Skyward Sword Breaks New Ground With Upgradeable Gear

Logan Westbrook

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Feb 21, 2008
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Skyward Sword Breaks New Ground With Upgradeable Gear


You won't get stuck with basic equipment in Skyward Sword, not if you've got the money and materials to make in better.

If there's one thing that the Legend of Zelda games are known for, it's having lots and lots of items. Link's pockets are usually stuffed full of boomerangs, bombs, bows, and more besides. But for Skyward Sword, Nintendo has decided that simply having a lot of gear isn't enough, and has included an upgrade system to make your equipment even more effective.

Speaking to GameSpot [http://comic-con.gamespot.com/video/6324917/the-legend-of-zelda-skyward-sword-comic-con-2011-demo?tag=updates;editor;all;title;2], Nintendo's Bill Trinen used the example of Link's shield. Early on in the game, he said, Link's shield was pretty basic thing - as it always is - but over the course of the game Link would be able to harvest materials from fallen enemies, which the player could use to improve the shield. He said that this was also true of Link's flying beetle device, as well as other, currently unspecified items. It seems a pretty safe bet that series stalwarts like the boomerang will also be upgradable, although Nintendo may yet surprise us.

Technically, this isn't the first time that items have been upgradeable in a Legend of Zelda game; A Link to the Past, for example, had blacksmiths who could upgrade your sword, and a hidden magical fairy pond that would upgrade your boomerang and your bow. It's also not uncommon to find new and improved versions of certain items in Zelda games, such as Biggorran's Sword in Ocarina of Time, wich was an upgraded version of the Giant's Knife. However, a system where the player has to collect materials and cash to make the improvements is something quite new for the series, and could be rather interesting.

Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword comes out for the Wii later this year.

Source: via Game Informer [http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2011/07/24/upgrade-your-items-in-the-legend-of-zelda-skyward-sword.aspx]


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Cool Welshy

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Mar 15, 2011
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Really? Well, that IS new.
Not sure if that's a good thing though. I'm not truly fond of the rpg upgrade system. Unless they intend to re-invent the wheel, I don't thik it'll work for me.
 

AbstractStream

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Feb 18, 2011
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Take my money! Take it!! Take it and hurry up!
Ahem. That being said, Link's pockets are like a portal to another dimension. Otherwise, how else does he fit all that stuff in there?
 

Frostbite3789

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Jul 12, 2010
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This seems like MW3's marketing. "Check our totally non-ground breaking and not new feature and get super pumped!"
 

WanderingFool

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I still think they need to take some big gambles with the Zelda franchise and stop playing it safe (and dull). But this does seem like a step into the right direction... as long as it isnt an asinine upgrade system, and you can actually chose how to upgrade you equipment...
 

D0WNT0WN

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Sep 28, 2008
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Tempted, but the motion controls still put me off no matter how accurate they are.

Damn it Nintendo.
 

Aussie Legend

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Feb 24, 2010
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Holy innovation batman! o_o

Kidding aside, really looking forward to this game, just give us a bloody release date Nintendo please.
 

BabySinclair

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AbstractStream said:
Take my money! Take it!! Take it and hurry up!
Ahem. That being said, Link's pockets are like a portal to another dimension. Otherwise, how else does he fit all that stuff in there?
Well obviously everything shrinks before he puts them in his pockets. I would post a link to a video but do I really want to post something that included that show?
 

Jarlaxl

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So...they're integrating an MMO-style grind into Legend of Zelda?

I'll be watching this carefully, but I'm not excited by this development.
 

rembrandtqeinstein

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Is this a mummorpuger? Well maybe a sporpuger. End of life games tend to be the best of the lineup for many consoles, I don't think this will be an exception.
 

Richardplex

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If they incorparate it well so you don't need to grind, yay.
If they don't and I do need to grind, well I won't need to go buy that nunchuck that I still need.
 

AyreonMaiden

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Even more pumped than before. Not possible. I thought I'd never be as excited for a Zelda game as I was Twilight Princess.
 

-Dragmire-

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Mar 29, 2011
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ok, this is the first news in a while to make me interested in zelda again. My main issue with TP was the puzzle to action ratio skewed way too much toward the puzzle. Dungeons which rely on terrain more than the enemies to stop you from progressing are just annoying to me.

Having upgradable equipment sounds like combat will be much more important in this game.
 

Domehammer

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Jun 17, 2011
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Hopefully the upgrade system doesn't end up padding the game play dramatically. Like say you upgrade wrong item because you needed another item upgraded for next dungeon. Then you have to grind couple hours to upgrade correct item.
 

TK421

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AbstractStream said:
Take my money! Take it!! Take it and hurry up!
Ahem. That being said, Link's pockets are like a portal to another dimension. Otherwise, how else does he fit all that stuff in there?
Actually, my friends and I are of the belief that there is a portal on the back side of Link's shield. This stems from the way that he switches items.

OT: If they do it right, this upgrade thing could be really cool, and add some playtime as well.
 

Nocta-Aeterna

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Question: are these upgrades necessary to progress through the game (longer hookshot, turning your shield in a mirror shield etc)? Seems a bit odd to me that you would need to grind for materials to upgrade whatever you're upgrading, rather than solving dungeon puzzles, or exploring. Kind of un-Zelda like...
 

gigastar

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Sep 13, 2010
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Nocta-Aeterna said:
Question: are these upgrades necessary to progress through the game (longer hookshot, turning your shield in a mirror shield etc)? Seems a bit odd to me that you would need to grind for materials to upgrade whatever you're upgrading, rather than solving dungeon puzzles, or exploring. Kind of un-Zelda like...
I agree with this. Way back when details of Windwaker were flowing out i was pleased to hear of the sailing, then when we got to play it turns out the game is about 30% sailing by time played.

Anyway one thing i will always bet on is that whenever Nintendo tries something new, theyll probably screw it up for players somehow.
 

Zeraki

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AbstractStream said:
Take my money! Take it!! Take it and hurry up!
Ahem. That being said, Link's pockets are like a portal to another dimension. Otherwise, how else does he fit all that stuff in there?
Link's tunic was tailored by Timelords.

OT: This is interesting, but it doesn't sound too much different from the upgrade systems in A Link To The Past and Majora's Mask.