The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD has been a divisive game since its original release on the Wii, but it’s also of the utmost importance to the Zelda timeline. Compared to other 3D titles in the series, Skyward Sword is linear and story-heavy. While the linearity is criticized by some and welcomed by others, it succeeds in delivering a story upon which the Zelda series and its timeline hinges.

Chronologically, Skyward Sword HD is the first game in the series, depicting events that reverberate through every other Zelda game. Skyward Sword takes place in an era following the one in which the world itself was created. In the history of The Legend of Zelda the progenitors of the world were three goddesses: Din, Nayru, and Farore.

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It was during this time that the goddesses created the iconic Triforce. According to the official The Legend of Zelda website from Nintendo, the Triforce is a powerful artifact that has the power to grant wishes. The Triforce and its three pieces are integral to the narrative of many Zelda games, and is partly responsible for Skyward Sword‘s surface world being infested with monsters.

The Importance Of Skyward Sword HD’s Story

Spoiler Warning: The Following Contains Ending Details For Skyward Sword HD

The inheritor of the Triforce was the goddess Hylia, who was beset by the Demon King Demise, who sought the Triforce’s power. In order to save the denizens of Hyrule, Hylia sent the surviving humans into the sky to live on floating islands that would become known as Skyward Sword‘s Skyloft. Hylia managed to seal Demise away, but knew the Demon King would eventually break free, so Hylia shed her divinity and was later reincarnated as Skyward Sword‘s Zelda, whose birth coincided with the impending return of Demise.

Hylia imparting herself in Zelda’s lineage, and the return of Demise, begin the eternal struggle between the forces of good and evil in The Legend of Zelda. The story of Skyward Sword consequently deals with many foundational occurrences in the series, such as the Master Sword being placed in its pedestal, and the curse put upon Zelda and Link’s descendants that results in the repeated incursions from Ganon. Skyward Sword also reinforces that Impa has always had important roles throughout Hyrule’s history, and depicts the establishment of Hyrule kingdom on the surface – something many players of both older and more recent games in the series likely want to see.

Before Skyward Sword, many games in the Zelda series were only loosely connected. There have always been references to Links and Zeldas of other eras in Hyrule’s history, and even a few direct Zelda sequels, but not until Skyward Sword were the events of every game tied together on a macro level. As the first game in the series chronologically, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD tells arguably the most important story in the venerated series – one that has events which reverberate through the other games.

Source: Nintendo

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Kyle Gratton
(889 Articles Published)

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A passion for video games was instilled at a young age when Kyle Gratton and his older brother were gifted a Nintendo 64 with Ocarina of Time and Mario Kart. Graduating from the University of Kansas as an English and History major, with a minor in Film, Kyle enjoys discussing literature, movies, television, and especially video games. He currently writes features and reviews for Screen Rant’s games section, and dabbles in short fiction occasionally. He can be found on Twitter @KyleGratton.

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