She also served as an alternate explanatory voice as Link was a silent protagonist. By the end of December, it had sold less than 320,000 units: this was below equivalent sales for other recent home console and portable Zelda games. [100] Its total worldwide first-week sales came to 919,119 units. Opening a way through the clouds to the Surface, Link is guided by Fi to the Sealed Temple, where he meets an old woman who tells him to track Zelda: this leads Link across the regions of Faron Woods, Eldin Volcano, and the Lanayru Desert. His main preoccupation during these early stages was whether the developers could continue creating The Legend of Zelda games using the same development mindset that had been used up to Twilight Princess. During its Nintendo Direct presentation today, the Japanese giant unveiled a remastered version of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD, along with a set of special Zelda-themed Joy-Con. [26] The Beetle acted as a replacement for the boomerang, as the team wanted an item that players could control. Instead, he showed promotional art featuring Link and Fi. Many aspects of the game's overworld and gameplay were designed to streamline and populate the experience for players. [32] Enemy types that recurred in all Surface-based overworld areas were given slightly altered designs so they would be unique to each overworld. [36] Miyamoto later confirmed at the 2008 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) that a new Zelda was in development for the Wii. The team settled this art style as it would properly portray the more exaggerated actions of some characters and general swordplay while preserving Link's mature appearance. The pieces of gameplay experimentation meant that the development was "a more fundamental ground-up process" than earlier games such as The Wind Waker. Spin attacks and Finishing Blows are activated by swinging both the Wii Remote and Nunchuck. [24] According to staff, Fi's technical dialogue for each area of the game was written by different people, verbal inconsistencies arose that needed addressing, so Fujibayashi adjusted them all so she sounded consistent. He began work on Skyward Sword after finishing Phantom Hourglass, and continued working on the game alongside his work on The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks. Jumping across gaps and scaling ledges happen automatically within context. First revealed in 2009, it was initially planned for release in 2010 before it ended up being delayed to 2011 to further refine and expand it. They also added people singing songs, another element new to the series. [61], Famitsu was highly positive, praising the overworld and gameplay: one reviewer felt that it would form the new standard for both the Zelda series and video games as a whole. A scene Fujibayashi was intent on including was where Zelda jumped from the edge of Skyloft and Link caught her: this was fitted in for the two characters after the end of Link's exam. [2], In past Zelda games, the team had made numerous new fields for player exploration, but this time they limited the number of overworlds to three and expanded their content so players would be able to fully appreciate them through repeated visits. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword shakes up the tried-and-true adventure game formula and marks a turning point for the series. [22][30] The team also created the world based on their experiences with Twilight Princess: feeling that the overworld and dungeons were too large with puzzles too thinly dispersed, the team both sought to compact areas and have environmental puzzles in the overworld. A Joy-Con pair themed after the Master Sword and Hylian Shield from the game will release separately on the same date. After the release of Wii Sports Resort, the team saw how motion controls could be used for swordplay: after talking with the development team, they were able to borrow the technology and used it to create the motion-driven swordplay. Any previous orchestral elements in Twilight Princess, which amounted only to one track, were handled by their Tokyo division. Due to its in-development state, Miyamoto could not show off gameplay as he had wished. [91][92][93][94], Upon its Japanese debut, Skyward Sword sold nearly 195,000 units, reaching the top of sales charts. Groose, Link and Zelda return to their time while Impa remains behind and destroys the Time Gate, as she is a person of that time and must watch over the Master Sword. Link draws the sword, showing himself to be the prophesied hero who will finally destroy Demise. It was also given the "Reader's Choice" award in the "Best Overall Game" category: it was also among those nominated as the site's "Game of the Year". [2][21] The positive reception of the orchestral score within the company led to the creation of The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Symphony Concert, a celebratory concert featuring orchestrated versions of classic Zelda themes. They used the extra year to both finish the core elements and polish up the game as a whole. She was victorious, but the land was severely damaged. [101] As of December 2011, the game has sold 3.41 million units worldwide: 380,000 of these units were sold in Japan while 3.04 million units were sold overseas. Clothing was frequently designed to complement backgrounds, such as Zelda's pink and red dress in the opening. [4][7][8] Link's shield takes damage when blocking attacks fail, and may eventually break. It was the first time Nintendo EAD had used a live orchestra. The Demon King Demise sought the Triforce, and he laid waste to much of the land in his quest for it. Also on July 16, Nintendo will release a set of themed Joy-Con controllers—the right… One notable element was the game's main theme "Ballad of the Goddess", which was a reversed version of the recurring tune "Zelda's Lullaby". [69] VideoGamer.com's Chris Schilling called it one of the best Zelda games, praising its motion controls, narrative and treatment of series tradition. [48][49] The game was later re-released for the Wii U via the Virtual Console on September 1, 2016, as part of the series' 30th anniversary celebrations. [2] The Dowsing mechanic was created early on, based on the gameplay themes of discovery and exploration. [2] The use of Wii MotionPlus proved challenging for the developers to implement, to the point where at one point Aonuma seriously considered dropping it from the game entirely. The Skyward Strike was initially born from Aonuma thinking up a possible mechanic of holding the sword above Link: these also gave rise to the game's title. [34] A first for the Zelda series, the music was performed using a live orchestra rather than synthesized instruments. [16] The implementation of Wii MotionPlus meant that the enemy artificial intelligence needed to be able to counter it, adjusting their stances depending on the position of Link's sword. Items and equipment can be upgraded, making them stronger and more durable. [33] Fujii was responsible for the music focused on environments, dungeons, boss battles: among her work was the music for Skyloft. A difficult feature to include naturally was the remnants of Lanayru's Ancient Civilization, which used electricity to power both its technology and citizens. The different areas of the Surface are accessed through portals in the clouds. [96] The game's sales were strong overall going into January 2012, with its largest sales coming from North America. [6] When depleted entirely, Link's movement speed is reduced and he is left vulnerable until the meter refills. While he catches up with Zelda, he is prevented from returning her to Skyloft by Impa, a young woman guarding and guiding Zelda. Link embarks on a sprawling adventure through the skies and across the continent when his childhood friend Zelda falls from their floating home in the sky beneath the clouds to the mysterious continent below. [13][Game 1]. Development lasted around five years, beginning after the release of Twilight Princess in 2006. Link also encounters Ghirahim, a self-proclaimed Demon Lord working towards freeing Demise. An initial idea, when jumping down from the sky seemed unlikely to be approved, was to have a huge tower acting as a central hub, with the height at which Link jumped lengthening the duration of his free fall. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword introduces full motion control enabled by the Wii MotionPlus accessory, which synchronizes player movements with … [102], While critical reception of the game was very positive overall, fan and retrospective opinions were far more mixed due to its highly traditional and linear structure. He also announced the game's use of Wii MotionPlus, along with its planned 2010 release window. Skyward Sword is far from the only Zelda game that needed to be ported to the Switch. They also created a time limit for added strategy, as knowledge of the areas where the Spirit Realms were located was key to completing them. Her design was based on the design of the Master Sword, referencing her origins as the sword's spirit. [56], GameSpot's Tom McShea was notably less positive than other critics, praising the storyline, dungeons, enemies and visuals while faulting the controls for being unreliable and feeling that most of the experience felt both unnecessary and overly familiar. The Wii U already got HD remasters of Wind Waker and Twilight Princess, so Skyward Sword’s turn seemed likely. [15][22] The creation of the Skyloft overworld was due to difficulties connecting the three Surface-based overworlds due to drastically contrasting environments. [3][27] The final version was referred to as a balance between the cartoon styling of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess, where the cartoon shading was transferred onto an older version of Link. It was developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development, a development division of series publisher Nintendo. [57] Oli Welsh of Eurogamer was highly positive, praising the controls, gameplay experience and additional elements such as upgrades: he gave particular praise to the game's visuals, which were impressive despite hardware limitations. [21] The figure of Hylia was a new addition to the world's lore, although her existence was linked to Zelda, with the two being essentially the same character known under different names in subsequent ages. So players would not get lost in the terrain, they also introduced the marker beacons. Having sword fighting relying on Wii MotionPlus freed up other buttons on the controller, allowing the addition of the Dash sprinting option. They also sought to create a memorable experience equivalent to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, by that time considered the series' most memorable game. The game first came out for the … This HD remaster improves upon the original 2011 game for Wii and 2016 Wii U … [41], Multiple promotional elements were created: a five-part online comic was written and illustrated by Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik under their Penny Arcade Presents series, and television commercials featuring actor and comedian Robin Williams and his daughter Zelda were made, playing on the actor's stated love for the series. [58] Nintendo Power gave it similar praise, saying that "it's truly worthy of being called 'epic'". [98] It was also the region's top-selling Wii game during its week of release, supplanting the previous week's top seller Just Dance 3. [21] As the game's theme was the use of the sword, and the sword most associated with the series was the Master Sword, the team decided to make it an origin story for the weapon. Something new they did for Skyward Sword was producing unique themes for specific characters such as Link and Zelda. Uncounted years later, the outcrop is known as Skyloft, and its people believe the "Surface" below the clouds is a myth. [4][5], Fighting enemies, which appear in both the overworld and dungeons, relies on Link's use of his sword and shield. [16][28], During development, the team faced a lot of problems when designing the game so it would be both familiar for series fans and fresh to old and new players. In addition to consuming resources, Link must also pay for the upgrade with Rupees, the game's currency which is scattered throughout the world. [25] For the Lanayru Desert, the team created three different overworld zones due to its unique time-shifting mechanics, triggered with Time Shift stones: this shifting between different zones was inspired by similar systems in Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess. The initial script was proposed by Fujibayashi based on his perception of the game's structure. Nintendo. Multiple earlier Zelda games influenced the developers, including Twilight Princess, Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. [63], GameTrailers noted that, despite its many strengths such as a believable relationship between Link and Zelda, Skyward Sword represented the series' "first gray hairs" due to some of its mechanics feeling dated in the modern gaming landscape. This was also why they were set up in areas players would already be familiar with. Link, resident of a floating town called Skyloft, heads on a quest to rescue his childhood friend Zelda after she is kidnapped and brought to the Surface, an abandoned land below the clouds. ", "Ten New Things in Skyward Sword, and Three Interesting Variants on the Old", "The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword manual", "E3 2010: Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword gameplay preview", "E3 2011: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Preview", "The Overworld is Actually a Dungeon in Skyward Sword", "The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword - Preview", "Upgrade Your Items In The Legend Of Zelda: Skyward Sword", "Make Ganon a Real Character Again, Nintendo", "Behind the Scenes of Zelda: Skyward Sword", "E3 2010: Eiji Aunoma's "Trapped In The Zelda Cage, "Nintendo: Twilight Princess 'Starting Point' for New Zelda", "Zelda Skyward Sword Opening and Shigeru Miyamoto Video Interview", "Miyamoto On the Twists and Turns of Skyward Sword", "The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Is Complete", "Iwata Asks: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword - Vol 6: The Dense Script and Direction", "Eiji Aonuma Wraps Up Zelda: Skyward Sword's E3 Showing", "Skyward Sword: The Director/Producer Postmortem", "Iwata Asks: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword - Vol 3: The Dense Volcano and Enemy Monsters", "Iwata Asks: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword - Vol 7: Female Staff", "Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword – interview", "Aonuma Explains Zelda: Skyward Sword's Painterly Art Style", "The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Box Art, Bundle Revealed", "Iwata Asks: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword - Vol 2: The Dense Forest", "Iwata Asks: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword - Vol 5: The Dense Sky and Town", "Iwata Asks: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword - The Dense Desert and A New System", "Koji Kondo Talks Ocarina of Time, Gives Details on Skyward Sword", "Sound Byte Radio Episode 11: Okami, Mirror's Edge, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword", "E3 2008: Miyamoto Says New Zelda for Wii Progressing", "E3 2009: Miyamoto Reveals New Zelda for Wii", "Wii Motion Plus Exclusive Zelda Playable at E3", "E3 2010: The Legend of Zelda: The Skyward Sword Announced", "Why Skyward Sword didn't launch in Christmas 2010", "Nintendo's Skyward Sword Push Includes Penny Arcade Zelda Comic, Early Sales This Saturday", "Zelda and Robin Williams return in this Skyward Sword ad", "Adventure in the Desert Awaits Link in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword for Wii", "Nintendo Games - 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Best Console and PC", "2011 EDGE awards – Game of the Year and more", "EGM'S Best of 2011: Marc Carmon's Picks", "Monster Hunter 3 G Takes Top Prize in Famitsu Awards", "Video Game Awards Announces 2011 Game Of The Year, Most Anticipated Game Nominees", "Video Games Awards Winners & Nominees in 2012", "12th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards", "The Winners and Nominees of the 2011 Spike Video Game Awards", "Skyward Sword Tops Japanese Charts, While 3DS Sales Continue To Rise", "Skyward Sword Sells Less Than 320K In Its Japanese Holiday Debut", "Nintendo Lowers 3DS Shipment Forecast, Expects Major Loss", "Modern Warfare 3 still top in busiest UK sales chart ever", "Zelda: Skyward Sword Misses Wii's 2011 Top Five", "Skyward Sword is the Fastest Selling Zelda Title Ever, Thanks to Black Friday", "Financial Results Briefing for the Nine-Month Period Ended December 2011", "Zelda: Skyward Sword headed to Nintendo Switch", "The big Zelda: Breath of the Wild interview", "How The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is learning from Skyward Sword's haters", "VICE - A Conversation with Zelda Veteran and 'Breath of the Wild' Producer Eiji Aonuma", "Miyamoto And Aonuma On Zelda's Balance Of Fan Feedback", "Zelda Producer On Skyward Sword HD: "It's Definitely Possible, "Skyward Sword's Director Hidemaro Fujibayashi is Working on Zelda: Breath of the Wild", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Legend_of_Zelda:_Skyward_Sword&oldid=1007857661, Video games about artificial intelligence, Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development games, Wii games re-released on the Nintendo eShop, Articles containing Japanese-language text, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles using Infobox video game using locally defined parameters, Articles using Wikidata infoboxes with locally defined images, Articles using Video game reviews template in multiple platform mode, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz work identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 20 February 2021, at 08:07. [24] Mischievous elements were also added to Zelda's personality by her pushing Link over a ledge: initially intended as a rule of three-style gag, it was cut down to two during development. It was the first Zelda game to use a live orchestra for the majority of its tracks, with music composed by a team led by Hajime Wakai and supervised by Koji Kondo. [5][7][8] By raising the Wii Remote, the sword gathers energy which can be unleashed in a Skyward Strike. [21] Music was also woven into the story and gameplay through the use of the harp Link receives, using a recurring theme within the series of music being a central part of the experience. [68] Ray Carsillo of Electronic Gaming Monthly appreciated the game's nostalgic value, but found the motion control difficult to handle and kept the game from being truly great. Having the two characters as childhood friends served this purpose and cut down on extraneous plot elements. [15], A new Zelda game was first hinted at in April 2008, when Miyamoto stated that the Zelda development team were reforming to create new games.