The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is the upcoming sixteenth installment of the Legend of Zelda series, developed by Nintendo for the Wii. It is scheduled for release in 2011. The game was confirmed to be in the making as early as 2006, and basic information was provided at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in 2010.

The Wii MotionPlus is heavily integrated into the gameplay, which is based heavily on that of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, which itself was based on The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Skyward Sword utilizes cel-shaded graphics similar to those of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker; however, the game features more realistic character body proportions than the aforementioned title, more closely resembling Twilight Princess. The game has been confirmed to be a prequel to Ocarina of Time.

Plot
Link is a youth born and raised in Skyloft, a land floating above the clouds. Link attends boarding school with Zelda, who is not a princess in this game, as well as a rival who has a crush on Zelda. An adept bird rider, Link wins a bird riding contest held during a festival celebration, and is to receive a prize from Zelda. The two embark on a flight trip; however, a giant tornado suddenly appears and takes Zelda. Link is given the task to rescue her; to aid him on his quest, the villagers provide him with green clothing and the titular Skyward Sword. The sword is "home" to a spirit named Phi who accompanies Link on his quest, providing him with sage advice and more. Link travels to a world found beneath the clouds, and ventures to the Sky Temple where Zelda is supposedly kept prisoner. Herein, he meets the Demon Lord Ghirahim, ruler of the chaotic surface world. His tribe also seek Zelda, for reasons yet unknown. Ghirahim makes his escape after being beaten in battle, and Link continues his quest to save Zelda before she is found by Ghirahim's forces.

Gameplay
At E3 2010, Shigeru Miyamoto stated that the developers "put a lot of effort in streamlining the inventory system" and that the game would use Wii MotionPlus. Swordplay is based on the Wii MotionPlus, allowing one-to-one motion control between the Wii Remote and Link's sword. Other items can also be controlled with the Wii MotionPlus such as bombs, a Slingshot, and a Whip. A stamina meter will allow for sprinting and running up walls. Unlike earlier installments, the consumption of potions occurs in real-time. The heads-up display will also be adjustable to some degree. For the first time in the series, Link will also be right-handed to accommodate for the majority of gamers, as seen in the official art. It is currently unknown whether or not there will be an option to swap the dominant hand. To travel between Skyloft and Hyrule, Link utilizes a giant bird to fly between the two realms. These birds can be summoned from various docks placed around the floating islands. Anyone who jumps off one such dock will be caught in mid-air by a bird, which appear to be based heavily upon the real world birds Shoebill.

Music
At E3 2010, Miyamoto stated that the game would feature orchestrated music similar to that featured in Super Mario Galaxy 2, and that people on the development team were "looking forward" to orchestrating the score. However, Eiji Aonuma later stated that the decision to include an orchestrated soundtrack had not yet been fully discussed and that he was unsure if the game would actually feature orchestrations or synthesized music.

In a session of Iwata Asks in June 2011, Mahito Yokota, one of the composers currently working on Zelda music, confirmed that the team decided that Skyward Sword will incorporate orchestral music.

On an interesting note, if you play the Skyward Sword Trailer backwards, you can distinctively hear Zelda's Lullaby.

Development
Rumors of a Zelda game developed exclusively for the Wii began to arise shortly after the console's launch in 2006. During a private meeting at E3 2007, Eiji Aonuma stated that he would like Zelda Wii, as it was then codenamed, to have a whole new control base for the game and implement one-to-one swordplay. He also said that he would like to make the game to appeal both to the casual and the hardcore gamer. At E3 2008, Shigeru Miyamoto confirmed that the next Zelda game was in development, and later that year, it was reported that development was still in the planning stages, though further information would be revealed at E3 2009. Zelda Wii was absent from E3 2009, though Miyamoto said plans were for a 2010 release, and showcased concept art for the game featuring Link and a then-unknown character eventually revealed to be Phi. Miyamoto further said that plans were to incorporate Wii MotionPlus into gameplay elements such as swordplay and archery. Later that year, Miyamoto stated that the game would not be "that radically different" than past games in the series, despite saying that Twilight Princess would have been "without a doubt, the last Zelda game as you know it in its present form."

At E3 2010, the game's title, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, was revealed along with a trailer showcasing its cel-shaded graphics and control system. Miyamoto revealed that Link's sword would be controlled using the Wii MotionPlus while the shield would be controlled by the Nunchuck. Miyamoto said that development would continue through 2010 for a 2011 release date. Aonuma stated that development on the game started right after The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass was finished and before development of The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks began, and that the game would be directed by Hidemaro Fujibayashi, who was the sub-director for Phantom Hourglass.

In the September 2010 issue of Nintendo Power, Eiji Anouma confirmed that Princess Zelda would appear in the game, and that voice acting would not be present. In late January 2011, it was announced that the game was entering the final stages of completion and will be released after the release of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D.

It has been confirmed that a gold-colored Wii Remote will be made available alongside Skyward Sword.

Videos
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