[Warning! Spoilers in the video above, and in the text below the break]
Since the first time we saw the game, I’ve had a feeling that The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword would take all of the things that I love about the various games in the series and put them under one roof. The way that Skyward Sword Link takes the “adult” design sensibility of Ocarina of Time and infuses him with the energetic cel shading style of the Wind Waker speaks volumes about the game’s intentions.
Having recieved the game a few days ago, I’ve seen that the Skyward Sword‘s efforts to revel in the spirit of past Zelda titles don’t end with the visual design. Skyward Sword feels like a explosive celebration of everything that makes the Legend of Zelda series special — an constant avalanche of new ideas fused with classic gameplay.
That said, I didn’t expect the callbacks in Skyward Sword to be this direct. In the Iwata Asks: Skyward Sword video above, you’ll see gameplay aspects of both Wind Waker and Ocarina of Time that 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 [via GoNintendo]
It looks like the desert zone of Skyward Sword involves both Wind Waker-style sailing and Ocarina 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 a Legend of Zelda game, you owe it to yourself to play Skyward Sword.
