Skyward Sword was my first Zelda game, and I didn't know what to expect beyond Medieval things and puzzles. I was immediately charmed by the introduction and didn't mind the tutorials too much; it had a breezy sense of humor, enjoyable characters, and did a good job in establishing the adorable puppy love relationship between Link and Zelda, such that her being snatched away in a tornado- along with the foreshadowed meeting with some apocalyptic monster- was a properly earned impetus for me to find out what was going on.
Pacing-wise though, I feel like the first dungeon is actually the most boring. I wasn't too interested in the forest scenery and, not really armed with typical dungeon-solving knowledge, probably struggled a lot more on it than I'd be willing to admit. I was beginning to feel that the series wasn't for me, but powered through and was met with Ghirahim. That boss changed my whole perception from that point forward; there was something about a greenhorn like both me and Link being suddenly thrust into a life-or-death swordfight against the self-proclaimed "The Demon Lord" that made me sit up and pay attention, to believe that if this was the first boss narrative-wise then the rest of the game must have a much more exciting adventure in store.
After that it was a non-stop power through. I took everything in stride- the locations, the dungeons, the various NPCs, the beautifully orchestrated music, the narrative and its surrounding lore, the nestled quests and fetch jobs, and the combat. SS Combat spoiled me. I really enjoyed the intimacy of the fights, the feeling of playing a little footsies and waiting for an opponent to create an opening to exploit with a sword direction that actually matters, and that's all due to the 1:1 motion controls. Pressing a button just doesn't have the same demand for my attention nor ability to immerse me within a skirmish as actually having to swing a sword does.
Speaking of pressing a button, man did I fucking underestimate how much better it is when Link is athletic. Run buttons, stamina meters, and being able to wall-run and climb up short ledges is a fucking godsend in hindsight of playing the older games like Twilight Princess, and it was another thing to actively dampen the experience of going backwards in time. Plenty of times I either fell off a ledge that necessitated going around the long way which I knew wouldn't have been an issue in Skyward Sword, or I realized the casual gallivanting Link calls a run was going to make my intended trips twice as long as they would be otherwise. Glad to see this back in Breath of the Wild because there's no excuse for that kinda shit in 2017.
Another thing I really appreciate in the game is how expressive Link is compared to earlier incarnations, even WW Link. He has an appreciated subtlety to his animations and voice acting, as well a large range of emotions and transitions between them that make him feel more like a living entity and less like a blank slate avatar. Yeah, he's kinda wall-eyed, and admittedly in the beginning I wasn't used to his look, but I eventually settled in and really loved watching this incarnation of the character react to the world and characters around him. My favorite scenes would probably be when Groose follows him to the surface and Link eventually calms him down, the scene where Zelda goes to sleep on him and he's just not having it, and the fake out ending after you beat the Imprisoned for the last time. Love, love, love Skyward Sword Link. He's an adorable little child.
Finally, the ending. Having to let Fi go, as well as the music in the staff roll?...... I cried.
I could probably keep going, and my biases due to this being my first game in the series probably show, but Skyward Sword is probably a top three game for me personally. It'll always have a special place in my heart, and I'll probably play it again in the lead-up to Breath of the Wild's release.
