The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Reveal Thread)

[Ezlo's Apprentice]

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uOFYeTsT7g" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uOFYeTsT7g</a>

With the official announcement there should surely be an official thread. That's my feeling anyway. Any big developments on the game in the run up to its (early or late) 2011 release can come here. Today of course was the all important first day of big news with a trailer, a title and some gameplay action.

Opening Nintendo's E3 conference this year was the much-anticipated and hotly-rumoured Zelda Wii - or, as we now know it, Skyward Sword. The sixteenth official adventure in the Zelda franchise is the first specifically designed for Wii and takes advantage of the MotionPlus peripheral which adds depth and precision to gameplay. It also features a new style combining the more realistic stylings of Twilight Princess with the colourful, if controversial, cel-shaded pallette of WindWaker and its handheld successors.

The talking points:

That new style
When playing Smash Bros Brawl, I thought that Toon Link was the perfect marriage of Celda and traditional graphics and would be ideal for any future Zelda title. Toon Link with a grittier shading? Smashing. Nintendo also saw a future for a union of that nature, but with Celda's pallette on a more realistic overworld. The end result is certainly eye-catching. Will it please both parties?

The gameplay
Although Miyamoto's demonstration was not the best way of showing off the title's gameplay revolutions, feedback is already coming in from the showroom floor that swordplay is a lot smoother when Shigsy isn't playing.

The scorpion boss looks terrific, and hopefully he's one of many which will pack a healthy punch rather than the quite literally half-hearted assaults of recent bosses. The new whip and flying beetle look interesting while the series staples including bombs are given fresh twists. A bit worried that there were only eight item slots shown, but it's early days.

The storyline
... Remains shrouded in mystery. Does the title offer us any more helpful clues? Not really. We already had an inkling the Master Sword (which it surely is) was going to feature heavily, but what's with the Skyward talk? Will we see the return of the wacky-looking Oocca? Or Minish Cap's Wind Tribe? Or a whole new race, because Nintendo do like churning out new species for one-off appearances.

Links:
- Launch trailer (High Def)
- Launch screenshots
- E3.Nintendo.com/Zelda
- Roundtable revelations

[darkscar888]

I hope they'll no the reverse of what borderlands did and decide to go to TP graphics. I freaking hate this cell shaded BS. Also theres plenty they can do with Wiis hardware they just waisted to much time on farking around with story. Of course its a little to low in detail but I have a feeling the story is going to be half arsed.

[Rew]

Now that I've seen the pics and watched some vids, I feel like I can comment more in-depth.

I'm really liking the graphical style--it combines the lush, colorful brightness of WW (without the cartoony look) with a lot of the realism of TP (without the drab coloration). For me it's the best of both worlds--although I've already heard at least one Zelda fan describe it as the worst of both worlds. So while I like it personally, it's a very gutsy move by Nintendo, for in trying to reach this visual compromise, they risk alienating both the cel-shaded fans and the realism fans by not going all the way on either one. Then again, the Zelda fandom is the epitome of Unpleasable Fanbase. (I've already seen evidence of this today with the release of the LoZ:SS pics and trailers!)

Anyway, I personally am a fan of the graphical style. It achieves a kind of moderation, a happy medium between two beautiful but opposing visual styles, and it works very well in the Zelda world. That being said, watching the trailer itself, the visuals are deplorably lacking in detail. I can see polygon edges all over the game; the foreground is very grainy, and the backgrounds look badly washed out--almost as if they were painted on. Obviously Nintendo is still in the fairly early stages of implementing the visual art of the game (this goes hand-in-hand with what we were told, that the producers focused first on the gameplay, then crafted the visual elements afterward based on the gameplay elements).

So while for now the visuals look like something that could be rendered on a DS or GameCube, I'm not worried. After all, consider how Metroid: Other M first looked at E3 last year. The graphics were similarly lacking in polish, and I remember repeatedly seeing animated GIF's of that retarded looking guy with his helmet going on and off from that initial trailer. The graphics seemed laughable at the time compared to the majesty of the Prime games. Now look at Other M: with time and polish, it's already being hailed as perhaps the greatest visual masterpiece on the Wii yet.

As such, I don't see Skyward Sword coming out until late 2011. And boy will we be blown away by future trailers of that game!

I think what the true strength of SS will be consists in the game control elements implemented by the Wii on the Remote and Nunchuk using MotionPlus. I think we're in for one of the most realistic feeling Zelda titles to date, and it looks like it's going to be a sheer joy to play. Yet there won't be as much hype for this aspect of the game--the trailers and demos can't do it justice. The reason being is that playing a control-oriented game like this one is similar to a contra dance: It can't be explained or shown. It must be experienced.

So while the visuals are not going to wow us (yet), once we actually get our hands on the game, I think we're going to be pleasantly blown away.

[JordAnime]

Part of me is excited for this game, the gameplay anyway.  I think they took a lot of time working on the front end game design, it's probably the most drastic shift for Zelda gameplay since Ocarina of Time...BUT you'd thought they'd have learned their lesson with presentation.  It'll probably look different before its actual release in 2011 but I think the style is perhaps even more cartoony than The Wind Waker...and with adult Link...eh...


I feel like Nintendo has a horrible habit of leading you one way with a title then jerking you in another.  I mean the disparity between the initial concept art and what we're getting now is jarring.  I really just don't like the look of it...not that the art is bad or anything, I just wish that Nintendo hadn't gone so cartoony...again.

Easily the biggest disappointment of the show so far.

[Be_yourself]

Overall i thought the trailer was rather meh, but that was just the trailer.  It didn't make me go wow like that first TP trailer did, but then again, TP didn't make me go wow either(well it did, for a bit but you get what i'm saying, overall).

I like the new graphics, i like the colour and i like the character.  It will be interesting as we get through the development to see how they do Gorons, Zoras and other NPC's.  That said, i was a massive fan of TP's graphics, i thought they really brought out he epicness and beauty of Zelda, there was waterfalls, shafts of angelic light and long views where you could see death mountain or hyrule castle in the background.  From the little i have seen of this game, it doesn't capture that feel yet, and i would like it too.  The colourfull mushrooms were a bit of a shock though...(although, could you pick them? give them to deku scrubs?)

I like the ideas for new items.  A remote control bug is a great idea, you could use it for many things and in many places.  I am not sure what the whip does but sounds different.    

If you notice in the trailer, Link bowls a bomb through a series of crawl tunnels. i remember reading that there was a lot of intuition in the actions one can perform with items.  Hypotheitcally does that mean that you slowly bowl the wii mote, you will bowl the bomb, but if you want to lob it you could do that also? because that would be fantastic, there is so much you could do with that to help with puzzles.

Directional and area specific attacks with the sword sound fantastic, and especially in the case of the Eye guard sound to be implimented interestingly.

Furthermore, remember Miyamoto's comment on the lack of the sword in the picture? Well Link definately has the mastersword in that trailer...(which is a kinda crappy trailer, crappy boring music...)

EDIT:Please excuse me, i had only seen a proto trailer thingy, and just watched EA's posting of the trailer, very sexy. My comment about the lack of epicness portrayed by the graphics is withdrawn, the world is quite pretty, the dungeons look dark and mysterious and the music for the trailer was cool.

In fact, this look and feel of Zelda feels rather antiquous, its like Zelda got its soul back, its epic in that very odd japanese way it always was.  I Like.

Random Story potshot-the world is infested with darkness and link must venture into the sky to retreive a heavenly sword?  


And at 1:23 is that a 3D rendition of the Alttp map?if you were on the far east side to the north...looking at the waterfall with the mountain behind it?

I will point out that whilst all the footage could be taken in a level(or most of it) there does seem to be a very cranny filled overworld...

[Glyphic Facade]

I hate those graphics. I can't believe they went back to cartoony. How can you take this seriously with adult link? I have no doubts the gameplay will be excellent. But the entire mood is ruined for me. It's not just about gameplay.
These look like gamecube graphics too.
I'm dissapointed...

[darkscar888]

Update from Roundtable.


Link is born above the clouds in a place called Skyloft. the scene showing him jumping down is the depiction of him going down to the Land Ruled by Evil (Hyrule?). Link is is searching for the Skyward Sword AKA the Mastersword. The Skyward Sword will transform into the girl shown in the artwork.

Aounuma also explained the game would have been done by now if they would have used TP graphics. Also they said they are in the middle of touching up the graphics and Engine. So the cell shaded textures might look better than they do now by the end.

[River Devil]

I'm kind of in the middle of the road about this.  I'm very excited to play the game, but.......I can honestly say I have a bad feeling about this one.

Trailer - Kind of blah.  With the exception of the base jump at the end, it was just meh.  I mean, reflecting a nut back to a Deku Scrub?  That's not exciting.  Fighting those same reddish brown ogre things over and over?  Not exciting.

Graphics - Do not like.  I'm not a fan of cel-shading.  I was one of those who was in an uproar when they announced Wind Waker was going to be cel-shaded.  I just don't like them.  Plus, after PH and ST, we get another cel-shaded game?  I loved TP dark and moody style.  I personally find it difficult to have that same type of ominous mood conveyed by cel-shading.

Gameplay - I hate to use this word cause I never use it, but it looked "gimmicky."  Rolling a bomb into a hole.  Controlling a flying beetle.  Circling your sword to make an eye creature dizzy.  Not too awe-inspiring or innovative looking. 

Link's Pants - Anyone else think the baggier pants make Link look kinda frumpy?

I should probably trust Nintendo as they have yet to make a Zelda game I didn't enjoy, and they're probably (hopefully) saving some of the cooler stuff under-wraps for you to find and play through yourself.

...but MAN!  Why semi-cel-shading???     

[River Devil]

Update from Roundtable.

Link is born above the clouds in a place called Skyloft. the scene showing him jumping down is the depiction of him going down to the Land Ruled by Evil (Hyrule?). Link is is searching for the Skyward Sword AKA the Mastersword. The Skyward Sword will transform into the girl shown in the artwork.

Well, isn't that Interesting.... 

[JordAnime]

Well at least the score will be orchestrated:

http://wii.ign.com/articles/109/1098643p1.html

It's also as I figured, the piece of concept art from the game was shown before the final graphical style was put into play...I still think it needs more than just tweaking, the brightness needs to be subdued...it just looks like Link in Candyland, which maybe if Link were a bit younger then so be it, but this is an adult Link, it just looks stupid.

I think Nintendo's applying the Mario Galaxy philosophy to Zelda, just focus on the gameplay, and that's just...not good.  In my opinion atmosphere counts for a lot in Zelda, and this so far is just not making me excited...even if the game play is fantastic, the atmosphere is just wrong.

[Be_yourself]

Update from Roundtable.



Aounuma also explained the game would have been done by now if they would have used TP graphics. Also they said they are in the middle of touching up the graphics and Engine. So the cell shaded textures might look better than they do now by the end.

Ouch, that hurts, i'd like to see it in TP graphics...Especially considering it has been delayed till next year merely because of graphics that a lot of people don't like.  I like the style but the graphics don't look like they are the best quality. they do look like GC graphics, why can they make Galaxy look so epic and fantastic and they make zelda look kinda silly? shouldn't it be the other way around?

I like the sound of the story though, that sounds kinda interesting...different...although, a world filled with evil? could it be hyrule whilst Ganondorf has taken over between MM and TWW? before it flooded? Or are we going to have some new badguy to entertain us, i'm not sure what to hope for.

I don't think the gameplay looks that gimicky at all.  Take for example, the spinner, it has no use other then to ride spinner tracks and press spinner switches, once you learn what these look like there is no further complications, there is no real puzzle solving involved with the spinner item, nor is there any combat use. that is a gimmicky item.  This beetle looks somewhat useful, you could use it to view different locations so you could get the layout or clues, use it to get over obstacles, i.e lava with a bomb as shown in the trailer.  There are so many contexts you could use it in.  
Rolling bombs by itself is a mere gimmick, but think about the control system.  To roll bombs lets assume that you use a bowling action like in Wii bowling, what then happens if you use a high tossing action, does the bomb then lob? if you swing harder does the bomb go farther?  If this is the case then the standard Bomb has been given so much more potential to be used in puzzle solving and battles and general exploration.  In defence of both beetle and bomb, what happens if you can't chuck a bomb high enough, throw a bomb, pick it up with the beetle, etc.  

I think that the bomb would be treated like this because the Whip's abilities are treated in much the same manner.  If you swing harder the Whip whips further, so why would they not do this with bombs?

I'm not sure i see the value of the whip, can you latch onto things with it? that could be alright, allowing you to climb up into trees or other items around the environment, but so far all i have seen is the ability to collect items from a distance, nothing amazing.

The Sword spinning eye door(SSED) is pretty pointless other then right at the start of the game, it would only be a clever puzzle if we were not aware of it's presence.  If you see the door, there is a circle patch where it shows a spiral, which is a nice hint, not too subtle but not glaringly obvious, it could only really be used once, otherwise its just pointless.

Atmosphere certainly does count for a lot in Zelda, i think it was TP's saving grace...But there is still time, who knows how long they have been working on the shading, perhaps they only just got it done in time for the demo, remember the first trailer for TP was nothing like the actual game itself, although this is probably closer to the finished product as they have nearly finished it...

And we have only seen 1 trailer, they didn't seem to fussed about making a trailer so we only have 1 example of how the game is. 

[Ezlo's Apprentice]

Added the roundtable reveals to the original post.

In a first for the franchise, Link isn't raised in a village. At least, not one on the ground. He's instead from the land of Skyloft, a floating island in the sky. Link only "discovers" the land below later in life, and finds it overrun by evil. He thus spends the game going between his home in the clouds and the land below (hence the "cloud jump" in the game's trailer).

Link's from Skyloft? I can't help but see an adoption-like twist there. And I feel that Hyrule's being "overrun by evil" means the graphics are going to look a lot better with a moody colouration. I could be wrong, but a dramatic colour contrast could really work out well.

Acknowledging that previous maps in the Zelda series haven't been all they could be, series director Aonuma promises that Skyward's will be easier to follow, and won't leave you as lost as those in other Zelda games.

The only time I really get lost in Zelda games is when I play the older titles. I'm hopeful this isn't as extreme as it sounds and mean the death of exploration.

Mario Galaxy 2 had a big, thunderous orchestral soundtrack. Will Skyward follow suit? Miyamoto says Nintendo couldn't do what it did with Galaxy 2 and not do the same with the next Zelda, which we'll take as a "yes".

And I will respond to with "Yes! Yes! Yes!" Excellent call. Voice acting still up for debate? We didn't actually see in any FPS this year. Maybe they're undecided.

[Be_yourself]

Added the roundtable reveals to the original post.

In a first for the franchise, Link isn't raised in a village. At least, not one on the ground. He's instead from the land of Skyloft, a floating island in the sky. Link only "discovers" the land below later in life, and finds it overrun by evil. He thus spends the game going between his home in the clouds and the land below (hence the "cloud jump" in the game's trailer).

will this be like a level select thing? perhaps this will make the game a bit metroidian, i.e have a puzzle filled overworld/dungeon style area that you can access from skyloft? that sounds ok, but i do like the free running overworld where you can go to towns talk to NPC's and just run around and draw in the sights without having to worry about too many enemies and puzzles.  Then again i did jump to a massive conclusion there...

Acknowledging that previous maps in the Zelda series haven't been all they could be, series director Aonuma promises that Skyward's will be easier to follow, and won't leave you as lost as those in other Zelda games.

What? i don't think i have ever gotten lost in a Zelda game, at least a 3D one, i think one of the notable features about their maps is that they are almost impossible to get lost in...

although i will agree that the latest 3D Zelda's map was not all it could be, but not because i got lost, more because i couldn't...

[JordAnime]

After 365 days of anticipation and excitment, I feel entirely pissed on.

I don't think it's so much about the visuals as it is just being jerked around.  It's been going on pretty much since the Gamecube and hasn't change with a single console Zelda entry.  First we were shown this:

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIa79bTDuV4" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIa79bTDuV4</a>

That set my expectation for a what a next-gen Zelda should like since day one, and while that wouldn't really be acceptable by today's standards, I still don't think we've ever quite had any delivery on that promise.  Of course, the following year, there was THIS:

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gia7coUOd1A" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gia7coUOd1A</a>

I know I'm beating a dead horse here, but seriously, without provocation or desire Nintendo thrust this upon us after showing a highly realistic next-gen tech demo for Zelda that previous year.  I mean, talk about a crushing blow.  Even if in the end, you loved TWW, you'd have to agree that there's something seriously wrong with what Nintendo did there.

So the story continues, this time in E3 2003 Miyamoto pretty much said they were doing The Wind Waker 2...or "The Cel Shaded Sequel to TWW", okay, fair enough...then we got this:

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N60iIdeDC0A" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N60iIdeDC0A</a>

And whatever you thought of TP in the end, you can't deny the power of that fan reaction.

Okay so now let's flash forward to E3 2009, just one year ago.  Nintendo showed THIS



Now, not saying it proved that Zelda was going to be dark and realistic or anything, but the tone and general quality is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT than what we were given today. But What with all this talk about making it rival Monster Hunter 3, and how Link would be even more mature...you kinda do come to that natural conclusion.

Well here we are:



Yeah that's EXACTLY what I thought the game was going to look like...fucking assholes...seriously.  Why even show concept art?  All you did was get the gamers hopes up and then crush them with one fell swoop.  If Miyamoto had said "With the visuals, we are going with a more light-hearted look" I would have at least accepted it, but this just cruel and wrong!

For a game that's supposedly been in the works for like five years, or at least four, you'd think they'd have been able to do more than steal some textures from Animal Crossing, and posterizing Twilight Princesses Link.  Maybe he game design is just bursting at the seams, but there's something to be said from presentation, it counts for in my opinion at least half the game's over all enjoyability, and so far this just looks like Nintendo pulled an all-nighter to get this one done.

And look, they're already on the defensive about this:

The game will also introduce a distinct new graphical style perfectly suited to the franchise's fantastical universe, like a painting come to life.

Like, I need to have that explained to me?  Like, dare I say it looks like they pulled a beta copy of TWW 2 out of storage and just tweaked that a bit?  As for it being "perfectly suited for the franchise's fantastical universe", well, that's REALLY up for debate; as for a painting come to life...HAH.

That ain't right, they really shouldn't be allowed to get away with this.

[Be_yourself]

I hardly think you can claim they "jerked you round" this time, i don't think the concept art was actually supposed to be released they just released it when it was leaked, secondly the concept art and actual game art arn't really that different, the picture suggested that the game would be like twilight princess because Link looks like TP link in that picture, but when you look at TP Link and you look at SS link, they look just as similar, there is no real representation of the graphics in that picture...

but i do love that first TP trailer, i remeber when i saw that in like...2004 and was so glad they'd gone a different way to TWW.

I agree that the trailer to SS was pretty crap, i mean, that first scene when it zooms up to Link standing there is just rather disapointing...

[JordAnime]

Even if the concept art wasn't supposed to be revealed to the masses; it was shown to the press at an on the record round table where Miyamoto discussed his ideas AND they would later comment on the work itself when they could have simply said "no comment".  In any event, it was shown and commented on so the point is moot.

Suffice it to say, the proof is in the pudding, it was a shock to see that trailer, it shocked me, I'm sure it shocked you, and I, personally just feel, misled and betrayed.  Strong words, yes, but it is how I feel, and I'm absolutely upset and angry, it's a franchise I care deeply about and this whole thing just seems so second rate and nonchalant I couldn't care less about if the title came out tomorrow or in two years.  

Will I get it?  Eh, probably, because I'm a sucker but I want it to be known for the record I am very upset with it.  Maybe I'll be eating my words a year from now, but I dunno, it looks pretty awful.

---

Apparently Miyamoto's to blame for this nonsense too...demanding that Aonuma use a different style.

I never thought I'd say this...and it really hurts a lot...but..Shigeru Miyamoto, you are an asshole.

[luffdroppes]

"some guy with an anime forum sig thinks you're an asshole, mr miyamoto"

"what... what have i done?" sobbed miyamoto, realising that jordanime's impeccable tastes are the true yardstick of what makes a good game.

and that was the day skyward sword was cancelled and replaced with "the legend of zelda: mature epic gritty blood chronicles"

[River Devil]

The sad truth is, fans of the Legend of Zelda series REALLY love the Legend of Zelda games, and thus we want every game to be what we feel is the perfect game.  And when it turns out to be not what we expect, we feel jilted.  I happen to fall into this category too.  The last thing I wanted and expected was cel-shading and big brightly colored mushrooms.

I suppose it's wrong to jump to conclusions after seeing a brief trailer and 15 minutes of demo gameplay, but I do agree with JordAnime that presentation is a big factor in a game.  Cel-shaded style is limiting to my gaming experience, personally.  Delivery won't have the same impact to me as a realistic style would.  But that's just me.  I just hope Miyamoto isn't surprised this time with the fan backlash over the cel-shaded graphics like he was for TWW.

I also agree with Be_yourself in the way Link is introduced in the trailer.  They show major plot/game devices of the previous console iterations, and then they just come to Link standing there, where he slowly unsheathes the Master Sword?  From what I gather the sword is supposed to be the focal point, but I think they could've done something a little more dramatic.  This is a trailer that supposed to wet your appetite, after all.  It would've been better if the Master Sword was the the only thing in the shot, and they zoomed out to show Link holding it above his head and then he swings it around or something like that.

I don't know.  I'd like to say I want to reserve judgement until I play the game, but, c'mon.  It's fun to talk and debate!  I'm still looking forward to it, but it's got some big shoes to fill for me, personally.

[HyLorian]

To be quite honest, I too was disappointed when I first saw the style they chose. I'm still getting used to them, but it's hard to get over the complete lack of any kind of atmosphere. Even the other 3D cel-shaded games had some kind of hook to get you excited, like dark contrasting dungeons or large expansive areas. From what I gather from the roundtable, I seriously hope the ground world will create a large contrast from the bright Skyloft, akin to the way ALttP contrasted the Light and Dark worlds.

On another note, I noticed in the trailer that in one close-up, like was mirrored:



Does this mean you will be able to select in what hand to hold the Wiimote? And will the game itself mirror as well? Or is this just some kind of oversight on the developers' part?

[Be_yourself]

One thing i did read which made me feel a bit worried:
In the Roundtable Aonuma apparantly said that Zelda had previously focused a lot on story and dungeons, for skyward sword they were going to focus on "fun".

I have nothing against fun, I enjoy having fun, quite a lot, in fact i would say it is the entire purpose of playing a game...BUT...Nintendo's version of fun is an eccectic beast, Wii music, which one could not really call a game was supposed to be "fun", Wii sports is fun, but it is only say ---- this much fun, compared to Zelda, Okami,  which are say ------------------------------- this much fun.  Those games had a decent amount of story( Zelda meaning any 3D iteration) and were still fun, in fact the story made it fun.  Okami and Zelda both have a lot of story and that makes some rather unfun activities more fun by the inclusion of the story.  

Point is, whilst Aonuma's comment was extremly relative and impossible to quantify it raised my hackles...it is something that i will watch and be interested to see how he defines this "fun".

Also Aonuma has said that the Zelda World will be smaller that TP but more dense, i like this but again i wonder about what he means exactly by this comment, its something i want clarified.

And Jord, your high expectations were not garnered by Nintendo, they showed some artwork that represents SS Link just as accurately as it represents TP Link or a Link in that style, everyone wanted to see some artwork and they let us.  

I'm glad the trailer shocked me, it looks to me like this Zelda is covering fresh ground, its not trying to be the biggest or the best, it's trying to be a good game.  There will always be a sequal, and if they are willing to break the mold this time they will be willing to break that mold next time.

River, all i was saying was that the trailer was not impressive as a trailer, i think at this point in time, this game could be very cool, like i said above, this Zelda looks to be trying to cover fresh ground.  My main worries are that they will kill off the narrative and give us a bunch of metroid prime like levels, I loved Metroid Prime (corruption, the only one i played) but it did not have the interesting and EMOTIONAL stories which made me fall in love with Zelda in the first place.  I fell in love with OoT because i developed such an emotional connection to the characters, the world, i felt bad that Gannondorf conquored and destroyed it, i struggled to beat it, through the chilling shadow temple and the epic spirit temple, i fled from under the well and felt a mile high when i got the big goron sword, and then, i almost cried to the end credits(i was in primary school though)because you get to see Hyrule restored and everyone happy and all grown up.  MM was the same, it took me ages to do too.  Whilst i didn't have the same strength of connection with TWW and TP they did have it to a degree and they tried harder.  

So long story short, i don't want that lone ranger feeling that was present in the trailer, its good for dungeons becuase thats what dungeons are, but i do want there to be NPC's in the town and overworld too.

I have a hunch that Skyloft might be the only town and that you venture forth to different areas of "the World of Evil" which i assume is hyrule.  Each of these areas would be levels, like dungeons, i hope this is not the case.

Someone please debate with me, i'm writing so many random theories and stuff...don't know what to do with myself, i want some more info or something, to many unanswered questions...

One last thing, i actually like the graphics, they arn't perfect but if the game was solid i think i could learn to love them, they have a twisted alice in wonderland type feel, which could be used well, or it could be a colourful flop...I hope the game has a dark MM type storyline, but so far it doesn't sound fantastic, but that's partly because we have heard nothing about it...