Skyward Sword: Introduction and Story

Skyward Sword has four major distinctions. First, it’s the Wii’s Zelda game. Along with that, it’s the motion control Zelda game [1]. Three, it’s the earliest game in the timeline, set before The Minish Cap, Four Swords, and Ocarina of Time. Finally, it’s the flagship game for celebration of the 25th anniversary of the original Legend of Zelda [2]. Of the four, it’s the motion control aspect that stands out most in my mind when I think of this game, which is why I’ve not been terribly excited about playing it. My one experience with the Wii’s motion controls was frustrating; the upgraded Wiimote gives me a little hope things will be better, but… we’ll see. I’ve played a little bit into the game [3], and it feels gimmicky so far. So to roll, I need to push forward on the Nunchuk’s analog stick, hold down A on the Wiimote, and shake the Nunchuk? Woooo. (On the bright side: I have gotten good at the coremost Zelda mechanic of smashing pots… to the Knight Academy’s cook’s dismay.)

Skyward Sword is also the third major game represented in the base story of Hyrule Warriors, so there are some things I’ve picked up:

• Fi (“The Goddess Sword”), the robot angel sword spirit. I’m figuring she fills two roles, as Link’s sword and companion. Her name’s supposed to be pronounced “fie,” but thanks to Fiona on Burn Notice, I have a hard time not saying “fee” instead.
• Ghirahim (“Demon Lord”), the flamboyant, theatrical bad guy with a Gene Simmons tongue. He may be connected to Ganon somehow (even though Ganon won’t come around for quite a while yet).
• The Imprisoned (no title – his name works as one), a giant black worm with pointy teeth, a sword stuck in its forehead, and feet with giant toenails that it hates having cut.
• There’s a giant divine sky whale who likes pumpkins.
• There’s a character named Groose.

Story

“This is a tale that you humans have passed down through uncounted generations… It tells of a war of unmatched scale and ferocity, the likes of which would never been seen again.
“One dark, fateful day, the earth cracked wide and malevolent forces rushed forth from the fissure. They mounted a brutal assault upon the surface people, driving the land into deep despair… They burnt forests to ash, choked the land’s sweet springs, and murdered without hesitation.
“They did all this in their lust to take the ultimate power protected by Her Grace, the goddess. The power she guarded was without equal. Handed down by gods of old, this power gave its holder the means to make any desire a reality. Such was the might of the ultimate power that the old ones placed it in the care of the goddess.
“To prevent this great power from falling into the hands of the evil swarming the lands, the goddess gathered the surviving humans on an outcropping of earth. She sent it skyward, beyond the reach of the demonic hordes. Beyond even the clouds. With the humans safe, the goddess joined forces with the land dwellers and fought the evil forces, sealing them away. At last, peace was restored to the surface.
“This is a tale that you humans have told for many ages, generation to generation…
“But there are other legends, long hidden away from memory, that are intertwined with this tale.
“Now, a new legend bound to this great story stands ready to be revealed. A legend that will be forged by your own hand.”

A lot of this is new, as one might expect from a prequel; this predates just about everything familiar (except the Golden Goddesses creating the world). The “ultimate power” the goddess here has could be the Triforce. Or not. We’ll see.

On the surface world, a giant fissure splits the ground, and a giant black scaly worm crawls out, opening its toothy mouth wide at the camera. In the sky, giant birds fly around a floating island. People jump off of docks onto the birds' backs. Zelda plays a harp and sings and her giant bird comes to her, and she gives it a letter.

At the Skyloft Knight Academy, Link’s dreaming of the black scaly worm when a light appears and a voice tells him it’s the start of the game so he can wake up now. The scaly worm roars, driving the light away, but Zelda’s bird enters the dream, and Link rolls out of bed to find the bird staring at him through the open window. The bird spits Zelda’s letter at Link, bonking him on the head, and flies off. “I know how much you like to sleep in, so I’m guessing this letter will be your alarm clock this morning,” the letter reads. It goes on to talk about the Wing Ceremony that day, and how Link promised to meet Zelda beforehand. (As the text gets to the part where Link promised to meet Zelda, it slows down, and I can almost hear Zelda saying it, drawing out the sounds.)

Next: Taking (motion) control.

[1] Twilight Princess had a Wii version with motion controls, but it was co-released for the GameCube without motion controls, and that’s the version I played and think of.
[2] Also released that year: Ocarina of Time 3D, Four Swords Anniversary Edition, and Hyrule Historia, which I got for Christmas last year and I’ll finally be able to read soon.
[3] No sword yet, though.