The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD is an action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo. Skyward Sword HD has been reworked from the ground up, allowing it to escape from the shackles of the Nintendo Wii and become the definitive version of the game.

Skyward Sword HD takes place in the earliest parts of The Legend of Zelda timeline. Link lives in a floating village, called Skyloft, where the people ride around on giant birds. The world below is blanketed by clouds, which no one has ever pierced. On the day Link passes his exam to become a Knight, Zelda is dragged beneath the clouds by a tornado. Link encounters a mysterious spirit, named Fi, who shows Link how to descend beneath the clouds so he can rescue Zelda.

Related: Zelda: Skyward Sword Characters That Could Return In BOTW 2

The original version of Skyward Sword required the Wii MotionPlus in order to function, as it allowed the Wiimote to recognize more nuanced motions. Skyward Sword HD has to map these controls to the Joy-Cons, as the game lets the player switch between button controls and motion controls. The motion controls work in a similar fashion to the Wii controls, with the player using the Joy-Cons separately and swing the right one around like a blade. The button controls map the functions of the sword and usable items to the right stick, as well as using gyro controls for more precise aiming.

The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword HD Koloktos

These control schemes are fine and Skyward Sword HD is perfectly playable using either method, even if the game does require more precision than other Legend of Zelda games. Longtime Legend of Zelda fans might have some trouble adjusting at first, especially to some of the unusual controls (like needing to hold L1 to activate the camera controls in button mode), but it does eventually click.

There are a number of other improvements in Skyward Sword HD. As the name suggests, the visuals of Skyward Sword HD have been drastically improved, with the whole game running at 60 fps. By far the biggest improvement involves Fi, who acts as Link's companion throughout the game. Fi has a reputation for being incredibly annoying, as she constantly interrupts the player with pointless comments in the original Skyward Sword. In Skyward Sword HD, Fi doesn't talk nearly as much, making her far more bearable.

Skyward Sword HD doesn't interrupt the action nearly as much as the original game either, and it's far better for it. Along with the changes to Fi, the player has the ability to skip cutscenes and speed up dialogue. The repeated item descriptions are also gone, making for a product that is a lot smoother overall. The player can call on Fi when they need her advice, but they are treated to blessed silence throughout most of the game.

Groose extends his hand to Link in The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword HD.

One major aspect of the game that hasn't been changed is the stamina meter, which acts as a constant nuisance. The cost for running out of stamina is strict, as Link will slouch his shoulders and stumble around for a few seconds while completely unable to defend himself. It made sense to include a stamina meter in an open-world game like Breath of the Wild, but in Skyward Sword HDit only exists to slow the game down, and it should have been one of the first things culled from the experience.

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All of the QoL changes aside, Skyward Sword HD is still, at its core, the original game on the Wii. Skyward Sword HD is a mixed bag, as it has some of the best action and puzzles in the series, but it also has a lot of bloat. The sword fighting is the best in the series, with a feel of control to the combat that is unmatched by the other Legend of Zelda games. Skyward Sword HD has some fantastic dungeons, with the ones involving carrying a stone that creates a time-travel aura being one of the highlights of the game.

BOTW could have flying mounts like Skyward Sword's Loftwings

Skyward Sword HD also has a ton of reused content. The game visits several areas over and over again, with one dungeon being used twice, just with stronger enemies. The game also makes the player fight the same boss three times in almost identical battles. There is a lot of needless running around and fetch quests in the main story quests, to the point where Skyloft starts to lose its charm. Skyward Sword's runtime feels padded out in its worst moments of bloat, which can lead to some boring moments between the other, far more engaging content.

Skyward Sword HD is the definitive version of the game, with many of the annoyances from the original Skyward Sword scrubbed from the experience. Skyward Sword HD has its frustrating moments, but it's still an excellent game, and it's worth a return trip to those who already soared through the skies on the Wii.

Next: What BOTW 2 Can Improve About Skyward Sword's Sky World

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD will be released for Nintendo Switch on July 16, 2021. Screen Rant was provided with a digital Nintendo Switch code for the purposes of this review.