# *Skyward Sword* is the Most Influential *Zelda* Game – A Video Essay [Skyward Sword is the Most Influential Zelda Game - A Video Essay](https://youtu.be/dS11vLTHxKk) <div class=iframe-container> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/dS11vLTHxKk" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> </div> Who says I can't put out a shorter essay while working on a bigger one? If you subscribed to my [**Memory Card** newsletter](https://buttondown.com/MaxFrequency), you knew all about this one and that I have been waiting *two weeks* for YouTube to process it as a Short. Today was finally the day. Check out the [[Skyward Sword is the Most Influential Zelda Game Credits|credits]] even though they are super short this time around. Also, no soundtrack playlist this time since it is just two tracks long. 😅 Thank you for watching and reading. I hope you enjoy. ## *Skyward Sword* is the Most Influential *Zelda* Game Script The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is most influential Zelda game and I can prove it. When Skyward Sword launched back in 2011, it was met with critical acclaim, but time as not been kind to the Wii's swan song. It's rigidity in handholding players down a singular path and the motion control future it promised were...uhhhhhh...not embraced by its fanbase. Of course, Nintendo pivoted—doing a full 180 with the release of Breath of the Wild, which gave players an open-world sandbox were experimentation and curiosity fueled the gameplay loop. Series creator Shigeru Miyamoto and series producer Eiji Aonuma talked about this in an interview with Game Informer > "There was a fan that said that he really, really loved Zelda. But, while playing Skyward Sword, he missed experiencing this huge world where he could just ride Epona around." - Eiji > "Zelda is a game where you learn and grow, and that's how you complete the game." — Miyamoto" When Breath of the Wild hit shelves in March 2017, it was meet with similar critical acclaim as Skyward, but the game has had a much more resonate staying power. But Skyward Sword's influence extends far beyond the realm of Nintendo and Zelda games. It led to Outer Wilds baby! In a Noclip documentary, Outer Wilds' Creative Director Alex Beachum calls out his disappointment with Nintendo's direction in 2011. > "Outer Wilds, in some ways, was a response to Skyward Sword. Because I'm a huge Zelda fan, and Skyward Sword is emblematic of just all the things that I just-- pain me to see the Zelda series doing." Zelda's tunnel vision design helped inspire Alex and all of Mobius Digital to create a game that is the fundamental opposite with Outer Wilds' foundational dedication to player-driven exploration and trust. > "So when we started Outer Wilds, we just wanted to make something where the only point of exploring was to learn more about the world. And there would be no objectives. There would be no missions. And we just weren't sure people would be into it. So thank you for being curious to explore this janky world we created." Plus, you know, Outer Wilds is just a killer game. I've never played anything like it and I think you should play it too. You could say Outer Wilds is "a game where you learn and grow, and that's how you complete the game." So the next time you are thinking about bashing Link's adventure in the clouds, remember that it ended up taking us to the stars.