I both like and dislike this game and I'm a HUGE fangirl **looks over at her Master Sword she got at a con**
Oddly enough though I still haven't beaten it the entire way through I think part of it is what I don't like about it. As this game is the first in the series that Miyamoto didn't have an active role (since he's wanting to retire from his current position and work on smaller stuff) I am a little worried for my precious Zelda series but I should probably actually mention what I like and dislike about it in detail. I have a few things in spoiler tags but they're talking about specific things such as a particular puzzle (that's in the beginning, it's also in detail 'cause it was one of those stupidly simple but many people get stuck and frustrated scenarios), or a particular fight (that "spoiler" is also kinda vague)
Story: So far from what I've gotten (and I think I'm pretty far) I like it, although I have a few currently plot hole questions in regards to what has been learned in this game in regards to the other games but I'm hoping that'll get explained in part or if nothing else certain parts of legends never get the chance to be told to later generations. Oh and I like how you can have Link respond in different ways, I doubt that this leads to any really different scenes but it lessens the "................" vocabulary.
Companion: At first I liked Fi, she seemed quite different from the companions in the past and then she got really really annoying. This is mostly 'cause of boss fights. You use her to analyze like other companions in the past and at one point you choose to either have her stop or continue with her analysis. In the first stage of a boss normally this leads to a "This is all the info I can give you atm" response. So you figure when boss goes into form 2+ she'll give you more right? WRONG! It doesn't happen and when she does pipe up it's normally about something obvious like you're health has gone down (no s**t this guy hits hard that's why I have 4 bottles of fairies you stupid spirit!)
Dungeons: Kinda cool, although there are some really annoying parts that should be simple but because of wording of hints etc getting past some parts are much more difficult than it should be.
This really isn't a spoiler but in the first dungeon you have to get past this door with an eyeball that all the info you get is that it follows your sword. I do spin attacks which lowers your stamina after awhile (I'll get to mechanics later) and a whole lot of other things before I find out that you just need to imagine you're drawing circles on the screen 'cause it pays attention to the TIP of the sword. Many of my friends have also had issues with this part and this is the very first dungeon and not very far in it as well.
Honestly I've liked moreso than dislike in this category.
World: A bit disappointing actually for this reason only, lack. There is hardly anything to explore in the skyword except for the island you start on and one other (and they're not really that big). The rest are either VERY specific (ie for a mini-game or story purposes) or asteroids that you go to to find chests that you were able to open once you found the "key" on the ground world.
As for the ground world you're either going back to the same place multiple times or they're close enough that it feels like it. (using TP as a sort of correlation it's like the only places you go to are the Faron, Eldin, and Lanayru provinces without them expanding at all.) At least with previous Zelda installments (TP, OoT, LttP) They had either a twilight/dark version of the world or a another time frame so that partway through the game the areas you're going to seem fresh even though you might be going back to the same place you have been before. Mind you one area does kinda do this and it's a big part in solving the puzzles in that zone but they give you that mechanic the FIRST time you go there so you know you have to deal with that the later times you go there.
The only "dark world" equivalent in the game is a sort of mini-game hell that you have to do in order to continue the game which is like a cross between the collecting of the Tears of Light in TP and Temple of the Ocean King in PH with the added "bonus" of not having any weapons whatsoever so your only hope is running like hell and hope you don't get hit or you start over (not the game, just the mini-hell). And yes you do this multiple times in multiple areas (that you've already been to before).
Mechanics:Some I like, some I don't.
Stamina gauge: Mixed on this one, makes things more realistic (you can't sprint/hang on a ledge forever). Sometimes this makes things more complicated like with the mini-hell I mentioned just previously and with a certain boss fight that you have to do involving you doing something 3 times before boss reaches a certain place
for those who know what I'm talking about a free hint, you do this fight multiple times and it's harder each time although you get help later, it's still a b***h to get in front of the thing
. There are things to offset these complications like "stamina fruit" on the ground or climbable walls in case you need them and even a potion you can buy that can slow the rate the gauge decreases (or stops it from decreasing completely if you get the improved one) for a certain amount of time. It just sucks for that fight I mentioned 'cause the potion is an almost must have but you don't really get a warning on when you do said fight
Well I had a slight suspicion on #2, #3 caught me off guard as it happened much sooner than I expected don't know if it happens again.
Musical instrument: HATE HATE HATE SO DISAPPOINTED!!! It's not a spoiler even if it wasn't shown in any teaser videos as you see it at the very beginning it's a small harp, think what Sheik has in OoT. I was so excited about it, until I finally was able to use it. I may not know much about harp playing but I doubt that it's just a timed <----> motion with your hand. That is all you have to do with the wiimote and it's the same tempo same motion for all the songs (and I know that there is at least 5 very different sounding songs). They sooooo dropped the ball on this, at least you had to do something different each time with that damned baton and in that game you weren't actually PLAYING anything!
Upgrading items: Brings a bit more of an RPG aspect to the game. You need items that you collect out in the world (namely the ground). It makes them more powerful or useful (like the slingshot after you get the bow, scattershot is awesome!) The place that does this is also the place that repairs your shields (yes there are multiple types again and yes they can be upgraded too yes they can BREAK D: although I have heard that there is an unbreakable shield I don't think I've gotten far enough to do the mini-game required to win it).
Adventure pouch: At first I liked it 'cause I thought it was a way to customize Link with the way you play. It's basically an item that eventually gets 8 slots. You like blowing up stuff one or more of those slots can be used to hold more bombs (or arrows or slingshot pellets etc etc.) Unfortunately there are a lot more stuff that goes into the adventure pouch than that. Your shields for one goes in here (and they are a must-have). Bottles go here (I've found 4 or 5 so far don't remember 'cause I haven't turned in on in awhile but I think that's max at least. And I think it was 5...) Another thing that's new that goes here are medallions.
Medallions are kinda cool, carrying them around grants you certain things like making more hearts appear when defeating monsters/cutting grass, or making more upgrading materials appear more. Another sucky bit which I think they drop the ball again is that there are two heart medallions that if you carry them around grants you a heart container! Want 20 HCs? You probably guessed it, you have to carry these with you in your Adventure Pouch, yeah they couldn't figure out how to put in 8 more heart pieces in the game apparently.
So in all if you need a shield (there's one pouch), want all 20 HCs (there goes two more), want to be able to replenish health for minor mistakes (without that medallion they're few and far between there goes another), few bottles for the Oh Shit purposes... yeah running out of room so you can have more than just 20 bombs/arrows/pellets as the pouch is the only way to increase that amount. At least the extra stuff is safe and accessible only when you're on your home island, just hope you don't need a switch in the middle of a dungeon or worse, a fight.
Wiimotion plus movement: Not too difficult actually despite the mishaps I've had like being confused on how to increase my altitude when flying for the first time (do a quick up and down motion with the mote), learning a new flying technique partway through the game (which is harder than when you need to use said technique as the test has smaller targets and you're on a time limit whereas the latter they're bigger with no time limit /sigh). Or balancing on a damn rope (I thought you needed to rotate the mote back and forth when you actually need to point to which side you needed to lean towards). Only thing that kinda bugged me in regards to this was more the fights when you need to strike from a certain side. You're holding it one way, see the opening, move the mote so that you're coming from the way you need to be and strike and the game didn't register the part where you changed where your sword was starting from. This doesn't happen all the time, just enough for me to go grawr. Not as active as I thought it was going to be either.
Don't get me wrong I still like the game and it'll be one that I know I'll play multiple times and enjoy it. Some things just made me sad/upset. There's this one critic that I like online called Yatzee who does animated game critic videos called Zero Punctuation (quite funny I recommend watching them even if you don't agree with him on his comments). Although it seems like there are few games that he likes (and he doesn't seem to really like the Zelda games) I do agree with a number of his gripes. Oh what he does say is a little bit more spoilerish than mine.
/end massive post XD
