Nintendo has released a new video detailing the improvements in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD. Skyward Sword HD is the few Legend of Zelda games that will be re-released during the 35th anniversary of the series, along with the recently announced The Legend of Zelda Game & Watch.
The original version of Skyward Sword was released for the Nintendo Wii in 2011, where it required the Wii MotionPlus accessory in order to function. The game required the player to use the Wiimote like a sword, as the player could accurately control the movements of the weapon. The motion controls were one of the most highly praised aspects of Skyward Sword, but the game received a number of complaints regarding other aspects of its design, such as a ton of backtracking and a mascot who somehow managed to be more annoying than Navi from Ocarina of Time.
The official Nintendo UK Twitter page has released a new trailer for Skyward Sword HD, in the run-up to its July 16 release on Nintendo Switch. The trailer outlines a number of improvements Skyward Sword HD has over the original game, some of which are bound to delight the people who are familiar with the Wii version.
According to the trailer, Skyward Sword HD will make many of the interactions with Fi (the aforementioned annoying mascot) optional. This is by far the best improvement Skyward Sword could receive, as Fi was notorious for constantly interrupting the gameplay with her comments. The new control options were shown off, including the ability to play the game with a standard Nintendo Switch controller, or by using a motion control scheme with the Joy-Cons. The frame rate has also been improved, with Skyward Sword HD now running at 60fps. The game has also received two major QoL improvements, as the player can now fast-forward dialogue, and item descriptions have been streamlined, so they don't appear every time the player finds the same item.
These quality-of-life improvements are a major addition to Skyward Sword HD and they might be enough to convince those who suffered through the original game's annoyances to take a second look. The fact that the sequel to Breath of the Wild isn't coming out until next year left a lot of fans unsatisfied with how the 35th anniversary of the Zelda franchise was looking, but these improvements to Skyward Sword HD could make it feel like a whole new experience.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD will be released for Nintendo Switch on July 16, 2021.
Source: Nintendo UK/Twitter