We got a copy of Nintendo’s latest Zelda offering in the form of “The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword” to find out if the princess is worth saving this time. (All signs point to yes)

Skyward Sword brings us another adventure with Link as he sets off on another adventure. This time, we have our heads in the clouds in the land of Skyloft, the town that floats above the clouds of Hyrule. The story opens on the day of the Wing Ceremony, where our hero will need to reach for the skies on his Loftwing (a big bird-like creature, think Avatar) to win some special alone time with Zelda.

But in typical Zelda fashion, Nintendo crushes the hearts of gamers as Zelda is thrown off her Loftwing onto the surface world below. Naturally, Link will have to dive deep past the clouds to find our beloved Zelda, with the help of the Goddess Sword and Fi, the spirit that resides in the sword as his guide.

Skyward Sword is the first game in the Zelda franchise to utilise the relatively new Wii MotionPlus controller. The game cannot be played without the MotionPlus add-on. Folks without the add-on, like me, can choose to get the special limited edition bundle that comprises of game, 25th Anniversary soundtrack and the gold Triforce Wii Remote with MotionPlus built-in just because.

Not being a tacked-on gimmick, the Wii MotionPlus requirement helps to bring Link’s right arm to life. Swordplay is now more involved with the direction of the swing taken into the defeating of enemies. For example, require you to swing your sword horizontally or vertically, depending on which direction their sharp-toothed mouths are split. This carries over to some of the other enemies I encountered so far.

The Wii Remote is also used to control the pitch and roll of your Loftwing, used to traverse the skies and to prove your worthiness of knighthood during the game’s opening; as well using it to pan the camera around in first-person view and the usual projectile weapon aiming. The Nunchuk attachment is used as your shield trigger. Shaking it gets Link to draw out his shield and protect himself from enemy attack.

Without spoiling much else, the game seems to like to take its time, roughly mapping out Miyamoto-san’s prophecy of a 50-100 hour game. Most of my time so far was the time needed to get a hang of the controls again and traversing from point-to-point on the map, like any good Zelda game.

Being only 5 hours into the game, it’s hard to give a concluding sentence to the game. But the game shouldn’t turn Zelda fans away. Catch our full review of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, you know, once we get out of this dungeon.

Additional Note:
The aforementioned bundle for The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword comes with a pretty Wii Remote with MotionPlus splashed in gold with the Trifroce logo over where the controller’s speaker is. It also comes with the 25th Anniversary Orchestral Soundtrack CD, although standard copies of the game during its initial release also include limited-edition CD. Check your local retailers before they all run out!

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is a Nintendo Wii-exclusive game. Available in stores now.