E3 2010: Zelda Fans will Love The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

The biggest game that Nintendo revealed in this year’s E3 is the new Legend of Zelda game—Skyward Sword—which is scheduled for release on the Nintendo Wii in 2011. Despite the throngs of videogame media and industry figures lined up to try out Skyward Sword on the Wii, I was patient enough to stand in line for hours and eventually got a chance to play Skyward Sword.

For anyone who played Twilight Princess, getting used to the controls for Skyward Sword shouldn’t be a problem. One of the things that Skyward Sword does have that Twilight Princess doesn’t is the integration of the Wii Motion Plus. Using the technology of the Wii Motion Plus, every move that the player does will be tracked by the device and Link himself will perform it. The force that I put into my sword swing is reflected by Link in the game.

The game’s controls are intuitive and are easy to get used to. The nunchuck is used to control Link and can also be used as a shield. The Wii Remote with the Wii Motion Plus will function as the player’s sword. Every time an enemy approached and tried to attack me, all I had to do was raise the Nunchuck, which caused Link to bring his Shield up. Because of the tight controls, players will need to immerse themselves into the game in order to survive. Doing a weak slash won’t make Link use his sword effectively. Similar to Red Steel 2, players will have to put some force into their swings in order to do a strong attack.

In the playable demo that I saw, the game had the classic “Zelda” gameplay, although I did not have to opportunity to observe the gameplay for very long. The visuals of Skyward Sword were impressive and very colorful. The demo took place in a forest and the environment was lush and well-designed. There are new gadgets that Link will have access to in Skyward Sword. Using the Wii Motion Plus, Link can launch a beetle to use as a scout or a whip to damage his enemies. Classic gadgets will still make an appearance, such the bow, bomb, and slingshot.

Just like in every Zelda game, Skyward Sword has a dungeon and a boss at the end. The boss in the demo level was a scorpion, and there was a way to take it down easily and effectively. The demo ended right after that battle. Skyward Sword is the Legend of Zelda game that everyone has been waiting for. The classic gameplay and the great Wii Motion Plus integration makes this game something to look forward to next year. There was no story revealed in the demo, so I actually don’t know what the game will be about.