Hands-On Preview: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (#e3)

Nintendo’s section in E3 was synonymous with two things — impressive displays, and long lines. Within Nintendo’s rather spacious floor space held three separate lines — one disturbingly long line for the Nintendo 3DS hands-on time, one smaller, though visibly noticeable line for Metroid: Other M, and then a third line, which was a 45 minute wait, for some hands-on time for the one title I came into E3 wanting to get my hands on no matter what –

Nintendo unveiled the next installment in their legendary Zelda franchise at E3 in the form of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. With each Legend of Zelda release, Nintendo raise the stakes higher and set anticipation levels to heights previously unheard of. However there are three additions to the franchise that seems not only plausible, but at this point in time, with story and technological advancements, would be vital to work them into the mix:

1. A dense, lush, fully realized Lost Woods area, or some kind of forest area that enables Link to attack from treetops, maybe utilize camouflage to your advantage (think Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater)

2. Vocal narrations, either at key points in the story, or at the very beginning or end of the game. Zelda and Link cannot stay mutes for the rest of their gaming existence.

3. Full control of your sword. With the motion controls on the Nintendo Wii, holding the ability to manipulate Link’s swords within your own hands, with a grace and precision, is an aspect to the Zelda experience that should be a part of the franchises next evolutionary step.

While the first two additions have yet to be confirmed or denied, I was able to get my hands on the playable demo of Skyward Sword, and quickly realized that the latter has finally become a reality. But before we take a look at a few pictures of Skyward Sword’s gameplay, let’s take an abbreviated magical journey from the beginning of the line, right on up to the promise land:

With so many branching paths and multiple lines being queued around Nintendo’s world, they had to have a few individuals hold up signs that explained where which line started and where. The gentleman above pointed out that this would be my starting point to a journey that I will more than likely never forget for as long as I live.

Unlike the line for the Nintendo 3DS, the Skyward Sword line actually moved more often enough, with fewer long pauses between. Sadly, I did not have the company I had on my ten year trek through the 3DS line, however I kept myself occupied by taking a look at the various Skyward Sword tutorial images sprinkled between me and the promise land.

Each of these picture tutorials gave us a straightforward explanation as to what each of these aspects was, and how to properly manipulate them. Using your Nunchuk, a thrust forward will raise your shield, while a second thrust will allow you to perform a slight shield bash. Your Slingshot actions are performed by aiming the retricle towards the item or adversary you’d like to attack, and pressing the A button on your Wiimote. Utilizing bombs in Skyward Sword requires some motioning on your part. Place the bomb with the A button, flick your Wiimote upward to pick up your bomb, while a quick thrust downward will send that bomb sailing to its destination.

Choosing between your different sub weapons is performed by holding down the B trigger button on the Wiimote. Aim at one of the eight selections that you have available, highlight them and release the B button.

The Beetle is a brand new item to the Zelda franchise. Select it from your inventory menu, and then press the Z button to send it flying out. Using your Wiimote as its guide, you can steer the Beetle into your enemies, or even pick up some spare rupees lying around. Holding down the A button while the Beetle is in flight will send it flying towards its destination at an accelerated rate. Another new addition to the franchise is the Whip. Selecting this sub weapon from your item menu will turn your main weapon into the Whip, sheathing your current sword. Just as you would with a real whip, pulling back with the Wiimote and then forward will perform your whipping attack, which seems to be more of a stunning mechanic than anything at this point in development. Finally, archery mechanics have undergone some changes. Holding your Wiimote forward while point upwards, then holding down the C button while pulling back with your Nunchuk, will set up the aiming motion. Aim the retricle towards the item or foe you wish to attack, then let go of the C button.

These picture tutorials served an admirable purpose in easing me into the mechanics of Skyward Sword before I got to the playable demos. It also started to make me feel antsy, losing my patience with the steadily moving line. I wanted my chance right that second! The wait became unbearable!

In what seemed like an eternity, I finally turned the corner, was presented a Legend of Zelda t-shirt as my supplementary prize, and then moved on to the grand prize of the 2010 E3 conference –-

Immediately my knees started to shake in excitement. A humungous childish grin took hold of my face, and an overwhelming sense of excitement washed over me. The one title I wanted so dearly to try out more than any other, was finally unfolding right in front of my eyes. The wonderful, not to mention beyond beautiful young lady gave me a quick refresher to the controls, and I was all set. I was finally playing a demo of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword!

The first thing I did was test out the thoroughness of the motion controls to Link’s sword. Shockingly enough, in nearly every which way I manipulated the Wiimote to mimic how I wanted to hold and aim my sword, Link responded without a hitch. Without an enemy in my immediate sight, I practiced different attack motions, testing out whether or not holding my sword in a certain position, and then performing an unconventional swing outward, would provide the attack I was looking for. Lo and behold, the motion I perform set off an attack in the same manner that I thought it would.

Even with a twist of the wrist, simulating a slight turning of your blade, was properly emulated by my avatar on screen. I also discovered that holding my Wiimote in one position for a few seconds made my sword glow. When I motioned outward for an attack, it fired off a beam attack, which provided a long range means of attacking my adversaries, without the reliance on ammunition of any sort.

With my attack prowess firmly established, I set out for my first victims. Moving Link around is still an effortless task. Using the analog stick on the Nunchuk, you can move Link around the world he is in; with the lighter you push towards the direction you’d like to move, the slower you’ll move. I set forth towards a singular plant creature and begin my attack. I first raise my shield in order to deflect any oncoming attack they may unleash on me. After a quick deflection, I thrust out my shield for a bash, which seems to do nothing in the way of damage or stun. I step back and unsheathe my sword. Z targeting makes a return, as I use this to my advantage, circling around my enemy, yet never losing sight or target of him. I raise my Wiimote above my head, as Link accordingly raises his sword above his head, and slash at a downward angle towards the enemy. The blow lands cleanly, slicing into it from the same precise angle that I performed my slash. The enemy collapses into a purple puff of smoke in the shape of a skull and disappears, ending any threat he may have been towards me.

Lining up the path in front of me were a handful more of the same enemy type I had just fought. With the beam slash technique I had picked up prior to my battle engagement, I decided to see what power it would hold over multiple enemies. Lining myself between several enemies at once, I hop backwards, away from the closest adversary. I hold my Wiimote under my left arm, pointing downward. The beam charges up and becomes ready to unleash onto the masses. With a slashing motion performed towards the direction of the upper right side of my body, I shoot out a sonic boom-like beam from my blade that pierces through three enemies at once, defeating them in that one shot.

Once the set of monsters were vanquished, I took a moment to soak in the environment around me. Nintendo is using a brand new style of visual presentation with Skyward Sword. A mix between the grittier character models of Twilight Princess, mixed with a world similar to that of Wind Waker, is a face assessment when it comes to how one would best describe Skyward Swords visuals. There’s a vibrant style to the world around you, while the character models, while retaining a more adult looking façade, have a new color makeover to them, helping match the models to their surroundings in a more cohesive manner.

After the annihilation of another handful of plant creatures, I decided to venture forth, in search of any other environments and areas of interest in this demo. I hopped up top of a log and onto a ledge above to discover some different enemies. These were more of a humanoid type classification, though I couldn’t put my finger on exactly what they were. Wielding a weapon that was used for offensive and defensive purposes, landing an attack on this monster wasn’t as easy as the defenseless plants that I disposed of minutes prior. A little trickery and baiting on my part left these monsters open for an attack momentarily, which I had no problem delivering.

Looking to my right side, I noticed another Skyward Sword player engaged in combat with some kind of scorpion type creature. I was not able to locate this behemoth; however I was able to capture a screenshot of it. Not pictured are the weak points it presents the player. It seemed like a formidable enough foes for Link in this early going.

My time was winding down to a close with Skyward Sword. I wandered around a bit more, ended up losing all of my health, which saw Link collapsing to the ground and returning to his original spawn point. Each hit he received stole one full heart from his health bar, although it’s more than likely just a demo setting, as regular monsters should not be able to bite off such large chunks of Link’s health at will.

Sadly, my brief run with The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword had ended. As tempted as I was to hop right back onto that 45 minute line, I had to restrain myself in order to get as much covered in the West Hall as I could that day.

As I type the end of this article, I’m seated on my flight back to New York City, with the visions of Skyward Sword still freshly nestled in my mind. All I can really think about is when I’ll be able to unsheathe my Wiimote sword and do combat with the various creatures that await me in the land of Hyrule. While it is still uncertain when we’ll have our hands on this epic in the making, whether we’ll finally hear a vocal performance to help deliver the storyline with more emotion, or if I’ll be able to visit a fully realized Lost Woods, I know that The Skyward Sword has already changed the way I perceive the series as a whole. Say what you will about the quality of the everyday Nintendo Wii title. When it comes to first party satisfaction, Nintendo almost never fails to deliver. With this brief taste of how The Skyward Sword will play, I know I will be salivating for a larger morsel for a long time to come, though the starvation I will have to endure will be worse than any time before it.

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