The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

The script for cinematic scenes was written by Naoki Mori, who joined the project for one and a quarter years in his role: the cinematic director was Shigeki Yoshida, who was brought on at the same time as and worked on the storyboards with Mori. The initial script was proposed by Fujibayashi based on his perception of the game's structure.[20] As the game's theme was the use of the sword, and the sword most associated with the series was the Master Sword, the team decided to make it an origin story for the weapon.[20][21] An early element was whether to incorporate the creation of Hyrule, while also needing to explain the creation of Skyloft: this initial stage of story development ended up being difficult as their initial story plans were full of contradictions to established series lore due to them wanting to create an origin story for the entire series. These issues were further complicated by the third year of development with the necessity of finalizing the gameplay and environments. Feigning illness, Fujibayashi shut himself away in a hotel room and wrote the synopsis in a single day. Mori wrote the dialogue based on Fujibayashi's synopsis, who needed to work out the fine details with Fujibayashi. A scene Fujibayashi was intent on including was where Zelda jumped from the edge of Skyloft and Link caught her: this was fitted in for the two characters after the end of Link's exam.[20] The early part of the story was quite different from earlier Zelda games, playing out in a similar way to a school drama.[22] Once the script was finished, it was handed to Yoshida so his team could create the cinematics. The total number of cinematics was estimated as 79, coming to over 120 minutes.[20]

The relationship between Link and Zelda was quite different from earlier incarnations, in particular the fact that Zelda was not royalty. According to Aonuma, a recurring difficulty was how contrived the necessity for Link to rescue Zelda became with each passing installment, as their contact may only have been fleeting beforehand. In response to this, the team considered how to make the player care about Zelda and want to rescue her. Having the two characters as childhood friends served this purpose and cut down on extraneous plot elements. They continued to encourage the player by having Link only just miss her on her early travels across the Surface.[23] Mischievous elements were also added to Zelda's personality by her pushing Link over a ledge: initially intended as a rule of three-style gag, it was cut down to two during development.[20] The figure of Hylia was a new addition to the world's lore, although her existence was linked to Zelda, with the two being essentially the same character known under different names in subsequent ages. Groose, who acted as Link's rival, was introduced to make the story more interesting within the school setting. Groose's maturation during the story was intended to help convey Link's parallel growth as a character as he was otherwise mute and static.[21]

Fi was created before the implantation of Wii MotionPlus when she was going to be part of some different undefined gameplay concepts unrelated to motion control. Her design was based on the design of the Master Sword, referencing her origins as the sword's spirit. She also served as an alternate explanatory voice as Link was a silent protagonist.[23] According to staff, Fi's technical dialogue for each area of the game was written by different people, verbal inconsistencies arose that needed addressing, so Fujibayashi adjusted them all so she sounded consistent.[24] Nearly all of Fi's dialogue was ultimately written by Fujibayashi.[23] Ghirahim was designed to be similar to the Dark Link character from Ocarina of Time: he could read Link's movements, requiring players to think strategically to defeat him rather than simply swinging Link's sword around randomly.[22] Character designs were far more detailed than in previous Zelda games. Clothing was frequently designed to complement backgrounds, such as Zelda's pink and red dress in the opening.[25] The game's use of warm colors and brushstroke-like aesthetics was inspired by impressionist artwork, pioneered in the 19th century by painters such as Claude Monet: a particular element cited by Miyamoto was the sky, which he called a tribute to post-impressionist Paul Cézanne's work. The basic starting point for the art style was that it was a fantasy world.[3][26] The final version was referred to as a balance between the cartoon styling of The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess, where the cartoon shading was transferred onto an older version of Link. The team settled this art style as it would properly portray the more exaggerated actions of some characters and general swordplay while preserving Link's mature appearance.[15][27]

Despite early difficulties implementing it, the gameplay of Skyward Sword made extensive use of the Wii MotionPlus (top, on Wii remote), resulting in multiple design elements revolving around its use.[2][15] A golden Zelda-themed Wii remote (bottom) was released as tie-in for the game, with built-in Wii MotionPlus functionality.[28]

During development, the team faced a lot of problems when designing the game so it would be both familiar for series fans and fresh to old and new players. The pieces of gameplay experimentation meant that the development was "a more fundamental ground-up process" than earlier games such as The Wind Waker. Their earlier games had involved lifting elements from earlier games and pasting them into a new entry, but for Skyward Sword the developers wanted to add a new play structure to avoid fans seeing it as more of the same.[18] The original concept for gameplay using the Wii MotionPlus was proposed by Fujibayashi at a point when the team was already developing the gameplay around the console's standard Wii Remote and Nunchuk control scheme. When first proposed, Aonuma was highly enthusiastic, and his wish to change to Wii MotionPlus meant that work on the game needed to begin all over again.[2] The use of Wii MotionPlus proved challenging for the developers to implement, to the point where at one point Aonuma seriously considered dropping it from the game entirely. After the release of Wii Sports Resort, the team saw how motion controls could be used for swordplay: after talking with the development team, they were able to borrow the technology and used it to create the motion-driven swordplay.[15] The implementation of Wii MotionPlus meant that the enemy artificial intelligence needed to be able to counter it, adjusting their stances depending on the position of Link's sword.[21]

When creating Link's sword movements, the team initially wanted them to be as realistic as possible, but because it was detrimental to the character's portrayal, they had to include unrealistic movements to preserve the atmosphere. The Skyward Strike was initially born from Aonuma thinking up a possible mechanic of holding the sword above Link: these also gave rise to the game's title. Having sword fighting relying on Wii MotionPlus freed up other buttons on the controller, allowing the addition of the Dash sprinting option. So as not to interrupt the flow of gameplay, they incorporated other elements into the Dash function, such as scaling walls rather than just slamming into them.[2] The Dowsing mechanic was created early on, based on the gameplay themes of discovery and exploration. Due to the introduction of Dowsing, the team did not have to create environmental landmarks for places and objects of importance as they had done in previous games. So players would not get lost in the terrain, they also introduced the marker beacons.[29] Items were designed so they could be visible in any area, such as the bright blue Bombs. They were also designed based on their original location: those from Skyloft used a bird motif, while those from other Surface regions used more intricate designs.[25] The Beetle acted as a replacement for the boomerang, as the team wanted an item that players could control.[21] The Beetle and other pseudo-technical items gave rise to the ancient mechanical theme that appeared in the Lanayru Desert region.[2] At Miyamoto's insistence, the more desirable items that were normally placed towards the end of a campaign were made available to players from an early stage.[22] When designing items, the developers were faced with the usual problems of the interdependence of items and dungeons creating a chicken-and-egg scenario for the developers.[23] The menu for Item access was also redesigned around the use of Wii MotionPlus.[2]

In past Zelda games, the team had made numerous new fields for player exploration, but this time they limited the number of overworlds to three and expanded their content so players would be able to fully appreciate them through repeated visits.[21][29] The team also created the world based on their experiences with Twilight Princess: feeling that the overworld and dungeons were too large with puzzles too thinly dispersed, the team both sought to compact areas and have environmental puzzles in the overworld. The biggest difficulty was ensuring that players could reach areas quickly while still discovering new features and puzzles.[14][21] The creation of the Skyloft overworld was due to difficulties connecting the three Surface-based overworlds due to drastically contrasting environments. The sky was initially going to be presented similar to the course selection screen from the Super Mario series, but this was changed to an overworld with its own quests and population so Link had a place where he could prepare for his adventures. An initial idea, when jumping down from the sky seemed unlikely to be approved, was to have a huge tower acting as a central hub, with the height at which Link jumped lengthening the duration of his free fall. Once the concept of traveling from the sky had been chosen instead, the Loftwing mounts were created so it looked and felt more rational to players. These overlapping gameplay mechanics triggered the creation of Skyloft, along with elements of the early game such as the Knight Academy.[30] The continual movements and routines of Skyloft's people were modeled after similar time-driven mechanics from The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, with similar links between character-specific side quests and the main narrative.[22] Despite the aerial element, the mechanics necessary for free navigation meant a Loftwing racing minigame could not be implemented.[21]

Each Surface overworld had a specific theme: the forest overworld revolved around landforms altering gameplay, the volcano overworld focused around changing the rules of gameplay, while the desert overworld was themed around duality between past and present.[31] The first areas, the Sealed Grounds and Faron Woods, were created so players could be eased into the game's mechanics and navigation.[29] While the forest areas were made to be mostly flat, the Eldin Volcano overworld was made with height differences in mind to provide a greater challenge. Elements in the volcano terrain included areas of lava and slopes where Link's sprinting ability would become necessary for reaching new areas.[24] For the Lanayru Desert, the team created three different overworld zones due to its unique time-shifting mechanics, triggered with Time Shift stones: this shifting between different zones was inspired by similar systems in Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess. The portable Time Shift stones were one of many ideas included in the desert overworld as they did not fit with the forest or volcano environments. A difficult feature to include naturally was the remnants of Lanayru's Ancient Civilization, which used electricity to power both its technology and citizens.[31] Enemy types that recurred in all Surface-based overworld areas were given slightly altered designs so they would be unique to each overworld.[24] The Silent Realms were created as a new mechanic, filled with enemies that could not be defeated and relying on Link's sprinting ability rather than his weapons or items. While they had experimented with indestructible enemies in Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks, but this time it was changed by restricting Link's options and actions. They also created a time limit for added strategy, as knowledge of the areas where the Spirit Realms were located was key to completing them. This was also why they were set up in areas players would already be familiar with.[21][24] They were originally in the form of special dungeons, but this was discarded in favor of the familiar areas.[23]

The game's sound team consisted of ten people: five handling general sound design, and five handling music composition. Hajime Wakai acted as the game's sound director and lead composer, with the other composers being Shiho Fujii, Mahito Yokota, and Takeshi Hama.[2][20][32][33][34] Longtime series composer Koji Kondo had a supervisory role, only composing a single piece by himself: the music accompanying the prologue video describing the mythical origins of Demise and Hylia.[14] He also helped in arranging the other composer's pieces, using an electric piano and a Mac computer.[32] Fujii was responsible for the music focused on environments, dungeons, boss battles: among her work was the music for Skyloft. She used art and environmental assets so that her compositions would fit in with their environments.[33] A first for the Zelda series, the music was performed using a live orchestra rather than synthesized instruments. It was the first time Nintendo EAD had used a live orchestra. Any previous orchestral elements in Twilight Princess, which amounted only to one track, were handled by their Tokyo division. Due to his experience, the department's musical lead Yokota was brought on to help orchestrate the score. Aonuma initially did not think of using an orchestra and was still sure the score would remain synthesized even after Wakai asked him about it. An orchestra was finally chosen after Miyamoto insisted upon it, a decision which surprised the entire team.[20]

Using the orchestra enabled a greater expression of emotion, which meant that they used it when creating scores for environments, cinematic scenes, and emotional moments within the story. Conversely, the team was given less freedom to adjust tracks as they had been able to with synthesized tracks. Something new they did for Skyward Sword was producing unique themes for specific characters such as Link and Zelda. They also added people singing songs, another element new to the series. One notable element was the game's main theme "Ballad of the Goddess", which was a retrograde version of the recurring tune "Zelda's Lullaby".[14] Due to the use of an orchestra and the sheer amount of extra work going into the sound design, the music team doubled in size from the standard five-person group, and became the largest sound team at the time to have worked on a Nintendo game.[2][20] The positive reception of the orchestral score within the company led to the creation of The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Symphony Concert, a celebratory concert featuring orchestrated versions of classic Zelda themes.[20] Music was also woven into the story and gameplay through the use of the harp Link receives, using a recurring theme within the series of music being a central part of the experience. In contrast to previous games, the instrument could be played at any time rather than at specific times and places.[14]

Nintendo Switch console with special edition Joy-Con

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD, a high-definition remaster for the Nintendo Switch,[51] was released on July 16, 2021. A Joy-Con pair themed after the Master Sword and Hylian Shield from the game was released separately on the same date.[51][52]

Aonuma said in June 2016 that it might be possible to create an HD remaster of Skyward Sword for then-current hardware.[53] Years prior, during the development of another entry in the series, Breath of the Wild, Nintendo experimented with an HD version of Skyward Sword running on Wii U development kits when trying to settle on a graphical style for the new game.[54] This ultimately led to the production of The Wind Waker HD, whose success encouraged the Zelda team to pursue other high-definition remasters. Aonuma recognized the interest in a Skyward Sword remaster, though a spokesperson from Nintendo would later clarify to Eurogamer that there were no plans to bring the game to the Nintendo Switch at that time.[55] In August 2020, Amazon UK had listed a Nintendo Switch version of Skyward Sword, though it was delisted soon after.[56]

The remaster features high-definition graphics and runs at 60 frames per second.[57] The remaster features two control schemes, one of which aims to replicate the functions of the Wii Remote Plus and Nunchuck through the motion controls of the Joy-Con, while the other aims to replicate a traditional control scheme by using the right analog stick to control the previously motion-controlled sword.[58] This secondary control method allows the game to be played in handheld mode, on a Pro Controller, and on the Nintendo Switch Lite.[58]

Other new features include autosave, the ability to save to any of the three save files instead of just the original file (which also now includes giving Hero Mode its own slot upon unlocking it as a New Game Plus feature when saved into a file),[59] many of Fi's hints now being optional, the ability to skip dialogue boxes and cutscenes, and item descriptions no longer appearing after the first encounter with an item, with the Gratitude Crystals being the lone exception.[60][59] One Amiibo figure is supported, being a figure depicting Zelda and a Loftwing enabling fast travel between the sky and the surface.[61]

Following its release, Skyward Sword won numerous awards. At IGN's "Best of 2011" awards, it was awarded "Best Game",[80] "Best Graphics",[81] "Best Sound"[82] and "Best Story"[83] in the Wii category. It was also given the "Reader's Choice" award in the "Best Overall Game" category: it was also among those nominated as the site's "Game of the Year".[84] In Digital Trends' similar awards, it was named as "Best Action-Adventure" and "Best Wii Exclusive", and was nominated for the site's "Game of the Year" award.[85] RPGamer's own "Best of 2011" awards named Skyward Sword "Best Console and PC Game" and awarded it for "Best Music".[86][87] It also received "Game of the Year" awards from Electronic Gaming Monthly, GameSpot, Edge and Nintendo Power.[88][89][90][91] It received "Excellence" and "Most Valuable Character" awards from Famitsu, the latter being awarded for the protagonist Link.[92] It received multiple nominations in 2012 at the 15th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards (three noms for "Game of the Year", "Adventure Game of the Year", and "Outstanding Achievement in Gameplay Engineering"), Game Developers Choice Awards and the BAFTA Games Awards.[93][94][95][96] At Spike, the game won awards for "Best Wii Game" and "Best Motion Game".[97] Skyward Sword has since been ranked among the best games developed for the Wii.[98][99][100][101]

Upon its Japanese debut, Skyward Sword sold nearly 195,000 units, reaching the top of sales charts.[102] Sales quickly declined, dropping out of the Top 20 within a few weeks. By the end of December, it had sold less than 320,000 units: this was below equivalent sales for other recent home console and portable Zelda games.[103] The game's sales were strong overall going into January 2012, with its largest sales coming from North America.[104] Its first month sales in North America came to around 600,000 units, nearly double its Japanese sales.[103] In the UK, Skyward Sword was the seventh best-selling game of November in the multiformat charts, stated as impressive given the waning popularity of the platform.[105] It was also the region's top-selling Wii game during its week of release, supplanting the previous week's top seller Just Dance 3.[106] It failed to reach the top-five best-selling Wii games for that year.[107] Its total worldwide first-week sales came to 919,119 units. According to Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé, Skyward Sword was the fastest-selling game in the series at that time.[108] As of March 2012, the game has sold 3.52 million units worldwide: 360,000 of these units were sold in Japan while 3.15 million units were sold overseas.[109]As of December 2020 the game has sold 3.67 million units worldwide.[110]

Pre-orders for Skyward Sword HD sold out on Amazon.com and it was listed as the best-selling game on the US version of the site.[111] It sold 159,089 physical copies within its first week on sale in Japan, making it the bestselling retail game of the week in the country.[112]

As of December 2022, Skyward Sword HD has sold 4.15 million units worldwide.[113]

Nintendo EAD (2011-11-18). The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii). Nintendo.