To mark the 35th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda, Nintendo is releasing an HD Switch port of the game that celebrated the series' 25th anniversary: 2011's Skyward Sword for the Nintendo Wii. It was one of the last major Nintendo titles to be released on the console and one of the first Zelda entries to use motion controls, though no game since has used them to the extent Skyward Sword did.
Skyward Sword is set at the earliest point in the infamously convoluted Legend of Zelda timeline, and thus features the earliest incarnations of Link and Zelda, the latter of whom is notably not a princess in this entry. Initially set in the aerial city of Skyloft, where people traverse on mounted birds called Loftwings, the game quickly sends Link on several trips to the surface beneath the clouds, on the land that would eventually be known as Hyrule.
After a tumultuous ceremony, Link and his childhood friend Zelda get caught in a mysterious tornado while flying their Loftwings, with Zelda disappearing and Link being thrust aside. It is eventually found that Link must undergo a quest to the mysterious surface to rescue Zelda from the clutches of an ancient evil, all the while wielding and improving a mystical sword granted to him from the skies by the goddess Hylia.
Skyward Sword features a variety of elements important to the mythos as well as characters that have become popular additions to the series: Fi, Link's robot-like companion who resides within the Master Sword; Groose, Link's bully who eventually turns into a loyal friend; Impa, a mysterious woman who serves the goddess Hylia; and Ghirahim, the flamboyant right hand of the Demon King Demise who opposes Link at every turn.
Alongside some fancy Zelda-themed Joy-Cons, the game will drop into store shelves on July 16, 2021, granting players who missed their chance to play this Wii swan song to check out what they've been missing. Fans who were disappointed by Breath of the Wild's minimal story may want to give this title a chance, as it's more story-heavy than that game.
While previous Zelda games have had extensive storylines, Skyward Sword marked the first time that a romance between Link and Zelda was a significant plot point, finally giving players a personal reason to save Zelda. Alongside the character development of Groose and several emotional moments (particularly the ending), Skyward Sword's story is universally praised as its best feature.
However, Skyward Sword is not without its detractors -- an oft-cited reason why it's considered the weakest 3D Zelda title is its dedication to motion controls that are very hit-or-miss depending on the individual. Those who manage to look past or even enjoy the motion controls found other problems: excessive padding, Fi's constant notifications, extremely long length, and a very linear and empty overworld, unlike most other Zelda games.
Despite these issues, Skyward Sword won several Game of the Year awards, with many praising the implementation of motion controls in gameplay, particularly in combat. Several elements of Skyward Sword are referenced in future Zelda titles; for instance, Breath of the Wild implements Skyward Sword's stamina system, sailcloth, item management and upgrades and Goddess Statues. Fi herself even makes a secret cameo.
Among the announced improvements, Skyward Sword HD's visuals have been optimized for the Nintendo Switch's hardware. The game finally touts a new control scheme utilizing the Joy-Con's control stick, with the original motion controls being optional. Additionally, a Zelda with Loftwing amiibo will launch alongside the game. Scanning it allows players to instantly travel between the surface and the skies, a quality-of-life enhancement that many have criticized Nintendo for locking behind a physical collectable.
Nintendo also detailed a host of other quality-of-life improvements, including making most of Fi's hints optional, fast-forwarding dialogue, streamlining item information to avoid redundancy and skippable cutscenes. These directly respond to many criticisms people have had about the game, so it's good to see that they will be changed for this release.
KEEP READING: Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild's Most USEFUL Character Is Easy to Miss
0 Comments