The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Logo of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Original title	ゼ ル ダ の 伝 説 ス カ イ ウ ォ ー ド ソ ー ド
transcription	Zeruda no Densetsu: Sukaiwōdo Sōdo
Studio	Nintendo: EAD Kyoto 3 (development and production) SPD et al. (Support) Monolith Soft (support character, environment and effect design, animation) SRD (programming) Digital Media Lab (animations)
Publisher	Nintendo Nintendo of Europe Nintendo of America
Senior Developer	Hidemaro Fujibayashi (Director) Eiji Aonuma (Producer) Shigeru Miyamoto (General Producer) Hajime Wakai , Kōji Kondō , Mahito Yokota , Takeshi Hama, Shiho Fujii (Composers)
Erstveröffent- lichung	November 18, 2011 November 20, 2011 November 23, 2011 November 24, 2011 November 24, 2011
platform	Wii
genre	Action adventure
Game mode	Single player
control	Wii Remote + Nunchuk + WiiMotion Plus
medium	Wii single-layer disc
language	German, English, French, Italian, Japanese, Spanish
Age rating	USK PEGI
PEGI content rating
information	Motion control

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword ( Japanese ゼ ル ダ の 伝 説 ス カ イ ウ ォ ー ド ソ ー ド , Zeruda no Densetsu: Sukaiwōdo Sōdo ; short: TLoZ: SS ) is an action-adventure video game from Nintendo for the Wii . It was released worldwide in November 2011. The game is the 16th part of the The Legend of Zelda series .

In Skyward Sword , the player slips into the role of the boy Link, who is initially looking for his girlfriend Zelda. The story takes place chronologically before the events of the other series offshoots and reports on the origin of numerous plot elements. The graphics of the game are influenced by impressionism and most of the music was played by an orchestra. A Wii remote control with the Motion Plus controller add-on is required for control purposes, as the game is partly controlled by the player's movements using the remote control.

Nintendo's Entertainment Analysis & Development (EAD) development department developed the game under the direction of Hidemaro Fujibayashi . Monolith Soft and other internal Nintendo departments provided additional support . With a development period of five years and over 100 directly involved, Skyward Sword is the largest in-house Nintendo production to date. In 2008 the project was confirmed for the first time, a year later a concept sketch was published and the official unveiling followed in mid-2010.

Skyward Sword received extremely positive reviews and received numerous awards. The game is also commercially successful; according to Nintendo, it is the fastest- selling Zelda game and has been sold over three million times. The game was important for the Wii console, because the use of motion control in the game was seen by the trade press as trend-setting.

action

An old legend tells of the origin of all evil, the killer. He begins a gruesome battle to obtain the Triforce - the infinite power that fulfills all desires of its owner. The goddess Hylia raises a piece of the earth into the sky to hide the Triforce there and thus protect it from evil. It gives the surviving people security on this heavenly island. Then she and her other followers go into the final battle against the Deathbringer and can banish him.

Link and Zelda are the protagonists of Skyward Sword ; Pictured are cosplayers whose costumes match the appearance of Link and Zelda from Twilight Princess .

Centuries later, the real action begins on the island above the clouds, the so-called cloud hoard, which is located in the sea of ​​clouds through which people ride on giant birds. The plot revolves around the boy Link, who attends the knight school and is friends with Zelda, the headmaster's daughter. One day, Zelda is dragged into the land below the clouds by a cyclone. Link is then led into the statue of the goddess by a creature named Phai. There he receives the sword of the goddess in which she resides.

Link travels through a hole in the sea of ​​clouds into the forest of Phirone. There he comes across the Temple of the Seal, from where an old woman sends him to the Temple of the Heavenly Sight, where Zelda is supposed to stay. Link, however, meets a creature there who introduces itself as the Dark Lord Ghirahim. He was behind Zelda's abduction and has the goal of resuscitating his master. Zelda is no longer in the temple, which is why Link travels on through a volcanic area and finally locates the Temple of Time in a desert and tracks down a time portal. Near the portal he comes across Zelda, who is accompanied by the guardian Impa. They are unexpectedly attacked by Ghirahim. While Link buys them time by fighting Ghirahim, Zelda and Impa pass through the time portal and then destroy it.

Link later discovers a second time portal in the Temple of the Seal. To open it, he has to strengthen his sword with the help of three sacred flames that are located in three temples across the country. After completing this mission, Link will return to the seal stamp. Before he can open the portal, the seal of an exiled monster breaks in the forest. The boy fights the creature and renews its seal, whereupon he passes through the portal into the past and meets Zelda there. Zelda explains to Link that during this time the Deathbringer was only just defeated by the goddess. The exile is a remnant of the Deathbringer. Ghirahim, explains Zelda, is a servant of the Deathbringer and wants to revive him through a ritual for which he needs Zelda. Zelda claims to be the reborn goddess Hylia, whose goal is the ultimate victory over the Deathbringer. She orders Link to collect the three parts of the legendary Triforce in the present in order to destroy the Deathbringer forever. Zelda gives Link's sword the blessing of the goddess, making it the master sword. In order to strengthen the seal of the exiled Deathbringer, she decides to go into a deep, spiritual sleep.

The Triforce plays an important role in Skyward Sword because whoever collects it will have their wishes fulfilled.

In the present, Link is looking for the Triforce in the cloud hoard. To find the legendary relic of the gods, Link must piece together the hero's song. In fact, by means of the song, he found a temple in the cloud hoard that houses the three parts of the Triforces. With the Triforce, Link wipes out the killer from the world. After destroying the Deathbringer, Zelda wakes up from her sleep. In the seal stamp, Link again encounters Ghirahim, who kidnaps Zelda and steps through the time portal in order to awaken the dead man from the past. Link pursues the Dark Lord through the portal and discovers him while he starts the ritual to revive the Deathbringer with Zelda's soul. Link wins the sword duel against Ghirahim, but the ritual has long been over.

In the fight against the resurrected Deathbringer, the boy learns that Ghirahim is the Deathbringer's sword. Ultimately, Link triumphs over the Demon King. With his last word he threatens that his hatred will always be reborn and try to gain the power of the Triforce; He also puts a curse on Zelda and Link, so that they will be reborn forever and have to face the incarnations of the Deathbringer. Through the successful fight Zelda's soul is saved, the remnant of the soul of the Deathbringer is banished in the master sword. The task of the master sword and Phai is now complete and Link must leave it in the seal stamp in the past. Zelda accompanies him back through the portal; she decides to live with Link on earth and to found a new country.

Gameplay

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is an action-adventure video game . The player takes on the role of the protagonist Link and controls him in the third person. In the standard view, the camera is fixed slightly above behind Link. The game status can only be saved in special locations or during certain events in the game.

To progress in the game, areas must be explored, missions completed, puzzles solved and battles won. Link takes damage if opponents attack him, if he is injured by danger or if he falls from a great height. His life force is given in hearts; if injured, he will lose a certain number of hearts. When all hearts are used up, Link dies and the game ends.

Link fights opponents with sword and shield. Other items that can be used in combat include a bow and arrow. Most opponents can only be defeated if Link injures their weak point with the sword. He uses the shield to defend himself against enemy attacks. Sighting is helpful in combat.

Apart from short exclamations and interjection of the characters as well as the "language" of the creature Phai, Skyward Sword does not contain any speech output .

According to the developers, the average playing time of Skyward Sword including additional game modes is between 50 and 100 hours. Video game journalists estimate the playing time of the first run to be around 30 to 40 hours. Skyward Sword also includes around 100 minutes of footage.

Control and items

The Motion Plus adapter is used for realistic sword fighting and other control options; in the picture it is separate and not connected.

Skyward Sword is played with the Wii Remote. You also need a nunchuck (left), which is connected to the remote control.

Skyward Sword is played with a Wii Remote Control including Motion Plus and a Nunchuk , with the remote control held in the right hand and the nunchuk in the left hand. Link is steered with the analog stick of the nunchuck, the other buttons of the nunchuck are used to control the camera. Further actions and items are used by buttons on the remote control.

A central part of the control is the sword fight through motion control, which is made possible by the gyroscope in the Motion-Plus adapter. The Wii remote control controls the protagonist's sword; the adapter precisely records the movements of the remote control in the room and transfers them to the game. In the game, sword strokes are recorded in eight directions, horizontally right and left, vertically right and left, and diagonally. For other items, the remote control is moved or tilted. A jerky twitch with the nunchuck lets Link pull out his shield.

Special strokes are available in sword fighting: the horizontal whirling stroke, for which both the remote control and the nunchuck are swung horizontally, as well as the corresponding vertical whirling stroke. If the sword is held in the air for a few seconds, the sky ray is charged, which amplifies normal blows. If the remote control is jerked forward, Link will perform a shock blow.

In the course of the adventure, Link collects numerous other items in addition to sword and shield. The eight most important items can be used at any time, provided Link has them. The first of these items is the slingshot . The Wii remote control is used for this purpose. The magic jug, which works like a leaf blower and can blow sand away in parts of the game, and the butterfly net are controlled in a similar way . The mechanical beetle flies in the air and is controlled by tilting the remote control, it can collect objects from a distance, activate switches and more. Link also has bombs that he either throws the Wii Remote or rolls across the floor. The item whip activates switches from a distance, and Link can swing himself over abysses. The remote control is also swung for the whip. There is also the grappling hook , for which special points must be aimed at where the hook can get caught and Link can hold onto the wall. Finally there is a bow and arrow . The bow is drawn with the nunchuck and aimed with the remote control.

Game flow

The course of the game of Skyward Sword starts in the cloud hoard, which the player can freely commit. Among other things, houses can be visited or items can be bought. Relatively early after the game starts, Link receives a sword and shield and can explore the sea of ​​clouds while floating on a cloud bird. In the sea of ​​clouds it is later possible to reach areas below the clouds. The three areas of the earth have to be explored in order to find the temples, of which there are a total of seven. In the labyrinth-like temples you have to solve puzzles and find the right way. At the end of each temple there is a boss fight and Link receives a new item. After a temple is passed, the game continues. The temples must be explored in a specific, linear way.

Later on, Link travels to familiar play areas again and breaks new ground. In this phase of the game there are mini-games in the course of the game, including, for example, the silent realm , which Link has to cross four times. Here he has no weapons and has to find a certain number of items. He must not be discovered by the guards who are spread across the area, otherwise they will pursue him and the player has to start over if they touch Link.

development

Involved studios and contributors

Skyward Sword was developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development (EAD). The EAD's third software development group responsible for the Zelda series was responsible for the game. Individual employees from other EAD groups and from Nintendo Software Planning & Development (SPD) also contributed. The programming was mainly done by SRD , which has been working with EAD for a long time.

Hidemaro Fujibayashi served as the director of the development of Skyward Sword , and the producer was the head of the Zelda development team, Eiji Aonuma . The series creator and EAD manager Shigeru Miyamoto was involved as general producer . Supervisors are Takashi Tezuka - EAD manager and long-time producer - and the SRD President Toshihiko Nakago . The long-time composer of the Mario and Zelda games, Kōji Kondō , supervised the work of the other composers. With the exception of Aonuma and Fujubayashi, these people were involved in the first Zelda games.

The credits list twelve names as those responsible for planning. Toshio Iwawaki and Kazuaki Morita were program directors and coordinated the programming of the game, on which almost 35 people from SRD and the internal programming group of the EAD participated. The design director Ryuji Kobayashi was responsible for the work of the 70+ designers. The first-party studio Monolith Soft ( Xenoblade Chronicles ) provided support with the design of characters, environments and effects as well as 3D animation . The director of the film scenes was Shigeki Yoshida, and over 50 developers were involved in the planning and implementation. Most of these participants came from the external company Digital Media Lab. In addition, three people acted as actors for motion capture . Most recently, music director Hajime Wakai organized a team of ten sound engineers.

The development period was five years. Miyamoto spoke of 100 employees involved in the game, over 200 names are listed in the credits. The game is one of the most expensive developments in Nintendo's history, Miyamoto said.

Start of development and experimentation phase

Eiji Aonuma has been responsible for the Zelda series since Majora's Mask . At Skyward Sword he held the post of producer.

After the DS offshoot The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass was completed and released in June 2007, the game's sub-director, Hidemaro Fujibayashi, and his team began work on a new Zelda game for the Wii . He held the post of director. Shortly afterwards, some employees were separated from the team in order to develop the successor The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks of the DS game. After this was completed towards the end of 2009, the contributors rejoined the Skyward Sword team.

Miyamoto described the beginning of the development process as unsteady as the team struggled to agree on what a Zelda successor would need. Therefore, more experiments prior to the actual development were necessary than with previous Zelda parts. During this phase, which lasted two full years, the development team carried out numerous fragmentary tests, which Miyamoto later described as the most important development step. The numerous ideas that emerged were later sorted and the basic structure of a Zelda game reconsidered. In retrospect, Miyamoto stated that the testing phase took longer than he had planned:

“When you have a development period of five years, it's often the case that around two of those years wind up being completely wasted effort. With this game, though, I think all the work that everyone put into this project gets fully seen in the final product. I did say it was five years, but the first two of those were spent with assorted experimentation, so essentially it was three years. We went through kind of a long experimentation period, I suppose. "

“With a five-year development period, it is often the case that around two of those years are totally wasted efforts. Even so, I believe that the work everyone put into the project can be seen in the finished product. I said it was five years, but the first two of those were spent doing mixed experiments, so it was essentially three years. I suppose we went through a long period of experimentation. "

- Shigeru Miyamoto

An example of an idea that arose in this experimental phase and was implemented early in the project is the silent empires. This idea was inspired by sections in the offshoots Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks , in which Link had to avoid phantoms defenselessly. This concept was adopted and modified in Skyward Sword . It was decided to cross familiar areas with no attack and defense possibilities, as the player should already be familiar with them.

phase of development

The Skyward Sword storyline was completed before mid-2009. Phai, the spirit of the master sword in the game, was also finalized by this time. At this stage it had a different meaning within the game than in the final version. Phai was conceived because the team considered a player supportive character to be necessary. The creature's unemotional dialogue, which looks like a robot, comes almost entirely from director Fujibayashi's pen.

The Motion Plus support, which is essential for the game, was not planned from the start. Back in 2008, Aonuma and his team had planned to use the adapter in the project for more realistic sword fighting. However, the result achieved at that time was not as desired, even after several implementation approaches. That is why Motion Plus was left out again and the project was developed further for a few months without support from the periphery. The EAD game Wii Sports Resort , released in mid-2009, made intensive use of Motion Plus and also includes a sword fighting discipline, with which the producer of the game Katsuya Eguchi was able to convince Aonuma to use the technology in the Zelda project. To do this, the development team at Wii Sports Resort borrowed technology.

At that time, the actual game principle was the focus of the developers and was already well advanced. However, the graphics and plot were not yet finalized. At E³ 2009 , Nintendo published a conceptual presentation of the game. Miyamoto came to this decision so that the developers can continue to work on the game principle and not have to design a graphic style for a hastily created trailer for the fair. He later specified the statement that in 2009 the plot was already finished, but the team had not yet agreed on a graphic style.

In the concept phase, the game world was still coherent, but those responsible felt it was too big. Eventually the game was limited to three large, independent areas that were filled with denser content. Instead, ideas for other areas were discarded.

In 2010, the Skyward Sword development team worked on testing the previously installed sword fighting elements. The idea was to decide which of them should stay in the game and then link the remaining ones together. The decision to use Motion Plus for sword fighting strongly influenced its conception. Also in 2010, Miyamoto said in an interview that the game could use the Vitality Sensor - an additional device for Wii that has not been released until today (as of 2014), which was originally introduced in 2008 and is intended to measure the player's pulse. It is not known whether the developers actually worked on using the Vitality Sensor or only considered it.

music

Since the first part of the series responsible for the music, Kōji Kondō acted in the development of Skyward Sword as a supervising composer and contributed a piece himself.

Ten sound engineers were involved in Skyward Sword , five of them composers. The work was coordinated by Hajime Wakai , who has been involved since 2009 and composed some pieces himself. Mahito Yokota was responsible for some of the orchestral pieces , while the head of the EAD sound group and long-time Zelda composer Kōji Kondō supervised the other musicians and composed the piece Legend of Skyloft . Other composers involved were Shiho Fujii and Takeshi Hama.

Orchestral music was not originally intended for Skyward Sword . After a reporter question during a roundtable during E³ 2010, the developers discussed the use of orchestral music. Aonuma thought it was too much of a hassle for the project, but Miyamoto felt it was appropriate for a Zelda game. In the summer of 2010 the decision was made and Mahito Yokota, who had just finished his work on the music of Super Mario Galaxy 2 , was assigned to the project.

Skyward Sword contains almost 200 pieces of music, some of which were played by an orchestra. This was the first occasion that EAD Kyoto worked with an orchestra. EAD's Tokyo studio had previously created orchestral music twice, for Super Mario Galaxy and its successor. Mahito Yokota from the Tokyo department joined the team to support EAD Kyoto.

Some pieces of music are arrangements of older pieces from the series, for example Great Fairy Fountain or Master Sword . The main theme of the game, Ballad of the Goddess , is a musical gimmick. The main part of the piece is an inverted version of Zelda's lullaby , which has appeared in the series since A Link to the Past and is the melody of the character Zelda.

Graphic style

The graphic style of Skyward Sword is inspired by impressionism and is reminiscent of watercolors . It is a tribute to the French painter Paul Cézanne and testifies to Miyamoto's love for impressionism. Within the game series, the graphic style can be positioned between The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess . The former featured comic-like cel-shading graphics, the follow-up game Twilight Princess relied on a realistic graphic style. Skyward Sword mixes the realistic proportions from Twilight Princess with the color scheme and design reminiscent of The Wind Waker .

Announcements and presentations

A Skyward Sword demo was playable at E³ 2010.

In April 2008 Shigeru Miyamoto confirmed for the first time that the Zelda team was forming for a new project. Later in 2008, Miyamoto said in an interview that the developers were working simultaneously on a Wii and a DS offshoot of The Legend of Zelda . The development group for the new Wii- Zelda consists of the teams behind Twilight Princess and Phantom Hourglass . Miyamoto also claimed that the next Zelda will require new, but not entirely revolutionary, ideas. At that point, his team is looking for such ideas. At the game fair E³ 2009, new information about the new Wii- Zelda was announced behind closed doors . The public was informed that the game would use the Motion Plus adapter for realistic sword fighting. In addition, a concept sketch for the game was published as the first game material. An adult link can be seen on it, but he does not carry a sword; instead a shadowy girl is visible.

In early 2010, Nintendo President Iwata assured that the game would appear in 2010. Nintendo America President Reggie Fils-Aime admitted shortly afterwards that the game only appears when it is perfect. At the beginning of February 2010 his team emphasized that they were trying to complete the game as quickly as possible in order to present it in a playable form at E³ 2010. On June 15, Nintendo announced the game as The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword at the E³ conference and presented a trailer for the game. 2011 was given as the publication period. Then Miyamoto presented the game and demonstrated not only the use of the sword but also new items. In July 2010, Aonuma announced a release date for early 2011. Miyamoto, however, later described the progress of the project in December 2010 with the words over half complete (more than half complete) . In contrast to this, he had claimed at E³ that the game was only missing the finishing touches, which is why a release date of 2010 could not be kept.

At the Nintendo E³ conference on June 7, 2011, Nintendo released new game material. Miyamoto also specified the release date for Skyward Sword for the holiday season and announced that Nintendo would release a gold Wii remote control with the game. At the end of June 2011, Aonuma announced in an interview that the game was complete and that his team was still working on the subtleties of the game balance. He is also aiming for simultaneous worldwide publication.

Publication, distribution and commercial success

publication

Skyward Sword was released worldwide in November 2011. It first came out in Europe, where Nintendo of Europe (NoE) brought it to stores on Friday, November 18, alongside Super Mario 3D Land . On November 20, the release in North America by Nintendo of America (NoA) and only on November 23 in Japan. In the Australian continent, the game was released the following day, November 24th. For marketing purposes, commercials were shot with the US actor Robin Williams and his daughter Zelda Williams .

2011 marked the 25th anniversary of the Zelda series, the first part of which was released in 1986 for the Nintendo Entertainment System . On the occasion of this anniversary, special campaigns and publications related to the series took place throughout the year. A total of seven Zelda games were released in 2011 : four ports, two new editions, and the highlight, Skyward Sword .

Editions

The Skyward Sword Limited Edition Pack includes a gold Wii Remote that has Motion Plus built into it.

The following three editions of Skyward Sword were available at launch :

• the normal edition, which only includes the game;
• the Special Edition or Limited Edition, which comes with a music CD in addition to the game;
• the Limited Edition Pack, which includes both a game and a music CD and a special Wii remote control with integrated Skyward Sword- style Motion Plus .

The music CD has eight arrangements of pieces of music from the Zelda series, recorded by an orchestra as part of the 25th anniversary of the game series. Three making-of videos were available for a short period of time on the Nintendo Video 3DS app . The following list gives an overview of the orchestral pieces:

No.	Japanese title	English title	French title	Spanish title	Original game (s)	Length in minutes
	ゼ ル ダ の 伝 説 25 周年 オ ー ケ ス ト ラ コ ン サ ー ト ス ペ シ ャ ル ＣＤ Zeruda no Densetsu 25-Shūnen Ōkesutora Konsāto Supesharu CD	The Legend of Zelda: 25th Anniversary Special Orchestra CD	The Legend of Zelda: CD spécial 25e anniversaire - version orchestral
1	ゼ ル ダ の 伝 説 25 周年 シ ン フ ォ ニ ー Zeruda no Densetsu 25-Shūnen Shinfonī	The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Medley	Pot-pourri du 25e anniversaire de The Legend of Zelda Medley du 25e anniversaire de The Legend of Zelda	Popurrí del 25.º aniversario de The Legend of Zelda	several series offshoots	8:08 or 8:09
2	カ カ リ コ 村 ～ ト ワ イ ラ イ ト プ リ ン セ ス テ ー マ Kakariko-mura ~ Towairaito Purinsesu Tēma	Kakariko Village - Twilight Princess Theme	Le village Cocorico - Thême de Twilight Princess	Kakariko - Tema de Twilight Princess	various from A Link to the Past ; Twilight Princess	2:50
3	風 の タ ク ト メ ド レ ー Kaze no Takuto Medorē	The Wind Waker Symphonic Movement	Mouvement symphonique de The Wind Waker	Movimiento sinfónico de The Wind Waker	Wind waker	10:31
4th	ゲ ル ド の 谷 Gerudo no Tani	Gerudo Valley	Vallée Gerudo	Valle Gerudo	various from Ocarina of Time	3:36
5	大 妖精 の テ ー マ Daiyōsei no Tēma	Great Fairy's Fountain Theme	Thème de la fontaine de la granda fée	The theme of the fuente de la Gran Hada	various from A Link to the Past	3:04
6th	ト ワ イ ラ イ ト プ リ ン セ ス メ ド レ ー Towairaito Purinsesu Medorē	Twilight Princess Symphonic Movement	Mouvement symphonique de Twilight Princess	Movimiento sinfónico de Twilight Princess	Twilight Princess	10:31
7th	ゼ ル ダ の 伝 説 メ イ ン テ ー マ Zeruda no Densetsu Meintēma	The Legend of Zelda Main Theme Medley	Pot-pourri du thème principal de The Legend of Zelda Medley du thème principal de The Legend of Zelda	Popurrí del tema principal de The Legend of Zelda	various from The Legend of Zelda	4:29
8th	「ス カ イ ウ ォ ー ド ソ ー ド」 女神 の 詩 "Sukaiwōdo Sōdo" Megami no Uta	Ballad of the Goddess from Skyward Sword	Chant de la Déesse de Skyward Sword Chant de la Déesse - Skyward Sword	Cántico de la Diosa de Skyward Sword	Skyward Sword	2:06

Sales figures

The following list documents Media Create's estimated sales figures for Japan for the first three weeks. In its first week of sales, the game managed to top the country's game charts.

Period	Units sold in the period	Total units sold so far	Chart place
21.-27. November	194.978	194.978	1
November 28th - December 4th	32.191	227.169	5
5th-11th December	19,947	247.116	18th

The US game debut fell near Black Friday , the day after Thanksgiving, which is considered the start of Christmas shopping. According to Nintendo of America President Fils-Aime, Skyward Sword sold 535,000 times in North America during its first week of sales, making it the Zelda game with the highest sales in the first week. In addition, Skyward Sword caused a surge in Wii sales.

According to the market analysis company Media Control, the game took fourth place in the German charts in its first week of sales from November 14th to 20th, and the limited version came fifth.

Official delivery figures in millions:

was standing	Global	Japan	Overseas
December 2011	3.42	0.38	3.04
March 2012	3.52	0.36 [sic!]	3.15

As of October 2012, the VGChartz website estimates 3.42 million games sold worldwide, including around 0.36 million in Japan, one million in Europe and almost 1.6 million in North America.

Programming error

A serious programming bug exists in Skyward Sword . The error occurs roughly in the middle of the game, when a conversation is held before the completion of a certain task with a certain game character. After that, it is no longer possible to complete the mission; further game progress is therefore not possible. If there is no previous save file, the game is unusable and must be restarted. Since the Wii console does not allow subsequent patching , a Wii channel was offered for download worldwide at the end of December, which repairs the saved data from Skyward Sword .

analysis

Classification of the game story in the saga of the series

Skyward Sword is a prequel to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time , the plot of the game is chronologically the first in the entire series. It revolves around the origin of central plot elements in Ocarina of Time and parts that act later, such as the reincarnations of Link and Zelda, the legendary master sword and the antagonist Ganon.

Back in August 2010 - more than a year before the game was released - producer Eiji Aonuma confirmed that the plot of Skyward Sword would take place before the other games in the series. Future offshoots could act even earlier. At the same time, Aonuma confirmed that there is a timeline that links the plot of all series offshoots. Although he claimed that only he and Miyamoto had access to the document and that it would not be published, the full Zelda games timeline was published in the Hyrule Historia published in Japan in December 2011 .

Aonuma emphasized at the time that the plot of Skyward Sword also revolves around the creation of the master sword , the legendary weapon of the heroes from later offshoots. The focus of action on the sword was based on the fact that the game principle is also heavily dependent on the way the sword is handled. Aonuma also announced that the central opponent of the Zelda games Ganon will not appear in Skyward Sword . Instead, Ganon's origin is explained - he is the deathbringer personified anger. In each offshoot of the Zelda series, the protagonists Link and Zelda are reincarnations of Link and Zelda from Skyward Sword , as the curse of the Deathbringer weighs on them.

The following graphic is the official timeline of the Zelda series from Hyrule Historia and shows in a schematic overview the order in which the actions of the individual Zelda offshoots play.

Skyward Sword

The Minish Cap

Four swords

Ocarina of Time

Timeline A: The Hero of Time fails to stop Ganon at the end of Ocarina of Time .

Timeline B: The hero of time is successful, returns to the past and experiences his childhood.

Timeline C: The hero of time succeeds, returns to the past and the future takes place without him.

A link to the past

Majora's Mask

The Wind Waker

Link's Awakening

Twilight Princess

Phantom Hourglass

Oracle of Ages / Seasons

Four Swords Adventures

Spirit tracks

A Link Between Worlds

Tri Force Heroes

The Legend of Zelda

The Adventure of Link

Breath of the Wild

Game principle and plot in comparison with other Zelda games

Since the gameplay of Skyward Sword focuses on the sword control, the weapon itself has been given new functions that were previously not available in the series. For example, the sword can be used in the game like a kind of metal detector : The sword is steered by the remote control and shows by means of visual and acoustic signals in which direction important items are. Also for the first time in the series, Link has limited stamina that is used up in a long sprint. If the endurance is at zero, Link has to recover for a few seconds. Small obstacles can also be overcome by sprinting.

Game producer Eiji Aonuma announced that he and his team had tried to redefine the typical gameplay of a Zelda game. Previous series offshoots largely followed the scheme of exploration - temple - new item received - boss fight - explore new area . In Skyward Sword , the overworld is more important because it is more complex and puzzling. In addition, the player does not constantly explore new areas, but often travels to familiar areas and discovers new paths there.

The plot is more pronounced in Skyward Sword than in previous series offshoots. The core character Zelda here is a childhood friend Links, and not a princess. The relationship between the two main characters Link and Zelda is also much clearer in Skyward Sword than in its predecessors.

reception

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword received very positive reviews across the board . The global average is around 93 out of 100 points. In reviews, the game was often compared to the older series offshoot Ocarina of Time , the average best-rated game of all time according to both Metacritic and gamerankings. Some testers, for example from IGN, thought Skyward Sword was better than Ocarina of Time .

Skyward Sword received perfect ratings from various video game magazines , for example from IGN Entertainment , Wired , Edge or Famitsu . In addition, the game received several awards for Game of the Year (GotY for short). Non-video game-oriented publications also published reviews of the game, including Stern , Spiegel Online , The Guardian and The Observer .

It was also a success from a commercial point of view: it sold faster than any Zelda game before. After that, the sales figures rose only slowly, so that by mid-2012 they were in the range between three and four million sales.

General reviews

IGN Entertainment's Richard George hailed Skyward Sword as the best Zelda game of all time. It's the best Wii game and one of the best video games in the last decade. George particularly praises the gameplay, which impresses with its controls and a high degree of variety. He also highlighted the plot of the game; the cinematic scenes are so successful that there is no Nintendo game with a better storytelling. In this way, according to George, the characters' emotions are clearly illustrated even without voice output. The graphic style was also successful and fits the game series.

Game Informer magazine was particularly impressed with the game's controls and the combat system that made the series' most exciting boss fights possible. The biggest surprise for editor Phil Kollar was the plot of the game, the characters of which could have come from one of the better Disney films. For him, these two major changes represented a further development of the Zelda games.

Website game reviewer Kotaku Stephen Totilo was disappointed in the first half of his playthrough with the structure of the game, which looked too similar to its predecessors. The first ten hours of the game represented a slow introduction, which was too much oriented towards the formula of the previous games. In the next 20 hours, the better, game-specific interpretation of the Zelda standards became clear in order to defy the expectations and allow the game to flow in the last hours of the game create that hardly reminds of the typical structure of a Zelda game. For Topilo, the temples of the game represented the most creative labyrinths in a video game, and he was also convinced of the music. He rated boss opponents and items positively, but was negative about the ability to move around in the game.

Chris Kohler from Wired GameLife emphasizes graphics and sound and describes the gameplay as varied and balanced, and the script as humorous. He sees the long playing time used sensibly and distributed. He also said positively that the game tries to solve rehearsed structures of the series.

Official Nintendo Magazine wrote in the introduction to its Skyward Sword review:

“We'll say it upfront: Skyward Sword is the best Zelda game ever made. It's a constantly surprising adventure that progresses at breakneck pace, guiding you through unexpected and original locations, presenting you with breathtaking, inspiring vistas and introducing you to charming, funny and memorable characters. It's an absolute masterpiece from start to finish and a contender for the crown of best game on Wii. "

“Let's be honest: Skyward Sword is the best Zelda game ever made. It's a constantly surprising adventure that progresses at breakneck pace, takes you through unexpected and original places, presents itself with breathtaking, inspiring views, and introduces you to charming, fun, and unforgettable characters. It is a perfect masterpiece from start to finish and a contender for the crown of best Wii game. ”

- Steve Hogarty : Official Nintendo Magazine

Motion control

Sony's reaction to Nintendo's Wii remote: PlayStation Move

Microsoft's motion control add-on hardware is based on a camera, Kinect .

Skyward Sword was perceived by critics as a groundbreaking game for motion control, as it would not have been possible without this technology. For example, the 1: 1 sword fight with buttons and sticks could not have been built in without compromise. In addition, the developers tried with Skyward Sword to use motion control in a product aimed at frequent gamers, which is important in that this type of control is considered controversial in the target group.

IGN editor Michael Thomsen, for example, sees Skyward Sword as the future of motion control. In contrast to games, in which swinging or shaking the remote control is only used as a substitute for pressing a button, here 1: 1 sword fighting was not uncompromisingly possible with buttons and sticks - the game design was specially designed for movement control. Not only the Wii offers motion control, the competing consoles Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 also offer their own systems: PlayStation Move and Kinect . Since there are similar problems with a game design that does not match motion control, Thomsen considers Skyward Sword to point the way across platforms. Skyward Sword makes good use of motion control insofar as the game was developed directly for this and adapts the game design accordingly. The controls fit into the game principle, as the developers had sorted out those game techniques that could not be implemented with gestures and upper body movements.

As a result, players and the trade press found it difficult to return to traditional keyboard controls. Producer Aonuma also said that it would be difficult for him to return to button control in future series offshoots.

Other video game journalists were negative about motion control, claiming that it should be optional and not mandatory. The website Destructoid states that Zelda is not a game that lends itself well to motion control. The traditional control method exclusively via buttons and buttons is more familiar for frequent players and thus increases the depth of the game more than movement control, while advocates of the technology argue the other way round. For casual gamers, however, motion control is indeed better suited. Therefore it was better not to force anyone to use this control variant. This could have prevented many players from being put off by Skyward Sword . Destructoid contradicted the argument that Skyward Sword could not be implemented with traditional controls.

Meaning for the Wii

Nintendo Wii

In 2011, sales of the Wii console fell more sharply than before and hardly any titles appeared that appealed to frequent gamers. Video game journalists named Skyward Sword as the only Wii highlight in 2011. The weak software support was foreseeable as the console was nearing the end of its life cycle. Richard George from IGN thought Skyward Sword was on the one hand good quality as a compensation for the insufficient range of games, but the publication of a single game of this kind is hardly enough for a year. By making good use of the Wii features, Skyward Sword was considered a swan song for the console.

Rating mirror

The two websites Metacritic and gamerankings.com use their own algorithms to calculate global averages of video games using selected, in some cases international, ratings. Skyward Sword achieved a so-called Metascore of 93/100 at Metacritic and a value of 93.34% at gamerankings.com, calculated from 81 and 56 individual ratings.

Magazine / website	Rating	date
1Up	B +	November 11, 2011
4players	84/100	November 17, 2011
Computer picture games	1.47	5th December 2011
Edge	10/10	October 21, 2011
Famitsu	40/40	November 16, 2011
Game Critics	60/100	January 8, 2012
Game Informer	4.5 / 5	November 4, 2011
IGN US	10/10	November 11, 2011
Joystiq	4.5 / 5	November 11, 2011
Nintendo Power	95/100
N zone	93/100	November 16, 2011
Official Nintendo Magazine UK	98/100	October 22, 2011
The Daily Telegraph	5/5	November 17, 2011
The Escapist	5/5	November 11, 2011
The Guardian	5/5	November 11, 2011
Wired	10/10	November 11, 2011

1. ↑ 1Up uses the American school grading system for assessment.
2. ↑ Computer Bild uses decimal numbers between 1 and 6 as a rating
3. ↑ As a print version, Edge had the world's first rating of the game.
4. ↑ The rating of Famitsu consists of the individual ratings of four editors on a scale of up to 10.
5. ↑ Game Critics published the most negative game criticism recorded by Metacritic.

Awards

Skyward Sword received numerous awards for Game of the Year (Game of the Year, GotY for short) from. The following table provides an overview of the award ceremonies in which the game was nominated or awarded.

Surname	price	nominated / awarded	date
BÄM! Computec Games Award	Most Wanted: Wii 2011	excellent	Aug 2011 ( Gamescom )
British Academy Video Game Awards		nominated	16. Mar. 2012
Game Developers Choice Awards	best game design 2011	nominated	Jan. 2012
Interactive Achievement Awards	Game of the year 2011	nominated	Jan. 2012
Interactive Achievement Awards	Best Adventure Game 2011	nominated	Jan. 2012
METI Japan Game Awards 2012	Excellence Award	excellent	Sep 2012
IGN Best of 2011	2011 Wii Game of the Year	excellent	Jan. 17, 2012
IGN Best of 2011	Game of the year 2011	nominated	Jan. 17, 2012
IGN Best of 2011	Best adventure game 2011	nominated	Jan. 17, 2012
IGN Best of 2011	Best graphic 2011	nominated	Jan. 17, 2012
IGN Best of 2011	Best sound 2011	nominated	Jan. 17, 2012
IGN Best of 2011	Best Act 2011	nominated	Jan. 17, 2012
Edge 2011 Game of the Year Awards	Game of the year 2011	excellent	Dec 2011
Edge 2011 Game of the Year Awards	Best audio design 2011	nominated	Dec 2011
G4 video game deathmatch	Game of the year 2011	excellent
Spike Video Game Awards 2011	Best Wii Game 2011	excellent	Oct 12, 2011
Spike Video Game Awards 2011	Best motion control game 2011	excellent	Oct 12, 2011
Spike Video Game Awards 2011	game of the year	nominated	Oct 12, 2011
Spike Video Game Awards 2011	Best Action Adventure Game 2011	nominated	Oct 12, 2011
Metro GameCentral	Top 1 game of 2011	excellent	Dec 22, 2011
The Washington Examiner	Top 1 game of 2011	excellent	Dec 18, 2011
MMGN	Game of the year 2011	excellent	Nov 25, 2011
MMGN	Best Action Adventure 2011	excellent	Nov 25, 2011

1. ↑ In the G4 video game Deathmatch, 32 games competed against each other in a knockout system based on reader votes. The final winner received the GoY award.

Skyward Sword also received placements in more retrospective lists . On a list of the 25 best Wii games, for example, placed IGN Skyward Sword in first place and Gamasutra the game listed as the third best video game of 2011. The British newspaper The Daily Telegraph drew Skyward Sword as a play with the best level design is nominated, it was also a game of the year. Because of the game, producer Eiji Aonuma was nominated for best director and composer Koji Kondo was nominated for best composer, and Wii MotionPlus was also nominated for best technical achievement through use in Skyward Sword . The Time Magazine held Skyward Sword for the third best video game of 2011. In addition, selected readers of the Japanese Famitsu the game at number 10 of their 50 favorite games from Nintendo ever.

Manga

A manga was published in Hyrule Historia , which shows the history of Skyward Sword . However, there are some contradictions to the game here, so that the classification in the Zelda canon can only be made to a limited extent.

literature

• Akira Himekawa , Eiji Aonuma : The Legend of Zelda - Hyrule Historia. Tokyopop, Hamburg 2013, ISBN 978-3-8420-0859-5 .
• Nintendo (Ed.): The Legend of Zelda - Art & Artifacts. Tokyopop, Hamburg 2017, ISBN 978-3-8420-3950-6 , pp. 90–97, 326–349.
• Nintendo (Ed.): The Legend of Zelda - Encyclopedia. Tokyopop, Hamburg 2019, ISBN 978-3-8420-4957-4 .

Web links

• The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword at Nintendo.de
• The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword at MobyGames (English)
• The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword in the Internet Movie Database (English)
• The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword in the Zeldapendium
• The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword at ZeldaEurope.de
• The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword at ZFans.de
• Iwata asks: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword - Eight-part developer interview at Nintendo.de

Remarks

1. ↑ In Switzerland, some chain stores released the game on November 11th. See GoNintendo
2. ↑ The file size of Skyward Sword is a total of 4.09 gigabytes, cf. gonintendo.com
3. ↑ According to a game designer in Hyrule Historia , p. 8, Link is 17.5 years old in Skyward Sword .
4. ↑ Concept poster in the English language Wikipedia; published at E³ 2009.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l} Staff Roll: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. In: kyoto-report.blogshot.de. Retrieved March 30, 2012 .  
2. ↑ ^{a b c d e} The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (2011) Wii release dates. In: mobygames.com. Retrieved July 13, 2012 .  
3. ^ ^{A b} Zelda: Skyward Sword - All the TGS News. In: IGN. Retrieved March 18, 2012 . 
4. ↑ The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword - Nintendo's Most Expensive Game? In: IGN. Retrieved March 18, 2012 .  
5. ↑ ^{a b} E3 2010: Eiji Aonuma's "Trapped in the Zelda Cage". In: IGN. Retrieved March 18, 2012 .  
6. ^ ^{A b} Miyamoto On the Twists and Turns of Skyward Sword. (No longer available online.) In: 1up.com. Archived from the original on June 11, 2016 ; accessed on March 18, 2012 (English).  
7. ↑ ^{a b c} Kevin Gifford: Skyward Sword: The Director / Producer Postmortem. (No longer available online.) In: 1up. November 22, 2011, archived from the original on June 11, 2016 ; accessed on October 7, 2012 (English).  
8. ↑ E3 2010: Zelda Skyward Sword Almost Didn't Use Motion Plus. In: IGN. Retrieved March 18, 2012 .  
9. ↑ Q&A: Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto on Mario, Zelda, Project Natal and More. In: wired.com. Retrieved March 18, 2012 .  
10. ^ E3 2010: Nintendo Developer Roundtable Live Blog. (No longer available online.) In: IGN. Archived from the original on September 2, 2012 ; accessed on March 18, 2012 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.   
11. ↑ Zelda: Skyward Sword Almost Dropped Wii MotionPlus. (No longer available online.) In: IGN. Archived from the original on September 2, 2012 ; accessed on March 18, 2012 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.   
12. ↑ Shigeru Miyamoto on Mario Galaxy 2, violence in games and the Vitality Sensor. In: gamestm.co.uk. Retrieved March 18, 2012 .  
13. ↑ Iwata Asks: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Part 6: The Compact Screenplay and Direction; 1. A battle of opposites, 5. Take it on with an orchestra! In: nintendo.de. Retrieved March 17, 2012 .  
14. ↑ ^{a b} Iwata asks: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Part 6: The Compact Screenplay and Direction; 5. Record this with an orchestra! In: nintendo.de. Retrieved March 17, 2012 .  
15. ↑ The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword's Hidden Ocarina Easter Egg. In: IGN. Retrieved March 17, 2012 (English).  
16. ↑ Live From Nintendo's E3 Briefing: More On Zelda, 3DS, Pikmin. In: kotaku.com. Retrieved June 24, 2012 .  
17. ↑ ZeldaDungeon.net: Interview: 1UP April 17th 2008. Retrieved on March 21, 2018 (English). 
18. ↑ E3 2008: Miyamoto Says New Zelda for Wii Progressing. (No longer available online.) In: IGN. Archived from the original on September 2, 2012 ; accessed on March 20, 2012 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.   
19. ↑ E3 2009: Miyamoto Talks Next Zelda. (No longer available online.) In: IGN. Archived from the original on September 2, 2012 ; accessed on March 20, 2012 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.   
20. ^ E3 2009: First Look at New Zelda. (No longer available online.) In: IGN. Archived from the original on September 2, 2012 ; accessed on March 20, 2012 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.   
21. ↑ Zelda Sequel Confirmed For 2010. (No longer available online.) In: IGN. Archived from the original on September 2, 2012 ; accessed on March 20, 2012 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.   
22. ^ Reggie: New Zelda Wii Title Has To Be Perfect. In: IGN. Retrieved March 20, 2012 .  
23. ↑ Zelda's Motion Plus Requirement for More Than Just Swordplay. In: IGN. Retrieved March 20, 2012 .  
24. ↑ E3 2010: The Legend of Zelda: The Skyward Sword Announced. (No longer available online.) In: IGN. Archived from the original on September 2, 2012 ; accessed on March 20, 2012 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.   
25. ↑ Nintendo Eyes 'Early 2011' Zelda Release. In: IGN. Retrieved March 20, 2012 .  
26. ↑ Zelda is "Over Half Complete". In: IGN. Retrieved March 20, 2012 .  
27. ↑ E3 2011: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Hits This Holiday. In: IGN. Retrieved March 20, 2012 .  
28. ↑ ^{a b} The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is Complete. In: IGN. Retrieved March 20, 2012 .  
29. ↑ Robin & Zelda Williams in the Skyward Sword commercial. In: nintendo-online.de. Retrieved March 31, 2012 .  
30. ↑ An Epic Year for The Legend of Zelda. In: IGN. Retrieved March 20, 2012 .  
31. ↑ Zelda: Skyward Sword - The Limited Edition Purchase Advice. In: videogameszone.de. Retrieved March 20, 2012 .  
32. ↑ Unknown Artist - The Legend Of Zelda: 25th Anniversary (Special Orchestra CD). In: discogs.com. Retrieved March 20, 2012 .  
33. ↑ VGMdb: The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary SYMPHONY - Orchestra Concert Special CD
34. ↑ VGMdb: The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Special Orchestra CD
35. ↑ nintendo-museum.fr: The Legend Of Zelda CD spécial 25e anniversaire - version orchestrale
36. ↑ Skyward Sword Tops Japanese Charts, While 3DS Sales Continue To Rise. In: gamasutra.com. Retrieved March 31, 2012 .  
37. ↑ nintendo-online.de
38. ↑ nintendo-online.de
39. ↑ neogaf.com
40. ↑ Nintendo sees skyward sales on Black Friday. In: content.usatoday.com. Retrieved March 31, 2012 .  
41. ↑ Germany: Software Charts (November 14th – November 20th). In: nintendo-online.de. Retrieved March 31, 2012 .  
42. ↑ Nintendo Financial Report for the period up to December 2011. (PDF 85 kB; p. 7) nintendo.co.jp, accessed on March 31, 2012 (English).  
43. ^ Nintendo's financial report for the financial year ending March 2012. (PDF; 85 kB; p. 6) nintendo.co.jp, accessed on July 1, 2012 (English).  
44. ↑ The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. In: vgchartz.com. Retrieved October 7, 2012 .  
45. ↑ Game-Breaking Glitch in Zelda: Skyward Sword. In: IGN. Retrieved March 20, 2012 .  
46. ↑ Nintendo Will Fix Fatal Zelda: Skyward Sword Glitch. In: IGN. Retrieved March 20, 2012 .  
47. ^ Zelda: The Eiji Aonuma Interview. In: officialnintendomagazine.co.uk. Retrieved March 18, 2012 .  
48. ↑ ^{a b} The Legend of Zelda Timeline Revealed. In: IGN. Retrieved March 18, 2012 .  
49. ↑ E3 2011: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Not Coming to Wii U. In: IGN. Retrieved March 18, 2012 .  
50. ↑ Zelda Skyward Sword: Surprising story details. In: gamersglobal.de. Retrieved March 18, 2012 .  
51. ↑ ^{a b} E3 2011: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword - Tired Link is Tired. In: IGN. Retrieved March 18, 2012 .  
52. ↑ ^{a b} The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Critic Reviews for Wii. In: metacritic.com. Retrieved March 20, 2012 .  
53. ↑ ^{a b} The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword for Wii. In: gamerankings.com. Retrieved March 20, 2012 .  
54. ↑ Christoph Fröhlich: "The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword" The last of its kind. In: Stern. November 24, 2011, accessed October 5, 2012 .  
55. ↑ Carsten Görig: "The Legend of Zelda": Great triumph of the small link. In: Spiegel Online. December 28, 2011, accessed October 5, 2012 .  
56. ^ ^{A b} Steve Boxer: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword - review. In: The Guardian. November 11, 2011, accessed October 5, 2012 .  
57. ^ Serge Pennings: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword - review. In: The Observer. November 20, 2011, accessed October 5, 2012 .  
58. ↑ Original quote: the greatest Zelda game ever created. It's the best game for Wii and one of the finest video game accomplishments of the past 10 years.
59. ↑ ^{a b} The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Review. (No longer available online.) In: IGN. Archived from the original on January 18, 2012 ; accessed on March 31, 2012 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.   
60. ↑ ^{a b} Phil Kollar: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword: The Wii Game We've Wanted For Five Years. (No longer available online.) In: Game Informer. November 11, 2011, archived from the original on July 8, 2015 ; accessed on October 7, 2012 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.   
61. ↑ Stephen Totilo: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword: The Kotaku Review. In: Kotaku. November 18, 2011, accessed October 6, 2012 .  
62. ↑ ^{a b} Review: Skyward Sword Slashes Zelda's Sacred Cows. In: wired.com. Retrieved March 31, 2012 .  
63. ↑ ^{a b} Legend Of Zelda: Skyward Sword review. (No longer available online.) In: officialnintendomagazine.co.uk, issue 79. Archived from the original on September 2, 2012 ; accessed on March 31, 2012 (English).  
64. ↑ ^{a b} Opinion: Skyward Sword is Motion Control's Future. In: games.ign.com. Retrieved March 31, 2012 .  
65. ↑ Eiji Aonuma: Zelda Series Sticking with Motion Controls. In: IGN. Retrieved March 31, 2012 .  
66. ↑ destructoid.com
67. ^ Nintendo: Wii's Future is Strong. In: IGN. Retrieved March 31, 2012 .  
68. ↑ Wii's Last Ride. In: IGN. Retrieved March 31, 2012 .  
69. ↑ Review: The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword Soars, But Struggles With Its Past. (No longer available online.) In: 1up.com. Archived from the original on June 26, 2016 ; accessed on March 31, 2012 (English).  
70. ↑ The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. In: 4players.de. Retrieved March 4, 2018 .  
71. ↑ The Legend of Zelda - Skyward Sword: A heavenly beautiful action game. In: computerbild.de. Retrieved March 31, 2012 .  
72. ↑ The Legend Of Zelda: Skyward Sword review. (No longer available online.) In: Edge, Issue 234, edge-online.com. Archived from the original on October 12, 2014 ; accessed on March 31, 2012 (English).  
73. ↑ Zelda: Skyward Sword - Famitsu testers awarded 40 out of 40 points. In: videogameszone.de. Retrieved March 31, 2012 .  
74. ↑ http://www.gamecritics.com/richard-naik/the-legend-of-zelda-skyward-sword-review
75. ↑ The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword review: Such great heights. (No longer available online.) In: joystiq.com. Archived from the original on January 18, 2012 ; accessed on March 31, 2012 (English).  
76. ↑ metacritic.com
77. ↑ N zone . 12/2011, p. 35
78. ↑ telegraph.co.uk
79. ↑ The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Review. In: escapistmagazine.com. Retrieved March 31, 2012 .  
80. ↑ N-Zone , 10/2011, p. 15
81. ^ Gregor Thomanek: British Academy Video Games Awards: Nintendo goes away empty-handed. In: Nintendo-Online. March 17, 2012, accessed March 17, 2012 .  
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101. ↑ Famitsu readers pick their top 50 favorite Nintendo titles. In: GoNintendo. January 2, 2012, accessed October 5, 2012 .  

This version was added to the list of articles worth reading on October 19, 2012 .