It’s been a long time, a decade to be precise, but Nintendo is reviving one of the major entries in the Zelda franchise as a remastered version. Originally a Wii title, the game brought with its advent a new story and a revamped art style for the series. As a remaster on the Switch, there are going to inevitably be a few differences from the base game.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Story
The game takes place in the fantastical world of Skyloft. It’s a floating island floating above the surface of a ruined world. Of course, the general population is convinced that the world below the clouds is nothing more than a myth. Link, in this incarnation, is training to be a knight. He passes an exam and during a flight to celebrate the occasion, Princess Zelda is turned into a damsel in distress. In her defense, most people don’t fare so well against a tornado. She’s pulled beneath the clouds. In traditional fashion, Link must take on the mantle of a hero and rescue her. Of course, there is more than just her kidnapping at play. A dark lord named Ghirahim plans to demolish civilization as everyone knows it. He’s working to bring back The Demon King: Demise. He’s the deity that subjected the world below to his wrath. Canonically, this game takes place at the beginning of the Zelda timeline. The events of the game are instrumental in the formation of Hyrule, the normal setting of the series.
Controls & Visuals in Skyward Sword
The whole point of the Wii revolved around the usage of motion controls. In fact, it was one of the major points of contention of the base game as the entire control scheme relied on this concept.
How does the remaster improve upon this issue?
The developers at Nintendo have rigged a solution where the player has two control settings options they can pick from for their adventure. Option A attempts to emulate the functions of the Wii Remote and the Nunchuck with improved motion controls, courtesy of the Joy-Con. Option B, on the other hand, goes for a more traditional Zelda control scheme. The right analog stick is used in lieu of motion controls for the sword Link wields.
While the game doesn’t boast visuals on the same level as Breath of the Wild, they have added higher-resolution graphics to Skyward Sword. Most importantly, the game now boasts 60 frames per second.
The facelift they’ve given this title is nice to look at with its colorful visuals.
Gameplay Changes from Original Version
While large segments of the gameplay are identical to the base version, the developers have implemented a few revamps to improve the overall experience.
They’ve made the excessive tutorials from the base game less grating. Many of Fi’s hints have become optional, dialogue boxes and cutscenes can be skipped.
The most important of the features is the inclusion of an autosave function and Amiibo support.
Getting The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is best experienced in this new incarnation. Where a lot of the planned features from the original entry have been fixed, it is better to play than ever before with its fast gameplay and lush visuals.
