It is just not the Zelda title most fans want, because it breaks from traditional freedom and embraces a more route-based approach that gently nudges you in the right direction the whole way through. Quite the contrary, it is still a great Zelda title. This does not mean that The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD is a bad game. On the one hand, Skyward Sword is a full approach towards linearity, story-telling, and character-building while Breath of the Wild is significantly more like the very first title in that it encourages exploration, puzzle-solving, and looking into every nook and cranny on its giant map. In many ways, the two titles could not be more different. This may be another reason why some fans were not happy to hear that this was the remake Nintendo decided to go with in 2021, especially as this title follows Breath of the Wild as the second main entry Zelda title on the Switch. Something that Skyward Sword did that many other Zeldas have not done is eliminate the need for exploration, which definitely turned a lot of fans off back in 2011. The sounds the Kikwi make alone are cute beyond measure, and I was simply so happy to interact with these little guys again. All of these were such a delight to revisit, especially the Kikwi, who are some of my favorite designed Zelda characters ever. Alongside the Loftwings, we got the absolutely adorable Kikwi, the friendly Mogma, the Ancient Robots, the aquatic Parella, and the evil Demon Tribe, as well as returnees like the Sheikah. Some may forget that one of Skyward Sword‘s biggest assets were its different species. I guess it was because I was very much looking forward to flying that I couldn’t wait to get to it. This is not really a complaint, but I definitely forgot how long that intro was. For some reason, I thought it was rather quick, but it took roughly an hour to get through all of the initial storytelling, tutorials, and the first task to recover my Loftwing and take flight. But something strange I noticed this time around was the amount of time it took me to get to my first flight. Link’s Crimson Loftwing is beautiful, and it is a joy flying around Skyloft and visiting other floating islands. Taking to the skies is some of the best gameplay thanks mostly to the standard controls. I mean, this is the Zelda game that brought you Groose, one of the most fun side characters in the series’ history. The character models and the different areas of the world, especially the home floating island of Skyloft, are just brimming with life, and in so many ways, this is still one of the best Zelda titles when it comes to story and character development. The enhanced graphics look spectacular, and Skyward Sword has never looked better. Thankfully, everything else about the game holds up really well. If Skyward Sword is the title Nintendo wanted to bring to the Switch, a complete reworking of the controls would have been much better. I am well aware that this entire game was built around the motion control gimmick, but this is the kind of stuff that should have stayed on the Wii/Wii U. The button controls are not much better, as moving the camera requires you to hold the left bumper down in order to do so. Even with the improved sensors in the Jo圜ons, Link’s actions and sword slashes frequently mess up, which makes for infuriating moments, especially when fighting bosses. That does not mean they do not work, but motion controls in 2021 feel a bit obsolete and impractical. Sadly, and I do hate to say this, the controls are just bad. Look, I hate to do this right off the bat, but this is a remake of an otherwise brilliant title with the biggest concern going into it being the controls. Nintendo, particularly, abandoned these types of controls themselves, and I think this remake suffers tremendously from this reality. The new car smell of the motion controls 10 years later are completely gone, and as standard controllers have improved, motion controls have been neglected for the most part. Unfortunately, the waggle controls in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD have aged very badly, and neither option (Motion controls or button controls) are satisfactory in the slightest. Well, some times things are timeless, and some times things age poorly. At that time, I put it high on the scale as one of my favorite Zeldas ever, and I was so excited by the idea and execution of using my Wii remote as a sword (of sorts). This is a bit difficult for me to review, because I am a huge The Legend of Zelda fan and I fondly remember loving this title when it released on the Nintendo Wii.
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