QCF: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

If you’re a Wii owner who’s lost faith in your console’s entertainment value, this game will make you waggle with pride one last time.

25 years later, with the release of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, the classic RPG series still delivers fresh, worthwhile experiences, all while retaining a level of nostalgia diehard fans will adore. There are quests to complete, princesses to track down, and powerful villains to ... well, you’ll understand when you see the guy.

Like Ocarina of Time and other three-dimensional Legend of Zelda adventures, Skyward Sword begins in a calm village setting. Once again you're Link (or whatever you decide to name him), a slightly misunderstood knight-in-training whose life is relatively careless. Your home is the floating mass of land known as Skyloft, protected by flying knights riding colorful birds dubbed Loftwings. Everyone is happy, and everything is peaceful. Existence in your world is just grand.

However, the surface below – supposedly tainted after a great Goddess banishes terrible monsters from ages ago – remains a mystery. But of course, it’s not long before our main protagonist discovers he and Zelda, the daughter of Skyloft’s Headmaster (still technically "royalty"), are part of a prophecy involving adventures into the unknown. What begins as a pleasant afternoon flight becomes Zelda’s unfortunate descent below the clouds, and it’s your job to recover her while containing the sudden chaos.

Skyward Sword features some of the better graphics witnessed on the Wii. The world is vibrant in every way, and distant objects have a blended “stained glass” effect, making them more visually appealing and less of a flickery mess. Sure, it’s nothing compared to Skyrim, but charming nonetheless.

The best part about Skyward Sword is wielding your blade for the first time. You’ll find yourself chopping random trees and bushes instead of searching for Zelda or accomplishing other tasks. Princess gone missing? Who cares, you’re twirling the mystical Goddess Sword on the same console your grandma uses as a virtual gym. Responsive Wii Motion Plus controls make each swing more lifelike than the last, which truly adds to the immersion of this classic adventure.

Characters and races – like those in previous Legend of Zelda titles – are unforgettable in both good and bad ways. For instance, the primary antagonist is a powerful adversary, though his creepy appearance makes him hard to take seriously. first encounters with races like the Kikwi tribe, a plump band of camouflage beings in woodland areas, will either have you squealing with joy or reaching for the Ibuprofen. I personally giggled like a little school girl each time I saw one.

Another key character in Skyward Sword is Fi, an ethereal servant of the great Goddess channeled from your sword. Unlike Navi from Ocarina of Time, Fi offers relatively helpful advice with the click of a button, and won’t make a habit of pestering players with nonsense like “Press ‘A’ to open this door.” Fi is also your personal questing guide, who leads you in search of key characters like Zelda via the “dowsing” process. Zelda apparently loves wandering in this latest chapter, so your chances of finding the real deal are always unknown.

My only complaint with this game is the sensitivity involved with flying; it’s easy to screw up and have your Loftwing crash into floating islands. Just make sure your Wii Motion Plus censor remains properly calibrated, otherwise you’ll continually collide with magical rocks. But thankfully, repetition helps, and it’s certainly not enough to spoil the action.

With highly responsive sword controls and a classic charm even newcomers will appreciate, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is an essential title for any Nintendo Wii owner’s library. Hours of classic RPG questing and blade-slashing make this a must-have holiday purchase ... perhaps even for grandma.