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This article is about the game. For other uses, see Skyward Sword (Disambiguation).

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is the sixteenth main installment of The Legend of Zelda series. It is the first The Legend of Zelda game created specifically with the Wii in mind, and requires Wii Motion Plus.[8] Upon its North American release, a special edition Skyward Sword bundle became available at the price of $69.99. The bundle includes a copy of Skyward Sword, as well as a gold Wii Remote Plus. Additionally, a limited edition CD, featuring music from The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Symphony concerts, is also packaged alongside all early purchases of the standard and special edition copies of Skyward Sword.[9]

A high-definition remaster of the game, Skyward Sword HD, was confirmed as part of the February 17, 2021 Nintendo Direct.[10] It was released on July 16, 2021.

Story[]

Prologue[]

Main article: Ancient Battle

Long before the events of Skyward Sword, the earth cracked and evil forces rushed out of the fissure.[11] These forces attacked the people of the earth, slaughtering them and destroying their land.[12] They did this in search of the Triforce, the ultimate power capable of granting any wishes of its holder.[13] This power, passed down by the Golden Goddesses, was guarded by The Goddess Hylia, the goddess of the land.[14] The Goddess Hylia gathered the Triforce and the remaining survivors onto a piece of earth and sent it skyward beyond the clouds.[15] This piece of land came to be known as Skyloft. With the humans safe, The Goddess Hylia joined the land dwellers and fought the evil forces in a war of unmatched scale and ferocity. The Goddess Hylia eventually sealed the evil forces away, restoring peace to the Surface.[16] However, the humans remained in Skyloft, as The Goddess Hylia knew that the seal on the evil would not hold forever. The Goddess Hylia knew that she would be powerless to stop the forces for a second time, so she required the use of the Triforce to defeat them again. However, a goddess cannot use the Triforce, so The Goddess Hylia gave up her immortality and was reincarnated as a mortal Hylian.[17]

The Wing Ceremony[]

In present day Skyloft, a small civilization has been formed where most memories and records of the Surface have been forgotten and lost. The people of Skyloft know next to nothing about the land beneath the clouds. A young man named Link is having a strange dream depicting a gigantic dark beast and a mysterious person. He is awoken by a Loftwing owned by his childhood friend Zelda. The Loftwing gives Link a letter from Zelda asking him to meet with her at the Statue of the Goddess in preparation for the annual Wing Ceremony scheduled to take place that day.[18] Link arrives at the Statue of the Goddess to find that his Crimson Loftwing has gone missing and begins to search for it.[19] After overhearing Groose, Cawlin, and Strich, Link discovers that they're responsible for his Loftwing's disappearance,[20] and that they hid the Loftwing deep in the Waterfall Cave.[21] Link takes a Practice Sword from the Sparring Hall and enters the Waterfall Cave. On the other end of it, he meets up with Zelda, who has come to assist Link in finding his Loftwing.[22] After stating that Link's Loftwing may be ahead,[23] Zelda hears a strange voice and wonders whose it is,[24] but quickly assures Link that nothing is wrong.[25] The two find the Loftwing and free him. Zelda then asks Link if he heard the voice she had heard earlier,[26] and says that she feels as if someone is calling out to her.[27] She proceeds to tell him about the possibility of a land beneath the clouds called the Surface, said to be far more vast than Skyloft.[28] She quickly brushes it off,[29] and the two fly to the Wing Ceremony together.

With all of the participants ready, the Wing Ceremony begins. Despite Groose and his lackeys' efforts to prevent him from winning,[30][31] Link succeeds in plucking the Bird Statuette from the talons of another Loftwing, making him the victor. Link and Zelda proceed to the Goddess Statue to complete the ceremony, where Zelda bestows the blessings of the Goddess upon Link and gives him the Sailcloth.[32] To conclude the ceremony, Link must jump off the statue and land safely using the Sailcloth.[33] Zelda pushes him off instead, and Link is successful. Zelda praises Link and proposes that the two fly around the clouds together in celebration.[34][35] However, as they are flying, a mysterious black tornado suddenly appears and plucks Zelda off of her Loftwing, causing her to fall beneath the Cloud Barrier. Link tries to rescue her, but is knocked out by the tornado himself in the process.

Link's Loftwing takes him back to Skyloft. That night, Link has a dream depicting Zelda free falling into the mouth of the same beast from his dream at the beginning at the game. After waking up in his bed, he explains the events that transpired to Zelda's father, Headmaster Gaepora. Although Gaepora tells him to rest, Link soon hears the voice of the mysterious spirit once more and leaves his room, following the spirit to the Goddess Statue. The spirit appears from the sword within the statue and introduces herself as Fi.[36] She tells Link that he must take the blade he sees in front of him and embark on his destined journey as the chosen hero of the Goddess.[37] Although he is apprehensive at first, Fi tells him that Zelda is still alive,[38] and Link draws the blade. The two are joined moments after by Gaepora, who explains his hidden knowledge of a prophecy that foretold what is taking place before him.[39][40] He tells Link that in order to reach the Surface and rescue Zelda, he must pierce the Cloud Barrier, something nobody has ever done before.[41] Fi remedies the situation by bestowing Link with the Emerald Tablet,[42] which opens a portal through the clouds to the world below.

Searching for Zelda[]

The next day, after receiving his green knight's uniform as the only graduating member of his class,[43] Link makes preparations and heads to the Surface to find Zelda. As he descends, he arrives at the Sealed Grounds, where he sees a dark aura emanating from a Sealing Spike in the center of a large pit. Upon witnessing this, Link has yet another vision of the dark beast. He descends and approaches the Spike, and hears a voice telling him to strike it with a Skyward Strike. Link does so, and the sinister aura disappears. Afterwards, Link heads to the Sealed Temple. Inside, a mysterious old woman gives him a hint about Zelda's whereabouts, urging him to venture into the nearby Faron Woods to find her.[44] Link proceeds into the woods and continues his journey until he enters the Skyview Temple. After he makes his way through the Temple to the door that leads to the Skyview Spring, a strange man appears in front of him. He introduces himself as Ghirahim, and explains to Link that he is responsible for the tornado that brought Zelda to the Surface.[45][46] Ghirahim tells Link that he and his forces nearly captured Zelda before a Servant of the Goddess helped her escape,[47] and states that Zelda now lies beyond the door.[48] He prepares to fight Link, threatening to beat him within an inch of his life.[49] After Link defeats him, he realizes that Zelda's presence is no longer in the area and leaves,[50] threatening to kill Link if he interferes with him again.[51] The young hero enters the Skyview Spring, and Fi translates words that the Goddess left for him,[52] indicating that Zelda must purify her body at two different springs.[53]

Link receives the Ruby Tablet and returns to Skyloft to place it alongside the Emerald Tablet inside the Goddess Statue. With a new portal to the Surface accessible, the young hero travels to Eldin Volcano, where he continues his journey to find Zelda. After making his way through the Earth Temple, Ghirahim appears to Link and tells him that once again, someone else took Zelda from him.[54] He sics Scaldera on Link and leaves them to battle each other while he tries to reclaim Zelda.[55] Link triumphs against the monster and proceeds to the second spring. There, Zelda is seen with a young woman in front of a golden portal. The woman prevents her and Link from reuniting,[56] and Zelda sadly tells Link that she has to leave and apologizes to him before entering the portal.[57] Link tries to follow her, but the woman stops him. She chastises Link for his failure to arrive in a timely fashion,[58][59] and follows Zelda through the portal, which disappears in a flash of light. Link is left hurt and frustrated, and Fi translates another message from the Goddess intended for him, revealing that Zelda is headed to Lanayru Desert.[60]

Link receives another tablet known as the Amber Tablet, and returns to Skyloft to place it inside the Goddess Statue. Another portal to the Surface is created, and Link and Fi set out for Lanayru Desert. While exploring the Desert, they find the Temple of Time. However, the entrance has been blocked, forcing Link to enter via a secret passage in the Lanayru Mining Facility. When he gets inside, he sees Zelda and the strange woman standing at the Gate of Time. Just before Link can rejoin Zelda, Ghirahim breaks through the rubble blocking the entrance to the Temple of Time and casts a barrier in front of Link, preventing him from reaching Zelda. Ghirahim proceeds to engage in battle with Zelda's escort. In the midst of the frenetic action, Zelda gives Link the Goddess's Harp.[61] As Ghirahim's magic barrier dissipates, Link intervenes in the battle, allowing Zelda and her companion to escape Ghirahim by entering the Gate of Time. On their way through, Zelda's companion destroys the gate to prevent Ghirahim from following them. After vowing to kill Link the next time they meet,[62] Ghirahim leaves the scene. Link decides to return to the Sealed Grounds to learn how to use the Goddess's Harp.

As Link descends to the Sealed Grounds, Groose intercepts him in midair and both fall to the Surface. As Groose is shocked with what he sees around him,[63] Link explains the situation, calming the former. Groose's old attitude quickly returns and he tells Link to head back to Skyloft, hoping to find and rescue Zelda himself.[64] However, the old woman at the Sealed Temple tells Groose that he will not be the one to save Zelda,[65] and he leaves the Sealed Temple in anger. The old woman reveals that Zelda's bodyguard's name is Impa before allowing Link to learn the "Ballad of the Goddess".[66] As he plays it on the sacred harp, a large structure appears behind him and is revealed to be a second Gate of Time.[67] However, outside the Sealed Temple, a beast known as The Imprisoned (the same monstrosity from Link's visions and dreams) responds to the appearance of the Gate and breaks free of its seal.[68] Although it is too powerful for Link to destroy, he succeeds in sealing The Imprisoned back into its pit. Groose is left with a feeling of uselessness and laments that he is unable to save Zelda,[69] while the old woman tells Link that he cannot activate the second Gate of Time until his sword is much more powerful.[70] She tells him to seek out the three Sacred Flames of the Golden Goddesses for this purpose.[71]

The Sacred Flames[]

Link returns to Skyloft to find clues to the whereabouts of the three flames. Following clues in the lyrics of the "Ballad of the Goddess",[72] Link rotates the two windmills in Skyloft to make them face each other. This unearths the Light Tower, and Link performs the "Ballad of the Goddess" on the Goddess's Harp by the shrine at the top of the structure. In response, the Light Tower fires a beam into a large Thunderhead in the distance. Link is able to fly into the Thunderhead, where he finds the Isle of Songs. Inside, he learns a song known as "Farore's Courage". With this song, Link travels to Faron Woods and opens the portal to the Silent Realm, a parallel dimension created by the Goddesses for the chosen hero to prove himself. After filling the Spirit Vessel with the Tears of Farore, Link receives the Water Dragon's Scale, allowing him to swim underwater and perform a spin maneuver. He uses this new ability to head to Lake Floria, where he hopes to find the first Sacred Flame. He encounters Faron, the Water Dragon presiding over Faron Woods, and discovers that she was gravely wounded from an attack by Ghirahim and his forces and is recuperating in a basin of water as a result.[73] She tells Link to bring her Sacred Water to heal her wounds, promising to reveal the path to Farore's Flame in return.[74] Link returns to Skyview Spring, collects the Sacred Water, and heals the Water Dragon with it. Faron reveals that Farore's Flame lies within the Ancient Cistern,[75] and tells Link that they will meet again.[76] After conquering the challenges in the Ancient Cistern, the Goddess Sword is purified with Farore's Flame and is transformed into the Goddess Longsword.

With the first flame obtained, Link returns to the Isle of Songs and learns the song known as "Nayru's Wisdom". Link heads for Lanayru Desert and completes another Silent Realm challenge there, giving him the Clawshots, which he uses to access the Lanayru Sand Sea. There, he meets Skipper, a robot who once captained a ship tasked with protecting Nayru's Flame. After tracking down the Sandship and boarding it, Link defeats the pirate captain, LD-002G Scervo, that had stolen the ship, frees the crew, and battles the gargantuan monster Tentalus. After these ordeals, Link receives Nayru's Flame, which purifies his sword into the Goddess White Sword.

With only one flame left, Link returns to the Isle of Songs and learns the song known as "Din's Power". He returns to Eldin Volcano to complete his third Silent Realm trial, after which he receives the Fireshield Earrings. Using the protective jewelry, Link heads to the Volcano Summit, where he finds the Fire Sanctuary. However, after traversing the Sanctuary, Ghirahim appears to Link once again and tells him that he has found out about the existence of a second Gate of Time.[77] He asks Link to reveal its location,[78] but he refuses. Although Ghirahim partially transforms his body to become more powerful, Link succeeds in besting him, incurring his wrath.[79] Ghirahim leaves once more and Link obtains the final Sacred Flame. Din's Flame improves the Goddess White Sword into the Master Sword. With the evil-repelling sacred blade in hand, Link returns to the Sealed Grounds to open the Gate of Time. However, The Imprisoned is released once again, reacting to the power of the Master Sword.[80] The young hero seals the beast away for a second time with help from Groose, who came out of his depression and built a bomb-flinging catapult to deal with the monster.

Link finally activates the second Gate of Time and proceeds to the distant past, arriving shortly after the Goddess had sealed away the Demon King Demise, and sent Skyloft heavenward with the surviving humans and the sacred power. Link meets with Zelda, who reveals her true nature as the mortal reincarnation of the Goddess Hylia. After she sealed away Demise, Hylia knew that her power would not bind him forever.[81] With this in mind, she devised a plan to destroy the Demon King once and for all. Hylia knew that the sacred power, known as the Triforce, would eventually have to be used by someone worthy of it,[82] someone with an unbreakable spirit,[83] to destroy Demise. She created Fi to assist the chosen hero who would inevitably fulfill the Goddess's wishes on his quest,[84] and decided to transfer her soul to the body of a mortal: Zelda.[85][86] The Goddess knew that Link would charge headfirst into peril without hesitation if it meant saving Zelda, and Zelda apologizes to Link for using him (as Hylia) to bring about the ultimate destruction of Demise.[87] She also reveals that The Imprisoned is Demise's weakened form,[88] and thanks Link for repeatedly confining it in the Sealed Grounds.[89] She blesses the Master Sword with the power of the Goddess,[90] causing it to take on its true form, the True Master Sword. Zelda tells Link that as the reincarnation of Hylia, she must remain in a deep sleep for thousands of years to keep Demise imprisoned within his seal.[91] She seals herself into a crystal and tells Link that he must find and use the Triforce to destroy Demise so that she will be able to wake up in their own time.[92] After an emotional goodbye, Link returns to the present and sets out to find clues to the location of the Triforce.

The Golden Power[]

Link returns to Skyloft where the Triforce is supposedly hidden, and asks Gaepora what he knows about it. However, the Headmaster has little knowledge of the Triforce,[93] and can only tell Link of the Great Sky Spirit Levias,[94] who lives in the Thunderhead and whose knowledge is said to be encyclopedic.[95] However, Instructor Owlan informs Link that Levias has been acting strange lately and suggests that he is possessed by something.[96] Owlan teaches Link and his Loftwing the Spiral Charge manuever and tells Link to speak to the owner of the Lumpy Pumpkin,[97][98] a small diner popular among the knights of Skyloft. The owner makes an offering of his pumpkin soup to Levias on a yearly basis.[99] Link offers to take the soup to Levias in his stead, and brings it inside the Thunderhead, drawing out the sky spirit with it. However, Levias is indeed possessed by a creature known as Bilocyte, and Link is forced to battle and destroy it to rescue the sky spirit. After returning to his senses, Levias tells Link to seek out the three dragons on the Surface who know of three separate parts to a song known as the "Song of the Hero", which will supposedly lead the way to the Triforce.[100]

When Link descends to Faron Woods, an anomaly prevents him from going anywhere but the Sealed Grounds.[101] Upon arrival, Link teams up with Groose to seal The Imprisoned for a third time. The old woman explains that Link cannot enter Faron Woods because it is currently flooded and, to keep the Sealed Grounds safe from this flood, she placed a seal on the gate to the woods that will only hold as long as the gate is not opened.[102] Groose decides to use his machine to fling Link into the woods.[103] Link lands in the flooded woods and investigates the inside of the Great Tree, where the water supposedly emerged from. Link meets Faron again inside of the tree, where she informs him that she flooded the woods in order to get rid of the monsters in the area.[104] She offers him the challenge of collecting the notes to her part of the "Song of the Hero" in the form of Tadtones.[105] Link completes the challenge and is given the Water Dragon's part of the song before she decides to cause the flooding to recede, returning Faron Woods to its original state.[106] Link then sets out to his next destination.

When Link descends to Eldin Volcano to visit the Fire Dragon, Eldin, a volcanic eruption throws him out of the sky, knocking him unconscious. As he comes to, he finds that the Bokoblins had set up a new base in the area and took the opportunity to badly injure Link and steal his items. Link finds himself in a cell with no way out, until a Mogma known as Plats, whom he had met before in the Fire Sanctuary, burrows in and reveals that he had stolen Link's Mogma Mitts back from the Bokoblins,[107] allowing Link to burrow out of the cell and begin recovering his items. However, without the Master Sword, Link is unable to fight the Bokoblins directly and must use stealth to evade them and find his items. After some time, Link recovers all of his items and proceeds to the Volcano Summit to meet Eldin, who imparts his part of the "Song of the Hero" to Link.[108]

When Link descends to visit the Thunder Dragon, Lanayru, he crawls through a small tunnel in Lanayru Caves uncovered by Golo, a Goron who was mining for Timeshift Stones. Link ends up in Lanayru Gorge, where the Thunder Dragon supposedly lives. However, he finds nothing but a skeleton, suggesting that the Thunder Dragon had somehow died. Link recovers a key and finds a room with a Timeshift Stone in a mine cart, which is about to be sent to the Thunder Dragon. Activating the Timeshift Stone, Link is able to proceed around and through the caves to reach the Thunder Dragon, shifting time backwards to a point when the Thunder Dragon was still alive. He is shown to have been deathly ill,[109] and needs fruit from the Tree of Life to recover.[110] A sapling has been planted in the present desert era, but it is unable to flourish in the Lanayru Province's climate.[111] Using Timeshift Stones, Link digs up the sapling and brings it back through the Gate of Time to the Temple of Hylia, where he plants it, allowing it to grow into a tree that bears the life-saving fruit in the present day's Sealed Temple. Taking the fruit, Link brings it to the Thunder Dragon and saves his life. The Thunder Dragon recovers and teaches Link his part of the "Song of the Hero".[112]

With the three parts of the "Song of the Hero", Link returns to Levias, who combines the three dragons' parts with his own to teach Link the full song.[113] With the full song in hand, Link returns to Skyloft and uses the song to open the Trial Gate to the final Silent Realm. On the other side, Link completes a trial in Skyloft and receives a Stone of Trials that will lead to the Triforce. There is a second Stone of Trials somewhere in Skyloft, and bringing the two together will reveal the path to the Triforce.[114] Link identifies the Stone as the missing eye of a bird statue facing away from the Isle of the Goddess and opens up the Sky Keep by inserting the missing Stone into the bird statue's eye socket. Link enters the mysterious dungeon and conquers its many trials, obtaining the three separated pieces of the Triforce along the way.

With the Triforce in hand, Link ascends onto the Goddess Statue and makes his wish: the destruction of Demise. The entire Isle of the Goddess breaks free from Skyloft and plummets down to the Surface, returning to its original location at the Sealed Grounds,[115] crushing and destroying The Imprisoned as it attempts to escape its confines once more.[116] Descending from the Goddess Statue, Link rushes into the Sealed Temple to witness Zelda's awakening. The group bears witness to Zelda's return from her long sleep, and she and Link are finally reunited.

The Final Showdown[]

However, just as the group believes that Link's long journey is finally over, Ghirahim ambushes them.[117] He abducts Zelda and enters the Gate of Time, intending to use her to resurrect Demise in the distant past.[118][119] Regaining his strength from Ghirahim's initial ambush, Link pursues him to the past, finding Impa on the ground as he emerges from the Gate of Time. Impa reveals that Ghirahim ambushed her and passed through the large doors at the front of the Temple with Zelda.[120] She assures Link that she will be fine and urges him to pursue Ghirahim.[121] Link heads out to the Sealed Grounds, where Ghirahim is beginning the ritual to revive Demise, who is still sealed in the past, by having him absorb Zelda's soul, as she is the reincarnation of Hylia. He has his troops assail Link in absurd numbers to keep the hero at bay while the ritual progresses,[122] but Link charges through the army of Bokoblins and reaches Ghirahim at the bottom of the spiral pit.

Ghirahim expresses his rage at Link for being too quick and throws Zelda into the air before finally taking on his true form - a living weapon, a sword spirit comparable to Fi.[123][124] He raises Link and himself on a high platform, where he announces his intention to kill Link in an ironic way - by driving the boy from the sky to the edge and throwing him off.[125] However, Link does exactly that, driving Ghirahim to the edge of the platform and knocking him off before plunging his Sword into the Demon Lord's chest to damage him. Ghirahim's rage peaks as he summons blades with which to battle.[126] Link continues to strike the gemstone in the center of Ghirahim's chest, eventually defeating him once and for all. However, Ghirahim reveals that the ritual he started continued while they battled.[127] The Imprisoned rises from the pit in the Sealed Grounds, swallowing Zelda's soul and returning to his original form: Demise.

Ghirahim welcomes back his master before the latter silently raises his hand,[128] using his power to draw his blade (a dark, corrupted version of the Master Sword) out from within Ghirahim. Ghirahim's lifeless form is drawn into the blade, and Demise expresses his fascination with Link's courage.[129] He then causes Zelda to fall from the air, but before her body can hit the ground, Groose arrives from nowhere and catches her.[130] He tells Link that it will take some time for Demise to fully absorb Zelda's soul, giving Link a chance to save her by destroying him.[131] Seeing Link defy his expectation of humankind by standing against him, Demise decides to give Link the chance to duel him in another realm for the fate of the world, creating a dark portal that he enters.[132] Link follows him through the portal and finds the Demon King against a backdrop of the sky. Demise speaks with Link before their battle begins, telling him of his intention to destroy him and take the Triforce to rule the world for eternity.[133][134] Link manages to outdo Demise at swordplay, causing the latter to summon a thunderstorm and power his blade with lightning. However, Link does the same with the Master Sword and uses electrified Skyward Strikes to match Demise's power. Finally, Demise is knocked down on his back, and Link leaps into the air, plunging the Master Sword through the Demon King's chest. Demise stumbles to his feet and commends Link,[135] but warns him that he is not finished.[136] He explains that his hatred will be reborn as a being to pursue domination of the world, and those with the blood of the Goddess and spirit of the hero will be trapped in a cycle without end.[137] Link raises his blade and absorbs the remains of the Demon King into the Master Sword.

Link returns from the battle to find Zelda and Groose, and the three return to the Temple of Hylia, where they meet with Impa and prepare to return to their own time.[138] At Fi's behest, Link plunges the Master Sword into a pedestal in the Sealed Temple, leaving it and his partner behind now that her purpose to guide Link has been fulfilled.[139] Just before she enters "a sleep without end," Fi tells Link that while she is unable to feel true emotion, she feels something best equated to happiness due to her time spent with Link.[140] Despite Zelda's pleas,[141] Impa is unable to return with the group to their time, as she is a being of that era.[142] Impa states that as a member of the Sheikah, she must watch over the Master Sword to ensure that Demise does not reawaken.[143] She declares that she will also watch over the Triforce,[144] and that it will eventually be secreted away from the knowledge of humankind to preserve the peace.[145] Impa promises Zelda that even though she will destroy the Gate of Time, they will meet again.[146] Zelda gives Impa one of the bracelets that she had been wearing throughout most of the game before she, Link and Groose return to their own time. On the other side of the gate, they see the old woman as she destroys the gate from that end. She repeats her promise of seeing Zelda once again before showing her the bracelet that Zelda had just given to Impa in the past,[147] revealing that the old woman was an elderly Impa all along. As the group realizes this, Impa vanishes in particles of light, her duty to the Goddess finally fulfilled. As the group laments Impa's death, the large gate in the back of the Sealed Temple opens to reveal the Master Sword, remaining in the pedestal where Link had left it in the past.

Epilogue[]

After the credits, it is shown that Gaepora, Cawlin and Strich fly down through the cloud barrier to meet with Zelda, Link, and Groose. Groose returns to Skyloft with the others, bidding farewell to Link and Zelda, who are seen on the Goddess Statue once more as Link plays the "Ballad of the Goddess" on the Goddess's Harp. Zelda tells Link that she had always dreamt about the Surface and that she wants to remain there,[148] and asks what Link's intentions are for the future.[149] Link smiles at her, and the camera pans to show both his and Zelda's Loftwings flying back into the sky, implying that Link chose to stay with Zelda, so she’ll be a Princess of Hyrule.

Gameplay[]

Controls[]

SS Faron Woods Artwork

Faron Woods shown during the press conference.

At E3 2010, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword was revealed during the Nintendo Press Conference, introduced by Reggie Fils-Aime and Shigeru Miyamoto. Miyamoto discussed that the use of the sword and shield would incorporate the motion capabilities of the Wii MotionPlus and use of the Nunchuk accessory. The sword could also be charged up by holding the Wii Remote straight up in the air, and, once it's charged up, the Remote must be swung downwards to release the beam as a projectile attack.[150]

Since the Wii Remote serves as the sword, the Nunchuk becomes the shield: quickly shaking the Nunchuk will cause Link to raise his shield. The Nunchuk should be held up in front as if it were a real shield. Miyamoto demonstrated this by blocking attacks from Octoroks and even using the shield to send the projectile back at the enemy.[151] Weapons such as Bombs, the Slingshot, and the Bow, the return of Sword Beams, and new items such as the Beetle and Whip were all showcased, all using the natural aiming and directional applications of the Wii MotionPlus.

The inventory is accessed by pressing and holding the B button, which brings up a "radial menu" on the screen (similar to the one in Twilight Princess). To choose the item that Link will equip, the Wii Remote must simply be either pointed or tilted in the direction of the desired item to select said item.[152] The HUD can also be easily turned off if players find that it takes up too much space.[153] One of the major changes in choosing items from the item screen or while drinking potions is that there is no pause in the action, so items are chosen in real time.[154]

Previous rumors of a flying element were pushed further in an interview with Eiji Aonuma and Shigeru Miyamoto preceding the Nintendo E3 press conference on the Nintendo E3 Network with Aonuma saying that "the sky plays a key element." He also mentioned that the new Zelda isn't as big as Twilight Princess (as far as physical places go), but rather more dense and in-depth.[155]

Aonuma also mentioned that Wii MotionPlus was not originally intended for use with Skyward Sword because the controls weren't working well. But when Wii Sports Resort came out, it worked perfectly for that game, so they re-implemented it.[155] Miyamoto has furthermore stated that the Wii MotionPlus will not be used for every item in the game, saying that item and weapon controls "will be carefully weighed to see how MotionPlus/sensor bar [...] can make for the optimal control scheme."[156]

This is the first (and currently only) Zelda adventure where it's indicated by a damage meter that Link's shield is taking damage under enemy attacks. Because of this, Link will have to use more strategic ways of defending against enemies and, if the shield gets damaged in battle, he will have to buy a new one or get it mended.

Overworld and Dungeons[]

Skyward Sword features a new map that is "a lot easier to follow than previous attempts." According to Aonuma and Miyamoto, this should "cut down on the amount of time you spend lost." Moreover, since some previous Zelda games had been focusing on things like story and dungeons, this title focuses more on "fun."[157]

In the September 2010 issue of Nintendo Power, Eiji Aonuma once again spoke of trying to alter the "traditional flow" of Zelda games. He mentioned that the development team tried to take some elements of a dungeon and "actually move it out of those small connected rooms" into an area that is usually considered a field, with there not always being a boss at the end of that area.[158]

Flying[]

Main article: Wing Ceremony
Skyward Sword Flight

Link flying on his Loftwing during the Wing Ceremony.

As revealed during E3 2011, Skyward Sword includes flight. Link can go to different regions in Skyloft by riding a Loftwing but only once he completes his flying training at the beginning of the game. In this minigame, which is used to teach the young hero how to fly properly, Link must catch a specific bird that is carrying a Bird Statue to prove his worth as a knight of Skyloft and a Loftwing rider.

While flying, Link can jump off the Loftwing he's riding at any time to drop onto the smaller islands scattered throughout the sky, allowing him to explore each individual island as in The Wind Waker. At any point, Link can drop below the clouds to find bird-like Save Statues found around Hyrule that will allow him to return to the clouds and be back to the central town of Skyloft.

Controlling the Loftwing is done similarly to controlling planes in the Wii Sports Resort Air Sports games, as the gliding is achieved through the Wii Remote. Pressing A allows Link to go faster, the B Button slows the Loftwing down, and flicking the controller vertically will make the Loftwing flap its wings.

Game Information[]

Early Development[]

Skyward Sword

Link as he appears in the Skyward Sword trailer shown at E3 2010.

When Eiji Aonuma was asked in a 2007 interview if Twilight Princess would be the Wii's only Zelda title, he replied, "I can't say, but I guess for now, maybe, yeah [laughs]. Not to say that it's going to be the final game. There's still a lot of potential with the Wii so there's still a possibility that there could be another Zelda for it. We do have some ideas in the works, but I can't say for sure because none of them have been approved and we're still very much in the planning process, so I hope you look forward to whatever comes out."[159]

In a private meeting at E3 2007, Eiji Aonuma began to give details about the then-soon-to-be-released Zelda title, Phantom Hourglass. He then began speaking about Skyward Sword. In his excitement, he began to reveal more details about the game, but was withheld from divulging too much information by Shigeru Miyamoto. He indicated that he would like to have a whole new control system for the game, and that it was possible that one-to-one swordplay could be implemented. He also said that he would like to make the game to appeal both to the casual and the hardcore gamer,[160] a sentiment echoed by Miyamoto in a later interview.[161]

It was stated by Shigeru Miyamoto that Twilight Princess is "without a doubt, the last Zelda game as you know it in its present form."[162] However, the meaning of this quote leaves quite a bit to interpretation. In that same vein, Eiji Aonuma more recently revealed that he is looking to alter the "traditional flow" of Zelda games, which usually consists of exploring a field, entering a dungeon, conquering the dungeon, and then returning to the field.[163]

At E3 2008, Miyamoto confirmed that Skyward Sword was not the only new Zelda game in development at the time, and that separate teams had gotten together to create both DS and Wii Zelda games.[164] Spirit Tracks was produced alongside Skyward Sword by a separate team and released before the end of the following year.

At a round-table at the E3 2009 Convention, Shigeru Miyamoto disclosed that Skyward Sword would be announced at E3 in 2010. Artwork shown at the roundtable was leaked shortly after, depicting a swordless, adult, right-handed Link, as well as a mysterious female figure, bearing resemblance to both the Fairy Queen and the Master Sword.[165] Miyamoto admitted that Skyward Sword's version of Link is older than those of past titles, and placed an emphasis on Link's lack of a sword in the leaked artwork, particularly when questioned about the girl.[161] The actual title of Skyward Sword was not revealed until E3 2010, before which it was known only as "Zelda Wii".

Game Developers Conference 2011 Preview[]

During the Game Developers Conference in March 2011, a new demo was exhibited, showing several new actions Link can perform during the adventure, not to mention new locales and environments.[166] Link faces a redesigned Skulltula and two Lizalfos, manipulates a puzzle-like key in order to open a door, and comes face-to-face with Koloktos. The first significant NPC was revealed to be a mysterious, white-haired man, who can vanish into thin air similar to the way Midna and Zant teleport in Twilight Princess.

Graphics[]

Beetle SS 2

The graphics portray a cross between The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess.

Graphically, the title incorporates a mixture between The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess: cel-shading and realistic elements, the former in relation to the overworld, and the latter in respect to Link's appearance and weaponry. However, in the September 2010 issue of Nintendo Power, Aonuma mentioned that neither style contributed to the choice of art styles, and that they simply chose it since the developers are focusing on "swordplay", meaning that they wanted to make the swordplay accessible and clear to the user.[167]

Cel-shaded versions of enemies such as Octoroks, Deku Babas, and Bokoblins were apparent during the gameplay at the Conference in order to further explain the motion capabilities of the sword with Wii Motion Plus and the weapons during combat. In terms of the overworld, an open forest-like area was shown, that housed a large, central tree and a multitude of colorful attributes such as mushrooms, foliage, and even temple-like entrances along the area's walls.

Skyward Sword's unique visual style was inspired by Miyamoto's love of impressionism, and the skies in the game are a tribute to Cézanne.[153] Plenty of visual cues to identify enemy attacks and weaknesses will be given, and since "full realism" wouldn't work for these kinds of cues, the game developers decided that the best way to do so was to overexaggerate the character designs.[168]

Audio[]

Skyward Sword has been confirmed to be fully orchestrated, with Miyamoto saying that "Nintendo couldn't do what it did with Galaxy 2 and not do the same with the next Zelda."[169] However, an IGN interview with Aonuma states that the question whether to use orchestrated music had still not been answered by the time E3 came up. Moreover, Aonuma said that he was actually surprised at Miyamoto's response during the roundtable, saying that he hasn't had a chance to talk to Miyamoto for his approval and that he might tell Aonuma that "he was just joking around."[170]

In an Iwata Asks interview with Super Mario Galaxy composer Mahito Yokota, it was confirmed again that the game's music would be orchestrated.[171] According to Yokota, Shigeru Miyamoto said that adding orchestrated music for Skyward Sword's E3 2010 showing was not necessary at the time, but at the end of the summer, they decided to add in orchestral music and Mahito Yokota joined the development team.[172]

Timeline Placement[]

Skyward Sword's in-game story establishes itself as the first game in the known Zelda timeline, exploring the beginning of the battle between good and evil within the legend, and establishing its key players: Princess Zelda, as the incarnation of the Goddess Hylia, Link, the incarnation of the legendary hero chosen by the Goddesses, and Ganon, as the manifestation of the Demon King Demise's hatred.

Eiji Aonuma had already confirmed during the game's development that in terms of the Zelda Timeline, Skyward Sword comes before Ocarina of Time, which was later confirmed in the timeline published in Hyrule Historia, when it was placed before The Minish Cap and Four Swords. Aonuma did however state that Skyward Sword will not necessarily always be the first entry in the chronology, giving the possibility for future games to occur earlier.[173][174][175]

Speedrun Records[]

Main article: Speedrun Records
Category Runner Time Date
Any% HalfJaise 1h 9m 37s August 31, 2022
Any% (No Back in Time) gymnast86 5h 34m 18s July 3, 2021
Any% (No Hero Mode) Kitcot 3h 25m 6s July 26, 2021
100% gymnast86 6h 46m 52s January 13, 2021
100% (No Back in Time) 64bit_link 8h 38m 23s October 3, 2021
All Dungeons gymnast86 2h 54m 4s May 16, 2022
Goddess's Harp Ronano 59m 4s December 23, 2020
Talk to Yerbal Jasnix08 54m 41s December 3, 2021
Boss Rush Jasnix08 21m 41s Feburary 1, 2018

Reception[]

The game received universal acclaim, gaining a Metacritic rating of 93 (out of 100). It obtained a perfect score from IGN (10/10) and 98% from the UK Official Nintendo Magazine; it is tied with Ocarina of Time 3D for the magazine's highest-ever review score. However, Gamespot rated it lower than previous games in the series, giving it a score of 7.5 out of 10. Fans have praised the new combat system, but complained about free-roaming in the sky, saying it lacked more interesting places to explore.[citation needed] In addition, the game has been criticized for being too linear.

Sales[]

The game sold over 2 million copies worldwide on a month of release. As of March 2012, the game had sold 3.52 million copies worldwide.[176]

Fan Reception[]

WatchMojo placed Skyward Sword at the #8 spot in their "Top 10 Legend of Zelda Games of All Time" list countdown, and at the #10 spot as part of their "Every Major Legend of Zelda Game Ranked" video over on MojoPlays.[177][178] The Completionist ranked Skyward Sword as his ninth best Legend of Zelda game of all time in his "Top 10 Zelda Games" list countdown.[179]

Listings[]

Characters[]

Bosses[]

Enemies[]

Dungeons[]

Locations[]

Items[]

Translations[]

Credits[]

Glitches[]

Trivia[]

  • Skyward Sword is said to have taken the longest development period in the history of the franchise.[180]
  • This is the second game in the series that requires an external accessory (the Wii MotionPlus) to be played, the first being Majora's Mask in the original Nintendo 64 version (which required the Expansion Pak).
  • The main theme of Skyward Sword, known as the "Ballad of the Goddess", is actually an orchestration of "Zelda's Lullaby" played in reverse.
  • Skyward Sword is the second game in the franchise that shares its Japanese subtitle with the rest of the world, being a direct romanization of the English title (スカイウォードソード); the first is Twilight Princess (トワイライトプリンセス). The Legend of Zelda, The Adventure of Link, Four Swords, Ocarina of Time, and Majora's Mask all use the same title in English and Japanese, but they are not directly romanized.
  • According to the Hyrule Historia, Skyward Sword is the origins of all the events within the timeline of The Legend of Zelda series.
    • Despite being supposedly the earliest game in the timeline, the Hyrule of Skyward Sword is one of the more futuristic Zelda games in the series, having some of the most advanced technology yet, with an entire dungeon staffed by Ancient Robots and the existence of a large mining corporation that created the dungeon and its robotic denizens.
  • Skyward Sword is the first Zelda game to have the element of electricity on a major scale.
  • Despite being a Wii game, Skyward Sword only runs in 16:9 widescreen, even with the fullscreen setting for the Wii on. In the event that the Wii's default fullscreen mode is on while playing the game, the image is displayed in a letterbox format so as not to inconvenience those without widescreen televisions.
  • The American box art contains Hylian Language from Twilight Princess even though Skyward Sword introduces a new Hylian Language. Twilight Princess Hylian is also scarcely featured within the game.
  • This is the first time the names "Din, Farore, and Nayru" are mentioned in the same game as "Faron, Eldin, and Lanayru."
  • In the short Hylian text in the box art, the two words read translated "DIN" and "NAHRU" as a reference to Din and Nayru.
  • The division of Skyward Sword's surface world into three separate provinces that Link must dive into from The Sky is very similar to the division of Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland into three continents that are only accessible if Tingle uses his Tingle Balloon from the top of Rupee Tower.
  • A game-ending glitch occurs if the quest for the "Song of the Hero" is done in a certain way. This prompted the release of the Skyward Sword Save Data Update Channel.
  • Skyward Sword is the first 3D Zelda game on a home console where day and night do not alternate on their own. The only way for time to progress in the game is by having Link sleep on a bed in Skyloft.
  • This is the first Zelda game and the first 3D Zelda title to have a run feature without the need for an item such as the Pegasus Boots. This was also the first Zelda game in the series to feature a stamina meter.

Nomenclature[]

TMC Forest Minish Artwork Names in other regions TMC Jabber Nut Sprite
LanguageNameMeaning
JapanJapaneseゼルダの伝説 スカイウォードソード (Zeruda no Densetsu: Sukaiwōdo Sōdo) (SS)The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
ChinaChineseSI塞尔达传说 天空之剑 (SS)
Taiwan, Hong Kong, MacaoChineseTR薩爾達傳說 天空之劍 (SS)
GermanyGermanThe Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (SS)The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
South KoreaKorean젤다의 전설 스카이워드 소드 (Jeldaui Jeonseol: Seukaiwodo Sodo) (SS)
This table was generated using translation pages.
To request an addition, please contact a staff member with a reference.

Gallery[]

External links[]

References

  1. Wii - GAMES, Monolith Soft Co., Ltd., retrieved October 4, 2022.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 7
  3. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
  4. Official Korean website
  5. "Release date: 18/11/2011"The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Nintendo UK, retrieved May 22, 2019.
  6. "Release date: Sep 01, 2016"The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Nintendo.com, retrieved July 8, 2020.
  7. Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 10
  8. "In the same case, we find The Legend Of Zelda: Wii to be a true adventure conceived for Wii, unlike Twilight Princess, which was originally made for the Gamecube and later ported to the Wii" — NexGen, Mario Kart Wii, Legend of Zelda Wii, and more future game info., NexGen Wars (Web Archive), published March 15, 2007, retrieved July 16, 2021.
  9. "The limited-edition gold controller bundle for The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword will be offered at a suggested retail price of $69.99. The game will also be sold separately at a suggested retail price of $49.99, though the gold controller will only be available as part of the special bundle. As an additional 25th anniversary treat for fans who purchase the game early, every copy in the initial production, whether sold by itself or as a part of the limited-edition bundle, will come with a free CD featuring select orchestral arrangements of iconic music spanning the history of the franchise which will be performed at The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Symphony Concert performances in October 2011"The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Bundle Highlights a Golden Autumn for Nintendo Games, Go Nintendo, retrieved Aug. 29 2011.
  10. Nintendo, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD – Announcement Trailer – Nintendo Switch, YouTube (video), published February 17, 2021, retrieved February 17, 2021.
  11. "One dark, fateful day, the earth cracked wide and malevolent forces rushed forth from the fissure." — Fi (Skyward Sword)
  12. "They mounted a brutal assault upon the surface people, driving the land into deep despair... They burnt forests to ash, choked the land's sweet springs, and murdered without hesitation." — Fi (Skyward Sword)
  13. "Handed down by the gods of old, this power gave its holder the means to make any desire a reality." — Fi (Skyward Sword)
  14. "They did all this in their lust to take the ultimate power protected by Her Grace, the goddess." — Fi (Skyward Sword)
  15. "To prevent this great power from falling into the hands of the evil swarming the lands... the goddess gathered the surviving humans on an outcropping of earth. She sent it skyward, beyond the reach of the demonic hordes. Beyond even the clouds." — Fi (Skyward Sword)
  16. "With the humans safe, the goddess joined forces with the land dwellers and fought the evil forces, sealing them away. At last, peace was restored to the surface." — Fi (Skyward Sword)
  17. Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 11
  18. "Hey, sleepyhead. I know how much you like to sleep in, so I'm guessing this letter will be your alarm clock this morning. Did I guess right? Rise and shine, Link! Today's the Wing Ceremony! You promised to meet me before it starts, remember? You'd better not keep me waiting." — Zelda (Skyward Sword)
  19. "You'd better go on ahead and see if you can find where your bird has gone!" — Zelda (Skyward Sword)
  20. "You thought a big Crimson Loftwing like that was gonna go down without a fight? But we got him, and I don't care how tough those birds are supposed to be. He's not getting out of that pen anytime soon, boys." — Groose (Skyward Sword)
  21. "It sounds like Groose and his buddies had a plan to capture your bird and hide him near a waterfall." — Pipit (Skyward Sword)
  22. "Hey, Link, I was hoping I'd find you here. I heard you'd gone searching for your bird around the waterfall, so I thought I'd fly around and help you look." — Zelda (Skyward Sword)
  23. "There's a place up ahead that Groose and his gang are always hanging around. Maybe we'll find something there!" — Zelda (Skyward Sword)
  24. "Huh...? Who... Who's that? Who's calling for me?" — Zelda (Skyward Sword)
  25. "Oh, sorry, Link. I got distracted for a moment. Let's go!" — Zelda (Skyward Sword)
  26. "But before you go, I have to ask you something. I...I heard this voice a few moments ago. Did you hear it too?" — Zelda (Skyward Sword)
  27. "It's been happening a lot lately. It's the strangest feeling... Almost like someone is calling out to me." — Zelda (Skyward Sword)
  28. "Some of Father's old texts talk about a place called the surface. The old tales describe a whole world under there, far more vast than Skyloft!" — Zelda (Skyward Sword)
  29. "Oh, sorry, Link. We don't have time to talk! Let's get going. Look, your bird's waiting for you!" — Zelda (Skyward Sword)
  30. "Hey! Don't you know this is my day to get all the glory?" — Groose (Skyward Sword)
  31. "Yeah, you heard him! Let's see how you fly with egg on your face." — Cawlin (Skyward Sword)
  32. "Great goddess, guiding light and protector of our people, grant us your blessing and mercy as I act in your stead during this ceremony. Valiant youth who grasped victory at the celebration of the bird folk... In accordance with the old ways... I now bestow the blessings of the goddess upon you. The blessings of the goddess drift down from the heavens aloft a sail, which I now pass on to you." — Zelda (Skyward Sword)
  33. "You have to jump off the statue! Look down. See that big, round design on the courtyard below? To finish the ceremony, you need to drop down right into the center of it!" — Zelda (Skyward Sword)
  34. "That was perfect! You're amazing, Link!" — Zelda (Skyward Sword)
  35. "You know, Link, seeing as how you won today... And with the weather being so nice... You think maybe you'd like to, you know, go fly around the clouds together?" — Zelda (Skyward Sword)
  36. "According to your social customs, I should provide you with my personal designation. Fi is the name I was given." — Fi (Skyward Sword)
  37. "Come, Link. You must take up this sword. As the one chosen by my creator, it is your destiny." — Fi (Skyward Sword)
  38. "The one you seek, honorable Zelda, is still alive." — Fi (Skyward Sword)
  39. "When the light of the goddess's sword shines bright, the great apocalypse will wake from its long slumber. Do not fear, for it is then that a youth, guided by my hand, shall reveal himself in a place most sacred." — Gaepora (Skyward Sword)
  40. "The youth will be guided by one born of the blade--one who is also youthful in likeness yet wise with knowledge immeasurable." — Gaepora (Skyward Sword)
  41. "This is no easy task, Link. The world below is a forsaken place, and to reach it you must pierce the cloud barrier below. In living memory, no one has ever done this." — Gaepora (Skyward Sword)
  42. "This tablet will illuminate a path through the clouds to the land below. Take it, and place it within the altar behind me." — Fi (Skyward Sword)
  43. "That green uniform is what our knights will be wearing this year. To be honest, I've had my doubts about the color. But oddly enough, seeing you wear this uniform, I can't imagine a more fitting color for you. It's as though you were born to wear it." — Gaepora (Skyward Sword)
  44. "That girl has her own purpose she must pursue, as do you. She set out for Faron Woods to discover that destiny for herself, and you must follow." — Old Woman (Skyward Sword)
  45. "Oh, but listen to me. I'm being positively uncivil. Allow me to introduce myself. I am the Demon Lord who presides over this land you look down upon, this world you call the surface. You may call me Ghirahim." — Ghirahim (Skyward Sword)
  46. "I thought that tornado I stirred up would have tossed and torn you apart, yet here you are. Not in pieces." — Ghirahim (Skyward Sword)
  47. "By all rights the girl should have fallen into our hands already. She was nearly ours when that loathsome servant of the goddess snatched her away." — Ghirahim (Skyward Sword)
  48. "It's just the girl that matters now, and I can sense her here...just beyond this door." — Ghirahim (Skyward Sword)
  49. "This turn of events has left me with a strong appetite for bloodshed. Still...it hardly seems fair, being of my position, to take all of my anger out on you. Which is why I promise up front not to murder you... No, I'll just beat you within an inch of your life!" — Ghirahim (Skyward Sword)
  50. "I fear I spent far too long teasing and toying with you. The girl's presence has all but faded from this place, which means there's no reason to linger here." — Ghirahim (Skyward Sword)
  51. "Good-bye, sky child. Run and play this time. Get in my way again, though, and you're dead." — Ghirahim (Skyward Sword)
  52. "Master, I have a message written in the language of the gods of old. Allow me to translate for you." — Fi (Skyward Sword)
  53. "The spirit maiden who descended from the clouds must travel to two sacred places to purify her body. You stand in one of these places: Skyview Spring. The other is known as the Earth Spring." — Fi (Skyward Sword)
  54. "But what did I find when I arrived? That agent of the goddess... She had once again... You see, what I'm trying to say is... That goddess-serving dog escaped with the girl!" — Ghirahim (Skyward Sword)
  55. "There's someone special I'd like you to meet. Oh, don't be shy! I need to vent all this unhealthy anger, and your agony is such a great stress reliever. It won't take more than a few moments with my friend before you're charred to a satisfying crisp. And let me tell you, that will put a spring in my step!" — Ghirahim (Skyward Sword)
  56. "You cannot go to him, Your Grace. Remember what we discussed. Restrain yourself. Focus on the task at hand." — Impa (Skyward Sword)
  57. "I... I have to go. I'm sorry, Link." — Zelda (Skyward Sword)
  58. "It took you far too long to get here. Looking at you, I fear the goddess is mistaken in her choice of agents. If this failure is any indication, you have no hope of defending Her Grace from those who seek to assail her." — Impa (Skyward Sword)
  59. "The truth of it is you were late. You were late, and you failed to protect her." — Impa (Skyward Sword)
  60. "The spirit maiden who descended from the clouds has passed through the Earth Spring and makes her way to a fated place. The parched desert of Lanayru... That is where the chosen will pass through the Gate of Time into a distant world." — Fi (Skyward Sword)
  61. "Link! Link, here! You'll need this where you're going." — Zelda (Skyward Sword)
  62. "But next time, I'll do more than just beat you senseless. I'll make the affair so excruciating, you'll deafen yourself with the shrill sound of your own screams." — Ghirahim (Skyward Sword)
  63. "But...how... Wh-why... Wha-what... Where am I?!" — Groose (Skyward Sword)
  64. "I see... Right, Link. Thanks for getting me here. You've done a good job. You can head home. Big Groose will handle the search for Zelda from here. Yup. I'll track her down, save her, and then give her a lift back to Skyloft..." — Groose (Skyward Sword)
  65. "I only speak the truth. You are not the one who will save her. The spirit maiden, your Zelda, can only be saved by another. It has been his fate to do this thing, and in doing so save us. As it was decided long before you were brought crying into this world." — Old Woman (Skyward Sword)
  66. "The one you saw by Zelda's side is known as Impa. She is a being sent forth by the goddess to aid Zelda in her quest." — Old Woman (Skyward Sword)
  67. "The great slab standing before you is known as a Gate of Time. It is the last of its kind in existence... The only portal binding our world to the one where Zelda now resides." — Old Woman (Skyward Sword)
  68. "This shaking... I fear the seal has been broken. I expected that it would react to your summoning the gate, but I never imagined the seal would break so quickly." — Old Woman (Skyward Sword)
  69. "I hate even sayin' this, but I guess you got it all figured out, Grannie. Me, well, there's nothin' I can do to help Zelda. I'm useless." — Groose (Skyward Sword)
  70. "Ah, sorry to disappoint you, boy, but for now your sword lacks the power necessary to awaken the gate." — Old Woman (Skyward Sword)
  71. "Faron Woods...Eldin Volcano...and Lanayru Desert... A sacred flame is hidden somewhere in each of these lands. Seek them out, and purify your sword in their heat. Only after your blade has been tempered by these three fires will it be fully imbued with the great power for which you search." — Old Woman (Skyward Sword)
  72. "Oh youth, show the two whirling sails the way to the Light Tower, and before you a path shall open, and a heavenly song you shall hear." — Gaepora (Skyward Sword)
  73. "Shortly before your arrival, I was attacked by a pompous creature calling himself Ghirahim. I stood against this self-proclaimed Demon Lord, but I was wounded in the encounter. The wounds he's given me are stubborn things. I have been forced to recuperate in this basin of sacred water." — Faron (Skyward Sword)
  74. "Bring me the container of sacred water that I require. Do me this favor, and I'll gladly show you where to find the sacred flame you desire." — Faron (Skyward Sword)
  75. "Go. The sacred flame you seek lies within this place." — Faron (Skyward Sword)
  76. "I imagine you and I will cross paths again. Until then, do not lower your guard. Farewell, boy." — Faron (Skyward Sword)
  77. "Look at these old drawings! Until I found these, I was...upset about that little stunt the goddess's guard dog pulled at the Gate of Time. What was that twig's name again? Impa? Well, never mind that, because these drawings suggest the existence of a second Gate of Time! This news has just filled my heart with rainbows!" — Ghirahim (Skyward Sword)
  78. "...All I ask is that you tell me where I can find the other Gate of Time. That's not too much to ask, is it? Oh, and don't you play coy with me. I know that you know, so why not let me in on the fun?" — Ghirahim (Skyward Sword)
  79. "You filthy scamp! You have awakened a wrath that will burn for eons! I swear to you, whatever it takes, I will drag you into an eternity of torment!" — Ghirahim (Skyward Sword)
  80. "No... I fear the seal has given way once again. That terrible beast is awakening even as we speak. It is likely that the monster reacted to the sacred power given off by your sword. I wish it had not happened, but there was no other way to open the gate. So it goes..." — Old Woman (Skyward Sword)
  81. "After a long and fierce battle, the goddess, Hylia, succeeded in sealing away Demise. However, soon after the demon king was imprisoned, it became clear that the seal would not hold long against his fearsome power." — Zelda (Skyward Sword)
  82. "To face Demise and give the land hope, the goddess, Hylia, needed someone with an unbreakable spirit. That someone is you, Link." — Zelda (Skyward Sword)
  83. "The problem is, among the countless souls in this world, only a select few--those with an unbreakable spirit--can wield its might." — Zelda (Skyward Sword)
  84. "First, she created Fi. She made the spirit that resides in your sword to serve a single purpose: to assist her chosen hero on his mission." — Zelda (Skyward Sword)
  85. "Her second plan...was to abandon her divine form and transfer her soul to the body of a mortal." — Zelda (Skyward Sword)
  86. "You've probably figured it out by now, haven't you, Link? You are the chosen hero, and I, Zelda... I am the goddess reborn as a mortal." — Zelda (Skyward Sword)
  87. "I knew that if it meant saving Zelda, you would throw yourself headfirst into any danger, without even a moment's doubt... I... I used you. I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am for pulling you into all of this, Link." — Zelda (Skyward Sword)
  88. "Stripped of his true physical form by the seal that binds him, he takes the shape of an abomination. But even in his hideous state, he's more than capable of devouring this land if we allow him to do what he desires." — Zelda (Skyward Sword)
  89. "Back in our own time, you've already driven him back into his prison twice now. I can't thank you enough for that, Link." — Zelda (Skyward Sword)
  90. "Valiant hero, you have endured many hardships and journeyed far in your quest to reach this place. Along your travels you have found wisdom, power, and courage, and for this I shall bless your sword with the goddess's power. May it give you and your sword the strength to drive back the abomination that threatens this land!" — Zelda (Skyward Sword)
  91. "To ensure that the seal holds, I will remain here in this time...deep in sleep for thousands of years." — Zelda (Skyward Sword)
  92. "When Demise is finally gone, there will be no more need for the seal that binds him, and then I'll be able to wake up." — Zelda (Skyward Sword)
  93. "Sorry, Link. It shames me to say it, but my knowledge is of little use on this subject." — Gaepora (Skyward Sword)
  94. "Though, there is one whose vast knowledge may be of use... Surely you're familiar with Levias, the great sky spirit who has guarded our realm for ages?" — Gaepora (Skyward Sword)
  95. "Levias has served as the protector of our skies for a long time, and his knowledge of our world is encyclopedic, to put it mildly." — Gaepora (Skyward Sword)
  96. "If I'm correct, Levias is the one inside the thunderhead. But...that's not the Levias that we all know. That's...a monster! It certainly looks like Levias, but last time I approached him, he came rushing at me! And his eyes... They were full of malice. People change... Or old, wizened creatures change, rather. Perhaps it's more that...he is possessed by something. That's how it felt to me." — Owlan (Skyward Sword)
  97. "You are henceforth permitted to use the Spiral Charge attack as a qualified bird rider!" — Owlan (Skyward Sword)
  98. "Maybe the owner of the Lumpy Pumpkin might know something." — Owlan (Skyward Sword)
  99. "Every year he makes an offering of his pumpkin soup for Levias." — Owlan (Skyward Sword)
  100. "The clue is a song, meant to be played on the harp you hold. It is known as the Song of the Hero. The song is the key to revealing the secret location of the Triforce. The goddess split this song into four parts. She entrusted one part to me and the other three to the dragons of the land. You must gather each of the parts of the Song of the Hero. Seek out the dragons, and convince them to teach you their parts." — Levias (Skyward Sword)
  101. "A report, Master. An unusual phenomenon is taking place in Faron Woods, making it impossible to descend directly into them at the moment." — Fi (Skyward Sword)
  102. "Unfortunately, there has been an unusual turn of events in the woods... I am unsure of what happened, but a short while ago, I noticed the path to the woods was completely flooded. To protect the land here, I closed the gate leading to the woods and drove back the water with a simple seal. The seal will only hold as long as the gate remains closed, meaning you will not be able to open it without flooding these lands." — Old Woman (Skyward Sword)
  103. "See, that last battle with big ugly got me thinking about other ways to use the Groosenator! Just climb up into that bad boy, and I'll give you a "lift" over to the woods, all right?" — Groose (Skyward Sword)
  104. "This may be news to you, but some very irksome monsters have been overrunning my woods of late. Well, I decided that I'd had enough! The easiest way to deal with the awful things was to flood the whole woods." — Faron (Skyward Sword)
  105. "As you just saw, I have split the melody you seek among my many Tadtones and I have hidden them around the forest. If you haven't already guessed, Link, here's your task: take this score and collect all my little musical friends out there. You can use that score to figure out how many Tadtones are in each group. Find them, collect them, and bring them back to me. If you can do that, well, then I'll just have to see you as someone worthy of learning the Song of the Hero." — Faron (Skyward Sword)
  106. "Originally, I had planned to keep these woods underwater so that those awful monsters could never return. But your task is far from over, and you're not exactly at home in the water. I suppose I'll return the woods to their natural state." — Faron (Skyward Sword)
  107. "While you were out, they shook you down good, pal! You're gonna want to get your stuff back before ya go and try anything else. I can get you started. I stole these back for ya..." — Plats (Skyward Sword)
  108. "Listen well, human child. I will sing you my part of the Song of the Hero." — Eldin (Skyward Sword)
  109. "I may have enough strength for a brief chat like this, but... Well, as you can see, I am quite ill. Cough..." — Lanayru (Skyward Sword)
  110. "What are you doing with that seedling, vrrm?! Master Thunder Dragon needs fruit from the Tree of Life to recover!" — Ancient Robot (Skyward Sword)
  111. "Make sure you plant that seedling where it can grow to maturity, phoo-weep. And that means taking it somewhere outside of the Lanayru area, bzzt! We're all counting on you, vweep!" — Ancient Robot (Skyward Sword)
  112. "I owe you a big thank-you, so allow me to perform a moving rendition of my part of the Song of the Hero! I should warn you, I've got a mean set of pipes and I know how to use them! This'll clean out those ears, boy, so brace yourself!" — Lanayru (Skyward Sword)
  113. "True to my word, I will perform the last part of the song for you. Ahem..." — Levias (Skyward Sword)
  114. "The Stone of Trials you just obtained is actually one of a pair, Master. Another similar object with a mark just like the one you hold exists somewhere on this island. Combining the two should open the way to the Triforce." — Fi (Skyward Sword)
  115. "Master, I have news. I have confirmed that the Isle of the Goddess, which was formerly a part of Skyloft, has returned to the surface." — Fi (Skyward Sword)
  116. "Furthermore, I have detected the successful eradication of Demise. Your prayers to the Triforce have been heard." — Fi (Skyward Sword)
  117. "This is all very touching, really, but I'm afraid I have to cut this emotional moment short." — Ghirahim (Skyward Sword)
  118. "My master may have perished in this age, but in the past he lives yet! I'm taking the girl back through that gate to help me revive the demon king!" — Ghirahim (Skyward Sword)
  119. "You've done a fine job of spoiling my plans to revive the demon king in this age, so I see no point in dawdling here. But the past...oh, the past... So full of possibilities. I shall resurrect him there with the divine soul of this golden-haired girl!" — Ghirahim (Skyward Sword)
  120. "Urgh... Link...? It's Ghirahim... He appeared out of thin air and got the drop on me." — Impa (Skyward Sword)
  121. "Don't worry about me... You must chase after him! He ran through the great doors at the front of the temple. You may yet catch him before it's too late. Hurry!" — Impa (Skyward Sword)
  122. "Hear me, my hordes! The spell is nearly complete! The demon king returns! Until then, you WILL keep that whelp from interfering with my ritual. I don't care if the whole lot of you get lodged on the end of his blade. You will buy me the time I need! Do not fear him... Fear my wrath if you fail me!" — Ghirahim (Skyward Sword)
  123. "You're far too quick, boy! I realize a simple child like you knows nothing of magic, but spells like this take time and a steady hand! Can't you wait quietly like a good boy? HMM? You petulant brat... You've pushed me too far. I've waited my whole existence for this! This is my moment! You know what? Fine! If you're so intent on hurrying to your grave, I'll be happy to show you the way!" — Ghirahim (Skyward Sword)
  124. "I've let a mere boy make a fool of me for the last time. You stand before a demon...or should I say, a weapon without mercy!" — Ghirahim (Skyward Sword)
  125. "For you, boy, I've prepared a most appropriate and humiliating death. I even have a pet name for it--I call it the endless plunge! First, I will take my time bludgeoning you, and when I grow bored of it, I will drive you to the edge and deliver a last strike to send you falling to your doom!" — Ghirahim (Skyward Sword)
  126. "You wretched brat!" — Ghirahim (Skyward Sword)
  127. "Ah... But never mind that. Victory is still mine to savor. While we fought, the ritual I started continued... At last, it's complete! The demon king shall devour the soul of the goddess and resurrect in his full glory!" — Ghirahim (Skyward Sword)
  128. "Welcome back to us, Master." — Ghirahim (Skyward Sword)
  129. "...So you are the chosen knight of the goddess. Intriguing..." — Demise (Skyward Sword)
  130. "Link, I... I caught her! She's OK!" — Groose (Skyward Sword)
  131. "Link, it's all on you! Oh, and listen up! Grannie had some info for you! The old girl says it'll take time for that grease wad to absorb Zelda's soul completely! If you can take him down before her soul gets all sucked up into that...thing, you might still have a chance!" — Groose (Skyward Sword)
  132. "If you fear for your life, do not follow me. You can spend what little time your world has left cowering and crying, as befits your kind. But if you truly desire to raise your blade against the world I would build, come for me. I've waited eons to return. I can spare a few more moments to let you decide." — Demise (Skyward Sword)
  133. "Ah, so you've decided to meet your end in battle after all. It pleases me greatly to see such misplaced valor, human. Take a moment to appreciate your surroundings, for where we stand shall serve as your tomb for eternity." — Demise (Skyward Sword)
  134. "It won't be long now. At last, the almighty power I've sought for millennia... I will take the Triforce for my own... And the world shall be under my foot for eternity!" — Demise (Skyward Sword)
  135. "Extraordinary. You stand as a paragon of your kind, human." — Demise (Skyward Sword)
  136. "You fight like no man or demon I have ever known. Though this is not the end." — Demise (Skyward Sword)
  137. "My hate...never perishes. It is born anew in a cycle with no end! I will rise again! Those like you... Those who share the blood of the goddess and the spirit of the hero... They are eternally bound to this curse. An incarnation of my hatred shall ever follow your kind, dooming them to wander a blood-soaked sea of darkness for all time!" — Demise (Skyward Sword)
  138. "Hey, so things look pretty sewn up here. What do you say, guys? Ready to head back to our own time? Grannie was really worried about you two. We don't want to keep the old girl in suspense too long." — Groose (Skyward Sword)
  139. "Master Link, you have successfully protected the goddess reborn and defeated Demise, fulfilling your role as the hero of legend. My purpose here is complete. Therefore, I ask you to dissolve our arrangement as master and servant. Drive the sword into the pedestal before you, and I will return to the sword to enter a sleep without end." — Fi (Skyward Sword)
  140. "I do not have the capability to fully understand the human spirit, Link... But now, at the end of my journey with you, as I prepare to sleep within the Master Sword forever, I experience a feeling I am unable to identify. I lack sufficient data to be sure of my conclusion, but I believe this feeling correlates closest to what your people call...happiness." — Fi (Skyward Sword)
  141. "What? Impa, why? Come with us!" — Zelda (Skyward Sword)
  142. "Zelda, Your Grace, you possess the memories of the goddess. You must understand why that is not possible. I am a being of this age. My place is here." — Impa (Skyward Sword)
  143. "The last remnants of Demise are decaying slowly within the sword. Someone must stay behind to watch over this blade. His spirit must not reawaken. He must never be allowed to threaten the world again. This is the nature of the task given to my tribe. As a member of the Sheikah, the goddess's chosen guardians, I gladly welcome this duty." — Impa (Skyward Sword)
  144. "Zelda, I shall watch over the Triforce." — Impa (Skyward Sword)
  145. "When it has served its purpose, it must be secreted away to lie dormant once again...the knowledge of its existence hidden from mortal history." — The Goddess Hylia (Skyward Sword)
  146. "Do not despair, Zelda. You and I will surely meet again someday." — Impa (Skyward Sword)
  147. "...See? I told you we'd meet again." — Old Woman (Skyward Sword)
  148. "Look around us! As a child, I always dreamed of a world below. I wanted to see the surface with my own eyes and feel the land's warm breeze on my skin. I... I think I want to live here. I always want to feel solid ground beneath my feet, see the clouds above my head, and watch over the Triforce." — Zelda (Skyward Sword)
  149. "What about you, Link? What will you do now?" — Zelda (Skyward Sword)
  150. "Miyamoto explained that the Wii remote and the Wii Motion Plus accessory would be required, with the remote used primarily to swing your sword. The Wii Motion Plus' one-to-one movement translation would make fighting more accurate, Miyamoto said, and demoed it on screen when he came upon some deku babas. To defeat these carnivorous plants, you'll apparently need to swing your sword in the same direction its mouth opens--Miyamoto showed this by slicing horizontally to defeat a deku baba with a horizontal mouth, and vertically to defeat one whose mouth opened in that direction. Your sword will also get a powered-up attack--holding the Wii Remote straight up in the air will see Link do the same with his sword on screen, charging it up with "energy from the heavens". You can then release this beam as a projectile attack by swinging your hand downwards."[1], gamespot.com.
  151. "With the Wii remote as your sword, the nunchuck becomes your shield in Skyward Sword. Quickly shaking the Nunchuk will bring up your shield, and you'll need to hold it in front of you as you would a real piece of defensive gear. Miyamoto once again demoed this by blocking projectile attacks from some Octoroks, but he also showed that you'll be able to turn defense into attack by quickly pushing forward with the nunchuck just as a projectile hits. This will send the projectile hurtling back at your foe."[2], .
  152. "The way you access your inventory will also get a makeover in Skyward Sword. Pressing the B button will bring up a radial menu on screen, and you'll simply use the Wii remote to select your item."[3], gamespot.com.
  153. 153.0 153.1 Kotaku.com's Nintendo Developer Roundtable
  154. "Unlike in past Zelda games, there's no pause in the action when you switch between tools or weapons; you press the B Button and select the desired item from a circular menu in real time. The action doesn't halt when you drink life-replenishing potions, either." (Nintendo Power no. 258, September 2010, pg. 52) (archive)
  155. 155.0 155.1 E3 Iwata asks
  156. E3 2010 - Ten minutes with Shigeru Miyamoto
  157. Kotaku.com's Nintendo Development Roundtable
  158. "So traditionally, a dungeon would be a bunch of small rooms connected and you'd have to clear one to get to the next and to the next and then finally you get to the boss at the end.... However, this time around what we're trying to do is to take maybe some of that dungeon structure and actually move it out of those small connected rooms and, say, into an area that might traditionally be considered a field. [We may] take some of the same elements--some challenges that allow you to progress through the field rather than it being an area of small connected rooms--and maybe there's a boss character at the end of that...." (Nintendo Power no. 258, September 2010, pg. 53) (archive)
  159. E3 2007: Aonuma and Miyamoto on Next Wii Zelda Game
  160. Gamernode: News - E3 '07: The Director, Phantom Hourglass and Zelda's Future
  161. 161.0 161.1 E3 2009: What Happened to Link's Sword? - IGN
  162. Wii Zelda: Unfortunate Reality
  163. "So far, the basic flow of the Zelda games is you’re exploring a field, you go to a dungeon, you conquer it and return to the field. We’re looking at altering that traditional flow."Nintendo - Zelda Wii in 2010 and New Handheld in the Works, www.vgchartz.com.
  164. Zelda Team Working On New Games?
  165. First Look At New Zelda Game's Concept Art - Kotaku
  166. Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword GDC 2011 Trailer (Higher Quality)
  167. "We didn't choose this art style for this game because we preferred one art style over another. Those art styles really didn't contribute to our choice of art styles this time around. The reason we have the art style that we do, and this is something that [Zelda creator] Mr. [Shigeru] Miyamoto talked about as well, is that we're focusing on swordplay. And to make the swordplay accessible and clear to the user, that had informed how we created the character designs and why we have some of the exaggerated features for the characters." (Nintendo Power no. 258, September 2010, pg. 53) (archive)
  168. "There will be lots of visual cues to identify enemy attacks and weaknesses, and the best way of relaying this to the player is through overexaggerating character designs, so full realism just wouldn't work. If we used the same graphics from Twilight Princess, the game would already be done."[4], IGN's Nintendo Developer Roundtable.
  169. "Mario Galaxy 2 had a big, thunderous orchestral soundtrack. Will Skyward follow suit? Miyamoto says Nintendo couldn't do what it did with Galaxy 2 and not do the same with the next Zelda."[5], kotaku.com.
  170. "Aonuma: This is actually something we've been talking about for quite a while. I've discussed with Mr. Miyamoto, "are we going to do orchestration?" and mulled it over for a while. We got here to E3 and still didn't have an answer, so last night in the roundtable when the question came up, Mr. Miyamoto just said "I guess we're going to have to." And I said "We can? We can do it, really?" But, to be honest, I haven't had the chance to sit with him and get the OK on that. So, to be honest, I don't know either. He might tell me he was just joking around later."[6], ign.com.
  171. Iwata Asks : Nintendo 3DS: The Everchanging Music of Hyrule Field, Nintendo.com.
  172. "Yokota: Yes. That's about the time. At the E3 last year, when we were going to exhibit The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword for the first time, we talked about using orchestral music. But (Shigeru) Miyamoto-san said it wasn't necessary. [...] Right. Then, toward the end of summer break, they finally decided to put in orchestral music and I joined the development team."Iwata Asks : Nintendo 3DS: The Everchanging Music of Hyrule Field, Nintendo.com, retrieved June 2, 2011.
  173. Official Nintendo Magazine Scan
  174. ""Yes, there is a master timeline but it is a confidential document!" explains Aonuma-san. "The only people to have access to that document are myself, Mr. Miyamoto and the director of the title. We can't share it with anyone else! I have already talked to Mr. Miyamoto about this so I am comfortable releasing this information--this title [Skyward Sword] takes place before Ocarina of Time. If I said that a certain title was 'the first Zelda game', then that means we cant ever make a title that takes place before that! So for us to be able to add titles to the series, we have to have a way of putting the titles before or after each other."" (Official Nintendo Magazine, Future Publishing, pg. 51)
  175. OMN Interviews Eij Aonuma, Talks Skyward Sword and More
  176. Supplementary Information about Earnings Release, April 2012, Nintendo.
  177. Reynolds, Johnny. “Top 10 Legend of Zelda Games of All Time.” WatchMojo, 18 Apr. 2020
  178. Alden, G. (2021). Every Major Legend of Zelda Game Ranked. YouTube. MojoPlays (WatchMojo). Retrieved July 27, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9R7jh5pPBj8.
  179. Helix Sleep. (2023). Top 10 Zelda Games | The Completionist. YouTube. Retrieved July 26, 2023, from https://youtu.be/_mo9zKXjhQA.
  180. GoNintendo - Zelda Wii has the longest development cycle since Ocarina of Time
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