WhileThe Legend of Zeldahas featured plenty of characters accompanying Link on his adventure, from Ezlo to Midna,The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sworddraws the most contention. Though the game may divide fans, most would agree thatFi, the spirit residing within the Master Sword, is a frustrating character. Symptomatic of a time when games were criticized for holding players' hands, Fi’s constant interruptions to direct the player or provide hints made her a target of ire.
However,The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Swordrepresented a huge effort to establish a significant portion ofZeldalore, providing a starting point to the story that has been ongoing across many games in its series. Fi is arguably just another part of that strategy, an attempt by Nintendo to provide some backstory and characterization to an otherwise inanimate object: the Master Sword. For a game that sees players revisiting previous levels often, ensuring the player knows what to do and where to go is essential.
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Fi and The Master Sword
Though Nintendo may not have set out to establish an overarching narrative centered aroundLink and his adventures, that’s exactly what it achieved across many subsequent games. The series has secured itself a legacy that will continue for decades to come, but with that comes an expectation that such an influential series would have a grand origin. While Link and Zelda were straightforward to establish and Ganon was given an origin with Demise, the Master Sword and its manfestiation likewise needed an origin.
A mystical sword merely imbued with great power from the goddess Hylia comes across as lackluster given its significance and constant need to be wielded by Link. Thus, Fi fulfills the narrative function of giving the Master Sword a greater role, and provides it with some agency by explaining why it, alongside other characters, remains a recurring feature even as far asBreath of the Wild- which seemingly teases Fi’s future return.
Navigating Skyward Sword
Fi’s role isn’t limited to providing a backstory for the Master Sword, as across manyZeldagames Link has traditionally relied upon the help of companions to guide the player. The benchmark example isNavi fromOcarina of Time, who was introduced inZelda’sfirst 3D game to ensure players adjusted to its new mechanics and design. AsSkyward Swordwas the secondZeldagame on Wii, Fi’s role wouldn’t need to necessarily tackle the transition to motion controls.
Instead, Fi’s role was directed toward Nintendo’s new approach to level design. WhileTwilight Princesswas uniquefrom other 3DZeldagames, releasing on Wii alongside GameCube,Skyward Swordwas different in that it was specifically developed for the Wii.Skyward Sword’s world consists of three main areas with various subsections in each, requiring the player to revisit more areas than usual. To ensure players knew where to go or what to do next, Fi points them in the right direction through dialog or her dowsing mechanic.
However, Nintendo might have been overzealous in relying on Fi, as persistent interruptions to gameplay disrupt the flow of this overall experience. This led to arguably the biggest change for Nintendo when releasingSkyward Sword HDon Switch, whichgave players more options to ignore Fi’s guidanceso it was less obtrusive. As annoying as players might have seen her, Fi’s place in the lore ofZeldamakes her just as important as Link or Zelda, so hopefully she does get another chance in the future.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HDis available now on Switch.
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