Skyward Sword vs Skyrim: Combat

Skyward Sword: The combat in this game is much more engaging than in previous Zelda games. You take control of Link's sword and shield with the Wii Remote and Nunchuck. This system is intuitive and hardly ever feels clunky. The only time it let me down was when I had to use stabs. Stabbing just doesn't seem to work for me, I might be alone, I might not be. Enemies become little mini puzzles themselves as they will anticipate your moves and block accordingly. They learn as well. Keep fooling them with the same tricks and they'll wise up. An example of a simple puzzle enemy is the skulltala. You have to perform an upward vertical slash to knock him onto his back and perform a finisher. A boss like Ghirahim is trickier. He makes sure you can only hit him where his guard is down (the game gives you subtle clues) or else you face devastating counter attacks. In short, combat is more fun, more rewarding and more engaging than in any other Zelda game to date.


Skyrim: There is more than one way to fight, but most of them feel lackluster. One handed, two handed and dual weapons revolve around hitting the target, walking backwards, then doing it again. You have to watch your stamina meter so you can watch out when you do power attacks which make them stagger, leaving them open, but overall not too deep. Magic is one step up. Choosing what spells to use is fun, but again, you spend a lot of time walking backward and spraying spells, hoping the opponent doesn't reach you. The most fun would be archery. This takes good aim and good positioning. I personally spend the most time as a mage, with the occasional two hander. Despite the clunky combat, its solid. I enjoy most encounters though.