There are people who wonít get it.
Theyíll sit in their chairs, arguing about things like textures and shaders, forgetting
the very principles upon which the industry was even built, and theyíll say, ìItís
blurry.
Itís smeared.
It looks like a Dreamcast game.î
ìItís just an uglier, wagglier, less mature Zelda.î
Those poor soulsóbound by resolution and enslaved to shadowing effectsóare missing
the point.
Beauty isnít measured by pixel density.
It has nothing to do with polygon counts or texture mapping.
Itís about the art those processes are used to create.
Somewhere along the line, people forgot that.
They started to focus on processes instead of the product.
They forgot what art is.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword reminds us.
In many ways, this is the same Zelda weíve known since Ocarina of Time.
The gameplay is familiar, the structure is similar...even the daring art direction brings
to mind Links in the past, so to speak, specifically
those of ocean and mask.
This is a game that takes you on a familiar ride...itís just switched the track.
As a result, this game has a renewed magic that makes it the
most unique Zelda in years.
Skyward Sword is the eighth proper Zelda title released for a home console, which makes its
freshness all the more impressive.
In terms of its place in the timeline, the game takes place prior to Ocarina of Time,
making it the oldest legend in the Zelda chronology.
This is accentuated by the fact that the Triforceóthe sacred emblem
of Linkís homelandóis conspicuously absent early on in Skyward Sword.
This gives the game the same kind of fantastic foreshadowing you have in the Star Wars prequels,
which is sure to thrill longtime Zelda fans.
The symbol is incomplete, and Hyruleóthe setting for so many prior gamesóhasnít even
been built yet.
Go ahead, geek out.
Because thatís awesome.
And yet while it takes place prior to Ocarina, itís built from the same basic ideas, building
blocks that have served as the foundation for every 3D Zelda game.
Youíre locking on to enemies with the Z button, youíre managing an inventory packed with
items and weapons, youíre exploring dungeons and conquering bosses.
In those aspects, itís business as usual...but Skyward Sword tweaks the process.
For starters, there is no Hyrule Field or Great Sea this time.
Thereís no massive overworld to traverse between its dungeons.
Skyward Sword trades that for a more streamlined approach.
One temple leads to the next, though entering them is like a mini-dungeon itself.
You could call it linear, but without the negative connotation.
It still has Zeldaís spirit of discovery, only without all the connecting flights.
Speaking of connecting flights, weíre going to make you take one, Undertoads.
For more on Skyward Sword and details on its motion
controls and stunning art direction, come back for the second half of our look at the
beautiful, the spectacular, the Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.