The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is a game currently in development, created exclusively with the Wii in mind. Hence, it will be an entirely different from Twilight Princess, in terms of style, gameplay, and graphics now that the production team is considering the full scope of the Wii's capabilties over that of it's predecessor, the Gamecube. The game will require Wii Motion Plus. The game will be released in 2011.

Early Development
It has been stated by Shigeru Miyamoto that Twilight Princess will be "without a doubt, the last Zelda game as you know it in its present form." However, the meaning of this quote leaves quite a bit to the imagination. In that same vein, Eiji Aonuma has recently revealed that he is looking to alter the "traditional flow" of Zelda games which consist of exploring a field, entering a dungeon, conquering the dungeon, and then returning to the field.

When Eiji Aonuma was asked in an interview if Twilight Princess would be the Nintendo Wii's only Zelda title, he replied, "I can't say, but I guess for now, maybe, yeah [laughs]. Not to say that it's going to be the final game. There's still a lot of potential with the Wii so there's still a possibility that there could be another Zelda for it. We do have some ideas in the works, but I can't say for sure because none of them have been approved and we're still very much in the planning process, so I hope you look forward to whatever comes out."

In a private meeting at the 2007 Electronic Entertainment Expo, Eiji Aonuma began to give details about the then-soon-to-be-released Zelda title, Phantom Hourglass. He then began speaking about the upcoming game, Skyward Sword. In his excitement, he began to reveal more details about the game, but was withheld from divulging too much information by Shigeru Miyamoto. He indicated that he would like to have a whole new control system for the game, and that it was possible that one-to-one swordplay (This could mean either first person perspective sword combat, or more likely a hint at Wii MotionPlus' 1:1 movement mapping) could be implemented. He also said that he would like to make the game to appeal both to the casual and the hardcore gamer, a sentiment echoed by Miyamoto in a later interview.

Skyward Sword was not the only new Zelda game in development at the time, as Spirit Tracks was produced alongside (By a separate team) and released on December 7th. .

At a round-table at the E3 2009 Convention, Shigeru Miyamoto disclosed that Skyward Sword will be announced at E3 in 2010. Artwork shown at the round-table was leaked shortly after, depicting a swordless, more mature, right-handed Link and another mysterious female figure, bearing resemblance to The Fairy Queen and The Master Sword. Miyamoto has admitted that Zelda Wii's version of Link will be older than those of past titles, and placed quite the emphasis on Link's lack of sword in the leaked artwork.

E3 2010 Previews
At the E3 2010, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword was revealed during the Nintendo Press Conference, introduced by Reggie Fils-Aime and Shigeru Miyamoto. Miyamoto discussed that the use of the sword and shield will incorporate the motion capabilities of the Wii Motion Plus and use of the Nunchuk accessory. The sword can also be charged up by holding the Wii remote straight up in the air, and, once it's charged up, the remote must be swung downwards to release the beam as a projectile attack.

Since the Wii Remote serves as the sword, the nunchuk becomes the shield: quickly shaking the nunchuk will cause Link to raise his shield. The way to control it is to hold it up in front as if it were a real shield. Miyamoto demonstrated this by blocking attacks from Octoroks and even using the shield to send the projectile back at the enemy. Weapons such as Bombs, Slingshot, and Bow, the return of Sword Beams, and new items such as the Beetle and Whip were all showcased, all using the natural aiming and directional applications of the Wii Motion Plus.

The way to access the inventory is by pressing the B button, which will bring up a "radial menu" on the screen. To choose the item that Link will equip, the Wii remote must simply be used to select said item.

Previous rumors of a flying element were pushed further in an interview with Eiji Aonuma and Shigeru Miyamoto preceding the Nintendo E3 press conference on the Nintendo E3 Network with Aonuma saying that "the sky plays a key element." He also mentioned that the new Zelda isn't as big as Twilight Princess (As far as physical places go), but rather more dense and in-depth.

Aonuma also mentioned that Wii Motion Plus was not originally intended for Skyward Sword, because the controls weren't working well. But when Wii Sports Resort came out, it worked perfectly for WSR, so they re-implement it.

Plot
In this game, Link has lived his entire life in an island above the clouds known as Skyloft; however, one day, he discovers a land below, but realizes that it is being overrun by evil forces. The reason that prompts him to go into the ground below is because of a sword known as the Skyward Sword. As such, the young hero must spend his journey traveling back and forth between these two regions: Skyloft and the land below.

The Skyward Sword, which is the girl shown on the poster on last year's E3, possesses intelligence and will assume the semi-human form in the teaser poster. Eventually, the Skyward Sword will become the Master Sword.

Graphics
Graphically, the title incorporates cel-shading and realistic elements, the former in relation to the overworld, and the latter in respect to Link's appearance and weaponry. Cel-shaded versions of enemies such as Octoroks, Deku Babas, and Bokoblins were apparent during the gameplay at the Conference in order to further explain the motion capabilities of the sword with Wii Motion Plus and the weapons during combat. In terms of the overworld, an open forest-like area was shown, that housed a large, central tree and a multitude of colorful attributes such as mushrooms, foliage, and even temple-like entrances along the area's walls. Though the Master Sword-looking being appeared on the game's leaked artwork, it was not mentioned whatsoever during the game's showcasing. Miyamoto revealed that the title will continue development through the end of this year, in preparation for a 2011 release.

Items

 * Bomb
 * Slingshot
 * Bow
 * Whip
 * Beetle

Enemies

 * Bokoblin
 * Octorok
 * Deku Babas
 * Stalfos