Control tweaks, but not gameplay tweaks
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword isn’t necessarily the most well-received of the games in the series, but its endearing characters and impact to the canon have been essential to diehards. While Nintendo wanted to emphasize motion controls as a neat feature (you can swing a sword just like Link!) many felt that the rest of the game had issues that held it back.
Now, with Skyward Sword HD on the way in a couple of weeks, the publisher has revealed the quality of life features that could make the game more enjoyable and accessible. In the video above, Nintendo outlines the adjustments, like the ability to fast forward conversation text and skipping cutscenes. The ability to use button presses and control stick swipes instead of full motion controls will prove advantageous for those that play in handheld mode, and general frame rate adjustments should make the game run smooth on the modern hardware. Fi’s help is now optional, and can be summoned manually as needed.
There are a couple of others in the video above, but the real changes we were hoping would be made revolved around the tedious collection quests that were forced upon us. In certain portions of the game, collecting items and doing some side quests were pivotal to advancing the plot, and often required a lot of repetition before we could move on. This seems like something Nintendo could have adjusted, much like what the company did with Wind Waker HD’s update on the Wii U.
But alas, it looks like we’ll still be stuck doing the dirty work to move along. Sigh.
Skyward Sword HD launches on July 16th on the Nintendo Switch.
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