The Legend of Zelda:
Skyward Sword
(I have inserted some pictures and links to look at if you would like to look more into the gameplay and background of the series) (Warning: I do not know how to simplify/summarize things very well. Forgive me if this is long)
When I
first learned that we could write a review on a video game, I knew that I could
not pass up a perfect opportunity to write about one of my all-time favorite
games. The story throughout Skyward Sword’s gameplay has “fantasy” written all
over it. In fact, so does every Legend of Zelda game. It was difficult deciding which one to pick.
However, regarding fantasy, Skyward Sword easily displays the contributing
factors we have discussed in class.
“Link must answer the call of destiny and set out on an adventure that will take him from the vast skies to the mysterious land below,” these are the enticing words printed on the back cover of this accomplished Wii game. The start of the game finds the main character, Link, waking up from a dream about a great goddess. This goddess fought against a great evil that threatened to destroy the entire world. To protect the race of humans from such destruction, she sent them to live in the sky. The goddess then gathered the remaining species and battled the great evil, successfully managing to seal it away. This is what Link sees in his dream. Already we see the “calling of destiny” on his young life.
The home in which Link is familiar with and wakes up in is known as “Skyloft.” He is a part of the Knight Academy, where the goal of a student is to become a Knight of Skyloft – airborne protectors of the people residing in the sky. Every citizen of Skyloft has their own Loftwing, which is basically a giant bird, and this is what they use for transportation, seeing as Skyloft is made up of many islands.
When the
player finally takes control of the character, the traditional Wing-Ceremony is
about to commence. The winner of this ceremony earns senior status (by racing through the sky on a Loftwing) and is given
a gift by Zelda, a childhood friend of Link’s and daughter of the academy’s
headmaster. Though Link is challenged with a typical bully known as Groose,
Link (assuming the player correctly uses the controls) still comes out on top.
The excited hero meets Zelda on top of the Statue of the Goddess, where she gives him her hand-made sailcloth. From here, they go for a (frankly romantic) ride on their Loftwings. This is where the adventure begins. As Link and Zelda soar through the sky, an unexpected storm rolls through and pulls Zelda down beneath the clouds below, leaving a discombobulated Link unconscious. When he wakes, Link tells Zelda's father about the what happened. After Zelda's father leaves him, Link sees the mysterious blue figure that had appeared in his dream the night before. He decides to follow it and it leads him to the Statue of the Goddess. Here it unveils a secret chamber. This is where the players sees that the hero is mentally pulled away from his reality, and chases a different one. The figure introduces itself as Fi, a spirit residing within the Goddess Sword preserved there. Fi informs Link that he is essentially the "chosen one" and is destined to complete the "goddess's task." Once again, we see that only Link can complete the quest he is about to go on. This relates to our discussions of whether or not the heroes in fantasy works have a choice in the matter. Link then withdraws the Goddess Sword from its pedestal and accepts his destiny, if only to search for and find Zelda on his quest. He uses this sword to open a path through the Cloud Barrier leading to the region below known as "The Surface."
With sword in hand, Link descends to the world below - a world which in previous years was only a myth to his people. This is Link's physical entrance into a different and "fantastical" world. The Cloud Barrier representing the separation from his world to reality. Link is guided by the spirit within the sword he now possesses - Fi. Fi becomes to Link what Gandalf was to Bilbo. This is where the gameplay gets incredibly detailed, but I will try to be brief in summarizing the quests Links must face. He first arrives in an area called "Sealed Grounds" where he finds an ancient seal. Nearby, there resides an old woman who safeguards this seal. She informs Link that Zelda had passed by not to long ago, so Link continues.
From this point, Link travels through different three different areas and battles through three different temples that each lead to a boss battle. Each time he completes a major battle, he is mere minutes behind Zelda, but never quite catches up with her. Throughout his battles, he is confronted with a sinister and creepy villain who calls himself Ghirahim, "lord" of the monsters residing on The Surface. Whenever Link is close to victory, Ghirahim disappears.
When Link finally fights through the third temple, he arrives at the famous Temple of Time, where at last he finds Zelda and her guide, Impa. This victory is short lived, however. Ghirahim appears before the two friends can reunite and attempts to attack them. Zelda and Impa manage to escape through a Gate of Time before it is destroyed, preventing Ghirahim from reaching them. Before then, Zelda manages to throw a gift to Link, a harp.
Now Link must find a way to Zelda, even though she has entered the Gate of Time. The old woman back at Sealed Grounds reveals another Gate in which Link can enter, except that it does not yet hold enough power to operate. After Link obtains the power to run the Gate (going back through the same three worlds), he finally opens it and reunites with Zelda. Impa then reveals the real story behind how Zelda and Link got involved in this story, and who Zelda really is.
There is a lot more to this story, and even more after Link reunites with Zelda. However, I am ending the summary here so as not to give spoilers or tell you who the real villain is.
Overall, I feel that this game completely fits into the formula of fantasy. There is the "primary" world of Skyloft, and the "secondary" world of The Surface. There is the "chosen one" aspect, where no one else can complete this task except for Link. He is specifically chosen. There is the idea of "destiny" and being tied to fate. There is also an obvious threshold that Link must cross in the form of the Cloud Barrier separating the two worlds. Even the other-worldly soundtrack adds to this effect, placing the player within the very fantasy of the story. Link leaves on his journey, is changed into a man - fearless, and accepting - yet does not return to his home. Zelda and Link decide to stay in The Surface and live their lives there. The story compares to Wood Beyond the World in that sense, unless you could argue that mankind's home was the Surface all along, and that they were just returning to their rightful place.
I hope this review inspires some of you to play Skyward Sword, as it is a beautiful adaptation of fantasy into the video game industry.
With sword in hand, Link descends to the world below - a world which in previous years was only a myth to his people. This is Link's physical entrance into a different and "fantastical" world. The Cloud Barrier representing the separation from his world to reality. Link is guided by the spirit within the sword he now possesses - Fi. Fi becomes to Link what Gandalf was to Bilbo. This is where the gameplay gets incredibly detailed, but I will try to be brief in summarizing the quests Links must face. He first arrives in an area called "Sealed Grounds" where he finds an ancient seal. Nearby, there resides an old woman who safeguards this seal. She informs Link that Zelda had passed by not to long ago, so Link continues.
From this point, Link travels through different three different areas and battles through three different temples that each lead to a boss battle. Each time he completes a major battle, he is mere minutes behind Zelda, but never quite catches up with her. Throughout his battles, he is confronted with a sinister and creepy villain who calls himself Ghirahim, "lord" of the monsters residing on The Surface. Whenever Link is close to victory, Ghirahim disappears.
When Link finally fights through the third temple, he arrives at the famous Temple of Time, where at last he finds Zelda and her guide, Impa. This victory is short lived, however. Ghirahim appears before the two friends can reunite and attempts to attack them. Zelda and Impa manage to escape through a Gate of Time before it is destroyed, preventing Ghirahim from reaching them. Before then, Zelda manages to throw a gift to Link, a harp.
Now Link must find a way to Zelda, even though she has entered the Gate of Time. The old woman back at Sealed Grounds reveals another Gate in which Link can enter, except that it does not yet hold enough power to operate. After Link obtains the power to run the Gate (going back through the same three worlds), he finally opens it and reunites with Zelda. Impa then reveals the real story behind how Zelda and Link got involved in this story, and who Zelda really is.
There is a lot more to this story, and even more after Link reunites with Zelda. However, I am ending the summary here so as not to give spoilers or tell you who the real villain is.
Overall, I feel that this game completely fits into the formula of fantasy. There is the "primary" world of Skyloft, and the "secondary" world of The Surface. There is the "chosen one" aspect, where no one else can complete this task except for Link. He is specifically chosen. There is the idea of "destiny" and being tied to fate. There is also an obvious threshold that Link must cross in the form of the Cloud Barrier separating the two worlds. Even the other-worldly soundtrack adds to this effect, placing the player within the very fantasy of the story. Link leaves on his journey, is changed into a man - fearless, and accepting - yet does not return to his home. Zelda and Link decide to stay in The Surface and live their lives there. The story compares to Wood Beyond the World in that sense, unless you could argue that mankind's home was the Surface all along, and that they were just returning to their rightful place.
I hope this review inspires some of you to play Skyward Sword, as it is a beautiful adaptation of fantasy into the video game industry.
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