I'm very happy to write about why I love Skyward Sword so very much. The only problem I face is trying to string sensible words together to form some coherent sentences, as "It's just so...I just...I can't even...everything." doesn't really explain my feelings very well. It has so many little things in it that I can't even quantify or list all that I appreciate.
Instead of trying to write about why this is a great game from a critical standpoint--something I'm miserable at--I think it's best if I just list some of the things in this game that I enjoy and make me happy.
Motion Controls: I straight up love the 1:1 controls. When I say Skyward Sword is "kinda sorta" my favorite game ever, that is because it is only rivaled by Twilight Princess on the Wii. And there is nothing wrong with the motion controls in Twilight Princess. They suit that game perfectly. But with Skyward Sword, the controls take some learning and practice to master. Seeing as how this is chronologically Link's first outing, that makes sense to me. He should be a pro by Twilight Princess, hench some flicking of the Wiimote from me in that game triggering Link to demolishing something out so much as looking at it makes sense. However, in Skyward Sword, Link and I had to learn together. I realize that may sound kinda corny or dumb, but it gave me a great amount of satisfaction to figure out how the controls worked and how to master them.
What's more, they controls were put to good use after I perfected using them. The 1:1 was used in very creative ways, but it never got in the way. You can take down standard enemies without thinking about how you're swinging at them. After some practice, the 1:1 became second nature while still putting some creative and fun puzzles in "my way".
Fi: Yes. I like Fi. Yes, Fi points out the obvious. Honestly though, as interesting as Midna is, her "function" in the game is the same as Fi's--warning you you'll be a wolf for a while if you chose to advance at that moment, pointing out open windows to me, etc. Navi's function is the same as well. Point being: all the sidekicks sort of point out the obvious, so I don't feel that's a very valid complaint to lodge against Fi. I actually think they took the fact that most of the sidekicks "help" point you in the right direction and, instead of trying to sidestep that fact, they put it in your face by removing human emotions from Fi made it obvious she was...pointing out the obvious. It seems more like an in joke to me. How can you not love Scrapper falling in love with Miss Fi?
Other than pointing Link in the right direction with her words, she did it literally. Her function of being used as a divining rod was very handy and, again I'll use the word, creative.
Fi's personality aside, (hey, spoiler alert), she is the Master Sword. We all love the Master Sword, right? Well it's awesome because Fi is in there. She was chosen for something just like Link and Zelda were. She has a mission, too.
The Artstyle: This game is beautiful. It probably can take the title for prettiest game in the series. The way the distance is unclear to Link until he gets closer is not only beautiful but really makes you think about the story as far as the series as a whole, and it becomes not only a clever solution to the Wii's power but a very interesting nod to, again, this being Link's first go at this. Unlike Twilight Princess where you know exactly what you're looking at (which is wonderful in another way) from miles away, here, you get the sense of just figuring out once you're in the thick of it.
The characters also have a very traditional Zelda design but it's so fresh-faced and downright pretty. This game looks just exactly like a storybook, which I think is very fitting for the series and this game in particular.
The Dungeons: All of the dungeons--all of them--are creative, different from one another, and they're all fun with their own challenges. The final dungeon always blows me away just for what it is and what it holds. It's things like that that make this game stand out so much to me and get my imagination juices flowing--which is a beautiful and integral part of Zelda games, in my opinion.
Perhaps the best dungeon in the game isn't a true dungeon at all, and that is the entire overworld. Just getting to a temple/dungeon/sanctuary is a task. And even those tasks are varied from stealth to mowing down enemies to omg-I-want-to-kill-tadtones.
The Unfolding Story: The way the story evolves throughout the game--finding out more about Fi, Link and Zelda as a couple, Demise and Hylia as adversaries, the mythos of the surface and Skyloft. It's something I never get tired of reveling in and exploring. Moreover, the way it ties the entire series together is delicious.
The Characters: Link is beyond adorable in this game. It shows of his personality--him rising to righteous anger, him resolving to dedicate himself to not only his own wants but the "big picture", him suffering heartbreak--by revealing different sides of him in different moments and how he grows. Zelda grows even moreso on her own mission after we're treated to "Zelda Casual". Groose is just...he's Groose. I've already covered Fi. The guy in the bazaar that buys Link a drink once in a while. He's great, too.
The Linearity: I like this. A lot. I don't like wandering around. I love Ocarina of Time almost as much as this game, same goes for A Link to the Past--but I like Skyward Sword even more because finding everything without a guide is not a big task. These are the days of the internet and walkthroughs on YouTube. Nintendo knows that making something ridiculously hard to find isn't going to extend the gameplay or satisfy me. Instead, they just put a lot more to do in it. I can easily figure out where I'm supposed to go, but they allow me to go there in my own time and in my own way. That's the way to do it.
The Music:
The Nods to Other Games: "Dear all the other Zelda games: Here's a giant love letter to all of you. You've meant to so much to so many over the years, and you all bring back such fond memories. Fans will have a ton of fun spotting references to you while we play. Also, I'm gonna bring us together as a family even more. Love, Skyward Sword."
The Ultimate Good vs Evil: Good old-fashioned white hat vs. black hat. I love it. It's almost boring and cliched to me to have everything lurk around in a grey area these days. Skyward Sword puts evil right in Link's face, and Link decides to stop it, not only for his own ends, but because he's told he's part of a great destiny to do great things that are much better than kissy faces at Zelda. Though that's cool, too.
Ghirahim:
My words can't even get close to describing Ghirhaim, so there's that gif there.
So in Closing: Skyward Sword does absolutely nothing but make me happy. That is, to me, what a game is designed for. I realize happiness is subjective. Some people might find happiness within a game by being pleased by framerates or hyperrealism. Some might really get a kick out of a great crafting system, awesome online, a gritty story. And those things are great; God bless, enjoy them if that's what makes you happy.
It's harder for me to describe what makes me happy in a game. It's something intangible and something I can't put a score on. Skyward Sword brings up not only nostalgia but a real sense of "back in the day". It let's me shut down and enter a fantasy world yet at the same time stirs my imagination. It makes me laugh, it drives me to keep playing not only for the story but because it's just flat-out fun to use that Wiimote. I want to help out Link and make sure he and Zelda accomplish want they need to, but the story, as huge and important and creative as it is, isn't overbearing and keeping me from enjoying a stab-fest. It's just magical and I have loved every second I have played this game.