The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword has garnered a somewhat infamous reputation since its original release on the Nintendo Wii. Many players enjoyed the game, but Skyward Sword featured multiple questionable mechanics that put it low in some fans' Zelda game rankings. Nintendo has a strong track record of improving Zelda games' faults in previous remakes, so The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD should pull ideas from past Zelda remakes to support its weaknesses.
The first major Zelda remake was Ocarina of Time 3D for the Nintendo 3DS, which released during the series' 25th anniversary in 2011. In the years since, Majora's Mask, The Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, and Link's Awakening all received remakes that patched up flaws of the original versions and enhanced their visuals. Some of these changes arguably made the games worse, but most generally improved upon what the originals had to offer.
Nintendo has already confirmed Skyward Sword HD will include some of these kinds of changes. Because it was released on the Wii, Skyward Sword uses intensive motion controls that require players to swing the Wii Remote in whatever direction they wanted Link's sword to move. Certain players were turned off by these motion controls, so Nintendo is adding the option to control the sword with the right thumbstick in the Switch version. Skyward Sword's control changes are a nice update, but the game has issues besides its motion controls that need to be worked on in order for the remake to be truly great.
What Skyward Sword HD Can Take From Older Zelda Remakes
Skyward Sword is one of the most linear Zelda titles, with some repetitive content that could be trimmed down. An infamous example of this is the Imprisoned, a boss players fight three separate times per playthrough. Many players also disliked needing to return to the first dungeon far after its completion to obtain a quest item. The Wind Waker had a similar frustrating segment at the end of the game, which required players to decipher eight expensive Triforce charts. The Wind Waker HD on Wii U eliminated this grinding by removing the charts for most of the Triforce pieces, letting players more easily acquire them. If Skyward Sword HD cuts out one of the encounters with the Imprisoned or the second visit to the first dungeon, the game's pacing would be greatly improved.
Skyward Sword also features several collectibles used to upgrade items. It's a fun system, but players are reminded what the item is every time they pick a new one up after rebooting the game. A similar issue in Twilight Princess reminded players of the value of various rupee colors, and this was removed in Twilight Princess HD. Skyward Sword HD would benefit from the same treatment.
Another Twilight Princess HD fix shortened the sluggish Twilight Realm segments by reducing the number of Tears of Light required to complete them. Skyward Sword features similar segments called Silent Realms, which require players to collect Sacred Tears around each of its three, oft-revisited regions. Skyward Sword HD can't fix the original game's repetitive region-hopping without significant changes to its overall structure, but reducing the Sacred Tear requirements could make each area less tiresome. Skyward Sword has other problems, like Fi's interruptions and its disconnected overworld, but many of its issues can be amended in similar ways to past Zelda remakes.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD comes to Nintendo Switch on July 16, 2021.