Legend of Zelda soars skyward

This screen shot provided by Nintendo shows gameplay from the... — This screen shot provided by Nintendo shows gameplay from the Wii video game "The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword." It's been five years since Link set out to rescue Zelda in a Nintendo console adventure. In "Skyward Sword," out Sunday, the Wii Remote Plus motion controller fundamentally changes the franchise's gameplay _ and future _ according to producer Eiji Aonuma. (AP Photo/Nintendo) Credit: AP Photo/

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSDecember 6, 2011

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword looks like the last gasp for the once unstoppable Wii. Is it worth dusting off and plugging in your old machine to play it? Absolutely, although it's not quite the masterpiece Nintendo has been promising.

The core elements of the 25-year-old Zelda franchise remain. Once again, you are Link, a teenager destined for great things. As usual, your friend Zelda disappears and you must run to her rescue. Your journey takes you through a series of fantastic locations including, most notably, a series of dungeons filled with brain-twisting puzzles.

Still, there are plenty of tweaks to the formula. Skyward Sword begins in Skyloft, a tiny town floating high above the clouds. Each character is master of a "lofting," a bird you can fly to the other rocks floating around Skyloft. While out on a joy ride, Zelda is attacked by a tornado and dragged to the land below, where most of the action takes place.

There are three major areas to explore: the grassy Faron Woods, the fiery Eldin Volcano and the desolate Lanayru Desert. Each is populated with a healthy variety of native creatures, some helpful, some vicious. There's plenty of sword-swinging combat, but that's not the emphasis the real challenge is figuring out how to get through the mazelike environments to their central temple.