Nintendo has some of the most recognizable and popular intellectual properties in the entire video game industry, but The Legend of Zelda has remained one of the company’s crown jewels for decades. It’s incredible to look at the progress and evolution of the Zelda series and it’s helped push the industry forward just as much as any Super Mario game. Audiences still turn to Legend of Zelda games for transformative gameplay that showcases Nintendo at their best.
The Zelda series’ final entry on the Wii, Skyward Sword, is a technical marvel, but a Zelda title that doesn’t always get the attention that it deserves. Skyward Sword has a lot to offer gamers, but there’s also a lot about the Zelda game that evades even hardcore fans of the series.
10 It’s Canonically The First Game In The Series
Skyward Sword was released in 2011 and it’s one of the later Zelda games to be released, but it’s actually canonically set at the very start of the larger Legend of Zelda lore. Skyward Sword specifically explores the origins of this world’s battle between good and evil, right down to how Zelda, Link, and Ganondorf are all special manifestations of eternal paradigms that may forever be locked in battle.
Skyward Sword remains the start of the timeline’s continuity, but that also doesn’t mean that future Zelda titles won’t somehow find a way to precede the events of the game.
9 The Game’s Visual Aesthetic Is Inspired By Paul Cézanne And Impressionism
The Legend of Zelda series features many parallel timelines that present different versions of Link, Zelda, and their world. Often a distinct visual style will help differentiate these timelines apart and Zelda has employed a lot of different looks. Skyward Sword has a gorgeous style that at times feels more muted. Shigeru Miyamoto has spoken about how his love of impressionistic paintings helped inform Skyward Sword’s art design.
The flowery look of the sky directly references the works of Paul Cézanne. Even the enemies and characters adopt a more exaggerated character design that shies away from realism.
8 The Aim Of The Games Was To Focus On The Inherent “Fun” Of The Series
Different Legend of Zelda games all prioritize different ideas and concepts. Dungeons are a staple of the Zelda series and they’re often cited as the most challenging aspect of the games.
Some Zelda titles specifically place their focus on the dungeons or the game’s story, but Eiji Aonuma and Shigeru Miyamoto wanted to concentrate on the “fun” of Zelda and in doing so, reduce the amount of time that the player is stuck in a dungeon. This attitude sees Skyward Sword try to reinvent the traditional structure of Zelda games and defy previous expectations.
7 It Wasn’t Initially Developed With Wii MotionPlus Controls
A major quirk during the Wii and Wii U era of Zelda titles is the incorporation of motion controls into the experience. Skyward Sword features an extensive version of this with the Wii MotionPlus controller and the Nunchuk standing in for Link’s sword and shield. These details were actually added much later in the development process after the success of Wii MotionPlus was seen with Wii Sports Resort.
The control scheme wasn’t effective enough originally, but after the peripheral’s improvement it was properly incorporated into many aspects of the game.
6 The Ballad Of The Goddess Is Zelda’s Lullaby Played Backwards
Part of the fun in Skyward Sword is to chart the connections between the start of the Zelda timeline and consider the ripple effect that they’ve had in subsequent titles.Skyward Sword can be both obvious and subtle in this department, but one of the better examples is the Ballad of the Goddess song that Zelda teaches Link.
The Ballad of the Goddess is actually Zelda’s Lullaby, albeit played in reverse. Zelda’s Lullaby is an iconic piece of music from the series and it’s a nice touch that the Goddess’ Ballad over time slowly evolves into this orchestration.
5 It’s The First Zelda Game To Feature A Stamina And Shield Meter
The Zelda series aren’t afraid to experiment when it comes to some of the main controls that govern the games. Traditionally, Link requires an item like the Pegasus Boots to perform a steady run rather than his standard walk. Skyward Sword ditches the mechanic in favor of the ability to run whenever, but at the cost of a stamina meter that now affects Link.
Additionally, it’s the first time that Link’s iconic shield also displays a damage meter so the player can keep track of how close it is to destruction as well as develop other ways to defend Link.
4 It Introduces A New Hylian Language
The Zelda series creates a rich world that has so many intricate details that don’t necessarily get explored to great depth within the games, yet devoted fans dig deep and extrapolate more lore out of these scraps of information. The Zelda series has established the template for its own language, Hylian, which gets dissected to a greater degree within Twilight Princess.
However, Skyward Sword deals with another Hylian language, in addition to the previous one that’s established in Twilight Princess. It further expands this universe and adds a greater degree of realism to everything.
3 It Can Only Be Played In The 16:9 Resolution
Many modern conventions and improvements to qualities of life have entered the video game industry, but sometimes Nintendo is slower to adopt certain standards such as robust online capabilities or even 16:9 resolution and true high-definition gaming. In an interesting spin for the Zelda series, Skyward Sword is only able to operate in 16:9 mode, even if the Will is set to display in fullscreen.
Playing in fullscreen simply enables letterboxing so that the widescreen visuals are maintained without compromise. It’s a strange technical hiccup for the Zelda series, but one with good intentions.
2 It Expands Upon The Lore Of The Maligned Rupoors
Rupees are Zelda’s form of currency and they come in many different colors and sizes that reward Link with a financial boost. Rupoors are a frustrating play on this that aren’t very well known since they only appear in three Zelda titles, Four Swords, Phantom Hourglass, and the latest, Skyward Sword.
A rupoor is a black rupee that will actually take ten rupees away from Link and act as a minor punishment. However, Skyward Sword introduces the idea that rupees can become rupoors if they’re exposed to mushroom spores. A lot of damage can be done with that knowledge.
1 It Has The Longest Development Time For A Zelda Game
Most Zelda games make their mark in a significant way, but those with the greatest reception and staying power tend to be the titles in the series that have the longest development time. Skyward Sword was a big deal because it had been in development for five years, finally releasing in 2011.
The only other Zelda games to have a comparable development window are Ocarina of Time and Breath of the Wild, both of which radically designed the franchise. Skyward Sword is approached with the same expectations and it’s why there’s so much crammed into this overlooked Zelda entry.
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