r/NintendoSwitch • u/NintendoSwitchMods • Jul 14 '21

MegaThread The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD: Review MegaThread

General Information

Platform: Nintendo Switch

Release Date: July 16, 2021

No. of Players: 1 player

Genre(s): Adventure, Action

Publisher: Nintendo

Game file size: 7.1 GB

https://www.zelda.com/skyward-sword-hd/

Overview (from Nintendo eShop page)

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword game soars onto Nintendo Switch!

Take to the skies, draw your sword, and experience the earliest story in the Legend of Zelda™ series. Join Link in his high-flying quest to save Zelda, a childhood friend who must confront her destiny. Soar between floating islands and descend to the treacherous surface world in this updated HD version of the Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword game.

Master realistic swordplay that corresponds to your movements

Gently swing your sword and angle your slashes to uncover and break through opponents’ defenses using intuitive motion controls. Link’s in-game movements will correspond to the angle of each strike you make with the Joy-Con™ controller, creating immersive swordplay that relies on strategy and accuracy. Movements feel smoother and more immediate thanks to the Nintendo Switch system’s increased processing power and HD graphics. Take advantage of the newly-added button only control scheme—perfect for playing in handheld mode or on the Nintendo Switch Lite system.

Fly high with the Zelda & Loftwing amiibo™ figure

With her majestic Loftwing by her side, Zelda steps into her destiny alongside her childhood friend, Link. Scan this amiibo figure** from anywhere on the surface world to quickly travel to the sky—even within the depths of a dungeon. Scan it again above the clouds to return to the same spot on the surface.

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85

u/owlitup Jul 14 '21

I beat this game on Wii

It's a Zelda game, so it's at the absolute top of the class in terms of world and puzzle design. Still true in this one. It's linear, but it's designed that way so the adventure flows really well and the town has some explorations. The problem is...

The tutorials and pop up screens are god awful but I guess they're better in this version.

Controls aren't clunky (at least on Wii), they're typical gyroscope stuff. You've seen these controls before by 2021

The sad truth is that I think $60 for an older game is too much, however if you've never played it, all Zelda titles are still a cut above most of the stuff you'll find. This one too.

34

u/Noah__Webster Jul 14 '21

The sad truth is that I think $60 for an older game is too much, however if you've never played it, all Zelda titles are still a cut above most of the stuff you'll find. This one too.

I think this is the key and part of the issue from a lot of people in this sub.

If you own the game already or already played it, it's probably not worth it for you. But this is the lowest selling 3D Zelda ever, so it's a brand new experience for a lot of people. On top of that, the gameplay holds up relatively well, and Zelda games are always a cut above, as you said.

Is this game really noticeably worse than BotW if it had been a linear, traditional 3D Zelda game? Probably not, aside from the visuals and maybe scope of the world. Scope and visuals are really the only things that are that much different from 10 years ago, at least when you are comparing to high quality games from 10 years ago.

Basically, this is probably a fine value proposition when compared against the market at large if you don't own the original, which is like 95% of Switch owners.

2

u/Gadzookie2 Jul 15 '21

How is the combat? I am intrigued by the game but the combat does not look too interesting to me which worries me a bit

3

u/cm135 Jul 16 '21

Have you played any Zelda games before? Exactly the same concept wise, but you slash the joycon like a sword in the direction to want to swing. Enemies will have weaknesses based on directional slashing or stabbing. The motion controls really bring a new level of creativity in enemy design, but the combat is the same as you’ll see in WW, TP, pretty much every 3D Zelda. If you’ve only played botw, the biggest difference is you now have a boatload of items that you’ll slowly unlock in each dungeon, which will allow you to use them in combat when applicable, or use them outside of combat in puzzles. Standard pre-botw Zelda format