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[Easy_D]

The overworld was a fucking turd. They introduce flying, we have fucking sky islands and shit and they're even WORSE than the islands in Wind Waker in terms of exploration.
I mean how do you fuck that up? Why not have larger clusters of islands instead of tiny rocks?

I just don't understand how you can take something that was sort of broken in a predecessor and make it worse. Shit should have been Xenoblade's overworld, except in the sky. Don't get me wrong, I loved pretty much every other aspect of the game, but the overworld/skyworld being a glorified hub was so bad.

 

[Ninjimbo]

There was nothing wrong. The game was awesome. It's the third best Zelda game.

 

[trixx]

Better dungeons than wind waker so for me it's a better gamme than it. WW dungeons are complete garbage. Triforce quest was worst than anything in SS for me and quite frankly the worst thing i've done in the franchise. Had to use a walkthrough and i never use walkthroughs.

Sailing in general sucked, sure SS has basically no overworld but i had to leave and let the damn boat sail till it reached destination. So boring, islands barely had anything worthwhile as well.

I don't understand how anyone can say Wind Waker is the best, phantom hourglass was a worthy sequel

 

[Dysun]

The worst 3D Zelda mainline game.

Controls, pacing, over world, and partner were all a dud.

 

[PVR]

The fucking bird.

 

[Zeyphersan]

Very in-depth look of everything right and wrong. Highly recommended

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qAjK7wd5QE

 

[jakomocha]

Very in-depth look of everything right and wrong. Highly recommended

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qAjK7wd5QE

Before I watch it, are there any spoilers in that video? I haven't played the game yet.

Spoiler

For a matter of fact I'm only playing through my first LOZ game ever- Ocarina of Time 3D- right now.

 

[Razgriz-Specter]

The Link and Zelda were probably the best of the series imo(Spirit Tracks Zelda might be a tie)
They were pretty much the only thing I loved about Skyward Sword.

 

[Whiskeymatt]

Very in-depth look of everything right and wrong. Highly recommended

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qAjK7wd5QE

"Hmm I wonder if this is the Matthewmato-Yep, yep it is. Alright, here go 50 minutes of my life again!"

 

[Nickle]

The "Zelda Cycle" is bullshit. I'm not going to go from hating Skyward Sword to loving it just because a few years go by, just like Spirit Tracks and Phantom Hourglass aren't universally adored these days. Instead of going, "oh, none of your complaints matter because Zelda Cycle", try actually refuting the legitimate points of the people who didn't like the game.

 

[AriEX2]

The ambition in Skyward was so damn small. Zelda is meant to be a grand adventure right?

When i heard it was gonna be set in the sky, I'd envisioned giant floating cities, pirate coves, fleets of airships sailing past.

At an early point in the game i fully expected the climax to involve Ganondorf and an armada of airships laying seige to the hub town, as you and the rest of the defenders fought them back atop your birds. I figured the last dungeon would be you battling through his flying fortress and taking it down.

The game had none of that. Instead only a flying whale, a weird black egg monster and a final one on one sword duel in some kind of void place.

Such a waste. Great artstyle though.

 

[conman]

Never bothered because I wasn't about to shell out for the new plus-style controller after already shelling out for a bunch of other unnecessary plastic over the course of the console cycle. I love the series dearly, but that's simply too much to ask of a fan.

 

[FreeMufasa]

I really dont get why people love the upgrade system and want more RPG like elements in zelda. I liked how upgrades were done in OOT and MM where you either find the weapon or do an interesting mini quest for it. Cant stand bring this that and this and bring it to this person to forge type tedium.

Besides that loved the game. Those that complain about the motion controls, you're doing it wrong.

 

[WrenchNinja]

The fucking bird.

It amazes me how the bird doesn't even have a damn name. They spend like twenty minutes searching for and making a big deal about this dumb bird and how it and Link are so close and it doesn't even have a name.

 

[Afrocious]

It amazes me how the bird doesn't even have a damn name. They spend like twenty minutes searching for and making a big deal about this dumb bird and how it and Link are so close and it doesn't even have a name.

Wait, the bird didn't have a name?

I thought the bird had a name.

 

[Dice//]

I really dont get why people love the upgrade system and want more RPG like elements in zelda. I liked how upgrades were done in OOT and MM where you either find the weapon or do an interesting mini quest for it. Cant stand bring this that and this and bring it to this person to forge type tedium.

Besides that loved the game. Those that complain about the motion controls, you're doing it wrong.

I liked the upgrades... but none were really necessary to complete the game or even complete a sort-of "bonus section" where it'd be needed. It just became a thing to do more collect-a-thon-ing and throw more rupees at.

My three issues: The game was too repetitive. Fi was a nuisance. Wii-mote controls were cool for like the first five minutes of each new action... then a gimmick after

 

[ibyea]

Man, this is the most divisive Zelda games I have ever seen. There never seems to be a universal consensus concerning Skyward Sword.

That said, I am on the side of Skyward Sword being a good game. I have never had so much fun playing a Zelda game. I don't think it is the best Zelda, but it is definitely one of the tops for me. The only part I really hated this game was that tadpole finding quest. It was so tedious and unnecessary.

Really annoying was the freaking text boxes for collectibles. Phi didn't bother me very much. Coming out of Ocarina of Time, where Navi teaches you how to freaking open a door plus the goddamn owl, Phi is an improvement.

 

[dead souls]

The OP hit on my only real annoyance with the game. Those damned tadtones.

Other than that I loved it.

 

[Alex_Mexico]

Telling me to collect 30ish or more musical notes swimming around a flooded zone that was formerly an area big enough to navigate by foot.

Telling me to use my wiimote to swim.

Finaly, telling me to swim better since the musical notes would attempt to get away from me.

Considering how fun the dungeons were (though I can't remember any of the dungeons aside from the first, one in the middle in the desert area, and the last), who asked for all those fetch quests and puzzles before them? Sure, previous Zelda games had players complete a task or a series of tasks before gaining entry into a dungeon. Skyward Sword had players do too much to get into the dungeons, and I believe this was an effort to make the hubs (overworld?) more interesting. They flat out bored me. Considering the goal is to complete the dungeon, the trials to get into the dungeons were contrived.

I recall reading something about how the stuff the player does outside the dungeon was to flow organically into what the player did in the dungeon. That sounds fine on paper. That execution, however, brought a huge drag. I think Nintendo tried too hard with their goal and ended up with long, padded, delayed quests to get into the dungeons.

Then there's Fi. Great concept of character, but complete lack of one up until her last few lines. I get she's analytical akin to a fictional cyborg (or android...I forget the correct term), but she's devoid of any relatable trait aside from her looking somewhat human. She is uninspiring, lacking in any motivation I can remember, and manages to be more annoying than hearing "HEY! LISTEN! WATCH OUT!" every minute.

What's worse about Fi is how you cannot speed up text in this game and she says a fuckton of the same damn thing throughout in an attempt to aid the player. She prolongs cutscenes for no reason. Most of her lines extrapolate basic points to the point where the game is no longer pandering to folks clueless about videogame 101, but testing the player to see if they can stand her long enough.

I somehow did, and finished the game. Cleared each dungeon, defeated that awful-looking boss with the crazy teeth and cartoon toes several times, and got those credits and blue balls over Zelda.

I think SS is the worst Zelda game.

In fact, of these threads asking about what's wrong with xxxx game, this is the only one I feel I dislike more than enjoyed.

Also, did we really need a stamina meter?

I don't think that's the worst Zelda game overall (Zelda II never forget) but it is to me the worst 3D Zelda. I felt insulted time and time again as I felt Nintendo didn't think I was smart enough to understand that a permanent red battery meter in the corner meant low battery that they had to have FI bother me to tell me that (which still lasted for 5 more hours even though it was makes as low). Or when my hearts are low and Nintendo thought that red glow around the already low heart meter and a relentless beeping sound wasn't enough they needed Fi to bother me to tell me my hearts are low. And what about those damn text boxes every time you find a new collectible per gaming session!!!! I know it's my #57 bug I don't need an explanation!!! And I thought the ruppee explanation ever new session in Twilight Princess was bad!

Then there's the extreme artificial padding (I loathed the Other Realm sequences), the tacked on motion controls (swimming was THE worst), and oh my God that fucking Imprisioned demon you have to fight 3 or 4 times!

The game had some good stuff. The motion controlled sword fighting was excellent (and that was it as much as good motion controls went), some memorable music and incredibly boss fights (except for the Imprisioned shit).

But yeah overall I felt as if Nintendo had no faith on the players who would be playing SS and hand holded them til kingdom come.

 

[daydream]

Hmm, the Fun Fun Island minigame?

Seriously, the game is amazing, I only have a few nitpicks here and there.

 

[Pegosaurus]

nothing was wrong with Skyward Sword

it's the best 3D Zelda to date

 

[nkarafo]

Hand holding and Fi.

The dungeons were fun though.

 

[Alex_Mexico]

I genuinly think the game is ruined by the bad controls and the constant interruptions. Skyward Sword is a game that was determined to make me hate it and it succeeded.

The controls only worked half the time and were constantly doing the opposite of what i wanted. "Oh whats that? You wanted to swing horizontally? Fuck you, here's a vertical swing haha!"

As for the interruptions, just let me play the game. That's my greatest wish for the next Zelda is, let me play the game. Stop stopping everything to tell me grass is green. I know that i need a key to open a lock. I know the my hearts are low, as if the non-stop beeping wasnt a giveaway. I know my battery is low. Have some faith in me Nintendo. Have some faith.

I pushed myself through to the very end and i would whole heartedly never recommend this game to a fan or newcomer. I am bitter about the whole ordeal. Yes it was an ordeal.

That was my #1 general complaint with this game. It made me feel as if Nintendo thought I was dumb. A mentally challenged individual that needs to be constantly reminded of what to do, what goes where and point out the most obvious things.

And don't forget those collectible text boxes you have to go through everytime you grabbed one of them for the first time per session! Next time you play the game and grab that same bug you'll have to go through that again! Nintendo has no faith anymore. Period.

 

[Azuran]

Nothing. It was one of the greatest Zelda games I have ever played. I could have done without the recycled areas, but they didn't bring down the game for me so I didn't mind me. I went in with low expections after the multiple complains but found them completely non-existent once I got into the game.

Anyone who finds the motion controls to be horrible sucks at this game plain and simple. They were so smooth and tight and it's such a shame we'll probably be back to simple controls for the next one. All the battles with Ghirahim were amazing and so much fun.

 

[Beren the Empty-Handed]

Man I dunno. I just disagree with mostly every complaint I see. Boring overworld? Maybe, but it simply acted as a way to get to the more interesting places, and as far as the 3D Zelda games go, that's pretty much the norm. I don't see how Ocarina or Twilight's big open barren fields were any better, or even Wind Waker's ocean for that matter, which to me was kind of a chore. You're in the sky for a super brief period of time before departing away to a below sky area. I don't see how that's an issue at all.

I hold that it was a problem in OoT and TP as well. At least Ocarina's was small enough that you could zip around quickly. It's an issue because Zelda games are supposed to have a lot to do in the world, and have plenty of exploration. In my mind, that should be about half the game right there. The original, AoL, ALttP, LA, MM, OoX and so on and so forth all had great overworlds, jam-packed with things to explore and secrets to find. So a Zelda game that doesn't do that, in my mind, has failed on a fundamental level. That doesn't mean it makes the game automatically terrible, but it's still a failing. It's supposed to be connected, and teaming with things to see and do. SS failed that on every level.

 

[Pegosaurus]

Nothing. It was one of the greatest Zelda games I have ever played. I could have done without the recycled areas, but they didn't bring down the game for me so I didn't mind me. I went in with low expections after the multiple complains but found them completely non-existent once I got into the game.

Anyone who finds the motion controls to be horrible sucks at this game plain and simple. They were one of the smoothest and tighests and it's such a shame we'll probably be back to simple controls for the next one. All the battles with Ghirahim were amazing and so much fun.

preach


can we get a poll to see exactly how divisive GAF is on Skyward Sword?

 

[CassSept]

There are some really surprisingly dumb design decisions, like getting rid of rupee message every time you boot up the game only to adapt it to far more obnoxious treasures, Fi sometimes being too talky, too many warnings when you're low on health/battery, garbage day/night system and probably several more that don't pop into my mind instantly, but the high points more than make up for it, it's my favorite Zelda ever.

 

[matrix-cat]

I've been playing all the 3D Zeldas for the first time this year, starting with OoT 3D (skipping Majora's Mask because I'm waiting for the remake), and I just finished Twilight Princess on the Wii a few days ago. That was a fucking chore; you want to talk about horrible motion controls, TP is where it's at. They literally just took the regular Zelda controls and mapped what used to be the B button to 'waggle'. There's no attempt at connecting anything you're doing with your Wiimote to what Link's doing, you just shake the fucker around and hope for the best.

Starting up Skyward Sword has been an absolute revelation. The controls just work! There's almost zero lag between my arm and Link's arm, the attacks work every single time, and it feels amazing. The Shield Bash, which was worse than useless in TP, is now a joy. Flying the bird, rolling into trees, leaping up climbable walls; everything works brilliantly for me (and leaping up walls is the greatest thing in the world after TP's slow-as-molasses climbing animation). I've had to hit Down on the D-Pad twice in about seven hours, and both times it was because I brought up the Slingshot with my Wiimote pointed off to the side by mistake. I'm so glad they switched to Motion Plus aiming instead of IR aiming, because every single time I had to aim anything in TP the game would say 'Please point the Wii Remote at the screen' for a few seconds while I waved around trying to get it to find the sensor bar.

I've only just started the second temple, so I'm not far enough in to comment on the game's overall structure, but I like what I've played so far. Not to turn this post into a Twilight Princess shitfest, but does anyone remember how that game opens? Introducing every new area in shitty Twilight colours, forcing you to hunt down electric bugs for hours, making you schlep back and forth between Kakariko and the starting town and not even letting you roam freely until you've beaten the third temple? Compared to that, Skyward Sword's been a breath of fresh air so far.

 

[Beren the Empty-Handed]

Not to turn this post into a Twilight Princess shitfest, but does anyone remember how that game opens? Introducing every new area in shitty Twilight colours, forcing you to hunt down electric bugs for hours, making you schlep back and forth between Kakariko and the starting town and not even letting you roam freely until you've beaten the third temple? Compared to that, Skyward Sword's been a breath of fresh air so far.

Oh I remember that. The story also starts heavy and disappears halfway through in that one as well. It makes everything feel rushed, even though I'm grateful.

Spoiler

I don't like TP at all.

 

[Esque7]

I've never seen a series' community blindly praise a game so much before. How can people say there is NOTHING wrong with the game? Sure, it does some things right, but like all Zelda's after OOT, it does many things wrong as well.

If you really enjoyed the game, great, but don't say the game is safe from any sort of critical analysis. Even my favorite games have faults, as does every game ever made.

 

[RagnarokX]

I don't think there's any objective answer for which is "better", but I definitely prefer the former. Outside of dungeons, I'll take open layouts with side content that is accessed (and sometimes stumbled upon) from any direction in the overworld over generally more narrow, linear, guided map designs that serve too many of the same roles and mechanical functions as dungeons themselves - in WW, Dragon Roost and Forest Haven had some pre-dungeon environment negotiation, but it wasn't nearly as overwhelming as SS. As much as I loved SS's dungeons, I think they would have felt a lot more special were it not for the incredibly similar approach of in-between surface locations. I don't want nearly the entire game to feel like one giant dungeon.

Again, this is just my opinion. The overworld styles are just fundamentally different.

The pre-dungeon content wasn't just not overwhelming, it was near nonexistent. The most you have to do are at Dragon Roost (where you have to deliver a letter, throw Medli, water some bombs, and bomb a couple of things) and Forest Haven (where you have to climb to the top of the Deku tree and glide to the Forbidden Woods). The rest of the dungeons are literally doors floating on the ocean, the last two of which require you to leave and fetch another character from the opposite end of the sea before you can access them.

Skyward Sword was very good at differentiating its content between the overworld and dungeons. For example, Eldin Volcano's most challenging challenges dealt primarily with figuring out how to convey bombs to bombable things from bomb flower patches, whereas the Earth Temple deals primarily with navigating lava using a giant ball and bombing takes a backseat since you get the bomb bag early in. Lanayru Desert deals mainly with figuring out how to cross quicksand in various ways, while Lanayru Mining Complex drops that almost entirely and deals a lot more with manipulating timeshift stones in puzzling ways (which the outside timeshift stones didn't really do), using the gust bellows, and navigating unique environmental objects like conveyor belts and rail platforms. Honestly, it is quite remarkable how well they did that.

While obviously games should have both, I prefer more meaningful content that finding a hole to fall down that leads to a menial task. I want to be challenged, and very few islands in WW provide a challenge. Plus the sea being a grid where each square has an island takes a lot of wind out of the "I found it myself" sails.

 

[Voidwolf]

Huh, I absolutely loved the game. I agree that the swimming section in the forest was too tedious, and Fi did get on my nerves every now and then. Other than that I enjoyed every minute of it, I loved the dungeons and the boss fights. Surprisingly enough, one of the things I liked most was the motion controls.

 

[Zeyphersan]

Before I watch it, are there any spoilers in that video? I haven't played the game yet.

Spoiler

For a matter of fact I'm only playing through my first LOZ game ever- Ocarina of Time 3D- right now.

Yes, he spoils everything. Side-effect of analyzing the game in the style and depth he does

 

[Papercuts]

The "Zelda Cycle" is bullshit. I'm not going to go from hating Skyward Sword to loving it just because a few years go by, just like Spirit Tracks and Phantom Hourglass aren't universally adored these days. Instead of going, "oh, none of your complaints matter because Zelda Cycle", try actually refuting the legitimate points of the people who didn't like the game.

This. God damn is that an annoying card to pull out, it's just an excuse to say people will blindly hate on the latest game then love it later as if the entire gaming world operates on a single groupthought and aren't a series of mixed opinions from the start to the end.

 

[TwisterFantasy]

I loved Skyward Sword. It is my favorite 3D Zelda. Although, I can see why some people can be put off by it. The only thing that pissed me off was the tadtones. The Lanayru Desert and Eldin Volcano revisits were so much better.

 

[Pancakes]

Very in-depth look of everything right and wrong. Highly recommended

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qAjK7wd5QE

I just spent the past couple hours watching this guy's reviews, they're quite entertaining and accurate for me. I could handle the wonky controls, Fi's constant jabbering, and the barren exploration but the back tracking and collecting trinkets was just too much for me. I want to go back and finish the game but the thought of having to revisit the same areas 2 more times and collect pointless items in order to pad the game out just kill any enthusiasm I had. Which is a shame because I quite liked the characters and story but the games pacing is just awful.

 

[Glass Rebel]

Because they know they could never get anything, WW is a stunning game.

Stunning in how it was released in such a terrible state, I agree.

 

[Orniletter]

Very in-depth look of everything right and wrong. Highly recommended

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qAjK7wd5QE

He keeps repeating that the controls were unreliable and "broken" .

They weren´t for me. Really poor video.

Edit: Holy shit, RagnarokX. Awesome post !

 

[RagnarokX]

Very in-depth look of everything right and wrong. Highly recommended

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qAjK7wd5QE

• He complains about the intro having over 30 minutes of cutscenes/dialogue and says this might be worse than TP. There is no way this is worse than TP. TP's intro is much longer and accomplishes less. TP forces you to do some terrible pointless tutorials and doesn't do as good a job setting up the story and characters. SS felt pretty efficient setting up all it did with just 30 minutes.
• He theorizes that they made Link start with 6 hearts to make up for imprecise motion controls, but he misses that previous Zelda games started you with 3 hearts but most enemies did 1/2 a heart of damage, with the minimum damage being 1/4. In SS the minimum damage an enemy will do to you is a full heart. They start you with 6 hearts to balance things out.
• Dowsing is mostly optional and in most cases simply replaces what would have been an X on your map in previous games.
• Fi does not interrupt the game constantly.
• Fi just tells you how to equip the beetle and that it can cut threads and strike objects. You are then locked in a room and have to figure out how to get out using the new items. The amount of text may be too long, but the amount of info it gives you and the way you have to use the item to get out of the room are no different from the Wind Waker example he uses. He makes a big deal about this as if she does it for every item, but the only other time she does it is with the bow, where she shows you a target, which is actually is bad.
• You don't collect map pieces to do something with them. Each map piece opens access to the surface area it represents. The first act culminates in finding Zelda, not accessing the gate of time. The gate of time is the beginning of the second act. You need to power up your sword to activate the gate of time, similar to having to collect maidens in ALttP, medallions in OoT, powering up the master sword in WW, mirror shards in TP. In Wind Waker you collect 3 pearls to open a dungeon to get the master sword only to be told that the sword lost its power.
• He's not sure if the bow uses the pointer or not... I disagree that the pointer is inherently better. I liked being able to use the bow without having to point exactly at the screen, and it was still as accurate.
• The slingshot gives players a ranged attack option quicker than the beetle early in the game. Giving the bow that early would break the game.
• Back during OoT and MM Nintendo clearly did care about setting up a timeline considering that OoT sets up the split timeline with its ending and the original premise for OoT was that it was a prequel to ALttP. Every major Zelda game was made as a prequel or a sequel.
• He thinks the game is easier than Wind Waker. Definitely insane.
• He tries to make a point about SS being bad because Minish Cap set up the origin of Link's hat, but that idea was always bullshit. The game that follows MC is OoT, and the reason Link wears a cap has nothing to do with MC. The cap, and his entire outfit, is standard Kokiri dress. Even if we take it that MC was the origin of the hat for future Links, Link having a hat in SS doesn't cause issues because it clearly didn't catch on as a fashion statement according to MC. OoT was already an origin story for Links clothes, which MC failed to recognize and the whole idea of it being the origin of the hat flies in the face of OoT.

 

[LaB_NL]

Hated the game while playing it - Loved it (really loved it) looking back on it.

Never had this before with any other game before.

 

[Mokujin]

I loved Sykward Sword and its already one of my favourite 3D Zeldas ever, I understand some of the complaints though (but not to the point where people think its garbage).

 

[BasilZero]

Motion controls + Fi

 

[BGBW]

Skyward Sword and Wind Waker HD show that Nintendo needs to go through their games and cut out padding. Silly little things like the notifications resetting upon power off and Fi repeating things drag things down upon further playthroughs of the game.

 

[Fattony12000]

I don't know. I haven't played it yet.

 

[mrmickfran]

It was the first Zelda game that I legitimately found to be boring.

 

[Nostremitus]

It wasn't a Zelda game, per se, it was a boring half finished proof of concept they sold as a Zelda game. That, and the controls were tedious.

 

[Molemitts]

There's a big difference in that Skyward Sword's sky is much much smaller than Wind Waker's Sea. Sailing between two important islands in Wind Waker took forever while flying between points in Skyward Sword took little time.

Another thing to point out is that, while Wind Waker did have more content on those islands than Skyward Sword had on its islands, Wind Waker also had very little other content outside of dungeons. You sail to an island, talk to some NPCs, then you enter the dungeon. What's really better? Finding a couple of islands where you fall down a hole and fight some easy enemies on your way to the dungeon or working your way through an environment that challenges you to reach the dungeon? Plus Wind Waker has very little variety. All of the islands are pretty samey. It would have been nice if there had been more diversity. It was really disappointing when Ice Ring Island turned out to just be a grotto.

Also, the complaints against Fi are definitely overblown. Don't get me wrong, she is annoying, but she's not constantly popping up like people make it seem. In the second area of the game she pops up twice: once to introduce the area and tell you wooden shields can catch on fire and once once you reach the temple to update your dowsing target.

Sailing in Wind Waker only a took a long time because of technical limitations of the Gamecube. They fix this in Wind Waker HD with the Swift Sail.

Wind Waker focuses on ocean exploration. It does that well. Dungeons have their own respective islands, I don't see the problem with that. It just means exploration doesn't become before the dungeons. Instead you end up exloring the islands all over the ocean, pretty much all of which have content that is worth finding and is rewarding. It has plenty of content outside dungeons, you just have to a lot more than in other games. some of the islands may look the same but they pretty much all had unique content.

I get if you want overworld exploration in your game. That's cool you know what games do that, Ocarina of time, Majoras Mask, Twilight Princess. They do it with far less repetitive backtracking. Skyward Sword tries to emulate both the Exploration of more traditional Zelda games and Wind Wakers exploration. By doing both they made neither interesting.

 

[120v]

i say it in every SS thread... it could've been the best 3D zelda. but it was like 30% of it was a good game and then they hired some modders to pad out the other 70%

i don't think i need to reiterate the problems with the game but i'll toss it a bone and say it definitely had the best story. and the Laranyu time crystal concept was so good an entire game could've been made around it

 

[Shaanyboi]

There are things I love about it, but there are some really obnoxious grievances I have with it. Mainly in the pacing department. Hey, want me to go through interesting puzzle environments etc.? Cool. Want me to go back and forth through the same puzzle environments all to pick up an arbitrary quest item that actually serves no benefit in existing at all? Not cool. Expecting me to repeat a task multiple times even though I've already proven I know what I'm doing? Also not cool.

 

[KooopaKid]

It's my least favorite 3D Zelda game. I felt going though the motions while playing it. It never happened before with a Zelda game, even the DS ones.
I think it's because compared to other Zelda, SS doesn't introduce a lot of new gameplay mechanics. The only one I can think of are :

- The time-shift stones
- The beetle
- Rolling bombs like a bowling ball
- The directional combat

- Flying but it's mostly useless, it's just a small diversion to go from Skyloft to the land below.
- The tear drop sections are mostly just a mini-game inside the main game.

I didn't mind the motions controls but they do not constitute a new gameplay mechanic, there's nothing you couldn't do with a normal controler or in Twilight Princess.

The other big problem I have with SS is that the world feels completely artificial. Other than Skyloft, there's no sense of place. The levels are blocky, the forest doesn't look like a living forest for instance but more like a Banjo Kazooie level or something.