The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Message Board older than one year ago

Nintendo has announced details of some of the new gadgets Link will have at his disposal in his upcoming Skyward Sword adventure. Travelling to the Eldin volcano area, Link will meet a new race of creatures, the Mogma, and uncover the obligatory Bomb Bag allowing him to store and use bombs...

- dev team took a 'big detour' during development
- dev team was able to pack in many kind of gameplay
- each enemies and residents sections had a leader during development
- work began when Twilight Princess was complete
- Aonuma felt intense pressure to use MotionPlus
- the game's basic button control scheme was thrown out for MotionPlus
- the team had trouble making sure Link was hitting enemies with the sharp part of his sword instead of just bashing with all different angles
- the team studied elbow structure to try and make things work, but they decided a blent of realistic and fake worked best
- Miyamoto struggled to beat Ghirahim
- Miyamoto called the dev team late at night and told them to work on having Link stop his sword mid-swing, instead of always following through
- this lead to the heavenly strike
- adding that move also paved the way for the game's name
- the dev team added Link's ability to dash up some walls as a response to the awkward bounce-back that Link experiences when running in A Link to the Past
- the dev team says the MotionPlus item selecting allows you to pick items without even looking at the screen, simply because you know the angle at which they sit in the menu
- Miyamoto really liked this idea, with Fujibayashi saying that he received his first bit of Miyamoto praise ever for the idea
- there's a virtual string attached to the pointer hand when selecting items, so you don't move out of item range
- the creation of the beetle lead to the mechanical theme in some aspects of the game
- the rocket fist idea that came before the beetle also lead to some of the game's theme
- the Gust Jar can only blow, but it could once suck and have an adjusted nozzel
- Iwata was really interested in the idea of adding the whip, so the dev team decided to move ahead with early tests
- Aonuma is not a fan of fighting games where you have to remember button combos
- development took 5 years
- not that many new items appear this time
- the focus is on content this time around
- the team built up hundreds of interesting elements

Obviously this is deep into spoiler territory, so I'm going to put this info after the jump.

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This footage comes from a new Iwata Asks feature on Skyward Sword, not yet translated...

Tired of seeing Link prance his way through context-free cutscenes involving giant birds and inscrutable floating cities? The Japanese trailers for Zelda: Skyward Sword posted above and below should be more to your liking: They're chock-full of honest-to-goodness gameplay.

Everything The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword does will inevitably be compared to its predecessor, Twilight Princess. Every success. Every failure. As the first Zelda title to hit Wii, and as a remarkable game in its own right, Twilight Princess has set a high benchmark for Nintendo's next endeavor....

#zelda These latest The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword screens show our hero Link in Lake Floria. The area is inhabited by a squid-like tribe. Squids! More »

- exploration on the scale of Wind Waker
- beams of light indicate where Link is able to skydive down to surface-level dungeons
- any stone save statue will transport you back home
- when you use the Skyward Strike to break blocks on land, Fi will tell you she detects a signal of some sort back in Skyloft
- returning to that region will place a marker on your map
- keep the Wiimote horizontal and move it up and down to flap your Loftwing's wings
- pivoting the Wiimote forward or backward to accelerate or decelerate
- A button can be used for a temporary speed boost
- Link can fly through tube-shaped islands that contain launching points that will propel him rapidly through the air

#nintendo While you will need a badge to check out Nintendo's holiday line-up on the show floor, down the street on Saturday the Pokémon Gaming Lounge will be servicing the public's pocket monster-related entertainment needs. More »

Last night we posted up the video above, but now we have a rough translation of the entire thing!

(2:06) [Phi]: Link… time to open your eyes. Soon, very soon you’ll face a big destiny. The time of awakening… Link… Link…

(2:59) [Letter from Zelda]: You sleepyhead! I’m sure you’re still lying in bed as this letter arrives… Isn’t it so? Good morning Link. Today the bird riding ceremony takes place! Our appointment… Do you remember? Zelda

Check out the full translation here

#zelda At some supermarkets, the pen you can use to sign your credit card receipt to pay for your groceries is connected to a cord that is affixed to the checkout counter. Those among us who are left-handed know that that cord or string is sometimes only long enough for a right-handed person to use that pen comfortably. More »

Why is everyone being such a dick to Link?

Zelda, her father -- heck, just about everyone in Link's hometown (this time) of Skyloft was giving him crap. The townspeoples' attitude painted a very specific picture for me: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword's Link is apparently the Spicoli of Skyloft.

You can imagine my surprise, considering how many Legend of Zelda games I've played (which would be just about all of them, CD-i games notwithstanding). It's like nobody in Skyloft expected much of Link beyond sleeping in, even today, when his chance to become a knight-in-training rests on flying (and winning) in the big race.

Suddenly, I felt more invested in Link that I had in my entire life. I wanted to prove all of these jerks wrong -- and I did, competing (and winning) in the big race. My prize was a one-on-one rap session with Zelda and a homemade parachute in the game, but the more important prize was my attachment to Skyward Sword. From this moment on, I was hooked.

The more time I spend with The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, the more I'm convinced this adventure captures a sense of originality and freshness for the series that I haven't felt in a decade, maybe more. What's curious is how the game manages to achieve that tone. It's not as if Nintendo is throw...

This isn't a fan-translation, this is the NoA official translation.

I knew we had another round of Skyward Sword spoilers coming. I don't know how many we'll see today, but get ready. This could be the first of many for Friday. Hit the jump to see the spoilers!

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