Nintendo has announced that “The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword” will be coming to Switch on July 16 in the form of a high definition remaster.
“Skyward Sword,” which originally launched on the Wii in 2011, is the first story to take place in Zelda lore. An early incarnation of series protagonist Link is tasked with rescuing Zelda in a prehistoric land filled with floating islands, accident Gods, and an evil force just waiting to be free.
The HD remaster of “Skyward Sword” includes updated visuals thanks to the added processing power that Switch provides. Switch will also give players the ability to play the game on the go for the first time due to the ability for console to become a portable gaming machine.
Skyward Sword’s gameplay was heavily reliant on motion controls. Aside for Wii being a console based around motion control, “Skyward Sword” utilized Wii MotionPlus, a modular add-on that enhanced Wii’s motion capture ability making games much more accurate.
The Wii Remote would be used as Link’s iconic sword while the Wii Nunchuk would be used as Link’s shield. If the player was fighting an enemy or solving a puzzle, they would use the Wii Remote like a real-life sword and use movement to play the game.
The Switch remaster will bring back motion control as Switch’s Joy-Con controllers have even more advanced motion capture than Wii MotionPlus.
For players who were never fans of Wii, Nintendo has created brand new button controls for the HD remaster eliminating the need to swing around and point your controllers in different directions.
The importance of controllers does not stop there as Nintendo announced they are launching custom Joy-Con controllers that are designed to look like Link’s Master Sword and Hylian Shield. A move that is reminiscent of Nintendo releasing a gold Wii Remote for Skyward Sword’s first launch many years ago.
In 2019, Nintendo announced a sequel to “Breath of the Wild”. The next mainline Zelda game for Switch. Nintendo has not provided an update for the game, but they did state that more information will be revealed later this year.
“Skyward Sword HD” was one of the many games reveal at the most recent Nintendo Direct. A digital showcase where Nintendo also announced, “Splatoon 3”, “Mario Golf Super Rush”, Pyra coming to “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate”, and many other games.
The Feb. 17 showcase was the first proper Nintendo Direct the game company has hosted since September of 2019. During the nearly two year absence, Nintendo has hosted smaller Directs focusing on specific topics such as an individual franchise, third-party support coming to Switch, or Nintendo’s new theme park.