The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword - Reception

Reception

Skyward Sword has received critical acclaim, receiving perfect scores from at least 30 publications, with an average rating of 93.25% on GameRankings based on 59 reviews, 93 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 81 reviews, and 9.8 out of 10 on GameStats. Skyward Sword's first review, from ONM on October 20, scored 98%, praising the title as the "best Zelda game ever made". A day later, Edge gave the game 10/10. Edge's review said "How apt that this ultimate tale of hero-making should see Nintendo’s hardware become the console it was always meant to be", describing it as "a game made for Christmas Day and or week, released an agonizing six weeks before". GamesTM gave the game a 9/10, and said "Spellbinding, dramatic and absolutely epic in both the world it paints and the story it tells, Zelda: Skyward Sword is a hugely important event for the Wii, for Nintendo, and for anyone with even a passing love for the venerable series it celebrates." Game Informer said "Skyward Sword is one of those rare treasures, a 10/10 game." The Guardian 's review stated, "nobody could argue that it's anything less than a masterclass in the art of crafting video games."

IGN awarded the game a perfect score of 10 out of 10. IGN's reviewer Richard George said it "is 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." In regard to motion controls, he praised them for their integral implementation into the gameplay, stating: "After slashing enemies with 1:1 sword movement, I never want to go back." He considered Skyward Sword to be "the purest, most perfect realization of Nintendo's ambitious goals for motion-controlled gaming." Game Informer praised the controls as the best in any Zelda game, writing that "when the correct method to defeat each foe finally clicked, I felt a sense of satisfaction that repeatedly tapping the A button never provided." GamesRadar however felt that "though we still prefer traditional button inputs, we have to admit that the Wii MotionPlus really does work well here overall, and while the detractions are there, they're relatively small." Eurogamer called the motion controls "as integral to this game as the analogue stick was to Mario 64." Eurogamer's reviewer stated that the MotionPlus controls "perfectly" track movement "without requiring energetic gestures" and give players a "more direct link to Link." In contrast to most reviews, EGM's reviewer Ray Carsillo felt that the MotionPlus controls follow the player "too well." He preferred the simpler motion controls found in the Wii version of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess stating, "...this could’ve been one of the greatest Zelda games yet had the controls just worked" and ended by saying, "Even with cruddy controls, is still an epic adventure worthy of the franchise—and it should absolutely be played by all fans of the series."

1UP particularly noted the dungeons, a staple of the series, that "consistently stand as the most brilliant element of the Zelda formula, and Skyward Sword sends you exploring through catacombs on par with some of the best in the series", that "the developer has artfully crafted intelligently designed spaces that utilize your entire skill set". They were however less pleased with the quests outside of the main story, such as the "fetch quests" that they felt "start to feel more like filler material than inspired game design". Joystiq echoed this view feeling that some side quests did "nothing but stuff a few more insubstantial hours". However, they still praised the overall length of the game that "without them, would still be 25 to 30 hours long", going on to state "Skyward Sword is given plenty of time to shine through its excess, and when it does, it will completely consume you." In contrast, Wired commented on what they felt was "tons of content that doesn’t get repetitive", while also noting that "you don’t have to do any of these things to complete the game, but they are good substantial rewards for going the extra mile". Metro GameCentral gave the game a perfect score of 10 out of 10, describing the game as a "revolution" that will "not only change the way you think about Zelda but also the whole concept of motion controls."

Skyward Sword received positive critical acclaim in Japan as well. Famitsu magazine gave Skyward Sword a perfect 40/40 score making it only the sixteenth game in the publication's history to receive the rating and is also the third Zelda game to receive the honor. ScrewAttack gave this game a 9.5 out of 10. Giant Bomb gave the game a rating of 4 out of 5 stars.

GameSpot however gave the game a comparatively lower score of 7.5/10, mainly criticizing its motion controls, linear progression and formulaic gameplay. GameSpot critic Tom Mc Shea states in his opening paragraph, "Nintendo has kept the elements that have hung like an acidic cloud over past iterations while crafting a new control system to keep it from feeling like the same old game. Inconsistent controls continually torment poor Link, and the predictable structure does little to distract you from these faults." Shortly thereafter, GameSpot added an addendum to the review, stating that it incorrectly described the Wii Remote's infrared sensor as being responsible for aiming in the game and that the review had been edited accordingly. Mc Shea later explained that although there was some misinformation regarding the controls, the other faults of the game still remain.