The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword revealed and detailed

by Griffin McElroy on Jun 15th 2010 12:17PM

As promised by Cammie earlier this year, Nintendo's E3 press conference brought the first solid details on the next installment in the Legend of Zelda franchise, subtitled Skyward Sword. The brief trailer for the game shown during the Nintendo E3 press conference featured far more vivid visuals than those of Twilight Princess, but with a very similar UI.

It also features a new control scheme, which uses the MotionPlus peripheral for more direct swordplay, and the Nunchuck for more direct ... shieldplay. There's no actual aiming the game's ranged tools using the WiiMote pointer -- everything appears to be motion-based. Unfortunately, the press conference tech demo seems to be experiencing some "technical difficulties." Hopefully we'll have better luck when we try the game out on the E3 show floor.

New items (which appear on a new radial menu) include a remote-controlled beetle, which you can use to collect faraway objects, and a whip, which you ... can use to collect faraway items. Man, Link has gotten really lazy, hasn't he? Miyamoto announced that the game will be available next year, at which point Link's stationary lifestyle should have transformed the typically lean hero into a slovenly mess.

Tags: e3-2010, Legend-of-Zelda-2010, nintendo, The-Legend-of-Zelda-Skyward-Sword, wii, Zelda

Reader Comments (34)

Poor Miyamoto.

Hopefully it works better on the show floor than it has for him. =(

@Ezio Auditore da Firenze I hate it when a demo doesn't go right. There were quite a bit of issues. Hopefully we get some footage of on the floor play testing.

@Ezio Auditore da Firenze
Assuming it was just interference, I am completely okay with the controls. I feel like some people will complain that there's too much motion control (maybe the aiming could have used IR instead of the Motion Plus) but I think it looks pretty fun. I also think the art style was a nice choice cause TP-like graphics turn out a little bland on the less-than-powerful Wii.

@Ezio Auditore da Firenze
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4033/4703769312_052732929f_b.jpg

@Ezio Auditore da Firenze

Best part is the controls in older Zelda titles were never poor, so I definitely believe he was having interference. You could tell by his face he was really confused as to why it was not working. I love how they kept it humorous though. He has never failed us in the past. He wouldn't start now.

"everything appears to be motion-based"
what.

first thing nintendo reveals is the new zelda we've all been waiting for

talk about

*puts on sunglasses*

cutting to the chase

@skyblaze

*ahem*

YEAHHHHHHHHH

the interference is actually part of the game you have to play through.. it adds extra level of difficulty.. If you can beat the game with a high level of frustration then you get to pay Nintendo more money.

I'm a huge fan of Zelda and I can't wait for the game, but I hate the motion controls.

@TheMichaelJackson -

Accurate motion controls are only one half of the experience with sword-type games. The other half is animations for all of the possible angles you could possibly slice from, and for stabs, etc. Since Zelda doesn't allow for dismemberment, or blood, all you can really do is use the sword as a club, with the only advancements coming from having to pick where you slice (up or down, vertically or horizontally, etc). Without both halves of the experience, we might as well be using a regular wii-mote (for swordplay specifically; obviously there are advancements for other things)

This is why I was so enthused for MGS: Rising yesterday; It may not be motion control (unless Sony has an announcement to make..) but the amount of control over the sword slicing is great. I'd rather have a new Zelda game than Rising, but I'd love it if Zelda had that level of sword control.

Here's hoping that there really was interference on stage, and that it will work flawlessly on the show floor.

@TheMichaelJackson
I'd prefer another Gamecube game if only the graphics would be as cool. I just like my regular controller more than the Wii remote.

I hope it was wireless interference, cuz it looked unplayable to me.

@profeteer

They were in a room full of thousands of wireless devices so yeah. Red Steel 2 pulled off things fine. Even Red Steel 1 was more responsive than what he showed. Something wasn't right.

@profeteer

Have you ever had sunlight shine on the sensor bar?
It was the stage lighting.

I thought the game looked pretty good. More shadow effects and color than in Twilight Princess. Assuming they get the controls together (which they will), I'll be picking that up.

that was an awkward presentation. Hopefully the problems were because of technical difficulties and not the game itself.

@hsol
IGN said something about that...that it was all the infrared devices in the room and not the game.

Demo was very poorly done. Looks like it was rushed. They still need to work out the kinks. People pressure him too much about Zelda games & it's starting to take a toll on him & his games. Give him time people

I'm hoping this isn't another Ocarina/ LttP rehash. Twilight Princess is a great game, but let's have some innovation this time.

Not that I don't want to see innovation ..... but what exactly do you mean by Innovation ?

It seems like a near impossible task.
On the one hand they have an awesome formula for cranking out a reliably good game series but people complain that its old-hat.

On the other hand if they innovate too much people are going to complain that "this isn't even a zelda game".

It really is a catch 22 for them but I will agree that they do need to spice things up somehow. What people are essentially asking them is to break the mold ...... without breaking the mold.

I hope they consider handedness this time around so the southpaws can switch the sword back into the hand its supposed to be in.

@redjack I would like to see that as well. I'm not left handed but id probably play it left handed if they had that option as Link is left handed and that shouldn't have ever changed.

@Thanat0s
Link isn't left handed. When you're swordfighting you use your dominant hand to hold your shield.

@mountainjew
What are you talking about? For most people, the shield is held in the left hand and the sword in the right. It is well documented that Link is (or was) indeed left handed.

I LOVE the graphic style, seriously... but it's a shame that the demo didn't go too well. I really hope they do mix things up quite a bit this time around.

im hoping it was interference and not the game..i have huge hopes for this..im also a little pissed no story info was revealed

It might have no worked well during the conference, but Nintendo knows quality and they wouldn't have showed it off the game functioned poorly. So I trust the motion controls work well. Art style looks great. Good to see Nintendo is pushing for unique art styles than realistic graphics.

@(Unverified) I gotta proofread...

finally i get to see how it feels to be link =)

Would have preferred a bit of story explanation, and leave the gameplay to the floor tomorrow.

"There's no actual aiming the game's ranged tools using the WiiMote pointer -- everything appears to be motion-based"

I bet this may upset people on here. The truth is this has calmed my fears.

POINTING THE WIIMOTE TO USE THE BOW AND ARROW WAS IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME AS A LEFT HANDER.

Thats right. Left handers get shunned in stuff like this.

We've all grown up with the control stick in the left hand, so we can't put it into our right hand. But that means the wiimote goes in our right hand... and we're left handed, so people like me that are strongly left-handed can't point at the TV screen while keeping my hand steady! I had to aim with the control stick in the end, that was FASTER.

Awesome Nintendo! ^^

I read the first line as "as promised by commies earlier this year", and thought, "joystiq's racist?!"

http://www.zeldac.com Check out the latest Skyward Sword news here.

Sorry, you must be logged in to leave a comment.

Breaking News

The most popular posts
in the last 7 days

Vita 'UMD Passport' won't be offered in US 221 comments
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning review: A tempting fate 155 comments
Blizzard taking Valve to court over 'DOTA' trademark 109 comments
David Jaffe leaves Eat Sleep Play, layoffs hit developer [Update] 107 comments
Don't call it a remake: Final Fantasy X is a 'remaster,' to be clear 95 comments