Thoughts on Skyward Sword

James employs some blue sky thinking regarding the story of Link’s next adventure.

By James Stank. Posted 05/21/2011 18:00 3 Comments     ShareThis

Warning — This story contains spoilers regarding the stories of The Minish Cap and Four Swords Adventures.

A few weeks ago IGN posted an article titled, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Conspiracy Theories, which reminded Zelda fans of what they have to look forward to as well as offering up a few theories about the game. We don’t know too much about Skyward Sword but we do know that Link lives in Skyloft, in the clouds above Hyrule, and that this game will tell the story of the Master Sword. IGN really only had three conspiracy theories in the article; that this game will take place before any other in the Zelda time line, that the mysterious figure in purple shown in the GDC trailer is Vaati, and that the harp shown in the game is a connection to Shiek’s harp from Ocarina of Time. I’m going to go ahead and expand on their first two rumors, as there is a lot of information to go on.

While this Zelda game may be the first in the timeline and will feature the story of the Master Sword, has any other Zelda game ever mentioned where the Master Sword came from? The answer is actually yes, and you’ll have to go back to The Minish Cap to find it. “But wait,” you say. “The Master Sword wasn’t in The Minish Cap.” Yes, actually it was. It just had a different name. The Picori Blade looks strikingly similar to the Master Sword, and I don’t think it is merely by coincidence. I believe that the two swords are one and the same. In The Minish Cap, we are told that the Picori Blade was given to the Hero of Man by the Minish (known as the Picori by the Hylian people), a race of very small but magical creatures that lived in the sky. Seeing any connections yet? Link lives in the sky in Skyward Sword so it is possible that he could be a Minish, but I don’t think he will be. If he does live among the Minish, I expect it to be similar to how Link lived in the Kokiri Forest without being a Kokiri.

Minish Cap Link artwork

Along with the Picori Blade, we were also given the Light Force. This is probably just a different name for the Triforce, but may be something else entirely, as it may conflict with what is told in Ocarina of Time. These events that The Minish Cap mentioned detail the “War of the Bound Chest,” which could very well be the focus of events in Skyward Sword. In the opening video of that portable Zelda adventure, we see what appears to be a Wind Waker-esque Moblin, which leads me to believe that Ganon was the main villain in that war, thus he will be the main villain of Skyward Sword. That’s not really a stretch since Ganon is the last boss in nearly every Zelda game. Then again, there were Moblins in The Minish Cap and Ganon wasn’t present.

And then there’s the figure in purple. He looks extremely similar to Vaati, ranging from the purple attire to the sweeping fringe obscuring his left eye. If you don’t know anything of Vaati’s back story, allow me to help. He was originally a Minish, that gained extreme magical powers and a human form after wishing for it with a magic hat. Since that figure is almost certainly Vaati, all of the other connections to The Minish Cap will come into play. You’re probably thinking that a Zelda game can’t have two major enemies in it. After all, how could the game be big enough for Vaati and Ganon? However, that wouldn’t be a problem at all, as this wouldn’t be the first time Vaati and Ganon have been in the same game. In The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures, Vaati appears as the initial villain but is later replaced by Ganon. A similar thing could happen in Skyward Sword.

Let’s also not forget that Ganon didn’t appear until after the Four Sword had been removed from the Bound Chest, making it very possible for him to have escaped from it. The Chest was opened in The Minish Cap, Four Swords, and Four Swords Adventures, so if Ganon was in the chest, he would have had many opportunities to break out. These events were at the beginning of each of those games, but it still is a plausible theory.

But this is where things get tricky. It appears as though Vaati didn’t gain his powers until right before The Minish Cap, which would mean that if he were in Skyward Sword, and if it is the first Zelda game ever, he should be a powerless Minish. However, in the GDC trailer, it looks as though Vaati has gained a human form. If this game is the first in the time line, and Vaati has a human figure it would greatly conflict with events of The Minish Cap. That is unless they come up with some way to make it fit; Ezlo (the hat in The Minish Cap) was a powerful Minish Magician and it is quite possible that Vaati could have taken advantage of one of his inventions as he would later do with Ezlo’s hat. What I think could be even more plausible, is that Vaati is older than it seems. Ezlo says he met Vaati as a boy, but what if Vaati was much older, and for some reason was returned to the state of a child? This would make both games possible.

All of these previous theories have information to back them up, but what about the other side of the coin? What if this game isn’t the first in the Zelda timeline? What if it actually comes after The Minish Cap and not before? That would solve the problem with Vaati’s appearance, but not solve the problems with the Master Sword/Picori Blade. If I’m wrong about my theories, then I have no idea what could possibly happen but I think all of these ties to The Minish Cap are too strong to ignore. Luckily, we don’t have too much longer to find out, as I’m sure more will be revealed at E3.

See also — IGN


Got your own theory about Link’s next adventure? Agree with James? Let us know in the comments!

3 Responses to “Thoughts on Skyward Sword”

  • 1332 points
    Andrew Hsieh says...

    I would love it if Vaati and the rest of the Four Swords gang made a return in some form. I feel that Capcom (or rather Flagship) did a great job with these games– they’re among my favorite in the series, though of course I have many favorites– and actually I miss the contiguous links that came with Four Swords.

    Plus, I just think Vaati’s cool. Bring ‘im on, Ninty!

  • 150 points
    Lewis Hampson says...

    Nice piece James. I think the story of the Master Sword, is a great idea for a Zelda game. If done correctly it should be a fantastic addition.

    I like your theories on where/how it may fit in the overly complex Zelda timeline. Not long left till we find out!!

  • 1 points
    Kevin Knezevic says...

    Great piece. I always thought it would be cool if Vaati was in a real console Zelda game, but at the same time I would be kind of disappointed if that emo harlequin does turn out to be him. We don’t get to see an original antagonist all that often, and I would much rather have that.

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