At the beginning of Nintendo’s E3 Press Conference, we were treated to a surprise – Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. Exclusive for the Wii, Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword promises to be something so incredible, something so amazing, and by the looks of it, I want it… today. On hand to provide a live demonstration was Mr. Shigeru Miyamoto himself. Miyamoto-san, a genius in my opinion, gave us an awesome tutorial on how to play the newest installment to the Zelda franchise.
Using the Wii-mote Motion Plus, and having the nunchuck connected, players will fully assume the role of Link. The Wii-mote will act as the sword, and your nunchuck will be your shield. Miyamoto-san advised us to really get into it and pretend as if you were holding a physical sword and shield combo. By pressing Z on the nunchuck, you can target your enemies or objects, and the A button has two different functions. In combat, A will make Link jump. When you aren’t swinging your sword, the A button will allow Link to run. If you aim the sword to the sky, it will charge up with the power of the Heavens, hence the title Skyward Sword. From there you can use that energy to let loose some sword beams.
By moving both of your hands in the same direction, Link will swing the sword around in a quick circle. Shaking your left hand quickly will make your shield pop up. Another cool thing we saw was how you can knock back rocks, or other projectiles by performing the shield bash move. The object can then be used to attack enemies.
Being able to interact with your environment is something more games should offer, and Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword doesn’t disappoint. You are able to cut grass, cut down trees, and more. Link, this time around, has a few more items at his disposal. To access your items, just turn the Wii-mote down, like you’re reaching into your pocket, and the menu will pop up on your screen. From there, you can select what you want to equip. Obviously his sword and shield have returned, along with the bow and arrow and slingshot, but Link now has a whip and a beetle. I found the beetle to be awesome. You just aim where you want it to go, and by using the Wii-mote, you can control where it flies. Your beetle can look around the world and even pick up items. With the whip, how you move determines the movement of it. We saw how you can whip enemies, items, and even use it to bring items to you. Swapping out between whip and sword was easy too.
Another thing I liked in the presentation were the bombs. Again, you select the item out of your menu, and you can do a couple of things with the bombs. You can raise the Wii-mote and throw them, you can place them on the ground in front of you, or you can drop your hand and roll it like a bowling ball. When demoing the bomb section, Miyamoto-san accidentally blew Link up. It was pretty comical. There were a few issues during the demo, like when too many people were using wireless devices, throwing off the Wii-mote connection to the Wii, but like true professionals, they kept on going.
Overall, the presentation was fantastic. It was so nice watching Miyamoto-san up there on stage having a blast, because that’s what gaming is all about. Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, unfortunately, isn’t even close to being completed, so all we know for now is that it will be out sometime in 2011.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alsWeDp_z0k
– Me
