Gameplay
Skyward Sword is an action-adventure game with role-playing and puzzle elements. The player controls the protagonist Link from a third-person perspective in a three-dimensional space. Link primarily engages in combat with enemies using a sword and shield, but many other weapons, such as a bow and arrow, clawshots, and bombs, become available as the player progresses. Link also obtains a series of new items, such as a whip and a mechanical flying beetle, that allow him to reach previously inaccessible areas.
Link's adventures consist of traveling between Skyloft, a community based on floating islands in the sky that act as the game's main hub, and Hyrule, which is located directly below on the Earth. Skyloft contains a bazaar where the player can purchase or upgrade potions, shields, and weapons. Initially, access to Hyrule is sealed off by a "cloud barrier," but portals through the clouds to each of the three provinces of Hyrule (forest, volcano, and desert) open as the game progresses. The player flies upon Link's giant bird, called a Loftwing, to travel and skydive into the portals or travel between the multiple islands of Skyloft. Bird statues, which are abundantly placed in both Hyrule and Skyloft, act as save points and allow the player to transport back to the sky from Hyrule.
Skyward Sword retains the traditional Legend of Zelda gameplay of exploring the different regions of Hyrule (the overworld) and then exploring the dungeons contained within. Link navigates these dungeons and fights a boss at the end to obtain an item or otherwise advance the plot. Skyward Sword has seven unique dungeons: two in each of the three provinces of Hyrule and one located in Skyloft. Notably, Skyward Sword integrates the two modes of exploration more than other games in the series. Puzzle-solving is not confined to the game's dungeons and is carried over into the overworld, a facet which has helped label the gameplay of Skyward Sword as more dense than any other Zelda title.
The player controls Link using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk configuration. Link retains many of his abilities from previous games, such as context-sensitive actions and Z-targeting, though he now possesses the ability to run and dash up walls. However, Link also has a Stamina Meter that quickly decreases while these moves are performed. When the Stamina Meter is fully depleted Link will tire out and will be unable to perform any actions until the meter replenishes itself. This meter also decreases while climbing, performing powerful attacks (such as spin attacks and somersaults) and other strenuous activities. Skyward Sword extensively uses the controllers' motion-sensing abilities and also requires the Wii MotionPlus accessory, which is a device that allows the Wii Remote to detect movement more accurately. The most prominent application of Wii MotionPlus technology is in swordplay: when the player swings the Wii Remote from any particular angle, Link will slash the sword at precisely the same angle. In contrast to earlier installments of the Zelda series, battles do not focus solely on timing attacks, but also on their target, such as the direction in which enemies are hit. A Wii MotionPlus-based pointing system is also used to navigate the game menus and control some of the additional weapons, such as aiming the bow and slingshot items.
The main sword used in Skyward Sword is the Goddess Sword, given to Link near the beginning of the game that, as the game progresses, becomes strengthened and eventually becomes the Master Sword. Inside the sword rests a spirit called Fi, who accompanies and aids the player, giving hints and tips throughout the game. Early in the game, the player learns to perform an ability called "Dowsing", which allows him to locate nearby objects. While Dowsing, the perspective shifts to a first-person view and the Goddess Sword begins to act as a homing device. The player then moves and points the sword in the direction of the object, indicated by the signals the sword generates. Dowsing is initially used to locate the missing Zelda, but is eventually used to also find treasures and other items.
Borrowing from common elements of role-playing adventure games, especially the MMO genre, Skyward Sword incorporates a few elements not previously seen in Zelda games. First, a large selection of "crafting materials" is available; these materials range from trophies taken from enemies, to natural materials found while exploring. These materials, in the right combination and for the right price, can be used by a shopkeeper in the Skyloft Bazaar to upgrade various items in Link's inventory, increasing their abilities. Similarly, a large variety of insects inhabit the various areas of the game, which Link can catch with his Bug Net, and which are used at the Potion Shop to increase the potency of various potions or the number of times they can be used. Both materials and insects can also be sold for extra Rupees, if Link can find a buyer that is interested in them.
Second, unlike most previous games, Link has two primary "inventory" collections; one for his main "equipment", most of which are familiar such as the Slingshot, Bow, Clawshot, etc and are almost always available, and a separate "Adventure Pouch", which is used for potions, quest items, shields, medals (which bestow some advantage on Link while he carries it), and ammunition expansions (allowing Link to carry more Bombs, Seeds or Arrows). Link will, over the course of the game, usually not have enough space in the Adventure Pouch to fit all the items he has acquired that can go into it, and the player will have to choose which combination of items will suit Link best in a particular area. The remaining items are kept in the "Item Check" in the Bazaar, and items can be swapped in and out of Link's pouch free of charge while he's there.
Lastly, the shields Link will use differ in a critical way from the ones in previous games, in that they take damage and can eventually break and be useless. Link will acquire several shields over the course of the game. Each has various strengths and weaknesses; for instance, the wooden shield can block electrical attacks, but will catch fire and isn't very durable. A damaged shield can be repaired at the Skyloft Bazaar, but a broken shield will disappear from Link's inventory and he'll have to buy another. There is a shield that will repair itself, but can't take as many successive hits before breaking, and skilled players can also win the iconic "Hylian Shield" from a mini-game, which is resistant to all types of attacks and is unbreakable.
While time travel is not a new concept to the Zelda franchise, in past titles the effects of time impact the entire world at once (or at least large regions of it). In Skyward Sword, while this general time travel does exist in the story, it's not as important to gameplay as it was in titles like Ocarina of Time. Instead, some areas of the game additionally feature objects called Time Stones that, when activated, create a small and often mobile "bubble" of a time in the distant past around them. Activating and moving these objects will change the behavior of other objects within the Stone's sphere of influence, and so properly manipulating these Stones is key to most of the puzzles presented to the player in these regions of the map.
Read more about this topic: The Legend Of Zelda: Skyward Sword