like textures and shaders, forgetting the very principles upon which the industry was

even built, and theyíll say, ìItís blurry. Itís smeared. It looks like a Dreamcast game.î

ìItís just an uglier, wagglier, less mature Zelda.î

Those poor soulsóbound by resolution and enslaved to shadowing effectsóare missing

the point. Beauty isnít measured by pixel density. It has nothing to do with polygon

counts or texture mapping. Itís about the art those processes are used to create. Somewhere

along the line, people forgot that. They started to focus on processes instead of the product.

They forgot what art is.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword reminds us.

In many ways, this is the same Zelda weíve known since Ocarina of Time. The gameplay

is familiar, the structure is similar...even the daring art direction brings to

mind Links in the past, so to speak, specifically those of ocean and mask. This is a game that

takes you on a familiar ride...itís just switched the track. As a result, this

game has a renewed magic that makes it the most unique Zelda in years.

Skyward Sword is the eighth proper Zelda title released for a home console, which makes its

freshness all the more impressive. In terms of its place in the timeline, the game takes

place prior to Ocarina of Time, making it the oldest legend in the Zelda chronology.

This is accentuated by the fact that the Triforceóthe sacred emblem

of Linkís homelandóis conspicuously absent early on in Skyward Sword.

This gives the game the same kind of fantastic foreshadowing you have in the Star Wars prequels,

which is sure to thrill longtime Zelda fans. The symbol is incomplete, and Hyruleóthe

setting for so many prior gamesóhasnít even been built yet.

Go ahead, geek out. Because thatís awesome.

And yet while it takes place prior to Ocarina, itís built from the same basic ideas, building

blocks that have served as the foundation for every 3D Zelda game. Youíre locking on

to enemies with the Z button, youíre managing an inventory packed with items and weapons,

youíre exploring dungeons and conquering bosses. In those aspects, itís business as

usual...but Skyward Sword tweaks the process.

For starters, there is no Hyrule Field or Great Sea this time. Thereís no massive overworld

to traverse between its dungeons. Skyward Sword trades that for a more streamlined approach.

One temple leads to the next, though entering them is like a mini-dungeon itself. You could

call it linear, but without the negative connotation.

It still has Zeldaís spirit of discovery, only without all the connecting flights.

Speaking of connecting flights, weíre going to make you take one, Undertoads. For

more on Skyward Sword and details on its motion controls and stunning art direction, come

back for the second half of our look at the beautiful, the spectacular, the Legend of

Zelda: Skyward Sword.