Skyward Sword Days 3-5: Volcanoes and Deserts

I’m not almost 14 hours through the game and things just got interesting. Read on to find out where I am along with some more impressions.

SPOILER WARNING: DO NOT READ ON IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO KNOW

My opinions of the game have not changed at all, it simply is an excellent game. Ocarina of Time … Skyward Sword … it is going to be tough to choose at the end. I’m still thinking of playing through Ocarina again when I am done, but it cannot be stated enough: Skyward Sword is simply an amazing game. If you are not going to play it, that is to for detriment.

First up was the Eldin Volcano/Earth Temple.

Earth Temple

So I have to admit, I used one hint to find the ledge I missed in order to finish up the climb of Eldin Volcano. I’m not proud of this, but I did it.

I am really enjoying the format of a “mini temple” feel for the path up to the main temple, and then how stylistic and gorgeous the temples are in Skyward Sword. The game is just packed full of little puzzles to get you from one place to the other and then there are wholly unique puzzles in every temple after that. It is really good and, even more important, it feels rewarding to not just beat a temple, but just to get into the temple.

So far, nothing has felt like it was tacked on, it all feels “just right”.

The boss almost killed me. I need to get better with controlling my bombs, but luckily I had two potions along because I needed both of them to not get myself completely killed. Proceed with caution.

After a quick stop to pick up some needed potions and to help out a person or two (I won’t go into side quests here), it was off to the desert. Well, it wasn’t ALWAYS a desert, but it was a desert now. Off to Lanyaru Desert!

Lanayru Mining Facility

Once again, the run-up to the actual temple was as fun as the temple itself. This time you got to deal with shifting time around crystals to show the lush past of the desert you were now walking in and talk with the robots who were mining the area for said crystals. It was such a change to see an oasis pop up amid there arid desert and then talk to the past.

This time, no hints were needed for either the desert or the temple itself. Yay for me!

The temple was interesting because it was either the broken down former mining facility or the thriving, mechanical mining facility of the past … depending on what crystal you had hit recently. Some challenging running areas and a new tool to use throughout as well. It was good, and the bright colors of the past amid the dusty and broken present was a great contrast.

The boss this time was much easier for me. It was fun, though, because you had to really take control of your sword to get any hit on the boss. It was a relatively quick fight and only one potion needed this time and it was off to meet up with Zelda at the Temple of Time.

Not the happy ending I wanted, though. Now it is back to the forest to find out what I need to do next.

Just fantastic. Both of these areas and temples were amazing and I look forward to what it ahead.

I can already say this: find a Wii and get Skyward Sword and play it. You will not be disappointed.