Everyone remembers the epic story of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time. Zelda fans have sailed the seas in the Wind Waker. We’ve all slain Ganon more times than we can remember. As both Young and Adult Link, we’ve saved Zelda, and therefore the world, from the clutches of evil. Now we aim to do so again in Zelda: Skyward Sword. I am approximately 30 hours into SS myself and I can’t help but wonder if the game has latched on a little too tightly to the earlier titles.
Listening to the Orchestral CD that came packaged with the game, I find myself drawn to the Wind Waker’s Symphonic Movement. I remember epic battles and puzzles, and overall an epic quest across the world; just me and my talking boat. Reflecting upon my Skyward Sword experience, I really haven’t come across anything that I know I will remember as one of the front-runner events of the Zelda franchise. Instead, I have noticed things that are almost like shout outs to the earlier games throughout SS. For example, Zelda tosses you the harp just moments before she is taken far away from you, just as she does with the ocarina in Ocarina of Time. The three dragons guarding the sacred flames in SS are a little more than vaguely reminiscent of the Great Fairies from previous games. You pilot a boat in SS just like you do in the Wind Waker. If you peer through a crack into Zelda’s locked room, a Tingle doll rests on her desk. You have a mighty steed Loftwing that totes you about. I decided to name mine Epona, for obvious reasons.
Now, Skyward Sword has definitely taken new strides in originality and the motion controls are fabulous. However, whenever I play and witness these similarities, it’s almost as if I’d rather be playing the games they are referencing, rather than a mix of them. I have yet to finish the title so I cannot be sure as of yet, but so far the game offers more in terms of memory of previous titles than the original epic quest the game was striving for. Perhaps the resolution of my most recent endeavor with Link will change my mind, but for now, Zelda: Skyward Sword has indeed borrowed a bit too much from its predecessors.
I respect your opinion but at the same time, finish the game before you try to knock Skyward Sword.