WaddleDee105]

I've seen most of his reviews around 3 times. They are like movies in that they are genuinely entertaining and when re-watching them it let's it all sink in.

[@ujjwalmishra8962]

i might wind up doing the same thing someday

[@kauswekazilimani3736]

5 years later.... and i have fallen to the same fate.

[@aaa1e2r3]

There is one mechanic that you didn't mention which I thought was actually quite clever, namely the implementation of how various shields' designs actually make them useful for different scenarios like how the wooden shield will burn in fire but will absorb electricity, and how the iron shield will be immune to flames but will conduct electricity and injure yourself. Likewise, because the shield is wood, it is able to catch arrows being fired at you so that you can then use it. I honestly thought that these small touches were actually really great.

[@superheriber27]

I know right?

[@franjaff6919]

And these ideas returned in Breath of the Wild.

[@sebsthexeno9460]

I agree in part with this, it’s a nice way to try and make seemingly basic and useless equipment like the wooden shield actually have a purpose, but I also feel that the inclusion of the Goddess Shield and eventually the Hylian Shield later on kind of ruins these mechanics as well, seeing as they’re both impervious to all kinds of elements.

[@johnnybensonitis7853]

@Dickgirl Nationalist Yup. Not to mention he did this 8 years ago, so in addition to possible inexperience in KZbin I think that was around this time this game was making it's rounds in the gaming community where everyone was ripping into it hard.

[@maxgarcia6231]

Honestly I couldn't bother with this, so I played the whole game without the shield.

[@setteplays]

How... How the blacksmith need such items to do an upgrade if the Skyloft people never knew about the world below, where such items are found?

[@Akispark]

7PLAYS WikiHow

[@zaccampa4055]

I don't think they expected people to think that hard about it haha

[@Jdudec367]

or did he know?hard to say remember the blacksmith's grandpa seemed to have one of those robots from the surface world too

[@4865alex]

Obviously it's the will of the goddess.

[@laggianput]

Shush you

[@CrashDunning]

"I should have got you last time. I'd love to get you this time. But I'll get you next tiiiiiiime!" I died xD

[@mistertagomago7974]

The fucking delivery on that was just too perfect.

[@AnnNightNoxana]

"I guess he has a hair appointment or something." Matthew's deadpan jokes are so hard-hitting, it's insane.

[@SidneyBloom]

"Controls should be an invisible part of the experience". Now I want to see a Star Fox Zero review in this channel.

[@jackdaone6469]

I wonder if that would be the first MM vid where he just plain gets pissed off. I mean, that game is a disgrace to the franchise, and on top of it, it’s a crappy remake of one of the most sublime games ever made.

[@okagron]

@@jackdaone6469 You mean MM3D? No, that remake fixes so much wrong with the original. Only thing legit bad is the Zora's fast swim being tied to magic. I literally can no longer play the original, because it means at least 20% of dead time where i'm waiting for things to happen, so that i can do sidequests.

[@rpiano6477]

okagron No, he means MM as in Matthewmatosis.

[@Jdudec367]

@@jackdaone6469it isn't a disgrace really or crappy but it is flawed oh boy

[@bunsmasterbunny]

@@okagron There was nothing wrong with the original though. It's literally an already perfect experience that does everything it set out to do perfectly.

[@k-leb4671]

16:13 "I really think Nintendo needs some kind of design document just containing all the tiny improvements they've made to the series over the years so they're not permanently lost." I just had to highlight this because it's such a good idea, and yet it seems like something video game developers would rarely follow.

[@Isntthisalreadytaken]

25:00 "I spent the entire thing waiting for the game to start" Oh my god, this is EXACTLY how I felt.

[@loveandwar007]

It’s so much worse than Twilight Princess’ opening. At least in TP I’m actually DOING things in the intro. Here I’m stuck watching a Disney Channel movie before I even set out questing.

[@millerkarageanes1562]

@@loveandwar007 twilight princess also allowed you to skip cutscenes

[@GigaMan91]

I gotta say. This game has the best and worst boss fights in Zelda history. Koloktos (Ancient Cistern boss) is the best, and the Imprisoned fights are the worst.

[@Graphomite]

_"The game gets worse as it goes on."_ My sentiments exactly. Halfway through the game, I was playing just for the commitment of finishing. And out of curiosity as to how the story would end...namely, Ganondorf's aforementioned "backstory," which wound up being a wholly disappointing, underwhelming device. By the end of the game, the entire premise of the "prequel" storyline felt like a cheap sales pitch.

[@jockkroser6755]

+Superman13195 Jesus man, can you take an opinion?

[@Graphomite]

Superman13195 Sorry, I just can't take anyone seriously who uses "retarded" as their go-to general insult. Please try to think of a better one.

[@Graphomite]

Superman13195 That's better. That one was straight out of Calvin and Hobbes.

[@Graphomite]

+rikku362 I recall feeling quite fed up at that particular point. Revisiting such areas might have been tolerable if they weren't purposefully cookie cut right out of Zelda's most conventional stage types. The game literally prided itself on being formulaic. Look, deserts! A Forest! This is a prequel, so this uninspired rehashing can be pawned off as foreshadowing, nostalgic symbolism while also providing a comfort zone to buffer the scary new motion controls! I honestly feel like this game is best defined as an experimental Zelda title. It dipped its toes into a lot of innovative ideas to gauge player interest, and I'm sure it provided a lot of helpful feedback, so I'm glad they made it. But that doesn't make it a good game. At the very least, it did make me hopeful about Zelda's future. The relevance of Rupees and collectibles was very promising. And I liked their _attempt_ toward the discouragement of handholding. If they must handhold _(and I know they must)_ I think the Sheika Stone was a rather ingenuous way to do so. It's clearly there for people willing to go out of their way to "cheat," so it's better to put the "cheats" in the game and punish the player for using it _(the punishment in this sense being the trip to and from the Stone)_ than have the players disillusion themselves entirely by looking up answers on the internet. I actually think it would be wise to expand on the idea.

[@TheGameCapsule]

+BongaFish I was somewhat over it collecting all of the notes. I was sick of the fetch quests as I felt it was just to pad the game out longer.

[@linkenski]

Thank you for pointing out how incredibly redundant the timeline is. It made sense in Wind Waker because it was really important to the story, and obviously OoT ties into MM and TP has vague references, but there's just not much consistency, and all the "logistics" aside, what's the point even? IMO the timeline limits the newer games more than it makes them benefit.

[@GlassMufasa]

+Linkenski I couldn't agree more. I'm kind of hoping they just throw the timeline out the window. They could just say they're continuing from ruined timeline and have free reign to do whatever they want with the story.

[@linkenski]

+GlassMufasa I was thinking about this the other day, and I think really, what I dislike so much about the timeline or with prequels rather is, by telling us what specifically happens in past or future entries it specifies what used to be ambiguous and open to interpretation. For example, I would be pissed if a game came out that depicted the tragedy that spawned the great flood we hear a legend about in WW. I want to believe that Link was the guy from OoT who left his role as a hero after finding his friend post Majora's Mask and realizing the life of a destined hero is not the life he should have. Really, Wind Waker felt a bit like an ending to the series at the time for me, because it concludes by saying the destinies imposed by the gods are not the future anyone should succumb to. It deconstructed Zelda.

[@7makosheva]

+Linkenski They never should have made an official timeline in the first place. Limits creativity so much. Uggh curse you fans that absolutely needed a timeline.

[@linkenski]

Glad to finally see someone else who agrees with me on this. Go to GameFAQs and get shot if you try to say this.

[@tylerchristou2001]

+Linkenski The tragedy in wind waker was the fact that link wasn't there, so a game set during that wouldn't be likely. When Link went back in time as an adult he disappeared from that timeline completely, so Hyrule was open for Ganon to take over, thus the Gods flooded Hyrule.

[@wreathrappo4754]

The sword fighting in Wii Sports Resort was done slightly better than Skyward Sword. Attacks and blocks were only vertical or horizontal. This simplicity allowed for more accuracy and depth.

[@MagmarFire]

After watching Sequelitis, it's great to see a brutally-honest critique of Skyward Sword that isn't just mindless raging and bashing for the sake of desperately getting a few more laughs. Most of your points are completely justified and backed up by good reasons why you think they are what you think they are and by proposing a solution to rectify the problems you found. Well, most of them I find to be justified. I *strongly* disagree with the statement that story should just "be a nice little thing" to urge the player along in a Zelda game, as the narrative is, I find to be the main reason I love the series so much--which is also why I disagree with your point about the story points not having a great impact (Zelda being the goddess reborn I actually found to completely shake my foundation of what I thought of the entire series' lore in a good way). However, it's fueled by a matter of taste. Regardless of how much I love the game, there's no doubt you hit its faults squarely on the head.

[@toma.7065]

I really hate what Skyward Sword stands for but what you're saying is right. My hatred for the game reached a point at which I just wanted the game to be bashed. This is one of the only reviews which does the game justice (although imo the game is still fcing shit and backwards in every way possible).

[@CrysisOwnsHalo]

Like you, I find the narrative to be one of the driving forces of the game; however, I strongly disagree with you on SS having a compelling story. I think it was horrendously uninteresting, and the execution was even worse. I'm personally not a huge fan of the story-telling and its execution in the series on the whole, so I think that should be one of the main concerns going forward with the franchise, since I believe the story to be a very important part.

[@Triforce75]

You know he did say he is going to be talking more about Skyward Sword in other Sequelities. The one you're talking about is for Link to the Past and Ocarina of time.

[@MagmarFire]

Triforce75 I think I may have heard something like that along those lines, yes. In the Sequelitis in question, while the SS rant was, admittedly, amusing the first go around, it left a horrible aftertaste in my mouth, mainly due to that it felt tacked on and had little substance to it; he only said it was bad in a roundabout way, without giving any specific reason.

[@Triforce75]

MagmarFire Oh no I agree. I felt like his first comment about it was all he needed, and it would have served as a nice little hint towards the next Sequelitis. But he shouldn't have went on like he did.

[@nealkelly9757]

It's pretty bizarre how Nintendo forgets to add improvements from previous games in the series. This analysis is excellent, they should be taking notes from these criticisms, but of course they probably don't know about these videos.

[@hubblebublumbubwub5215]

Neal Kelly They seem to have taken notes with the new Zelda and ALBW. It's a bit late though.

[@uknownada]

Neal Kelly I think one big series that really shows Nintendo always forgets to add improvements is Pokemon. I remember how comfortable and easy the touch screen was in HeartGold and SoulSilver, but every game after seems to be trying to do some new useless gimmick.

[@hubblebublumbubwub5215]

Nice combination of a My Bloody Valentine picture and a Company Flow background by the way

[@nealkelly9757]

Thanks dude! I used to have the Liquid Swords album art as my background until that album suddenly became ultra popular lol

[@Jdudec367]

@@uknownada what do you mean? how was the touch screen any different from any other ds and 3ds pokemon game?

[@thegooseinator9614]

Even though I don't think it's terrible, it is absolutely hilarious to me that this game got not only great but perfect or near perfect reviews across the board despite the fact that it has so many glaring, game-ruining issues. It's like the reviewers didn't even bother to play the game.

[@Blazedvenom]

well deserving of the reviews...You love it or hate it ...but it's a great zelda game...Nitpicking about controls is mostly all people got to say.Mainsterm views is always...i hate the controls .....I hate the sky...I hate the bird..I hate the beginning..I hate Fi...I hate it's cause it's not ocarina or major as mask...smfh people a trip lol

[@Blazedvenom]

I hate downsing lol people is hilarious

[@thegooseinator9614]

+Taylor Edwards yes, I agree it's good. But it got BETTER reviews than any other 3D Zelda game, which is weird because I think it's probably the weakest of the bunch.

[@someloser8957]

+Taylor Edwards how is it a great game?

[@SomeGuyWhoPlaysGames333]

+Blazedvenom So because those are "mainstream" reasons to hate the game, it doesn't make it ok to hate it for those reasons? And there was plenty more wrong with the game.

[@Bulzeeb15]

Every time I consider replaying SS thinking maybe the flaws weren't so bad, all I need to do is to watch this review again. I forget about some of the problems but once I remember them, it becomes clear I must have subconsciously blocked them out of my memory. The Lanayru desert sections were fantastic and the San sea is one of my favorite moments in the series, but I still had to trudge through them with imperfect motion controls and Fi's constant interruptions that hampered that whole game. Skyward Sword is a Zelda game I really want to like more, but all the flaws in story, gameplay, and design never stop drawing attention to themselves.

[@Crichjo32]

These are the best reviews of Zelda I have seen. You are not blinded by obvious fanboy bias, but also not overly critical. You clearly state what is wrong with the game, whilst also stating what is great about it. I completely agree about Skyward Sword. It does some things really well, but there are so many issues with it, that makes it one of the worst Zelda games yet.

[@blakeisthebeast]

A disappointment factor i think also compounds the negative aspects of the game. It was the first console zelda game in 5 years on a next gen console, so I think it adds to the unfulfilled expectations.

[@dEllDIIb]

blakeout Twilight Princess was also on the wii. Motionplus wasn't released then.

[@ChessdumyTV]

Crichjo32 How dare you insult skyward sword by calling it 'one of the worst Zelda games yet'.. Thats subjective. >:( >:o I still like twilight princess better though

[@ChadTheCreator]

Crichjo32 He may or may not have a bit of nostalgia for Majora's Mask. He speaks rather fondly of that game and I think he played it in his childhood, although I'm not too sure. He could just be genuinely appreciative of that game.

[@carmena.gonzalezrios8372]

notessimodude what do you think about majora mask? did you like it?

[@triplebog]

minish cap was a little short.... heh... heh....

[@videakias3000]

+Tar Alacrin well,it only had 6 dungeons,but it was the 2d zelda ever.

[@zushi3493]

+videakias3000 The 2nd Zelda ever? Look at this kid.

[@videakias3000]

Hayden Long I meant the best 2 dimensional zelda ever made,I expressed my self wrong.

[@zushi3493]

+videakias3000 Oh, ok. You forgot the word "best", so I thought you mean "2nd".

[@johnsmath62]

+Tar Alacrin bu dum tiss

[@MissAshley42]

Tadtones. They really summarize almost everything Skyward Sword got wrong. The rest involves how despite being billed as an explanatory prequel it only piles on more unexplained lore. Hylia, Demise, and the Goddess Sword only dodge the questions the game is supposed to answer. The grand origin of the Master Sword is that it was once some other mysterious sword? Give me a break!

[@Jdudec367]

what's so mysterious about a sword that's explained as being made by hylia and used against demised and put away in skyloft? Also tadtones really weren't that bad. And they don't summarize almost everything the game got wrong. What unexplained lore is there? Hylia isn't really unexplained lore, other then why doesn't people talk about her much later but that's not so much lore about hylia herself. Demise? I mean....other then where he may have come from what else? The goddess sword? there really isn't any unexplained lore about the goddess sword

[@loveandwar007]

And is anyone else bothered by the fact that Hylia supposedly is responsible for everything that’s ever happened in Zelda lore ever- and yet we’ve NEVER heard of her until this game???

[@jackdaone6469]

loveandwar007 Indeed. And what’s this new goddess’ relationship to the three Goddesses that created Hyrule and forged the Triforce?

[@boranates1320]

@@jackdaone6469 That's not really a goddess, she is just called a goddess.

[@SophiaLilithUwU]

@@jackdaone6469 there is no relation really. Its clear from the fact that the three goddesses havent been seen in literal decades in the series but hylia being mentioned in botw that nintendo got tired of the three goddess creation myth and wanted hylia monotheism instead, so zelda wasnt just a princess but a god-princess instead.

[@489Acresofwheat]

My top 5 Zelda games: 1. Wand of Gamelon 2. Wand of Gamelon 3. Wand of Gamelon 4. Wand of Gamelon 5. Skyward Sword

[@brendanrisney2449]

TheSnelly101 You DARE call those Zelda games? They aren't even games, they are rage inducers!

[@AntiRiku]

TheSnelly101 GOTY. Every year.

[@CloisteredExplorer]

+Brendan Risney best zelda games ever. dont question him 😤

[@ethanwilliams8393]

+TheSnelly101 THANK YOU! Wand of Gamelon had the best art-style, voice acting, and combat! So underrated!

[@Isntthisalreadytaken]

+TheSnelly101 where's faces of evil you pleb, god

[@AssailantLF]

Skyward Sword is like a huge tech demo for the wii motion plus where Nintendo tried to use it in as many ways as possible, but turned out that the motion controls weren't accurate enough (the sword and bow) and/or the motion-related mechanics they came up with weren't fun (flying a bird, swimming, rotating a key, etc)

[@T3hChosenJuan]

I really disliked the fact that it took 5 years to make Skyward Sword. It really pissed me off how horribly distributed the team was. So apparently as soon as they finished Twilight Princess, they developed Phantom Hourglass, then they started making this game. However, they needed to release Spirit Tracks in 2009, so the whole team was forced to work on Spirit Tracks, and once that game was finished, they finally started working again on Skyward Sword, so it's more of a 2 and a half year development. And don't get me started with the development of A Link Between Worlds, it only shows that Nintendo has no idea how to distribute a team.

[@CrysisOwnsHalo]

I think the problem is that Nintendo wants to release a Zelda game every year or every other year to keep the audience base satisfied until the next 3D game comes out, but I personally would rather wait out the years for a quality game than to get a bad quality game with a bunch of other mediocre games that were released in the years before it was released.

[@Igamikun]

No idea what you're talking about with Link Between Worlds. Growing up on Zelda and having Link to the Past be a wonderful childhood memory, it was great to revisit it that worlds with a different story. I felt like they handled it well, that the puzzles and everything used some wits to get down, and that they got the original view style in a 3D depiction was just awesome. I can see blasting this game because it looks like garbage, but Link Between Worlds was great.

[@CrysisOwnsHalo]

I just feel that they did the bare minimal with this game and could have done a lot more. I just didn't find its non-linearity impressive or all that interesting, I thought its story was lame, and the gameplay was mediocre. I want to see something really impressive and special, not just the bare minimum with a new gameplay mechanic.

[@loveandwar007]

Apparently all the good people went to work on A Link Between Worlds because that game is awesome. There were a lot of factors as to why this game was rushed. They had to put something out for the 25th anniversary, plus the Wii was on its way out because Nintendo was shifting focus to the Wii U which didn’t have the Motion Plus remote you could swing around so AHHH gotta get it out now! None of this is an excuse of course, just an explanation.

[@Jdudec367]

well the first two years was more testing to get the motion controls to work according to miyamoto so it was more like three years really. I don't see the issue with how long it took to make the game really

[@MrFoxInc]

Seriously though, am I the only one that was bewildered by the Skyward Strike in the fight against Demise? The entire game through, it's made painfully clear that anything with electricity harms you. There are a handful enemies that work with electricity, and any interaction with the electricity definitely harms you. That's fine and understandable, it's a core concept that any player will bring into the game in the first place, since it's a basic law of physics. So why then would the game assume that you'd think to copy Demise's technique in which he holds his sword upward and have it hit by lightning? Who would think "Better charge my sword with some electricity to thow at the dude" when that is the polar opposite of what they've been taught up to that point? I never saw that complaint before anywhere else. It might be nitpicking but I feel SOMEONE must have picked up on it.

[@TheGameCapsule]

+misterfox I had mixed feelings about it as well. On one hand, I feel it was brilliant as raising your sword Skyward is the first thing you do when you get it, so it comes full circle in the final battle -- but as you said, I didn't think to do it during this fight in the beginning. I'm not embarrassed to say I died from Demise plenty of times at first because 1) I didn't think to use the Skyward Strike. 2) I didn't really master the use of the shield either as I didn't feel the game didn't train you on using your shield except for the one training area in Skyloft. It should have trained you to use it the whole game, maybe making it as important as the sword.

[@aramugraciano3972]

+The Game Capsule I didn't have a problem at all with the shield. The game, as you said, teaches you how to use it on the training area. So, it punishes you if you don't master it by breaking your shield. To me it was a perfect evolution because it kept you active when being attacked, instead of waiting safely for the enemy to attack you like in past Zeldas.

[@7makosheva]

+misterfox its funny cus I didn't clue in to that either instead I thought you had to shield bash his every blow in order to get a hit in (made the fight SO much harder)

[@Blittsplitt5]

that final fight gave me chills though I had to replay it

[@MrFoxInc]

***** Oh, it was cool, no doubt about it. It was just strange that, with all that build-up and the way the game taught you to stay away from electricity, it now expects you to figure out that you have to engage with this usually hazardous element. I'm thinking it would have been even cooler if the boss-fight led you to a leap of faith, like "Shit, I'm all out of options - it might be stupid, but the only thing left to use is the lightning, HERE I GO" or something, you know?

[@GlassMufasa]

This review is fantastic. It really helps me articulate exactly why I didn't enjoy playing it.

[@Maximus_-qc3zt]

8 years later and your series of reviews still hold up. Thank you for giving us such amazing content.

[@bunsmasterbunny]

Except the Twilight Princess one. He was dead wrong about that game and clearly didn't put that much effort into it compared to the other ones.

[@basedchimera5859]

@@bunsmasterbunny are you a twilight princess fan or something?

[@tyler-xo3rb]

@@bunsmasterbunny i wonder what your favorite zelda is

[@_ArsNova]

@@bunsmasterbunnyOne day you will learn how to appreciate criticism of even your favorite game.

[@AOP2099]

I think this is the most fair review of this game I've ever seen. A lot of reviews are either non stop praising of the highs or just straight up bashing all of the low points and not acknowledging anything else. I like how you actually acknowledge both the highs and the low points, and don't over present this game as either the best or worst ever Zelda. And before I say anything else, I actually love this game and I think it's still my favorite game of all time, but that's mostly because I had a very different experience with it. I played it directly after I finished OOT 3d, so the way the story connects to the series was actually very surprising, and a lot of the characters like link, Zelda, groose, and especially ghirahim feel fleshed out and life-like. I love the combat because it made the encounters all feel somewhat unique in how enemies took some time to deal with, and felt like actual sword fighting. And I especially love all the dungeon and puzzle designs, and still feel as though they're the best in the series. That being said, everything wrong with this game listed here is still present, but it really all depends on experience. Most of these don't bother me as much as they do other people, and vice versa. The bottom line is that everyone will have a different experience with this game depending on their viewpoints and expectations, and for that reason I think that it's really hard to review this game: it's not entirely good or entirely bad, and it all depends on your experience with the game.

[@chosebine2169]

so in Twilight Princess you can move while swinging your Sword but stand still while aiming your Bow, and in Skyward Sword you stand still while swinging your Sword but can move while aiming your Bow. *edit* the Sword/Bow swap is even more baffling in Skyward Sword because with the stamina system, it could've added new running attacks and possibly more to the sword's potential

[@JGold523]

This is maybe my favorite of your reviews. It articulates almost all of the frustrations I had with this game, including my frustrations in talking about these frustrations. A bad Zelda game is still better than most games, so it was strange how much I enjoyed SS while still feeling deeply disappointed about it.

[@lordtullus9942]

"Frusterations" Yeah... you suck at the game, bud. Sorry.

[@andrewdetuncq3959]

This review aged well. Now with botw, Nintendo actually shook things up. Link doesn’t wear a hat!

[@Yo_Soy_Andres]

And his tunic is blueish

[@isdel9474]

@@Yo_Soy_Andres and they said "oh the green tunic? get it yourself you bastard"

[@movezig5]

@@Yo_Soy_Andres And by blueish, you mean... blue?

[@movezig5]

@@isdel9474 Unless you buy their artificially scarce figurines. (This is why it is entirely ethical to pirate amiibo NFCs.)

[@venomromulus]

This is the most honest review for this game. Most people just fan boy it.

[@Zeik188]

Game looked good, I liked the story. The game's replayability is TRASHED by the imprisoned boss fight repeating itself, along with the controls that just refused to work for me. Backtracking did get annoying but it never bothered me enough to make me not want to play it again.

[@OCMOOO]

I agree with you there, the only thing that kept pushing me forward was to see development of the characters and story. Going over a single area multiple times is draining not fun.

[@Jdudec367]

Mildly appealing Valentine atleast with SS there is a reason your flying your bird unlike herding goats in twilight princess. Also I honestly really liekd the town sections

[@thegameneededme5]

It’s interesting to me to see how perception of this game has evolved over time. Even the reviewers who praised it as the best Zelda game ever got over that honeymoon phase fairly quickly, it seems. I’m glad BOTW finally trusted the player enough to explore and experience the world for themselves. I understand that Nintendo probably doesn’t wanna alienate new players, but constant tips from Fi really should have just been optional if the player got stuck. The backtracking needed to be more inspired, letting the player _decide_ to backtrack because they remembered a place they could use their new equipment, rather than a forced part of the main game. I expect BOTW2 to be a more restricted game than the first, but I hope they at least continue to have confidence that players will discover things on their own and only give guidance if the player seeks it out themselves.

[@Majuular]

I'm here from the future to tell you that BOTW2 is NOT more restrictive 😅

[@quibquiberton4184]

​@@MajuularI honestly wish it was.

[@MattMikulich]

I'm surprised there is no mention about how even the origin story of the master sword contradicts what has been revealed in the previous titles. In Skyward Sword it is Link himself who crafts the sword with the three flames while in previous installments it was said that the sages crafted the sword. Not only did Skyward Sword attempt to undo the Minish Cap but it tried to undo Ocarina as well.

[@bentheechidna]

To be fair those were always legends. Ocarina stated the gods created the sword. Technically speaking Hylia, a goddess, created the sword through Link.

[@MattMikulich]

bentheechidna But goddess legends are no excuse for how the goddess flames made the goddess master sword. The goddess exposition through goddess Fi make the goddess Wii remote out of goddess batteries master goddess, help goddess my goddess brain is goddessing it bleeding goddesses but my goddess sword goddesses it goddessesing goddesssssssss

[@Trinkedo02]

Not only that but they totally ruined Ganon's WW character development. I really liked his motivation, speaking about the cruelty of the desert. And now he is just other dude's anger.

[@bentheechidna]

Trinkedo02 The thing is that Ganon was born evil. In fact I'd say that's less Skyward Sword's problem and more Wind Waker's, since Wind Waker is the only one that ever tried to say otherwise, and Ocarina shows what really happens when he gains control over the world. He rules with an iron fist, and causes suffering and destruction, because it pleases him. It was nice to have him have character development, but it was too late and it was Wind Waker that was contradicting all previous games.

[@EyeoftheU]

Trinkedo02 It is actually quite interesting how Wind Waker handles the whole "born with a destiny" stuff that has been popping up more and more frequently in the latest installments of the series. On one hand we have Ganon actually gaining a bit of depth, and Link being a pretty regular kid before the whole adventure started. He is really only wearing the green outfit because his ganny wanted him to take part in Ocarina of Time cosplay. On the other hand, we have stuff like Zelda's personality completely changing once she finds out her true name, which raises some uncomfortable implications. Skyward Swords seems to lean pretty heavily in one direction though, and in some ways I think it makes the series' narrative a bit poorer in the process.

[@Phantosification]

This is why Nintendo shouldn't let their Mario Galaxy dev team design a Zelda game.

[@nono9543]

Alex Hill It felt like I was playing a Mario game wearing Zelda skin.

[@Yodagamer1]

Alex Hill It is? the only thing i've found that was related between the two was the composer.

[@santiagovare]

It's not the same team... If I'm not mistaken its from the team that made Minish Cap

[@benlink202forever]

Didn't feel like that for me.

[@santiagovare]

***** My bad. It's from the director of the Minish Cap and several other handheld Zelda games.

[@MisterTTG]

Matthew: "Link can roll [bombs] along the ground, which is utilized pretty well." Arin: "Skyward Sword added bomb bowling. It added boooommmbb bowwllingg.... bommmbbb bowwwwllinnngggg.... itt addded.... bbooommmmb *eldritch shrieking*"

[@tyler-xo3rb]

i still don't know what arin was trying to say about bomb bowling

[@im_really_feeling_it4971]

I never laughed out loud at an advertisement before, thanks nintendo for showing me an ad for Skyward Sword HD on a Skyward Sword review

[@doxasophosmoros]

i'm obsessed with this guy's zelda reviews. After watching it alot, it's basically my background noise while i work... dunno why, it's just nice to have clear sound and not have someone trying to be funny in a loud way, no stupid laughing, moronic conversations, dumb jokes or bad sound effects which jolt me and break my concentration or piss me off. The tone & speed is energizing yet it's also calming to hear his voice. Also love the information all packed in. No breaks so it flows well.

[@bostonsportsfan9670]

Regardless if you loved skyward sword, you can't deny that this guy is being completely honest here. I think people who dismiss this review just don't agree that the problems with this game interfere with their enjoyment.

[@SteamPunk96]

Can't believe I never noticed the error at the beginning referring to the time between Z1 and SS being a "quarter of a decade" instead of a "quarter of a century"

[@Pan_Z]

There used to be an annotation that corrected this. However, KZbin killed annotations, so...

[@Nigel222]

I kinda changed my opinion on this game with the switch remaster. I hated the wii version and dropped it after 3 or 4 hours. But the switch version I actually enjoyed. Its still the worst of the main 3D console Zelda games (OOT,MM,WW,TP,SS,BOTW) but its not as terrible as I thought it was on the wii.

[@parkerdinhwilliams15]

Totally agree with this review. I have a collection of every Zelda game I've ever played. Skyward Sword is the only one I decided to sell, because I know I'll never play it again. Dull, uninspired, slow, easy... I just didn't like it.

[@LegendofLegaia929]

"it has become popular to hate on." - Or maybe it just has several issues that are extremely difficult to overlook? It's not noobies that are hating on SS, it's people that have been playing Zelda games for a long time now.

[@parkerdinhwilliams15]

Taylor Edwards No, I hate on Skyward Sword because it was a bad Zelda game... IN MY OPINION. I couldnt care less how other people feel about the game. I am talking about my experience with it, and I did not find it fun.

[@parkerdinhwilliams15]

Taylor Edwards Because all Zelda fans are the same, right? Every Zelda fan is the same person, right? You don't have to like every Zelda game to be a Zelda fan, just fyi.

[@LegendofLegaia929]

Taylor Edwards I'm not trying to imply that only "true fans" dislike Skyward Sword or that you can't be a "true fan" if you like it, I'm simply pointing out that the vast majority of people that don't like SS are those who have been following the franchise for a long time now. I've read your posts in this video and it seems like you're desperately trying to proof that people who dislike this game are somehow "irrational" or just hate things for the sake of hating them. Tell me, why would someone who has loved the franchise for years WANT to dislike SS? I gave the game a fair chance and I didn't like it. That's the case with most people who didn't like it. The reason why people are vocal about SS's faults is because we want Nintendo to improve from its mistakes, and judging by BotW's entire concept, it seems like Nintendo is actually listening to us.

[@LegendofLegaia929]

Taylor Edwards No, if I pay for a product, I have every single right to complain about it if I didn't enjoy it, especially if I've been satisfied with previous entries in the series. If anything, you're the one being selfish for expecting people to stay quiet just so that you can be less insecure about which games you like. If Nintendo wants people to keep purchasing their products, then it's in their best interests to appeal to as many people as possible, especially their hardcore fanbase. If Nintendo wasn't listening, then they wouldn't have tried to break from the formula at all in the first place. The fact that BotW is going in the direction it is proves that, even if the game that comes after it is more linear. Why would they attempt to please people who want less hand holding and more exploration if they didn't care? And given the sales for SS compared to the previous entry, TP, it's pretty safe to say that a sizable amount of people were not happy with it. www.vgchartz.com/game/4573/the-legend-of-zelda-twilight-princess/ www.vgchartz.com/game/45669/the-legend-of-zelda-skyward-sword/

[@opnuul]

"landing on an island that's just big enough to open a chest on it being absurd" just wait till this guy finds out about rauru's blessing

[@Leee275]

At least those are easy spots to find. If something requires more thought or the spot is harder to locate, the reward is typically something different.

[@altoroark4233]

That's...not the same thing. The blessing comes after a puzzle like getting the crystal to the destination.

[@water223]

Seeing how this and Breath of the Wild are polar opposites, it’s weird to think both those games are directed by the same person

[@Pan_Z]

Coincidentally he (Hidemaro Fujibayashi) also directed The Minish Cap. He left Capcom to work at Nintendo. Guess they saw promise.

[@javiercortes814]

lol I've wondered about this too. how does someone that directs this game also directs botw? like wtf

[@malickfan7461]

@@javiercortes814 Perhaps he listened to feedback from the fans.

[@_ArsNova]

@@javiercortes814 There is a small army of employees and executives that influence a game's ultimate form. It's not all decided by one man, at least at a massive corporate studio like Nintendo.

[@terraformthesun2896]

Skyward Sword is like The Phantom Menace of Zelda. There was way too much hype built up around it, and much like the CGI in Episode 1, the controls in Skyward Sword date it horribly.

[@KazuyaMithra]

Tbh the ship and droid cgi in phantom menace hold up really well on the new blu rays. Attack of the clones looks worse imo.

[@ineednochannelyoutube5384]

+KAZ Agreed.

[@Jdudec367]

and later gets the love it deserves?

[@okagron]

@@Jdudec367 Nope, people finally realize that's it's mostly bad. But i'll say Skyward Sword is a better game than Phantom Menace is as a movie.

[@Jdudec367]

@@okagron Nah they are both more liked now. Well ok then.

[@tonyrigatoni766]

Here's a summary of my problem with Fi. As a veteran Zelda player, she's insulting. There was a lot I loved about skyward sword, but I can't go back to that game simply because Fi makes me feel like this is the first video game I've ever played. Nintendo obviously wanted to appeal to both veterans and new players with this game, and I don't understand why the ability to reduce Fi's input wasn't included for veteran players. On the flipside, I don't think the idea of marketing to new players justifies Fi either. As a new Zelda player, Fi just shows the lack of respect the developers had for the intelligence of new players and their ability to figure things out on their own. Previous Zelda games never held your hand to the extent that Fi does, and the series was still monstrously popular before skyward sword. That means that all the Zelda fans Nintendo had acquired *before* skyward sword had to have learned to play Zelda *without* such a babysitter of a partner. At some point, every veteran Zelda player had to take the plunge, and just dive into unknown territory and learn how Zelda works. It may have been a bumpy road, but the success of the series shows that it's a rewarding experience nonetheless. Why did the developers think that this time around things would be different? Ocarina of time is extremely obtuse at certain points even with the help of Navi (bombing the baby Goron, for example, is nearly impossible to figure out without guesswork or using a guide), but that didn't stop players from loving the game and calling it a timeless classic. If anything, previous games have demonstrated that the series can accumulate new fans without massive amounts of hand-holding. It simply baffles me that they couldn't see that and just trust new players to take that first plunge into the Zelda universe with skyward sword when they did exactly that many times with great success in previous installments of the series. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. TLDR: Fi treats veteran players like babies and robs new players of the experience of learning how the Zelda universe works by their own means.

[@daniel8181]

"Nintendo seems to think people need to see hyrule and link's green hat to know its zelda" This is funny to rewatch now that people have absolutely lost it over the dumbest little details, saying zelda games arent zelda games because they dont have zelda names.

[@lradmclovin9]

Fi is quite simply the worst video game character of all time. She provides zero entertainment, zero emotional drive, and actively ruins the game with her incessant interjections that literally spoil the solution to many puzzles. This is already probably the worst Zelda game, with it's disjointed, linear, rehashed world that lacks any dynamism to it's time, weather or enemies, but Fi pounded it into the dirt.

[@WarrenValion]

I had a profound connection to Fi and she is one of my favorite characters in any Zelda game to date.

[@generictitle7942]

The thing that pisses me off about Fi is that she had potential. If she was given some actual development throughout the course of the game showing that she values Link as a friend rather than just a tool in Hylia's plan , I think she would have been close to Midna in terms of a good companion. This development would also mean that she would give less notifications as the game went on.

[@LegendofLegaia929]

Yeah, I had a great connection to Fi, too. That time she told me my batteries were low, even though there's already an icon in the corner of the screen that tells me that... That time when she made a percentage joke after the 100th fucking time she already made one... I cri eveytiem.

[@WarrenValion]

+LegendofLegaia929 I am serious though. I really did enjoy Fi as a character.

[@generictitle7942]

I'm not trying to force my opinion on anyone. I'm just giving mine on Fi.

[@noahdowns3017]

To people who think this is a pure hate ride. This is a review on the game. While he may put his opinion on something, it's his opinion. You like it, you like it. This video is not about your opinion. Also, this is meant to observe what works and what doesn't. That's the point of reviewing, to go over the basic and advanced mechanics that go into gameplay, also the strengths and faults of a story. Critical analysis and praises are bound to happen. I don't mean to seem like a prick, but this apparently has to be said on every review video. Just keep in mind that if a reviewer is misinformed or there is some misinterpretation, then it is justified to complain. I love you guys, but please remember what just read.

[@noahdowns3017]

+DrTheKay look who's typing. All you shown is how you're a tool. Trying to be all big and aggressive. All I wanted to do is drop this shit all together. Can we just say that I said obvious shit, and you over reacted a lot.

[@nerdude360]

+Cody Orvik Yeah I totally agree. I feel like he disregards a lot of the great feel-good moments, and overreacts about several of his opinions

[@dadoof2203]

No, it's extremely opinionated.

[@tonyrigatoni766]

I agree with you, but I also think that there is no reasonable way to justify the amount of babysitting Fi forces you to sit through. Whether you're new to the series or a Zelda veteran, Fi is insulting and overstays her welcome. If you have the opinion that her design isn't flawed, then, while I respect your right to that opinion, I also have the opinion that you need to get your head checked. Lol

[@Sr.D]

I hated the game on Wii...now I love it on Switch, only buttons controls, free camera, and lots of quality of life improvements.

[@Shadowsmoke11]

This the truth. IGN are total liars thinking Skyward Sword is the best Zelda game ever. You are way better than these so called "professional" reviewers. You're speaking the truth.

[@OtakuNewsSource]

Boyrobin "IGN are total liars thinking Skyward Sword is the best Zelda game ever." Opinions.

[@GrandHighGamer]

OtakuNewsSource But I want an OBJECTIVE review of this highly subjective entertainment experience!

[@thespunkster123]

So the reviewer at IGN lied about his/her opinion?

[@SaikyoNoFyuujon]

Brandon N. I wouldn't be surprised to be honest. IGN is often paid to say nice things about the game. Sonic Lost World is what happens when a company refuses to pay IGN to say nice things about it. I can say this too because IGN played Lost World prior to their review and they loved it.

[@OtakuNewsSource]

ThePrinceOfSaiyajins You do realize that the person who wrote the positive article about Lost World, the person who did the actual Wii U review, and the person who did the 3DS review of Lost World were 3 different people, right? It's stupid to even use Sonic Lost World as an example because NOT everyone at IGN share the same opinion about the game.

[@Christopher-md7tf]

"Back in the days of Ocarina and Majora, Nintendo clearly didn't care about crafting an overarching timeline for the Zelda series" Not necessarily correct. Zelda II was a direct sequel to the first Zelda. ALttP was clearly stated to be a prequel to Zelda I, as was OoT to ALttP. MM was a direct sequel to OoT, and Link's Awakening was heavily implied to take place directly after ALttP. Up until then, every game was accounted for pretty neatly. It was only with Wind Waker and Twilight Princess that things got complicated and that we were implicitly introduced to the concept of multiple timelines, since the backstory and events of one game negated those of others.

[@Samination]

Of all the 3D Zelda game, I think this is my second favorite. We were very blessed to get two unique Zelda games on the Wii. People complain about how all the 3D Zelda games are all the same, and then when they change it up people STILL complain. I beleive Skyward Sword is a very unique and underrated game. The game is vastly different from previous entries and is a welcomed change. The game does feel smaller compared to the previous entries, but I think that was intentional. Like the video says, there is (sadly) A LOT wrong with this game. Fi is a huge step backwards from Midna. Nintendo tried to cater to it's new casual audience (that would never play this type of game anyway) by making it hold your hand every step of the way. This alone probably turned off many Zelda fans, which is a shame. As with Twilight Princess, the opening is very slow, but it was a bit more entertaining here. The motion controls work around 95% of the time, but it's not a game breaker. The sky may be empty, but flying is more thrilling than the sailing in Wind Waker. I'll take the bird over the boat any day. Lastly, it's nice that Link can finally run, but I hate the meter. I'd rather roll around than have a run meter. On to the good stuff! The Silent Realms are probably one of the best things ever in a Zelda game and I was disappointed there wasn't more of them. Hell, I'd play a Zelda game with only Secret Realms. I mean, they did release an arrow shooting Zelda game after all. The time stones are pretty awesome and really make you have to think at times. The graphics are gorgeous. It's a mix of Twilight Princess and Wind Waker. Not too gritty and not too kiddy. It's a good look. If only it were in HD. I like how Zelda wasn't captured, but having her own adventure just ahead of you. We also get a break from Ganon. Ghirahim is a really quirky and interesting bad guy and I also enjoyed the final boss. PS- I've played this game 3 times and plan to play it again!

[@tonyrigatoni766]

I agree with your sentiments about the uniqueness of skyward sword relative to previous installments, and I also really liked the silent realms. However, I think calling Fi a step backwards is an understatement. This may be my opinion, but I know I'm not the only one who feels this way: Fi is so bad that she is enough to prevent me from playing this game ever again. She is insulting to anyone who has already played the game, and robs first time players of something which I believe to be essential to the Zelda experience: discovering how things work for yourself. I don't think there's any way to justify her. Fi ruins the whole game for me because she seems to be a substitute for exploration and experimentation.

[@owlflame]

I'm still sad that people divide 3D and 2D zelda

[@spera438]

owlflame 2D zelda games are played very different.

[@owlflame]

spera not really

[@TommyPKFire]

uhh... yeah. They are. You might want to make an actual argument for your position if you're going to make a blind assertion like that. Let's hear it?

[@treeckolucario777]

Yeahp. This game gave up any hope of maintaining the illusion of self-determination. Fetch quest after fetch quest in one big fetch quest. It constantly reminds you that you are playing a video game and not saving the world. Visually, it could've been amazing to be immersed in the beautiful landscape of the Skyward Sword world if it hadn't been clouded with excessive interface, depictions of the Wii Remote, and an annoying green watermelon following Link around everywhere he runs. Considering the storyline, even if you could get beyond the initial illusion of video game playing, they didn't try very hard at all to get beyond the illusion of role playing. Even if you were in fact saving the world, it's because the goddess said so and there's nothing you could've done about it otherwise. At the point of the game you'd think you're ready to say screw you to destiny and take control of the game, the goddess decides, hey, I know, how 'bout you go do some trials why because I said so kthxbye. It's quick to squash any sense of adventure with pervasive hand-holding, and pretty much any sense of adversity is taken care of for you. Still, it's not a horrible game by any means, and it has many outstanding features; however, it would've benefited greatly from engaging the player most holistically, rather than constantly telling you what to do, how to do it, and when to change your batteries.

[@Jdudec367]

I would say they did try hard to get beyond the illusion of replaying. As like being a "chosen hero" that's a big honor you are saving the world even if was originally someone else's plan. the stamina bar never was that bothersome the wii remote depiction was actually useful the whole game your pretty much proving yourself which makes sense this is where the links are actually chosen by the goddess they should test you to see if your ready. Also it really isn't just fetch quest after fetch quest. or well...any more then other zelda games. And not all sense of adversity is taken care of for the player either...as the game can still be challenging at times

[@mopbrothers]

I have no idea how anyone could ever want to replay Skyward Sword. It's so drawn out and repetitive like Windwaker only ten times worse. It was an endurance test and I'm amazed I completed this game without killing myself. There are some good points about it like the dungeons and cheerful colorful graphics, but it's very painful to go through due to the backtracking and awful fetch quests.

[@Jdudec367]

backtracking atleast unlocks more area or can look different...not all the sideuqeust or even fetch quest were bad. skyward sword I would say...is better then the wind waker overall though

[@provideos98]

Zelda in a nutshell: Even when its bad, its still pretty good.

[@reinforcedpenisstem]

provideos98 Good point

[@mistertagomago7974]

Unless its on the CD i

[@jp5394]

@@mistertagomago7974 That one doesn't count.

[@SushiGhost97]

@@mistertagomago7974 *especially when it's cdi

[@aletanook]

Unless it's Skyward Sword.

[@athorem]

Skyward Sword vs Skyward Sword HD Long intro | Still long but faster text Motion Control | Better gyro but worse overall Only Motion | Can use button + stick controls Dowsing | Less intrusive Fi is annoying | She talks less and speedier text The Sky | Still pointless and empty The Imprisoned | Still sucks Pacing | Still weak, but slightly faster Linearity | Still linear Repetition | Still repetitive Story | Same as before Combat | Same as before Item screen | Doesn't appear every time you get an item SD Visuals | HD Visuals

[@matthewmuir8884]

Don't forget that both versions lack any accessibility options for left-handed players whatsoever.

[@matthewmuir8884]

@@scandalouspanda7489 You do if you want to use the motion controls in a game that was built around motion controls. Button control options are neat, but they are no excuse for the lack of a left-handed mode for the motion controls.

[@TheSamuraiGoomba]

You don't need to look at Majora's Mask or Wind Waker to find more polished and interesting Zelda games. Link's Awakening on a 4-bit console kicks Skyward Sword up and down the street. Kind of hilarious.

[@Doritomurderer]

... 4 bit?

[@mistertagomago7974]

Links Awakening might actually be the most purely fun game in the series.

[@Jdudec367]

more interesting and polished?lol

[@Christopher-md7tf]

The gameboy was 8-bit. And while I love LA, I don't know if I would exactly call it a "polished" experience.

[@BlindGardener]

18:47 the goddess Wii remote, I can't stop laughing!

[@Shockadinkiller727]

Not only did the sword animations stop everything when you need to get to zelda, but when Link stops because of the fucking stamina meter and goes "oh fuck im tired nevermind, fuck zelda, imma sit here and get hit a bunch" then you realize there's a HUGE ISSUE WITH A CORE GAMEPLAY ELEMENT

[@TheSagefx]

Shockadinkiller727 lmaooo

[@DrnMontemayor]

In all honesty, I'd love an Imprisoned plushie.

[@movezig5]

Thank you for taking such a balanced approach to this review. I actually enjoyed Skyward Sword for the most part, mainly because I have a higher tolerance for tutorials and walls of text than most players, and I'm glad you pointed out the well-executed parts of the game, like some of the bosses and story elements, even when you pointed out the obvious (and not-so-obvious) flaws. To me, this feels like the most fair criticism of the game I've seen on the internet, whereas other people seem to just love bashing the game, repeating the same criticisms over and over. Also, you made some surprisingly good predictions, since, four years later, the stamina meter was further refined and Link was not wearing a hat!

[@miguelalonso9009]

23:51 Spoiler: they tried and failed again 12 years later.

[@altoroark4233]

Wdym? TotK's islands are great compared to SS.

[@goonballoon]

@@altoroark4233 they are rather copy-paste but i really enjoyed them

[@jaykay4137]

I'm constantly baffled by Nintendo's decision to port this game to Switch rather than Wind Waker HD or Twilight Princess HD. It's not a terrible game, but it's not the kind of game you want to go back to after you've already beaten it.

[@_ArsNova]

Most salient theory I’ve heard is Nintendo is just arbitrarily holding them back to promote a future console.

[@goonballoon]

i mean you can say that about the other games too, they dont have the greatest replayability

[@AustinOnSugar]

Considering Fi, like Fludd, is a robotic companion whose humour comes from her logic-driven nature, I'd say it's fair to compare the two. The two serve the same basic purpose in-game - a tool that doubles as a support character and tutorial device - but most would say it's clear that Fludd is a great addition to its game, whereas Fi is a passable one at best in hers. Fludd obviously doesn't stop the action to inform Mario of something, but even in terms of character and development more comes from the water pump than from the origin story to the Master Sword. I for one really enjoyed Fi's dialogue (outside of tutorial stuff) for the same reason many Trekkies love Spock. But Fludd offered the same kind of charm (small things like the pet care tips and blunt observations) without ever getting in the way. When the final battle came and went, I was emotionally invested in the malfunctioning device, and there was a satisfying payoff to the care we placed in it throughout Sunshine. Here? I don't feel anything with Fi come the end, and I join Matthew in my sentiments about misfired sword-swings.

[@Jdudec367]

I feel fi suddenly being sentimental is what makes me really feel it. considering it's like the first time she showed to really care. like it was sudden but I feel like that's what made it work as now that her purpose is complete she now is like expressing more emotion.

[@jackdaone6469]

Well, part of the reason Spock’s dialogue was so humorous was Leonard Nimoy’s deadpan, snarky sense of humor behind those lines. And when Fi’s vocal dialogue came from a set of recycled voice clips, any humor that could be gleaned was lost. Contrast Midna, whose unintelligible speech still had inflections in her lines that conveyed her spunky attitude and sense of humor, and that’s not even getting into her great body language even during rather static dialogue scenes. Fi lacks that, as she’ll mostly just stand around with no animation or personality during the same type of scene where Midna would be tilting her head or mischievously squinting or what-have-you(one of many reasons Midna is Best Companion). And even if Nintendo wanted to give Fi no body language whatsoever to make her more machine-like(though if they REALLY wanted to make her final scene more poignant, why not do something like her steadily developing more human mannerisms during the story as she grows and learns with Link? Boom, problem solved!), there are still ways to convey personality and humor without body language. See: EDI in Mass Effect 2.

[@chimanruler15]

@@jackdaone6469 **And even if Nintendo wanted to give Fi no body language whatsoever to make her more machine-like(though if they REALLY wanted to make her final scene more poignant, why not do something like her steadily developing more human mannerisms during the story as she grows and learns with Link? Boom, problem solved!),** Exactly what I was thinking. Fi could have been a really interesting character, but the writing wasted her potential.

[@Shosci]

What did I bingewatch this month: - The Office - Survivor - Matthewmatosis's Zelda Reviews

[@SmeagolTheBeagle]

"The toes on this thing are enough to ruin its design completely and make it look incredibly goofy" - Im actually crying aloud with laughter

[@NetConsole]

Why?

[@jackdaone6469]

NetConsole Because it’s true. The Imprisoned boss fight has the big roar, the swell of the orchestra, and even this alien design that makes it look kinda scary. And then you see those bulbous, cartoony toes and all sense of intimidation is replaced with laughter. Unintentional bathos.

[@matthewmuir8884]

Also, the rest of its design isn't that creepy; it looks like a rotten avocado.

[@Vsjdjdbajsnehevsjalfkghshakakd]

16:34 is still one of my favorite moments on this entire website. "But I'll get ya NEXT TIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIME"

[@gilopaolo]

No matter how much this game may be bad I will always love Groose. :P

[@gilopaolo]

Whoa, looks like somebody doesn't understand what an, "opinion" is. Also, I don't think this game is as bad as people set it out to be, which is why I said "may be bad", but I still wouldn't place it as one of my favourites.

[@gilopaolo]

Superman13195 Alright mate. I'll respect your opinion.

[@gilopaolo]

Superman13195 Well, not necessarily them. Many KZbinrs dislike the game, some even would say that they think the game is trash. I don't really think it's THAT bad from the perspective of people on KZbin. Yeah stuff like IGN and Metacritic have high ratings, but if you look at most reviews on Skyward Sword on KZbin, the majority that you will see is people bashing on the game. At least that's the majority I've seen.

[@TheTankbus]

I didn't like him at first, but his character development got me to care about him.

[@gilopaolo]

Dr. Dhoom Damn son you commented immediately on something that happened like what, a year and 7 months ago? lmao.

[@ndr2q]

Skyward Sword is easily the most divisive 3D Zelda game. I think it has a ton of heart, some great dungeons and bosses, and I think could have been a great Zelda entry if it had NOT come out on the Wii. I think the motion controls and casual audience of the Wii necessitated a ton of awful tutorializing. If this had come out on Wii U, using traditional controls, I think it would have made combat, flying, and aiming more reliable, and killed all the tedious dowsing stuff. And possibly been a much better game. Maybe even saved the Wii U console. I think whether you like Skyward Sword or not really depends on whether you can see past the rubbish Wii controls to the charming core underneath. I sometimes can, and I sometimes can’t. But I definitely understand why some people love it.

[@funnyfacekong5308]

I actually like some of the controls, and I say that as someone whose controller is barely working. Sometimes a single sword swing is enough to make the nunchuck stop working and I have to reconnect it. Its really annoying to play this game this way but I can imagine its pretty cool if your controller works. The motion controls are pretty cool in my opinion, at least when it comes to the sword.

[@okagron]

Skyward Sword has a lot more problems beyond the motion controls. Going through each area three times to do basically fetch quests got monotonous after a while and why it took me so long to beat it. Even if i was doing something different, i was still in fire world, or the sand world. So you have to contend with a lot more than just motion controls if you like the game or not.

[@heyhonpuds]

Ha! Saved the Wii U. It was almost DOA.

[@mike990]

The controls are finicky yes but what kills this game is the never ending repetition god it's so massively disappointing and boring. Also the lack of any meaningful exploration and rather weak story in my opinion kill this game. I would play Twilight Princess over this any day.

[@mopbrothers]

I agree. I would play Twlight Princess any day over this bore chore and that's saying something.

[@Jdudec367]

storywise its solid. when you revisit areas more stuff opens up though

[@7makosheva]

I applaud you for outlying legitimate and concise points against SS. You have changed my mind on the quality of the game. Although your critique on the story being hugely hampered by using an example of that one time travel inconsistency in the Sealed Temple seems quite pedantic. Even though you have shown me that the story isn't as good as I thought it was (as nothing new happens after you get the 3 "whatevers", only to get 3 more whatevers). Your observation of the Gate of Time not bringing anything new to the game was actually an immediate thought the first time after completing the game. I thought "wow they literally could have expanded a lot more in the past just like in OOT" Overall, even though it had the longest development cycle of any Zelda game, SS could have been SO much better given the setting and concept. It felt rushed (although it wasn't) and is literally, by the Wii's hardcore game reputation, "a Zelda Wii Game" Also I don't agree with you on the music part, but that's just opinion.

[@Blittsplitt5]

you needed him to change your mind on a game..

[@7makosheva]

why are you asking a question that you already know the answer to?

[@AceSimGaming]

+Omar Lloyd what's the problem with that?

[@dadoof2203]

How do you enjoy a game from start to finish, watch a video filled with dumb butthurt arguments against the game, and then decide it's actually not that good? MAKE THAT DECISION FOR YOURSELF!!! If you enjoyed a game, defend it to no end. Don't let dweebs, such as the twit that made this video, convince you that your good experiences with that game where just you being dumb.

[@Jdudec367]

not sure if I really agree about skyward sword being or feeling rushed really...

[@nobodywashere3123]

Y'know. It's funny to know nearly a decade and a whole ass remake of this game later, literally all they did was let u use the 2nd stick and shut fi up lmao. And it's not even like the controls r "fixed" either, the controller format is super unresponsive to ur stick flicks and the gyro mixes ur moves up if u don't constantly reset it lol this game aged better in every way BUT the combat

[@chimanruler15]

Yeah, Nintendo could have tried a LOT harder with the Switch port. I still had fun with it (I refuse to even touch the Wii version), but the biggest problem with the game--the pacing--wasn't addressed at all. I find this weird because Twilight Princess HD actually did attempt to fix the pacing problems (and sort of did).

[@SergioSergio12345]

38:38 As somebody who loves Zelda: Minish Cap, and thinks it is the best Zelda games and in general one of the best games I have ever played, after having seen this part I just realized how redundant and non-sensical the simple little fact that Link has a hat is. And that's sad, really, because when I played Skyward Sword I thought it got a little bit of inspiration from the Minish Cap, both games have a Gust Jar and say that Zelda had been friends with Link since they've been kids. But if Nintendo ever actually got inspired from the Minish Cap, it seems they've skipped one seemingly small, but actually huge, detail.

[@jackdaone6469]

And MM’s quip about how not having a hat would have given Link’s model in SS more distinction clicked with me. Same with how Link should have been able to have his model swapped to accommodate left-handed players. I’m right-handed, myself, but I would have happily made myself play the game left-handed if the option were available just to keep with the tradition of Link being gaming’s only notable lefty protagonist.

[@SergioSergio12345]

@@jackdaone6469 It's specially jarring because in Breath of the Wild unless you finish all shrines Link doesn't have his hat anymore, yet he's iconic as ever.

[@matthewmuir8884]

@@jackdaone6469 Thank you. I am left-handed, and the lack of a left-handed mode for the game is the reason I haven't bought Skyward Sword (twice now thanks to the recent remaster). Link is the only notable lefty protagonist not just in gaming, but really all of fiction.

[@MarkManuel15]

I wouldn't say that the introduction is bad, I'd say that it's long and for some people tedious. I personally loved it the first time I played the game... I mean I don't see why some Zelda fans do not like the introduction.

[@WaddleDee105]

Is the introduction good enough that you like watching it when replaying it? I sure don't. As long as the Zelda series doesn't have skippable cutscenes and tutorials I will continue to hate any Zelda introduction that takes longer then 10 minutes.

[@ashatacamelfan5629]

I don't really get whats the big problem with having an hour long introduction in a 40 plus hour game. Sounds like nitpicking to me.

[@FoundationsofPause]

You missed the point there, Mark. Nintendo is looking out for only that 1st time playthrough. It's all well and fine on a 1st play but after that.... Zelda is a very old series which the games are replayed on a daily basis still and they should be designed with that in mind. Unskippable cutscenes, long intros, constant reminders on silly stuff like 'you picked up 10 rupees (again!) here's some slow text explaining what 10 rupees is'

[@CrysisOwnsHalo]

Personally, I've always thought that the introductions were done backward. Usually, there's a bunch of story-telling in the beginning, and then gameplay follows, but I think it'd be so much better if it just started you out playing right from the get-go and then story parts come in a bit later.

[@MagmarFire]

WaddleDee105 "Is the introduction good enough that you like watching it when replaying it?" For me, yes. The intro's one of my favorite parts.

[@Senthain]

I am really loving your critiques. It's about damn time someone talks about this game without going to unnecessary extremes. So many people call it bad, when really, it wasn't. I'm also tired of the people constantly praising the game when, honestly, it's the weakest of the Zeldas. It's flawed, it has problems, but it is not an "offensive piece of shit" as others have put it.

[@sun332s7]

Verd right? This isn’t the CDI Zelda games and it’s a full motion control bases which is outstanding that this game actually works and is fully playable.

[@bcm8984]

Not my favorite zelda game but I didn’t hate it. I enjoyed the sword play and didn’t have a hard time with the motion controls except when fighting the tentacle monster. Which is weird the motion aiming seemed just fine in twilight princess.

[@teddyboy5932]

@@bcm8984 Everyone says the motion controls dont work, but when I played it the motion controls themselves worked completely fine, the only problem was how something is wrong with my wii remotes and nunchuks, in every wii game that requires a nunchuk it just constantly says "connect the nunchuk to the wii remote" even tho its already connected, or it just goes one direction until I recconect it. The weird thing is that in games like super mario galaxy it works pretty fine, but in games like twilight princess its just not playable.

[@Puppy_Puppington]

*Falls into volcanic lava* Fi: I am picking up strong signals of heat.

[@CrimsonCavalierGaming]

I said at launch. This isn’t just a bad Zelda game for shoe-horning a timeline and retconning a lot of the lore, as you mentioned, but it’s a bad game in general. I called it a glorified tech demo, and I stand by that claim. This game is awful.

[@chuggaa100]

This is the best game on the wii and one of the best Zelda games.

[@okagron]

@@chuggaa100 That's an insult to all the great games on the Wii like Xenoblade Chronicles. Skyward Sword doesn't even touch top 50 Wii games.

[@Jdudec367]

@@okagron eh...it may? it's pretty great honestly

[@JFCDoomblade]

It's almost like Nintendo watched a bunch of reviews for Skyward Sword while developing BotW. Because the Zelda series did a damn near 180.

[@7milesdavis]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought Ghirahim was stupid. Everyone seems to love him, or they pretend to. He seems like an idiot pervert to me.

[@3RAXFTW]

You can actually hear the distaste you have for this game lmao. Like you're full on sassy in places and I love it.

[@MadKhepri]

No offence, but I think you were a bit too harsh on this game. The motion controls (while I agree with the fact that it is annoying that they are EVERYWHERE) weren't that bad. I only had troubles with it at the beginning of the game, and that wasn't even that they were broken or anything, it was because I was awful at them. (so 100%) I thought the music was great, and a really nice touch, along with the art design, it seemed to be a medium between Wind Waker and Twilight Princess. (to me) But really, you do criticize the game too much, saying things were "great concepts", but were somehow "killed".

[@flamepan]

I dont see what the problem is with what he said about the motion controls. He said that they dont work 100% of the time for him and he tried it in two different setups and controls not always responding properly is unacceptable for AAA games, but he did still compliment that for motion controls how often they do work is remarkable. The music and art are also in this case entirely personal preference for how you think the games atmosphere should feel and how it feels for you.

[@sobosswagner]

I have a problem with the ending, and it is a massive one. He says something like "an incarnation of my hatred shall follow you for eternity", meaning every form of Ganon was just Demise trying to kill Link and Zelda. One problem though. GANON IN WIND WAKER STATED HIS REASONS FOR TAKING THE TRIFORCE! He said that he wanted to help the Gerudo's by aquiring the Triforce, and also bring the land of Hyrule back from under the sea. But Skyward Sword said "hey! Remember Ganon's speech at the end of Wind Waker? That was all bullshit! He just wanted to kill Link and Zelda!" FUCK. THAT. ENDING.

[@MagmarFire]

I don't think the ending retconned Ganondorf's motivations at all. It revealed his divine reason of existing. Ganondorf, as he mentioned in The Wind Waker, had understandable and quite sympathetic reasons for doing what he did in Ocarina of Time, but that doesn't change the fact that what he did still caused death and destruction. The road to Hell is paved with good intentions, as they say.

[@metashade4218]

I personally think Twilight Princess did the worst job with the opening. Twilight Princess's opening took me THREE f*cking hours to get the green tunic, while Skyward Sword only took me about an hour, which was about as long as Majora's Mask's opening.

[@loveandwar007]

If people like this game, if it’s their favorite game, that’s great. Fantastic. More power to ya. Enjoy it. But don’t you dare try and tell me this is a good game. It’s not good. I don’t need to give the reasons why because they’re pretty much all stated in this video. I don’t understand why critics at the time gave it perfect scores simply because it was a Zelda game. If anything they should have been much harder on it because it’s Zelda. They have a pedigree to live up to. And as someone who played all the 3D Zelda games back to back, SS sticks out like a laughably sore thumb. It also angers me that people who say this game is their favorite won’t listen to any criticism, or hand wave it off as “oh you just didn’t like the motion controls”. It’s beyond rude and dismissive. So fine, I’ll be rude back since these people won’t engage in discussion: This game is bad. You like a bad game. Admit it, suck it up, and own it.

[@Mal0ni]

Much as I enjoyed Skyward Sword with its fresh look at Link and Zelda actually having some sort of meaningful connection beyond Hero and Princess, and despite my belief that it has some of the best storytelling of all the Zelda games with its well-directed cutscenes and interesting villains, I can easily see why people pile on as much hate as they do. Backtracking out the ass, lukewarm sidequests, a companion that isn't as stellar as the ones that came before (but still has her charm in my opinion), an exceedingly slow start, unorthodox controls, and various other problems. I can see and agree with all of them except for the controls. I think the controls were wonderful and just needed a more steady and precise hand than some people were willing to grant them. I had zero problems handling all aspects of the gameplay and I was *eleven* when I played through this game for the first time. But again, I can completely understand why people wouldn't like this game. For me, there's something about this game that makes me enjoy it despite all the hate it gets and all the problems I, and many others, have identified.

[@margaritadiaz5611]

Doctor Doom lmao how do you keep commenting gay jokes stfu.

[@gizzly50]

I was so disappointed that the pirates in the sand sea were no Gerudos, it was heart breaking.

[@lordtullus9942]

Boo hoo, you don't get what you want from a DIFFERENT game setting.

[@gizzly50]

I know, that's what I said.

[@Ironorchids]

This video aged well. After playing SS on the switch, the criticisms still hold true.

[@chimanruler15]

Indeed. In fact, I'm going to rent the game on the Switch and play it for myself. I already know that the game isn't great, but I would like to give it a chance. It's the only 3D Zelda game that I haven't touched.

[@Sephirothkingdom782]

Not all of them. The game went from mid to good

[@okagron]

@@Sephirothkingdom782 Nah, the remaster fixed nothing wrong with the original outside of making Fi less intrusive and being able to skip cutscenes. The game is still a slog with far too many mundane quests that need to be done to advance the plot.

[@Sephirothkingdom782]

@@okagron That's true but the game still has extreme highs that almost make up for the slog parts

[@Thierce]

I agree with most of this review but I feel that the strong level design of both the dungeons and the provinces leading up to them were kind of glanced over. This game has some of the best puzzles and level design since Majora's Mask, and in those aspects it far outdoes both Wind Waker and Twilight Princess in my opinion.

[@okagron]

He didn't glanced over the puzzles, he call them too easy, which is true. The puzzles in Skyward Sword are braindead easy.

[@MariaC497]

If Fi wasn't in the game, you wouldn't miss anything at all. It would actually improve the game by A LOT.

[@dreamingserpent8372]

Oh God, I've already gone on in a tangent of how much I don't like this Zelda game, in fact it's probably my least favorite Zelda game so far and that's saying a lot. Because whereas Zelda games like Spirit Tracks is just commercially designed to appeal to children, Skyward Sword is supposed to be a legit and "Epic" Zelda Game but it feels so phony. It's littered with dated gimmicks with motion controls and puzzles that were 5 years too late. But I could honestly take that if the story was written well or if it added something new and enthralling into the Mythos... sadly it did nothing but ruin it and make it more confusing. Not only did it diminish Ganondorf's goal and purpose into just being some Evil God (Which is a shame because to it felt like he was getting more fleshed out in WW) you have another flamboyant villain that's not written to be a threat, but to be whacky/creepy/goofy. And of course since he's *ATTRACTIVE* people are going to love him regardless and dedicate endless fanart to him. I mean what would they do otherwise? He's just such a marketable-I mean lovable villain. Even though he flat out fails in everything a villain is supposed to do. All he does is threaten you, lie, gets his ass kicked by a kid, promising to defeat him the next time... REPEAT! You know at least Yuga got shit done. Added by the fact that this series adds even more confusion by making Zelda not just the vessel of Nayru but the Incarnation of another Goddess no ones even heard about it until now? Riiiiiight, that's not the least bit unnecessary or confusing in the slightest. Oh and it's just grand that you just had to repeat everything did you Nintendo? 3 fights with Ghirahim? 3 fights with The Imprisoned? 3 times in that Godforsaken Silent Realm! For Fucks sakes Nintendo, I understand that you have to cut corners sometimes but this is freaking ridiculous. It was 2011, games like Skyrim, Dark Souls, and Witcher just came out with a whole bunch of concept in their Fantasy RPG and your content is nothing but squat. Exploration was a Joke, A JOKE. A Sky with nothing but a few scattered rocks and a main island to shop in, wonderful. I'll give it this though, it at least made Twilight Princess more enjoyable to me... slightly which is both a good thing and a bad thing. Anyways rant down. There's probably loads of other shit that I wanted to mention, but barking at all the wrongness the Zelda series has become is pointless. I don't even think I could call this the same Zelda series anymore, it's just dull.

[@dreamingserpent8372]

fhhh Ugh. Yeah, he's more of a fad character then a threatening villain. It wasn't a very good christmas.

[@ArcadeStunfisk]

4 times in the Silent Realm, not 3. Hated those things. They were like collecting tears of light in Twilight Princess only worse. (Though kudos to Nintendo for succeeding in creating a really good panic situation.)

[@dreamingserpent8372]

EXACTLY! What's the point of making her a God if she's doesn't do shit?

[@dreamingserpent8372]

I wouldn't mind the linear levels and more scripted events except that that the linearity does nothing to help the story or make it feel any less underdeveloped. It's still a plot stuck in the N64 Era, and it's a game that's stuck in its era. And I still don't find that a valid excuse. Each of the repeated levels had variations? XD Oh well of course, silly me for dissing them. Except that's the least you can expect from a game like that was released in 2011 under 5 years of work time. 5 YEARS! And they repeated these many levels and set pieces but just added a BIT of variation? Yeah, sorry no. I'll cut that for maybe a new developer who's the under rugs if they lack the budget. But for a company as old as Nintendo. Purely unacceptable. That's straight up comedy. So no. Nothing you say will ever convince me that this game is good in the slightest. And to this day I still see nothing unique or valuable in the content within the game. But I do appreciate the differing opinion.

[@dreamingserpent8372]

Of course it's not the worst thing ever. Of course it sounds exaggerated, the issues aren't from the most glaring and atrocious of games. The fact of the matter is that this mess happened with the Zelda Series. I series that I and many people grew up with is what makes this outcome real painful. Again, it's not like fans like me own the game series obviously, and righteously so it belongs to Nintendo. If this the direction they wanna turn their series that's fine by me. It's just a damn shame.

[@jakemeyer8188]

It's quite interesting watching this 11 years later, particularly after BotW and TotK....

[@IsaixLD7]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who saw Minish Cap as the origins story for Link's hat and how SS ruined that

[@tdark987]

3:50 They were clearly well aware of this too: for the first and only time in the entire series they start you off with 6 hearts instead of the usual 3, to compensate for the unfair hits they knew you were inevitably going to take because of issues with the motion controls. To me, that alone should have been a strong indicator for the dev team that they absolutely needed to offer players a choice of control scheme. By all means have the motion controls be the default option, but let people turn them off if they’re finding it frustrating to play the game like that, instead of resorting to a band-aid “solution” like lazily giving players extra health. >_>

[@Jdudec367]

eh...that's more so for enemies doing more damage really

[@birdcar7808]

That’s not the case. You start off with 6 hearts instead of 3 because you don’t take quarter hearts in Skyward Sword, only whole or half. Technically, you can take fewer hits in this game compared to previous ones.

[@tdark987]

@@birdcar7808 I can remember what it looked like on the life bar, so I’m absolutely sure there was quarter heart damage in SS. Even if that were the case, it still adds up to the same number of hits for a starting life bar, not fewer (6 * 2 vs 3 * 4; makes 12 in both cases)

[@ReizoKazunari]

I remember when i was hype for this game and got that 70$ bundle with the gold controller... all i can say is the controller was better then the game.

[@lasshaley]

I somehow COMPLETELY missed the twist that the old lady is actually Impa until now. That's actually pretty cool. But your analysis of this game was totally spot on. I really hope that Zelda U doesn't borrow much from this game.

[@Bulldozer4000]

Rewatched this, and I just wanna mention that Ezlo is in no way 'an origin story' to Link's hat. I'm pretty sure it's just a funny way to give Link his traditional outfit, like how in this game his outfit is the graduation uniform for that year of the school, or how in Spirit Tracks it's the uniform of the Hyrule Castle guards.

[@rdavlets]

well it's really a matter of opinion. I think what the reviewer was trying to say was that it would have made a great origin story, and by discounting it skyward sword makes that story irrelevant. it makes the idea of the timeline unimportant and shows how little the developers thought about it.

[@RandomPerson21119]

rdavlets I must disagree with both of you. Before the timeline was set in stone, gamers had to theorize with which game came first. MC showed a past incarnation of a hero looking like Link, but without a hat, and all Links up to that point wore hats, so it was safe to believe MC came first. Because Link in MC ends with Link getting a cap, (whom originally didn't wear one but still had his signature tunic) it is heavily implied that every other Link was wearing a cap because of the events in MC. Zelda games are notorious for forgetting continuity, so its not a surprise that SS would completely ignore this concept.

[@chrisokeeffe3895]

The only Zelda game i never finished. I dread this game, and it was mainly because of Fi.

[@benlink202forever]

That's the reason why I might never replay this game.

[@kingkill37]

You didn't finish the game because of fi haha wtf

[@chrisokeeffe3895]

kingkill37 There is a 95 percent chance you take a right turn. Thanks Fi im not a moron. That, the graphics, the boring skyword, terrible moton controls, linear paths, so on and so forth. This is the worst non CDI zelda game

[@kingkill37]

+Chris O'Keeffe if u can't finish the game with fi helping you like that then you must be a moron

[@CloisteredExplorer]

+Chris O'Keeffe motion controls worked very well for me....... am I just lucky?

[@GeorgeFistonich]

Oh man I wish everyone watches this before Skyward Sword HD comes out in July.

[@atomicsamurai9742]

Why? Won't it spoil the game.. I haven't played it but if Nintendo take out all the annoying hand holding parts out, the sidekick sword person being more annoying than navi and no motion controls, can play the game like ape escape now Won't it be a passable experience?

[@mavil64]

I remember getting the game when it first came out when I was eleven. I was absolutely terrified of the silent realms. They were some of the most memorable experiences I've had in that time of my life.

[@Rickt2445]

The game has aged surprisingly well especially with the inclusion of more traditional controls and the updated hd graphics inspite of all the quirks and flaws.

[@_ArsNova]

It really hasn’t though. It’s just as on the low-end of mediocre as it was a decade ago.

[@Greener221]

I like how everyone in the comments seems to have watched a completely different video in the background and then posted in the wrong comments section by mistake. Seriously, there's hearing what you want to hear, and then there's just complete flailing madness.