[Warning!Spoilersin the video above, and in the text below the break]
Since the first time we saw the game, I’ve had a feeling thatThe Legend of Zelda: Skyward Swordwould take all of the things that I love about the various games in the series and put them under one roof. The way thatSkyward SwordLink takes the “adult” design sensibility ofOcarina of Timeand infuses him with the energetic cel shading style of theWind Wakerspeaks volumes about the game’s intentions.
Having recieved the game a few days ago, I’ve seen that theSkyward Sword‘s efforts to revel in the spirit of pastZeldatitles don’t end with the visual design.Skyward Swordfeels like a explosive celebration of everything that makes theLegend of Zeldaseries special — an constant avalanche of new ideas fused with classic gameplay.
That said, I didn’t expect the callbacks inSkyward Swordto be this direct. In the Iwata Asks: Skyward Sword video above, you’ll see gameplay aspects of bothWind WakerandOcarina of Timethat I personally did not see coming. Hit play on the video and see for yourself if you dare, and/or hit the jump for an English explanation of what’s going on here.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword – latest Iwata Asks details[viaGoNintendo]
It looks like the desert zone ofSkyward Swordinvolves bothWind Waker-style sailing andOcarina of Time/Majora’s Mask-style time travel. Link will have to sail the desert seas in a little ship (complete with canon) in order to fully explore this vast area.
In the desert dungeon, Link will have the ability to travel between the past and the present. Long destroyed or deactivated elevators, robots, and other mechanical devices will become fully functioning in the past. How you manipulate and interact with these functioning objects will effect how they will turn out in the present. The jump between past and present is activated by hitting “time stones” that are strewn about the dungeon. Perhaps most importantly, those robots I mentioned look awesome, like a cross between Wall-E and Wolverine.
Just more evidence that if you ever loved aLegend of Zeldagame, you owe it to yourself to playSkyward Sword.
