PixlBit

This is a litle late, but I was a bit of a Skyward Sword skeptic. What follows are my personal hands-on impressions of the early part of the game. Stay tuned, if you care, for more.

I wasn't looking forward to SS. The one thing that killed Wind Waker for me was the disjointed, poorly laid out 'areas'. I want to explore something cohesive, and that is the opposite of the design type that appeals to me. I didn't like the washed out colors and below-Twilight Princess quality of animation that appeared in the trailers and demo.

I was pleasantly surprised. 

While it is completely unacceptable that the 'real' adventure doesn't begin until 90 minutes of play (less, if you're quick), I....... liked the beginning. It felt different and new, thanks to my near-complete avoidance of spoilers. It feels like Hyrule, but a place far removed from the main series. Never have I felt so amused by accomplishing so little. I don't normally have patience for this sort of thing. Something about it felt good; I can't explain it. Do I just like Zelda and so give it a pass? I don't know. It's so removed from the old Zelda formula, that it frequently forges something new entirely. Where are all the townsfolk and mini-games for me to play with? I didn't even think about them this time. It makes me question my own fandom.

The birds and the characters make it seem like a Wind Waker sequel, but this story is far more interesting. Of course, if you have a keen Zelda eye, it will give you plenty of de ja vu. There are lots and lots of small details that are reminiscent of something that happened in a recent 3D Zelda game, like it was all dumped in a blender and poured into a tasty Zelda Shake.

It's probably overstated by now, but the 'area' design is nothing like previous Zeldas. The post-intro forest feels like a 3D platformer. I've hated how Zelda has added more and more platforming since around Majora's Mask, but this was wonderful. I felt small in a foreign land. I had to look around carefully and plan out a path. I got a little mad when I found out that rolling costs a whole slice of running pie, but then I sat down on a tree trunk to replenish my health and i was like omg nintendo, how did you think of that? lol.

But then I had to locate 3 retarded furry animals to find out where Zelda went; that sort of killed the mood. If you watch it as a whimsical Saturday morning cartoon, or as Nintendo doing a "retro" style of game that tries to resurrect Rare platformers from N64 (but in an epic, good way), Skyward Shake is one heck of a tasty snack.

One thing that has gotten me back in 'the mood' with Zelda is that at around 4 hours in I'm stuck pretty early on in the first dungeon, something that hasn't happened since Ocarina of Time. Can't wait until that "Aha!" moment arrives.

Anyone else have a similar experience with this game?