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All New Skyward Sword Info from GI + Nintendo

JP Boxart:
original_pic.png


NA Collector's edition:
291px-The_Legend_of_Zelda_-_Skyward_Sword_%28North_America%29.png


Details from Game Informer, Nintendo Power & new SS trailers:


About Opening sequence
- Ghirahim seeks to revive his master.
- The headmaster of the Knight Academy Link goes to is named Gaepora.
- Gaepora is Zelda's father.
- Gaepora laugh like this "Hoo hoo hoo", which seems Owl like.
- Zelda wakes up Link one morning to show him her Goddess atire that she will performing in for the Bird Riders ceremony.
- Worrying that Link will lose the competition Zelda calls him lazy and she pushes him off the edge of Skyloft knowing his loftwing will catch him.
- During an evening flight with Zelda after the competition, Zelda is about to tell Link something she's been meaning to tell him for a long time, but is interrupted by a tornado.
- Link has premonitions of the black creature that shallows Zelda.
- During the attack of said tornado, Link is saved by his bird, which are called Loftwings.
- Fi appears in Skyloft after the attack and Link chases her all around Skyloft to the Goddess Statue.
- Fi was created by the Goddess to guide Link.
- The Sheikhas Stones are back has the game's hint system.
- The Eldin Volcano's dungeon is NOT the Fire Temple, it's the EARTH Temple.
- The bullies are named Groose, Cawlin and Stritch. Groose, the red-haired one, has a big crush on Zelda.
- Other characters includes Pipit, a senior student and bird expert. And Fledge, a nice guy but kind of a wimp.
- Link's sword is referred to has the Goddess Sword and appears to be its official name. It is no longer called the Skyward Sword. Link gains the Goddess Sword before getting his green tunic.
- Nintendo Power makes the theory that Ghirahim's master is the black creature Link has nightmares about.
- The woman dressed in black currently believed to be a Sheikah is very "ninja-like."

About HUD

- The HUD can be customized. Standard, Light and Pro. Standard shows the full controller overlay and button functions, Light only the buttons and Pro is almost completely clean.


About Overworld/underworld traversal
- statues are scattered about dungeons and the overworld
- statues are save points and portals to the world above the clouds
- you're only required to return to Skyloft between dungeons and at certain plot points
- Skyloft's map resembles that of Wind Waker
- bird flight is much faster than boat speed in Wind Waker
- you'll come across enemies and tornados while flying
- dungeon maps automatically fill in treasure and boss locations
- developers are treating the overworld as a big dungeon itself
- between dungeon segments now feature combat and puzzle solving that would normally be in dungeons
- no worries about controlling wind patterns while flying
- beams of light shoot up from the clouds to indicate locations
- green beam above the forest, red beam above the volcano
- set your own blue beacon to guide yourself during flight
- treasure hunting system
- while on ground, find hidden rune-encrusted boxes
- raise your sword to build up power and slash the boxes to teleport them to the clouds
- this unlocks treasure chests above the clouds
- chests are glowing points on your map
- Link can jump off his bird above any island or beacon
- between dungeon segments now feature combat and puzzle solving that would normally be in dungeons
- it took the Game Informer staffer 3 hours of overworld action before he could enter the dungeon
- The only way to save your game is with the birds statues. They are pretty much everywhere, including mid-dungeon and right before boss rooms. From the Sky you can return to any activated statue.
- Almost everything in the environment can be interacted with for example plates, flower pots, glasses, vases, and pieces of furniture can be broken or interacted with.
- Skyloft is said to be gigantic containing the Knight Academy where Link stays, a giant Goddess statue, residential quarters, a plaza, a cave near a huge waterfall, the bazaar and plenty of other areas to explore off the beaten path.
-Unlike previous Zelda games there are bathrooms and toilets in the game.
- The Bazaar includes the Scrap Shop, a Fortune Teller, a Potion Shop and a Storage where you can store items that don't fit in your inventory.
-Other modes of transportation that have been shown include boat riding and minecart riding
- A sky whale has been shown as a type of enemy you will encounter while traversing the Sky
-minigame also shown that require you to hit targets while flying on the bird

About Day/Night system:

- Night/Day transition does not occur in real-time. Link must go to bed and choose to get up at night or at day.
- Monster appear during the night. Cats become aggressive. The cats are apparently the freakiest enemies you'll encounter.

About the new Stamina meter
-
grab a refreshing fruit to refill your stamina meter, or let it slowly refill on its own
- if it empties all the way you'll be immobilized for a few seconds
- dash up steep hills
- dash into a wall to climb up a short distance
- climbing puzzles have you figuring out where to go so you can rest and climb more, or find a spot to eat a fruit and continue on
-rolling is in the game. While holding dash you shake the nunchuk.
-Can be used to climb over large enemies
EatChildren said:
Link's usual special moves (horizontal and vertical spin attacks) are tied to the stamina meter, so you cant spam them, and if you try to it just drains Link out leaving you open for attack.

There's also multiple ways to kill some baddies. Skulltulas are a good example. You can try to spin them around while they dangle from a web and then attack their underbelly. You can cut their web so they fall to the ground, then attack their underbelly when they rear up. Or you can cut them down, do an upwards vertical slash from front on to flip them upside down, then strick both the nunchuck and remote downwards to initiate a jump stab into their belly for an instant kill.


About races

-There are at least 5 races in Skyward Sword including Gorons and Mogma.
- Eldin Volcano is where the a race of Mogma live
- Mogma are muscular creatures that have unique hair styles, and only pop their upper body above the ground to talk
- Mogma are accompanied by upbeat, jazzy music that features snapping fingers
- The Mogma warn link about a group of shady 'guys in red' as he heads deeper into the volcano
-Gorons have been confirmed to be in the game.
- an unknown race that looks similar to a penguin with a bulb growing on it's back

About the 2nd dungeon and it's enemies and surrounding locales.
- Eldin Volcano is where the a race of Mogma live
- Mogma are muscular creatures that have unique hair styles, and only pop their upper body above the ground to talk
- Mogma are accompanied by upbeat, jazzy music that features snapping fingers
- The Mogma warn link about a group of shady 'guys in red' as he heads deeper into the volcano
- orange slime monsters split into smaller enemies when you hit them
- these smaller bits grow in size if you don't destroy them quickly enough
- some Pyrups drop Eldin Ore
- slimes may drop collectible goo
- seal-like enemy called a 'Pyrup' hides beneaths rocks and inside walls
- the Pyrup will climb into walls and spout fire that blocks you
- run up a hill while bokoblins throw bounders from above
- you have to use certain types of swings to take out this enemy, and when you do they'll hit the hill below and roll down to the bottom before they disappear
- Bokoblins will also stomp on your hands when you're climbing up ledges and swing at you with their maces
- some Bokoblins have horns that allow them to call in reinforcements
- some Bokoblins hide in wooden towers that you have to blow up with bombs
- Fire Temple or Earth Temple is the second dungeon
- Conflicting sources have said the 2nd dungeon is either the fire or earth temple. Also conflicting sources have said the 1st dungeon is either the sky or forest temple.
- Lizalfos can block all sword attacks at first
- dodge his move to make him taunt and then you can attack
- the volcano has a fish enemy that pops out of the lava and shoots fireballs at you
- defeat the enemy by tossing a bomb in its mouth
- Fire Temple boss battle takes place on a narrow ramp with a pit of lava at the bottom and bombs/hearts at the top
- the boss' name is Scaldera, which looks like a giant bolder with legs
- The Earth Temple's boss full name is: "Pyroclastic Fiend Spaldera".
- Link raids a Bokoblin camp in Eldin to get the area rid of them. You earn the Digging Gloves and the Bomb Bag as a thanks.

About items
- Bomb Bag returns, which allows you to store bomb flowers
- depending on how you hold the Wiimote, you can perform an overhead bomb, or roll one
- you can put spin on bombs as well by twisting your wrist
- if you get set on fire and pull out a bomb, it will explode
- use the Digging Mitts to find rupees, hearts and other secrets
- Whip can grab onto certain elements of the environment, and also stun enemies
- gain a new musical item that uses the MotionPlus to play
-collect materials and rupees to upgrade a slingshot to utilize a spread shot
-Fludd like device shown that shoots water
-Dual clawshot confirmed
- Parachute item that appears to function like the Deku Leaf
- Bug Net also shown
-bugs can be used to create/alter potions
- You can also run and drink potions
-Amber Relic, Monster Claw, and Jelly Blob are some examples of collectables you can acquire to upgrade your items.
- You can upgrade your Wooden Shield to a Banded Shield.

About Dowsing ability
- this Skyward Sword has the power of dowsing
- to use the dowsing ability, you hold the sword out in front of you and the game goes into first person
- the sword makes a noise when pointed in the direction you need to go
- use this ability to find keys, hearts and even Zelda herself
- no compass in this version of the game, as it's replaced by the dowsing ability
- - The Sword Beam is called a Skyward Strike.
The Skyward Sword can also be used to draw hearts on special tablets to get extra health

More info on Ghirahim
- Ghirahim shows up in the Forest and Fire temples
- Ghirahim calls Zelda a 'precious oracle' and a 'female servant of the Goddess'
- Ghirahim summons the Fire Temple boss, tells you you'll never find Zelda and then flees


About the Silent Realm
- The Silent Realm lets you take on 'spiritual tests that Link must go through in an alternate world'
- return to twisted versions of previous areas
- this Silent Realm location involves the overworld area that surrounded the Forest Temple
- mixes tear collecting of Twilight Princess and stealth of Phantom Hourglass
- shove the Skyward Sword into the ground to access these areas, and enter with no weapons
- fill a spiritual vessel with tears, all while Guardians try to block you
- these Guardians can knock you out with one hit
- you enter the Silent Realm in a circle of safety, but the Guardians activate as soon as you leave that circle
- this is when the Guardians raise their arms/swords and the industrial music begins
- Guardians deactivate as you pick up tears
- you get 90 seconds after grabbing a tear to get the next, or the Guardians wake up
- lantern-wielding ghosts float by, and if you are hit with their light the Guardians activate no matter how much time has passed
- collect light seeds to make the remaining tears shoot a beam of light into the sky for 30 seconds

About music
- Guardians of the Silent Realm are accompanied by industrial music akin to something in Silent Hill
- this new approach to music comes as Aonuma's goal to 'break down some of the typical patterns you see in Zelda games'
- other musical cues in the game that long-time fans will appreciate
- includes a surprising use of the overworld theme from the original Legend of Zelda
- Aonuma reveals details behind the main theme for Skyward Sword, which is Zelda's Lullaby reversed

"Sound director Hajime Wakai actually created that. He did it secretly and didn't let me know. It wasn't just a matter of them being silly or playing around but really looking at what they can do with the music that would draw on the rich musical history of the series but still offer something new.

The main theme is called 'The Goddess' Song.' There is an intentional connection between the Goddess and Zelda, so we wanted those two songs to relate to one another."

"Mr. Kondo did something interesting with the arrangement. He requested that when we record it with the orchestra, there must be a bugle that sounds as if it's coming from off in the distance. When you hear that sound in the prologue, what sounds almost like a military bugle, it adds this great feeling to it." - Wakai

"We've been talking a lot about how we're trying to make this Zelda game feel new and different, but there will come a point in the game where you'll still get that final feeling that this is still a Zelda game."

"A number of people working on Zelda now are people that grew up playing Zelda. From their perspective, they're looking at it as, 'What are some of the things that failed to be helpful in getting through the game?' They're stripping that out and streamlining."

"Some of the fun we had back then was lost in the creation of later games. The problem is that when you do something once in a game like Ocarina of Time, when you make the next game it becomes expected that all of that is there. You end up spending a lot of time creating all these elements of the game just to meet expectations. (My goal with Skyward Sword is to) take the franchise into new places." - Eiji Aonuma

From NoA Twitter:

"Did Mr. Miyamoto just announce a second play-through and boss challenge mode for Skyward Sword? Awesome! #3DSconf2011"

"Mr. Miyamoto says Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword could have 50-100 hours of gameplay, one of Nintendo's largest projects EVER! #3DSconf2011"

From Zelda's Official Facebook Page:

"Guess what?! The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword will include more than 100 mins. of cinematic cut scenes, have a boss challenge mode and optional hint movies if you get stuck. So epic!"

http://www.facebook.com/LegendofZelda

Opening Cinematic trailer
http://nintendoeverything.com/74887/

Translation:

1 - This is a story passed down by the people since time immemorial. (Fi speaking)
2 - The history of the most cruel and ferocious battle ever seen.
3 - From the bowels of the earth emerged the pure essence of evil.
4 - His brutal attack plunged people into their worst nightmares.
5 - The evil forces razed forests, dried up rivers and murdered relentlessly.
6 - They desired that which the Goddess protected, ultimate power.
7 - Absolute power... In other words...


CG Trailer + 4 minutes of Miyamoto demoing the game
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StXfwq4GU3g&feature=feedu

4 minutes of Miyamoto demoing without CG trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRuNlPGR1Xc&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

Official JP SS site.
http://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/souj/movie/index.html

History of Zelda + New trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_MQYAbJ_1k

Upgrading system trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YgfOpjd8AE

GI exclusive gameplay trailerhttp://www.gameinformer.com/games/t.../exclusive-video-flying-to-eldin-volcano.aspx

GI exclusive gameplay trailer #2
http://www.gameinformer.com/games/t...o-using-wii-motion-plus-in-skyward-sword.aspx

GI Exclusive gameplay trailer #3
http://www.gameinformer.com/games/t...reasure-hunting-in-skyward-swordeq23324d.aspx

GI 30 Exclusive Images
http://www.gameinformer.com/games/t...1/09/20/skyward-sword-screenshot-gallery.aspx
Will update OP if new info becomes available.
 

Idde

Member
Crap. I want to highlight the spoilers. But I don't want to. I'm not sure I can hold out for two more months :(
 

Big One

Banned
Cygnus X-1 said:
Do we know the extent of orchestrated music into the game?
Pretty much the same way it is in Mario Galaxy. Not all tracks are orchestra and it's a lot of fusion between orchestra and midi.
 

GCX

Member
Cygnus X-1 said:
Do we know the extent of orchestrated music into the game?
Well since it's mostly composed by Mahito Yokota it's probably much like Mario Galaxy.
 

Shikamaru Ninja

任天堂 の 忍者
The two midi tracks I heard are awesome though. Hajime Wakai's main theme and that "Silent Hill" esque ambient song in one of the dungeons. Brilliant.
 

Watch Da Birdie

I buy cakes for myself on my birthday it's not weird lots of people do it I bet
Anyone else think the
main Zelda Overworld theme will play at the very end of the game, like in a boss fight or credits? Seems like a fitting and surprising use since this game is about the finding of Hyrule
 

the madman

Neo Member
This game sounds incredigood. Really the first time I've wished I hadn't sold my Wii--and I do mean really wished.

My roommate has a Wii. I'll borrow his.
 

Cygnus X-1

Member
Big One said:
Pretty much the same way it is in Mario Galaxy. Not all tracks are orchestra and it's a lot of fusion between orchestra and midi.

I hope so, because the vids I saw till now had a lot of midis. Or is it just me?
 

KarmaCow

Member
Getting rid of the compass makes sense, but how does the dousing ability work? Is it limited to just the room itself, does it differentiate between the type of item it's detecting?

Still confused about the map as well. It seems like the sky is the real way to get to different parts on the overworld, but the pockets are fairly large.

And why do they insist on including stealth sections in Zelda games, ugh. At least in MM you can bypass it.

EDIT: It's also weird that most of the info in the OP is spoilered. If someone thought most of that stuff in the OP was spoilers, why would they be in this thread in the first place?
 
Dowsing seems pretty well thought-out. Still wish they'd make it so bosses did not give a full heart container, just to kill two birds with one stone.
 
KarmaCow said:
Getting rid of the compass makes sense, but how does the dousing ability work? Is it limited to just the room itself, does it differentiate between the type of item it's detecting?

Still confused about the map as well. It seems like the sky is the real way to get to different parts on the overworld, but the pockets are fairly large.

And why do they insist on including stealth sections in Zelda games, ugh. At least in MM you can bypass it.

EDIT: It's also weird that most of the info in the OP is spoilered. If someone thought most of that stuff in the OP was spoilers, why would they be in this thread in the first place?
- you're only required to return to Skyloft between dungeons and at certain plot points
take that as you will.

I categorized the spoilers just so people could decide what they wanted to read. Some people are on complete blackout and others may only want to read about some areas. Just thought I'd provide the option.
 

PetrCobra

Member
the madman said:
This game sounds incredigood. Really the first time I've wished I hadn't sold my Wii--and I do mean really wished.

My roommate has a Wii. I'll borrow his.
not a big JRPG fan, right?

Xenoblade Chronicles

Anyway, I'm not going to highlight anything but watched the upgrades trailer. Awesome!
 

diffusionx

Gold Member
Getting rid of the overworld field, that flat boring place with nothing interesting, is huge. It was amazing in 1996 but unbearable today.
 
What really piqued my interest was the
climbing puzzles
. I wonder how in depth it will go but it sounds very interesting and different than what Zelda usually does.
 

Myriadis

Member
Did you guys notice that the little scene where Links swims around in the 11 minute Video is
the forest area, completely flooded?
 

Instro

Member
Interesting, a couple things in here I heard rumored a long time ago, mainly
The thing about returning to previous dungeons for new challenges, as well as the 2nd playthrough mentioned in the other SS thread.
Pretty cool that both of those things turned out to be true, no doubt will increase the length of the game immensely.

It's kind of funny though, the way all this Zelda news has been presented, you can tell Nintendo was keeping hype low on this title until the time was right.
 

mr_nothin

Banned
Hopefully this works with dolphin emu right out of the box. I hope it has no problems emulating it so I can play this in Full HD at fulls speed with boatloads of AA. This will be glorious
 
Myriadis said:
Did you guys notice that the little scene where Links swims around in the 11 minute Video is
the forest area, completely flooded?
I'm not sure but it looked beautiful.

Did anyone catch Link running away from an enemy while
drinking a potion?
I just caught that and thought it was a nice and funny touch.
 

Orayn

Member
diffusionx said:
Getting rid of the overworld field, that flat boring place with nothing interesting, is huge. It was amazing in 1996 but unbearable today.
There's some truth to this. Twilight Princess had a huge, huge overworld, but it was an awkward fit for a game that thrives on puzzles, swordfights, and exploration because of how freaking empty it was.
 

Kai Dracon

Writing a dinosaur space opera symphony
Is it safe to say that Skyward Sword looks like it'll do for 3D Zelda what Mario Galaxy did for 3D Mario? If not more so?
 

Sennorin

Banned
Kaijima said:
Is it safe to say that Skyward Sword looks like it'll do for 3D Zelda what Mario Galaxy did for 3D Mario? If not more so?

Mario Galaxy did nothing special for 3D Mario. It was just the best iteration of 3D Mario. Skyward Sword, on the other hand, seems to introduce a big, needed change to 3D Zelda.
 

Vanille

Member
Not75Drops said:
So since there is Eldin Volcano. Is there no Death Mountain? That was in Eldin in TP (I think)

There might be some event or something which causes Eldin Volcano to earn the Death Mountain name.
 

udivision

Member
Sennorin said:
Mario Galaxy did nothing special for 3D Mario. It was just the best iteration of 3D Mario. Skyward Sword, on the other hand, seems to introduce a big, needed change to 3D Zelda.
Makes sense.
SMG was the third 3D Mario.
SS is the 5th 3D Zelda, and needed change more badly.
 

Sennorin

Banned
Vanille said:
There might be some event or something which causes Eldin Volcano to earn the Death Mountain name.

"As Phi willingly fell into the stream of lava, she made the ultimate sacrifice: She had seen how Link could never defeat the demon lord Ghirahim without a weapon of his own kind. Being molten alive, combining her strongest of all wills with her fading bodily existence, she turned herself into what would later become known as the Master Sword - a sword so full of enlightened energy that it would be able to banish any evil.

When Link would tell the citizens of Hyrule, after his victory over the evil Ghirahim, that the all-saving sword was created by a pure-hearted gift to all living things, the place of its birth, and thus Phi´s grave, would stop being called Eldin Volcano - and be known as Death Mountain for all of time.
"

Yeah, fanfic-time! :p
 
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