The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii) – Hands-On Impressions from E3 2011

After playing The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword last year at E3, I was excited to see more of the game this year. Unfortunately, they did not have much more. What was available was a bird-flying demo, dungeon, and boss battle. Due to time restraints, I could only choose one, so I chose the newest element for a Zelda game — flying. I started by watching a simple cut-scene/dialog where I am told that I will be competing to catch a bird that is carrying a golden trophy. The winner will get a “special prize” from Princess Zelda. As I run off the cliff, I call my bird to me. The rest of the gameplay is all about the Wii Remote’s Motion Plus capabilities. Every movement of the controller moves my bird. I am able to glide, turn, dive, and flap my bird’s wings. Overall, it felt great. There were no issues with Motion Plus controls at all. I like how they have taken the giant Wii Remote off of the HUD, and the graphical style looks like a cross between Twilight Princess and Windwaker, which is a good thing. The water-color style has a good feel. I just had a hard time looking at it in standard definition graphics after seeing the Zelda HD demo for Wii U.

Here is the dungeon demo…

Here is the boss battle demo…