@@mango3441 I feel like the hatred toward the controls is unnecessary. Sure, they aren't perfect, but they aren't as bad as they could have been. People just hate cause they want to hate
@@wimpywater i used to play a lot with the controller, it was kinda difficult because it would go to somewhere else or the shield wouldn't appear at the right time. I love this game and it's things. I'm just saying that. People say it has bad controls, not gonna lie the wii remote isn't perfect but hey the game is pretty awesome
Don't just say people like to hate because is only a fact. The control isn't as perfect as we wanted it but the game is good. I always complain about the control when i play because it would get on my nervers when link goes farther than i wanted him to go. I don't complain about the sword but i do complain when he has to jump or take the shield because he wouldn't take it and would take damage instead. Is something everyone complained about, the wii controller isn't that good for games like zelda, yeah is cool for playing the role of the sword but the other functions aren't that good. You always have to recalibrate the wii remote so it works but eventually will fail again. And let's not forget, link is left handed but because of the wii remote, he is right handed
@@isaacmoraesdornelasdesouza4830 The triune aspect of the Three Golden Goddesses does strongly resemble the Holy Trinity found in Christianity, but is found elsewhere in other cultures and religions. The symbol used for the Triforce can actually be seen on centuries-old Samurai armour, and was the emblem of one of the great houses of feudal Japan, or at least a very similar triangular design
it could be based on Zoroastrianism, actually, as well. Additionally there are the symbols of the vulknut and treskalian that both predate Christianity and both clearly serve ritual purposes that are unclear to modern researchers.
i keep telling people that BOTW2 will link back to b4 Skyward Sword. This link in BOTW is the Hero of Legend that came back through time to seal away the original Demise B4 the time of Skyward Sword. Zelda even says in Skyward Sword the Goddess gave the original hero a sailcloth. what Link do we know that was given a sailcloth? link from BOTW. maybe all the trials are the Goddess testing Link to make sure hes the one true Hero to send back in time to change History. everything thats ever happened in the series is a result of Future Link going back in time and changing history as the Goddess knows it. she spent millennia's watching and being able to do nothing as Demise destroyed and conquered the world. she was eventually able to find the one true Hero that she could send back in to the past to change the future. putting Demise and his reincarnation's of Ganon in a time loop that will forever keep them in control. Much like what Dr. Strange did with Dormammu. But instead of it being just a few minutes of a time loop it's going to be the entire Legend of Zelda franchise as the time loop. this will be the final game in the franchise timeline as we know it with Demise and Ganon. Nintendo will only be making games that fall in the middle of the timeline from now on.
@@linkalot7415 nah it was too short, the puzzles were easy and it is a water dungeons in the same way Vah Rudania is a fire dungeon. All the dungeons in breath of the wild are by far the worst dungeons in the series
Skyward Sword is personally my favourite game! So to see so you do a theory on it is so nice! Thanks for a entertaining me! Skyward Sword needs more praise!
Fun fact: The laugh of koloktos is actually in splatoon. In splatoon one there are two statues on a map, and during the splatfest stages they have the same laugh as koloktos.
I've always wondered why link doesn't die when he activates a time-shift stone, because if there's a monster within the radius THEY die, why not link? could you do a theory about that, please?
Ninjaboi1 it is reverting them to an ancient time, and some pieces of Bokoblin can be reanimated. This version of Link is in the present and has no ancient version of himself, so the timestone would have nowhere to revert him. At least that’s how I thought of it there could be a much better explanation that I haven’t heard.
my personal theory is that it's because of the monsters' connection to demise, with the time-shift stone's area being sacred or something due to its connection to hylia. i'm not an expert so correct me if i'm wrong on any of the bits of lore
My theory is **SPOILERS** since the final fight has Link go back in time and very well could be the ancient hero he's supposed to be imitating in the present, he is caught up in a loop that allows him to exist in both the past and presence. Because of this connection to the Time Gate, the time stones don't register him passing from past to present, he just *is*.
I ADORE Skyward Sword. So underrated, and imo most people who complain about the motion controls are probably just not playing with a good setup or have a faulty controller.
I agree, people always look for something to complain about. Same with the ds games: they're for kids, of course the dungeons are not super complicated lol. I never played a wii game in my life until like a month ago when I ordered skyward sword, a motion plus and borrowed someone's wii, and even I got used to the motion controls quickly!
@Writer's Block Well I can tell you I never had any of those issues. The worst I ever had to do was recallibrate it if I started flailing too wildly (I tend to panic and button mash/wildly swing the wiimote when surrounded by enemies lol) or unplug and replug the nunchuck if my control stick started drifting, which a problem I sometimes have with other games too, Twilight Princess included. And both of those issues were rare and didn't impact my enjoyment of the game at all. It could be that your MotionPlus attachment was faulty rather than the controller if you say your controllers weren't registering it, and that could have contributed to your bad experience with the game. Just because Nintendo isn't known for faulty hardware doesn't mean it doesn't happen. If you think the game itself is the problem, then shouldn't the issues be more universal than they are? It's not like the game's code changes from disk to disk. I think the more likely culprit is that the MotionPlus tech wasn't as consistent as other Nintendo tech is known for being and that a vocal minority has been speaking up about personal issues with it. Most people who have neutral to good experiences with a game aren't going to go around singing praises unless they see a reason to. Typically if something meets expectations people just don't think twice. That's what makes me highly doubt it was an issue with the game itself. Having a setup that doesn't allow you to utilize the MotionPlus as intended (limited space for example) could also have impacted its functioning, although probably less likely in the way you described with it not even registering. I do agree that a Switch remaster of the game would give people a chance to try the game again since motion control tech has improved since Skyward Sword was originally created. But I stand by what I said about people's bad experiences with the game's playability largely coming down to faulty hardware and/or user error.
I definitely had technical issues that were frustrating as heck, but they didn't keep me from enjoying the game- my setup definitely wasn't perfect but like, *it was the best I could do*, had to recalibrate a lot and it didn't always work, but it doesn't change that it was a good game, just like joycon drift doesn't change the fact BOTW is a good game
@@felixc543 yeah, that's totally valid. I definitely think there were likely widespread technical challenges with the MotionPlus (usually pretty minor), but like you said it didn't make it unplayable/unenjoyable. The motion controls weren't perfect. Nintendo was trying something new. But the game certainly isn't unplayable by any means, and in the rare cases that it is unplayable, it's more than likely due to a bad piece of hardware or user error and shouldn't be a reflection on how good or bad the game is.
I really liked the game and agree it gets a bad rap it doesn't deserve, BUT can testify that in my experience the controls were lousy bordering on impossible. I'm left handed on top of that, and there were a couple of sections that were so so frustrating I had to take a few weeks off playing. I haven't replayed it, either, though I would if they did a port or remaster for the switch
I'm incredibly impressed by the amount of work and research that must've gone into this, and the sheer amount of information and knowledge you're giving us through it. Such an interesting dive into an interesting dungeon, taking us far beyond the depths we expected. Brilliant work!
@@MissTHDo1 Normally in Zelda games you get side quests, real ones which will get you a great item or a powerful sword, not like Skyward Sword where it's that stupid gratitude crystal fetching
@@LilDemona the side quests themselves aren't bad, actually. to me ss has some of the best side quests in the entire franchise. but the gratitude crystal thing is really bad
Skyward sword was the first Zelda game I played and playing through the ancient cistern for the first time with the dark underground section and exploring lanayru’s many areas definitely made skyward sword one of my favorite Zelda games
Man, it's astonishing to see how you improve with every video. The research done is incredible in this video, the production value is amazing and the polish put into this video truly shows your passion. This was such a great video, it felt like I finished it in 5 minutes! Great work, man!
I have a theory as to why Epona is absent in Breath of the Wild, and only unlocked via an amiibo. I’m aware that isn’t what you are talking about, and I apologize for changing the subject, but hear me out! Epona exists as all the wild horses that roam Hyrule. She is the same breed, or rather they are the same breed as Epona! Same build, same features, they all can be tamed and bonded with Link easily. That’s how I forgave Nintendo by locking lovely Epona behind an amiibo that I could have gotten when they weren’t so expensive...but that’s beside the point.
As someone who just hit double digits when Skyward Sword came out, and it was the first Zelda game I finished without parental help. It's nice to see people discussing it!
i know i was a dumb dumb as a kid, like idk how i passed SCHOOL dumb. i never got past the part where u gotta find the kikwi behind the mushrooms. im not joking. i never got past that point, i asked for help so so many times, i was STUPID then i quit and decided to plau BRETH O DA WILDDDD and it took me like half a year to get off the great pleatue, and then like a month to find impa, and then it took like forever to find and complete the puzzels in the dungeons, and then it took even longer to defeat them all i ran into GANON before i defeated the bosses thats how long i took
*inhales* that was a long video and my data tried making me stop watching on 3 occasions but I said we sit through the pain and keep watching. But holy crap was it worth waiting for my data to behave again. I gotta say this was well done and not only was it about one of my favorite zelda games, it was about my favorite water based dungeon. I knew it had strong connections to Buddhism but I didn't think it was that deep.
Finally got the chance to sit, relax and watch through. It turned out beautifully! Well done! The pillars reference was such a great find. There is so much depth to the Ancient Cistern and Koloktos.
I love how the boss key to the stairway leading above is obtained in the depths of the undead below. "No tree can grow to heaven unless its roots reach down to hell."
Really interesting theory that could honestly make sense. Enjoyed this one a lot :) Funny enough, I could have swore someone had suggested this in my comments. Perhaps it's been suggested around a bit but could be wrong.
I love the depth you went into with this. That dungeon is one of the most memorable and interesting from the series. I knew thething about the short story, but there were a lot of cool details and things I learned from watching this! Great video as always!
Fantastic video - Gamemaker’s Toolkit featured the ancient cistern on his video on Skyward Sword dungeon design and alluded to the spider’s silk which always left me wanting to know more about this dungeon. You killed it, and this video kinda equips the user with tools to have an eye for environment design in Zelda dungeons. Anyways, huge thanks for the awesome video, I liked and subbed. :)
Another great video talking about the connections of Shintoism and The Legend of Zelda is The Hyrule Journals: Ocarina of Time, a Masterclass in Subtext. An all around great video
I really appreciate your in depth research and presentation of this theory. Usually I listen to these kinds of videos passively, while playing games. I found myself constantly pausing my game and rewinding your video because I was so engaged with it. There's a lot of effort and care on display in this video. Congrats and thank you.
I really love that you're talking about this, most people don't know about Buddhism and the beliefs that builds and nurture most of Zelda's stories and landmarks 💕😆
Here is my skyward sword theory! Demise was the hero of Lorule. The fallen Kingdom that we visit in a link between worlds. 1. Demise’s sword looks similar to that of the master sword. The handle and triforce are near identical to that of the master sword. The main differences are the color and size. The triforce is flipped of demises sword which is the mark of Lorule. 2. Demise came from a fissure in the earth. Which is how we reach Lorule. Maybe because they went in with an evil plan. Demise and his army all became monsters. Perhaps they forgot their plan after so many years of waiting to return. It also explains how weird Yuga is, specifically her appearance. She wasn’t always a creepy looking being. Hilda never got to Hyrule which is why she is still human. The monsters around Hyrule in a link between worlds came from Lorule. And they all had evil intent. Reviving Ganon. Ghiraham also is demises Fi, the sword spirit. Ghiraham is evil since his master is evil. Ghiraham calls demise “Master” just like Fi calls Link “Master” I didn’t come up with this all on my own. I watched a video a while explaining it. Some of it was me. Unfortunately I do not remember who uploaded the UA-cam video. Sorry...
well if you look at the close to biblical nature of skyward sword you can tell demise is supposed to be the devil of loz which is another explanation of emerging from a fissure which actually comes from hell if demise is the devil and ghirahim could easily be the antichrist which would explain the inverted triforce symbol btw i did not think of this here it is. ua-cam.com/video/JGvEJIc3Exc/v-deo.html&ab_channel=CommonwealthRealm
You pronounce it "Batrix," but in French the "-eaux" combination sounds like "oh." Imagine him as having a French (or French Canadian) accent. Edit: Just now thought a Cajun accent could be a possibility.
Lord Giblets I came here to comment exactly this. I’ve noticed however, many of Americans pronounce French names as they are spelled. I once heard Pelletier pronounced as “Pell-ah-teer” which is completely wrong might I add. It’s pronounced “Pell-chay.” Just as Batreaux is pronounced “Bah-Troh.”
Yeah, that happens a lot. There's a town in Ohio called Versailles, and in Arkansas there's one named El Dorado and one named Stuttgart. None of them are pronounced as they would be in the original language. Slightly amusingly, the city of Pierre, South Dakota is pronounced "pee air" by anyone NOT from that state, as they call it "peer."
I must say thank you for making such amazing videos you pull off. All the effort behind them is noticeable and the result is top quality! They're amazing and have been helping me a lot to cope during this difficult times. Thank you.
Hi, NintendoBlackCrisis! I love your work; I personally feel the theories and content you produce are distinct among other theorists and I look forward to each video you release. Even though the Ancient Cistern is a dungeon I've done much research on myself and have seen others' analyses, I knew going in you would bring up something that others do not, and I was not disappointed, to say the least. I especially appreciate that you look at the original Japanese language for the information you collect - it's a hard language (I speak both Japanese and Chinese and I know how painstaking it can be to translate), but the nuances conveyed or not in Japanese are incredibly important and I have much respect for you seeking out those minute differences, even if you yourself do not speak the language. You even explored languages such as Sanskrit here as well as Buddhist Scriptures and I loved seeing your thorough research from a cultural standpoint. Nice job! I have one small criticism for you though, one that is insignificant overall but is simply a pet peeve of mine...the demon under Skyloft, Batreaux, his name is pronounced "Buh-troe" (think "chateau" but the x is silent), coming from French. It's quite a misleading name, much like Fi's, but you pronounce hers correctly according to the Japanese! Beautiful job though, well done!
Doesn’t matter what faith you have, a lot of Buddhist art and architecture is breathtaking. The sheer amount of vision, skill, and precision is just impressive. Mind you, I am a proud, vicious, old-fashioned Southern Baptist.
If they had wanted to be really accurate to the spiders thread symbolism, the thread Link climbs up should have snapped as he tries to shake off the cursed bokoblins, trapping him in the malice-filled depths of the Ancient Cistern
Amazing video. I have a suggestion that may be worth theorizing. What if the Ancient Cistern became the water temple from ocarina of time? I mean, the location is similar. Zoras could have evolved from the small seahorses we see in lake floria, and could have used the Cistern as a religious place. Water temple is sacred to zoras after all, and we see water flowing out of it once morpha is killed. There are also dragons inside the water temple, maybe a connection to faron from skyward sword. What do you think?
...Suddenly the preview for breath of the wild 2 makes me think they have been trying to PURIFY Gannandorf of Demise's influence. Thus all three chosen by the goddesses can put an end to demise once and for all.
I watched this video once like a reay ago. Then, last week I played through the Ancient Cistern for the first time, so I had to come back and see what I'd missed a forgotten. Truly a gem of a dungeon, and so interesting to see what Japanese folklore influence what there to find :3
Can we stop one minute to appreciate the work put in this video 😍 also SS is my favorite Zelda the dungeons are stunning but i'm bothered by psysalis lmao
i always scream when skyward sword is mentioned in non-skyward sword videos... but this time i screamed when okami was mentioned in a zelda game... i love okami so much i’m glad people still know what it is
Except that malice was only ever mentioned in breath of the wild...I feel like BOTW fans are trying to make the whole series they only JUST got interested in because of BOTW all about BOTW tbh.....
@@gatsbyhalliday6970 Bro, Stop just realize you are not taking into account what I said. It WOULD explain everything. Also Nintendo is making Zelda all about BOTW this will be the format for many years to come.
@@SevenBlades112 just because it's gonna be the format doesn't make it good and it really DOESN'T explain anything. "Malice" only appeared in breath of the wild, no where else. So its dumb to think that it's so important and always has been to previous games or even to demise.
@@gatsbyhalliday6970 Really? That the best you got? I could do this all day, you *are* talking to a Zelda encyclopedia after all. OH wait correction you are *arguing* with a Zelda encyclopedia.
Never thought about the Ancient Cistern beyond it being an odd contrast, two sides of the same coin. I absolutely love watching your, Zeltik's and Hyrule Gamer theories because you guys point out such amazing things, I actually started playing games with more attention to details, not only in Zelda, but other games too. And now I feel like replaying Skyward Sword. Hoping Nintendo finds a way to bring it to the Switch someday.
I never thought of the Ancient Cistern as the game's Water Temple. I always thought the Sandship in Lanayru Desert was because you have to constantly change time like you change the water levels in the Water Temples.
I think this might be your best video so far, I love learning about religious symbolism because it underpins peoples whole lives, even a dead religion can give us insight into how old civilizations saw the world. Also its interesting to see Buddhist iconography and stories be retold in a video game, it's such a common thing in japanese media to see yokai, kami, buddhism and other references, but for western media we dont get such one to one references as often. Like western fantasy may have gods and demons, but they less often resemble modern western religion, more often jumping off from eastern religion or Greco roman, like I cant imagine an american game where you capture and train demons and angels, analogous to yokai watch. It's an interesting difference, and honestly I wish more western fantasy would dabble in their creators metaphysical beliefs, even if just thematically and aesthetically, cuz it's a fun way to learn about this stuff
It's interesting to learn of the importance of purification through water in both Shintoism and Buddhism, as that also plays a big part in the christian religion through baptism. I would say the obvious reason for the presence of cleansing through water being due to how most cultures clean themselves by taking baths in water, though obviously it's referring to a spiritual cleansing in this case. The idea that water can cleanse not only the body but the mind and spirit seems to be a universally held believe and it's interesting seeing the parallels between different religions.
God, the first time I played this dungeon, I was torn between hating and loving it. It's a water dungeon and I'm actually one of the few who doesn't hate water ones but I had such issues with the dam whip item - and then I figured out that my wii mote was damaged and I fell in love with the dungeon the second time around.
OKAY, so I may be thinking too much, however I decided to watch Skyward Sword gameplay the other day and now every one that talks about anything Zelda is making videos of Skyward Sword and now I'm freaking out.
Listen..I freakin hated the ancient cistern. Idk why but I had so much trouble with it. Almost the same amount of trouble I had in the shadow temple (OoT). Skyward sword is the most difficult game in the Zelda series..my opinion tho.
Great job on this video! At first I thought Nintendo were just great at picking specific themes for their designs, but it’s become obvious to me now that the Zelda series has a perfect marriage of Western and Eastern influences the games’ designs, particularly in some of the most recent games. I especially love how perfect the music is in these games. I’m kind of surprised you didn’t touch on the music used in the Ancient Cistern and how it appeared to be influenced by the music you hear in cultures that practice Buddhism; Indonesia in particular came to mind, but I’m sure the musical influences go much deeper than that. I will now be paying more attention to the Eastern influences in my future play throughs of Zelda games (particularly because the Western influences are quite obvious to me being raised in the West). I still remember how in awe I was the first time I saw one of the dragons in Breath of the Wild, and I know I owe much of that awe was due to the Asian-influenced music that accompanied the sighting.
worth mentioning that koloktos posseses 8 limbs like a spider during its second phase when it's standing up on its legs. and additionally, its form resembles the wheel of dharma, with each of its limbs forming the 8 spokes and its swords forming the rim
Fascinating video. I had no idea how elaborately the principles of Buddhism were worked into that dungeon. Also I had always thought about the Cistern's purpose on a practical level. I thought it was built by Hylia and her servents to act as a mass grave, suppression system, and purifier for after the defeat of Demise. First all his fallen monsters were buried underneath to contain all the Malice they would produce. Then the sacred flame was placed at the top to help hold down the Malice as it got loose from the fallen monsters. And as a purification system since so many remains would probably be carried into rivers by rain and other weather. Thus they would pass through the cistern and be sperated out from the water. By doing that no contaminated bogs could form like in Breath of the Wild. I also thought it was probably the Malice that made the underside so twisted. Over the centuries it probably seeped into the stone and caused warped and demonic effigies to form.
Thanks for watching! Check out Adam's channel here. ua-cam.com/channels/Xtp77_0gPeQzBYxk_lZ9bQ.html
Real NBC live!
I was in the intro! I’m SuperECCE
Is the Zelda minecraft server good?
You know what they make me think feel like the what happened to hollow knight
How do I get to the server
Skyward sword is a forgotten gem. I hope you can do a lanayru desert and sand sea vid next and the timeshift stones.
I think is because the controls
while I personally love it I don't think that people can forget that "gem" :p
@@mango3441 I feel like the hatred toward the controls is unnecessary. Sure, they aren't perfect, but they aren't as bad as they could have been. People just hate cause they want to hate
@@wimpywater i used to play a lot with the controller, it was kinda difficult because it would go to somewhere else or the shield wouldn't appear at the right time. I love this game and it's things. I'm just saying that. People say it has bad controls, not gonna lie the wii remote isn't perfect but hey the game is pretty awesome
Don't just say people like to hate because is only a fact. The control isn't as perfect as we wanted it but the game is good. I always complain about the control when i play because it would get on my nervers when link goes farther than i wanted him to go. I don't complain about the sword but i do complain when he has to jump or take the shield because he wouldn't take it and would take damage instead. Is something everyone complained about, the wii controller isn't that good for games like zelda, yeah is cool for playing the role of the sword but the other functions aren't that good. You always have to recalibrate the wii remote so it works but eventually will fail again. And let's not forget, link is left handed but because of the wii remote, he is right handed
This is basically an introduction to Buddhism.
It wouldn't be the first use of religious imagery and ideals in a Nintendo game, nor even in the Zelda game franchise specifically
Col Bauer yeah. I heard that the Triforce is based on Christianity!
@@isaacmoraesdornelasdesouza4830 The triune aspect of the Three Golden Goddesses does strongly resemble the Holy Trinity found in Christianity, but is found elsewhere in other cultures and religions. The symbol used for the Triforce can actually be seen on centuries-old Samurai armour, and was the emblem of one of the great houses of feudal Japan, or at least a very similar triangular design
There was also Islamic prayers in OOT fire temple
it could be based on Zoroastrianism, actually, as well. Additionally there are the symbols of the vulknut and treskalian that both predate Christianity and both clearly serve ritual purposes that are unclear to modern researchers.
I need more Skyward Sword theories in my life, I think we all do if I'm honest
oh yeah
Yes
i keep telling people that BOTW2 will link back to b4 Skyward Sword. This link in BOTW is the Hero of Legend that came back through time to seal away the original Demise B4 the time of Skyward Sword. Zelda even says in Skyward Sword the Goddess gave the original hero a sailcloth. what Link do we know that was given a sailcloth? link from BOTW. maybe all the trials are the Goddess testing Link to make sure hes the one true Hero to send back in time to change History. everything thats ever happened in the series is a result of Future Link going back in time and changing history as the Goddess knows it. she spent millennia's watching and being able to do nothing as Demise destroyed and conquered the world. she was eventually able to find the one true Hero that she could send back in to the past to change the future. putting Demise and his reincarnation's of Ganon in a time loop that will forever keep them in control. Much like what Dr. Strange did with Dormammu. But instead of it being just a few minutes of a time loop it's going to be the entire Legend of Zelda franchise as the time loop. this will be the final game in the franchise timeline as we know it with Demise and Ganon. Nintendo will only be making games that fall in the middle of the timeline from now on.
@@st.ashhole4192 idk about the end part but this could hold some weight
@@st.ashhole4192 wow
it’s one of the best dungeons ever. And it’s a water one 🤯
One
Nah Twilight Princess's Lake bed temple is probably the best wasser temple in the series
Rage Master hmm I don’t agree
Ummm what about vah ruta that is by far the best water dungeon
@@linkalot7415 nah it was too short, the puzzles were easy and it is a water dungeons in the same way Vah Rudania is a fire dungeon. All the dungeons in breath of the wild are by far the worst dungeons in the series
An ancient cistern.
*end of video*
So... a very old toilet?
Lord Tullus 9 no a cistern that is ancient
@@Littleton3513 making a joke. Thank you
Skyward Sword is personally my favourite game! So to see so you do a theory on it is so nice! Thanks for a entertaining me! Skyward Sword needs more praise!
Thomas Hussey Yeah it does!
100% agree, this game was amazing in so many ways, it really doesn't deserve the hate it gets.
Afonso Amaro It’s called the Zelda Cycle.. When BotW2 drops, there will be forums plagued with hatred over the original BotW.
Fun fact: The laugh of koloktos is actually in splatoon. In splatoon one there are two statues on a map, and during the splatfest stages they have the same laugh as koloktos.
yes and its just as terrifying lol
I've always wondered why link doesn't die when he activates a time-shift stone, because if there's a monster within the radius THEY die, why not link? could you do a theory about that, please?
Ninjaboi1 it is reverting them to an ancient time, and some pieces of Bokoblin can be reanimated. This version of Link is in the present and has no ancient version of himself, so the timestone would have nowhere to revert him. At least that’s how I thought of it there could be a much better explanation that I haven’t heard.
It could also be that the master sword grants him protection
my personal theory is that it's because of the monsters' connection to demise, with the time-shift stone's area being sacred or something due to its connection to hylia. i'm not an expert so correct me if i'm wrong on any of the bits of lore
Because he is from the present, unlike the monsters
My theory is **SPOILERS** since the final fight has Link go back in time and very well could be the ancient hero he's supposed to be imitating in the present, he is caught up in a loop that allows him to exist in both the past and presence. Because of this connection to the Time Gate, the time stones don't register him passing from past to present, he just *is*.
I ADORE Skyward Sword. So underrated, and imo most people who complain about the motion controls are probably just not playing with a good setup or have a faulty controller.
I agree, people always look for something to complain about. Same with the ds games: they're for kids, of course the dungeons are not super complicated lol. I never played a wii game in my life until like a month ago when I ordered skyward sword, a motion plus and borrowed someone's wii, and even I got used to the motion controls quickly!
@Writer's Block Well I can tell you I never had any of those issues. The worst I ever had to do was recallibrate it if I started flailing too wildly (I tend to panic and button mash/wildly swing the wiimote when surrounded by enemies lol) or unplug and replug the nunchuck if my control stick started drifting, which a problem I sometimes have with other games too, Twilight Princess included. And both of those issues were rare and didn't impact my enjoyment of the game at all. It could be that your MotionPlus attachment was faulty rather than the controller if you say your controllers weren't registering it, and that could have contributed to your bad experience with the game. Just because Nintendo isn't known for faulty hardware doesn't mean it doesn't happen. If you think the game itself is the problem, then shouldn't the issues be more universal than they are? It's not like the game's code changes from disk to disk. I think the more likely culprit is that the MotionPlus tech wasn't as consistent as other Nintendo tech is known for being and that a vocal minority has been speaking up about personal issues with it. Most people who have neutral to good experiences with a game aren't going to go around singing praises unless they see a reason to. Typically if something meets expectations people just don't think twice. That's what makes me highly doubt it was an issue with the game itself. Having a setup that doesn't allow you to utilize the MotionPlus as intended (limited space for example) could also have impacted its functioning, although probably less likely in the way you described with it not even registering. I do agree that a Switch remaster of the game would give people a chance to try the game again since motion control tech has improved since Skyward Sword was originally created. But I stand by what I said about people's bad experiences with the game's playability largely coming down to faulty hardware and/or user error.
I definitely had technical issues that were frustrating as heck, but they didn't keep me from enjoying the game- my setup definitely wasn't perfect but like, *it was the best I could do*, had to recalibrate a lot and it didn't always work, but it doesn't change that it was a good game, just like joycon drift doesn't change the fact BOTW is a good game
@@felixc543 yeah, that's totally valid. I definitely think there were likely widespread technical challenges with the MotionPlus (usually pretty minor), but like you said it didn't make it unplayable/unenjoyable. The motion controls weren't perfect. Nintendo was trying something new. But the game certainly isn't unplayable by any means, and in the rare cases that it is unplayable, it's more than likely due to a bad piece of hardware or user error and shouldn't be a reflection on how good or bad the game is.
I really liked the game and agree it gets a bad rap it doesn't deserve, BUT can testify that in my experience the controls were lousy bordering on impossible. I'm left handed on top of that, and there were a couple of sections that were so so frustrating I had to take a few weeks off playing. I haven't replayed it, either, though I would if they did a port or remaster for the switch
I'm incredibly impressed by the amount of work and research that must've gone into this, and the sheer amount of information and knowledge you're giving us through it. Such an interesting dive into an interesting dungeon, taking us far beyond the depths we expected. Brilliant work!
Never knew just how much the ancient cistern is related to Buddhism. Thank you for all your hard work. This was a interesting episode.
Hopefully skyward sword gets remade in HD soon
Well it finally happened! Skyward Sword HD has released!
Yeah. That would be awesome.
When that happens naturally it will be on the Switch, hopefully the controls will be better, and have exploration as well as some real side-quests
@LilDemona why real side quests?
@@MissTHDo1 Normally in Zelda games you get side quests, real ones which will get you a great item or a powerful sword, not like Skyward Sword where it's that stupid gratitude crystal fetching
@@LilDemona the side quests themselves aren't bad, actually. to me ss has some of the best side quests in the entire franchise. but the gratitude crystal thing is really bad
somehow he managed to connect zelda to bhudism to avatar to lions to laughs...wow nice.
This is the most detailed analysis of the Ancient Cistern I've seen! Great job, this is awesome!
This is the earliest I've ever been on this channel
Same
Same
SAME
Just discovered it during quarantine. First video I watch after my binge. hahaha
I pity you
Jk I actually wish I was you SO. MANY. THEORIES.
Skyward sword was the first Zelda game I played and playing through the ancient cistern for the first time with the dark underground section and exploring lanayru’s many areas definitely made skyward sword one of my favorite Zelda games
I'm glad your first Water Temple wasn't THE Water Temple from Ocarina of Time. That temple makes me mad lol unlike the Cistern
Skyward Sword has given me so much inspiration...*cough* my AC island is named *S k y l o f t*
Cool! Are you attempting any theming or just using the name?
ラベンダーLunarHorizons my GameCube town is called Hyrule:)
@@felixc543 I'm not actually 100% sure yet. I think I'm going to make some ruins that are somewhat related to the Spring of Power. :)
@@grcae that sounds really cool!
This is an old comment but I named mine skyloft as well! :D
NBC: “Faron”
UA-cam subtitles: “fair on, ferran, firaon”
Gotta love UA-cam
Man, it's astonishing to see how you improve with every video. The research done is incredible in this video, the production value is amazing and the polish put into this video truly shows your passion. This was such a great video, it felt like I finished it in 5 minutes! Great work, man!
Link’s loftwing became Epona
Ava Furr could you imagine? Like the spirit gets passed down and is tied to demises curse
Abi Hayward Yeah, that’s what I’m assuming. lol originally I was just saying that as a joke, but it honestly is kind of possible.
Ava Furr idk if there would be a way to prove it
Abi Hayward True.
I have a theory as to why Epona is absent in Breath of the Wild, and only unlocked via an amiibo. I’m aware that isn’t what you are talking about, and I apologize for changing the subject, but hear me out! Epona exists as all the wild horses that roam Hyrule. She is the same breed, or rather they are the same breed as Epona! Same build, same features, they all can be tamed and bonded with Link easily. That’s how I forgave Nintendo by locking lovely Epona behind an amiibo that I could have gotten when they weren’t so expensive...but that’s beside the point.
Thanks for the shout out! Great video explaining it all. 👍
As someone who just hit double digits when Skyward Sword came out, and it was the first Zelda game I finished without parental help. It's nice to see people discussing it!
Beth Platte u turned 10?
People can beat Zelda games without parental help?
@@goggles8691 like parents would help. My mother would say "I have no clue" and leave xd
i know i was a dumb dumb as a kid, like idk how i passed SCHOOL dumb.
i never got past the part where u gotta find the kikwi behind the mushrooms.
im not joking.
i never got past that point, i asked for help so so many times, i was STUPID
then i quit and decided to plau BRETH O DA WILDDDD
and it took me like half a year to get off the great pleatue, and then like a month to find impa, and then it took like forever to find and complete the puzzels in the dungeons, and then it took even longer to defeat them all
i ran into GANON before i defeated the bosses thats how long i took
*inhales* that was a long video and my data tried making me stop watching on 3 occasions but I said we sit through the pain and keep watching. But holy crap was it worth waiting for my data to behave again.
I gotta say this was well done and not only was it about one of my favorite zelda games, it was about my favorite water based dungeon. I knew it had strong connections to Buddhism but I didn't think it was that deep.
Finally got the chance to sit, relax and watch through.
It turned out beautifully! Well done! The pillars reference was such a great find.
There is so much depth to the Ancient Cistern and Koloktos.
why dont you do a theory on skyward
I love how the boss key to the stairway leading above is obtained in the depths of the undead below. "No tree can grow to heaven unless its roots reach down to hell."
Really interesting theory that could honestly make sense. Enjoyed this one a lot :)
Funny enough, I could have swore someone had suggested this in my comments. Perhaps it's been suggested around a bit but could be wrong.
Oh hi Hyrule Gamer!
Oh wow didnt expect seeing you here this far down at the comments😅 Love your videos and keep it up!
@@fortniteconnoisseur_ Hii
@@adamH.1 Hey there
@@HyruleGamer wow thanks for replying!
THIS is what I call an analysis; a very thorough and in depth analysis of themes, concepts, and structures... I like this
I love the depth you went into with this. That dungeon is one of the most memorable and interesting from the series. I knew thething about the short story, but there were a lot of cool details and things I learned from watching this! Great video as always!
Fantastic video - Gamemaker’s Toolkit featured the ancient cistern on his video on Skyward Sword dungeon design and alluded to the spider’s silk which always left me wanting to know more about this dungeon. You killed it, and this video kinda equips the user with tools to have an eye for environment design in Zelda dungeons. Anyways, huge thanks for the awesome video, I liked and subbed. :)
18:26 It was pretty cool of you to make that shout-out to our home-boi Sahasrala from A Link to the Past
Another great video talking about the connections of Shintoism and The Legend of Zelda is The Hyrule Journals: Ocarina of Time, a Masterclass in Subtext. An all around great video
When the Mystery Dungeon music is just right 😔👌
At 1:21 in the vid the fish looks like the fish on top of zora’s domain in botw
Omg I just got to the part where he said what I noticed XD
"Use the Force, Link!"
I really appreciate your in depth research and presentation of this theory. Usually I listen to these kinds of videos passively, while playing games. I found myself constantly pausing my game and rewinding your video because I was so engaged with it. There's a lot of effort and care on display in this video. Congrats and thank you.
I really love that you're talking about this, most people don't know about Buddhism and the beliefs that builds and nurture most of Zelda's stories and landmarks 💕😆
This the most due diligence I've seen on a Zelda video. _Excellent_ work curating everything into a digestible format.
Great theory NBC
Watching your theories keep me reminded why I love the legend of Zelda so much
Thank you
Here is my skyward sword theory! Demise was the hero of Lorule. The fallen Kingdom that we visit in a link between worlds.
1. Demise’s sword looks similar to that of the master sword. The handle and triforce are near identical to that of the master sword. The main differences are the color and size. The triforce is flipped of demises sword which is the mark of Lorule.
2. Demise came from a fissure in the earth. Which is how we reach Lorule. Maybe because they went in with an evil plan. Demise and his army all became monsters. Perhaps they forgot their plan after so many years of waiting to return. It also explains how weird Yuga is, specifically her appearance. She wasn’t always a creepy looking being. Hilda never got to Hyrule which is why she is still human. The monsters around Hyrule in a link between worlds came from Lorule. And they all had evil intent. Reviving Ganon. Ghiraham also is demises Fi, the sword spirit. Ghiraham is evil since his master is evil. Ghiraham calls demise “Master” just like Fi calls Link “Master”
I didn’t come up with this all on my own. I watched a video a while explaining it. Some of it was me. Unfortunately I do not remember who uploaded the UA-cam video.
Sorry...
That's a cool theory. Makes sense.
Rafael Schaffner Thank You!
well if you look at the close to biblical nature of skyward sword you can tell demise is supposed to be the devil of loz which is another explanation of emerging from a fissure which actually comes from hell if demise is the devil and ghirahim
could easily be the antichrist which would explain the inverted triforce symbol btw i did not think of this here it is.
ua-cam.com/video/JGvEJIc3Exc/v-deo.html&ab_channel=CommonwealthRealm
dark life very good point!
@@ericcanales1233 thanks also i do have a theory on both skyward sword & tmc which is on the picori
I really like how the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon music complements the theory
Yes! Someone gets the music!!!
So in the opening song of "The Last Unicorn" the stylized lion at the fountain was the asian equivilent of the unicorn. I find this fascinating.
You pronounce it "Batrix," but in French the "-eaux" combination sounds like "oh." Imagine him as having a French (or French Canadian) accent.
Edit: Just now thought a Cajun accent could be a possibility.
Lord Giblets I came here to comment exactly this. I’ve noticed however, many of Americans pronounce French names as they are spelled. I once heard Pelletier pronounced as “Pell-ah-teer” which is completely wrong might I add. It’s pronounced “Pell-chay.” Just as Batreaux is pronounced “Bah-Troh.”
Yeah, that happens a lot. There's a town in Ohio called Versailles, and in Arkansas there's one named El Dorado and one named Stuttgart. None of them are pronounced as they would be in the original language.
Slightly amusingly, the city of Pierre, South Dakota is pronounced "pee air" by anyone NOT from that state, as they call it "peer."
@@Bigmikeystan Why is "tier" pronounced "chay". Shouldn't it be "tye" as in "t" followed by a "yes" without the "s"? Pelltye.
@@HighFiveTheHorizon French here, and Pelletier is pronounced pel - le - tee - é.
As someone from Louisiana I'm so glad you said this!
I've been waiting for a theory for weeks now. Thank you so much for taking a break from animal crossing.
Well, the name "very old toilet" just didn't have that mysterious ring to it...
Rather interesting... now I'm eager to find out more details of other dungeons throughout the Zelda universe.
I must say thank you for making such amazing videos you pull off. All the effort behind them is noticeable and the result is top quality! They're amazing and have been helping me a lot to cope during this difficult times. Thank you.
Hell yeah, new theory!
Hi, NintendoBlackCrisis! I love your work; I personally feel the theories and content you produce are distinct among other theorists and I look forward to each video you release. Even though the Ancient Cistern is a dungeon I've done much research on myself and have seen others' analyses, I knew going in you would bring up something that others do not, and I was not disappointed, to say the least.
I especially appreciate that you look at the original Japanese language for the information you collect - it's a hard language (I speak both Japanese and Chinese and I know how painstaking it can be to translate), but the nuances conveyed or not in Japanese are incredibly important and I have much respect for you seeking out those minute differences, even if you yourself do not speak the language. You even explored languages such as Sanskrit here as well as Buddhist Scriptures and I loved seeing your thorough research from a cultural standpoint. Nice job!
I have one small criticism for you though, one that is insignificant overall but is simply a pet peeve of mine...the demon under Skyloft, Batreaux, his name is pronounced "Buh-troe" (think "chateau" but the x is silent), coming from French. It's quite a misleading name, much like Fi's, but you pronounce hers correctly according to the Japanese!
Beautiful job though, well done!
Yes... admittedly I know how I say it is wrong but I'm so used to saying it like that 🤣 glad you enjoyed the video!
Doesn’t matter what faith you have, a lot of Buddhist art and architecture is breathtaking. The sheer amount of vision, skill, and precision is just impressive. Mind you, I am a proud, vicious, old-fashioned Southern Baptist.
Spectacular as always! By the way your sound design is on point!
If they had wanted to be really accurate to the spiders thread symbolism, the thread Link climbs up should have snapped as he tries to shake off the cursed bokoblins, trapping him in the malice-filled depths of the Ancient Cistern
I think this is one of your best (if not the one) video! Thank you from France!🇫🇷
One of my favorite dungeons in the game
This video is fascinating, thank you I learnt alot. One of your best theory videos
The amount of work you put into these videos absolutely blows me away. Keep up the awesomeness.
Amazing video. I have a suggestion that may be worth theorizing. What if the Ancient Cistern became the water temple from ocarina of time? I mean, the location is similar. Zoras could have evolved from the small seahorses we see in lake floria, and could have used the Cistern as a religious place. Water temple is sacred to zoras after all, and we see water flowing out of it once morpha is killed. There are also dragons inside the water temple, maybe a connection to faron from skyward sword. What do you think?
...Suddenly the preview for breath of the wild 2 makes me think they have been trying to PURIFY Gannandorf of Demise's influence. Thus all three chosen by the goddesses can put an end to demise once and for all.
bro ur community is so nice
i just joined and there such nice people
I watched this video once like a reay ago. Then, last week I played through the Ancient Cistern for the first time, so I had to come back and see what I'd missed a forgotten.
Truly a gem of a dungeon, and so interesting to see what Japanese folklore influence what there to find :3
Can we stop one minute to appreciate the work put in this video 😍 also SS is my favorite Zelda the dungeons are stunning but i'm bothered by psysalis lmao
I love the ancient cistern but i never realy understood it
Awesome video! Love Skyward Sword! Could you please do Lanayru Desert/Sand Sea video? I always wondered about the place!
I just got skyward sword on the Wii u
PebblePlays I just got it also
How is it? It's one of my favorites
Harribo I think it’s awesome! But I just got to the forest thing and can’t find the kikwi that is apparently in a tree or something
@@pebbleplays5335 just use the dowsing and when it's at its lousest roll into a tree or hit a mushroom where its beeping! Hope this helps!
Harribo Thank you!
You sure do love inputing pkmn mystery dungeon music in your videos. Bravo 👏
I appreciate the amount of research that went into this. It was rly interesting to hear the religious aspect of the lore in ss
Been a year or so from when this was posted and I still love listening to it
i always scream when skyward sword is mentioned in non-skyward sword videos...
but this time i screamed when okami was mentioned in a zelda game...
i love okami so much i’m glad people still know what it is
Started playing skyward sword a few weeks ago and this has been my favorite dungeon so far. It’s great.
That means Demise had access to malice. Which explains why Calamity Gannon could use it. It's amazing how much of this was thought out.
Except that malice was only ever mentioned in breath of the wild...I feel like BOTW fans are trying to make the whole series they only JUST got interested in because of BOTW all about BOTW tbh.....
@@gatsbyhalliday6970 Bro, Stop just realize you are not taking into account what I said. It WOULD explain everything. Also Nintendo is making Zelda all about BOTW this will be the format for many years to come.
@@SevenBlades112 just because it's gonna be the format doesn't make it good and it really DOESN'T explain anything. "Malice" only appeared in breath of the wild, no where else. So its dumb to think that it's so important and always has been to previous games or even to demise.
@@gatsbyhalliday6970 Really? That the best you got? I could do this all day, you *are* talking to a Zelda encyclopedia after all. OH wait correction you are *arguing* with a Zelda encyclopedia.
@@SevenBlades112 nice deflection and self appreciation response 😂😂 get a life dude. I've BEEN done with this argument.
what an awesome video. I love your content, man.
good job man! really enjoyed it
Bro, I found it kinda pog when you mentioned your zelda themed Minecraft server, because I'm literally making clock town in my survival world
I loved this entire video. Thank you!
Unpopular opinion, the water temple was my FAVORITE OoT Dungeon
23:11: When you give the proper credit and references to your sources:
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA, A LINK TO THE POST
Never thought about the Ancient Cistern beyond it being an odd contrast, two sides of the same coin. I absolutely love watching your, Zeltik's and Hyrule Gamer theories because you guys point out such amazing things, I actually started playing games with more attention to details, not only in Zelda, but other games too.
And now I feel like replaying Skyward Sword. Hoping Nintendo finds a way to bring it to the Switch someday.
btw, there are patterns of that knot u mentioned on the pillars in the cistern as well
I never thought of the Ancient Cistern as the game's Water Temple. I always thought the Sandship in Lanayru Desert was because you have to constantly change time like you change the water levels in the Water Temples.
What an amazing well researched video!!!
Out of all of the music to hear in the background of this video, I was not expecting Pokémon Mystery Dungeon to be on the list.
22:22 No, it's a penguin.
I think this might be your best video so far, I love learning about religious symbolism because it underpins peoples whole lives, even a dead religion can give us insight into how old civilizations saw the world.
Also its interesting to see Buddhist iconography and stories be retold in a video game, it's such a common thing in japanese media to see yokai, kami, buddhism and other references, but for western media we dont get such one to one references as often. Like western fantasy may have gods and demons, but they less often resemble modern western religion, more often jumping off from eastern religion or Greco roman, like I cant imagine an american game where you capture and train demons and angels, analogous to yokai watch. It's an interesting difference, and honestly I wish more western fantasy would dabble in their creators metaphysical beliefs, even if just thematically and aesthetically, cuz it's a fun way to learn about this stuff
Really good video I hope you do more about going in depth of dungeon
I remember having such a blast playing through this dungeon. The dungeon boss fight was AWESOME!
It's interesting to learn of the importance of purification through water in both Shintoism and Buddhism, as that also plays a big part in the christian religion through baptism. I would say the obvious reason for the presence of cleansing through water being due to how most cultures clean themselves by taking baths in water, though obviously it's referring to a spiritual cleansing in this case. The idea that water can cleanse not only the body but the mind and spirit seems to be a universally held believe and it's interesting seeing the parallels between different religions.
That's, I think, the same case with both Islam and Judaism. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if water holds a sacred significance in every religion.
@@Chaos89P Well it is the foundation of life
God, the first time I played this dungeon, I was torn between hating and loving it. It's a water dungeon and I'm actually one of the few who doesn't hate water ones but I had such issues with the dam whip item - and then I figured out that my wii mote was damaged and I fell in love with the dungeon the second time around.
Awesome
Thanks for that info. Keep up the great work.
Definitely a fascinating analysis and comparison to Buddhism! Great job on the video!
OKAY, so I may be thinking too much, however I decided to watch Skyward Sword gameplay the other day and now every one that talks about anything Zelda is making videos of Skyward Sword and now I'm freaking out.
My favourite dungeon in skyward sword !! This made it so much more amazing to play through once watching this !!!
I love this dungeon so much. Thank you for making this.
Listen..I freakin hated the ancient cistern. Idk why but I had so much trouble with it. Almost the same amount of trouble I had in the shadow temple (OoT). Skyward sword is the most difficult game in the Zelda series..my opinion tho.
Great job on this video! At first I thought Nintendo were just great at picking specific themes for their designs, but it’s become obvious to me now that the Zelda series has a perfect marriage of Western and Eastern influences the games’ designs, particularly in some of the most recent games. I especially love how perfect the music is in these games. I’m kind of surprised you didn’t touch on the music used in the Ancient Cistern and how it appeared to be influenced by the music you hear in cultures that practice Buddhism; Indonesia in particular came to mind, but I’m sure the musical influences go much deeper than that.
I will now be paying more attention to the Eastern influences in my future play throughs of Zelda games (particularly because the Western influences are quite obvious to me being raised in the West). I still remember how in awe I was the first time I saw one of the dragons in Breath of the Wild, and I know I owe much of that awe was due to the Asian-influenced music that accompanied the sighting.
worth mentioning that koloktos posseses 8 limbs like a spider during its second phase when it's standing up on its legs. and additionally, its form resembles the wheel of dharma, with each of its limbs forming the 8 spokes and its swords forming the rim
13:08 Oh nice, some Okami footage.
That was a really good video. I would absolutely be down for you to dissect more symbolism of temples and places in the Series.
One of your finest works!
I really want a theory on the man who gives you the royal horse gear in botw. How did he get that armor?
Probably had an ancestor/relative who worked with the royal horses
Fascinating video. I had no idea how elaborately the principles of Buddhism were worked into that dungeon.
Also I had always thought about the Cistern's purpose on a practical level. I thought it was built by Hylia and her servents to act as a mass grave, suppression system, and purifier for after the defeat of Demise. First all his fallen monsters were buried underneath to contain all the Malice they would produce. Then the sacred flame was placed at the top to help hold down the Malice as it got loose from the fallen monsters. And as a purification system since so many remains would probably be carried into rivers by rain and other weather. Thus they would pass through the cistern and be sperated out from the water. By doing that no contaminated bogs could form like in Breath of the Wild. I also thought it was probably the Malice that made the underside so twisted. Over the centuries it probably seeped into the stone and caused warped and demonic effigies to form.