One of the biggest announcements at the latest Nintendo Direct presentation was the reveal ofThe Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD, a remaster of the critically-acclaimed Wii game from 2011. Launching this summer,The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HDwill deliver the same adventure that fans remember from the original game, but with some improved visuals and new control schemes.
Even thoughThe Legend of Zelda: Skyward Swordearned near-universal critical acclaim when it launched for the Wii in 2011, the game is still somewhat controversial in theZeldacommunity because of its motion controls and padding. However, those whohaven’t givenSkyward Sworda chance because of its motion controlscan rest easy knowing that the new version of the game makes motion controls optional. Beyond that, those who enjoyedThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildmay also want to giveSkyward Sworda second look, as Nintendo has pointed out the ways that the Wii game directly inspired its popular successor.
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The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Swordis like a classicZeldagame in terms of structure, and it certainly does not have theBreath of the Wild-style open world. However, various gameplay features inSkyward Swordlaid the groundwork for what was to come inBreath of the Wild, as pointed out by Nintendo in a recent tweet. In the tweet, Nintendo shared some images ofThe Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HDwhile drawing attention to how some of its gameplay features led directly intoBreath of the Wild.
This includes the stamina meter, which isused in bothBreath of the WildandSkyward Swordto gauge actions like Link climbing up walls. Not only that, butThe Legend of Zelda: Skyward Swordalso introduced the concept of upgrading equipment, which was virtually unheard of inZeldagames up to that point, but was a major focus ofBreath of the Wild. Link is also able to use a sailcloth for gliding purposes inSkyward Sword, which is another feature that was used inBreath of the Wild.
The screenshots shared by Nintendo showcase some of these features in action, likeSkyward Sword’s weapon upgrade system and the stamina meter. When one considers thatThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildis one of the highest-rated games of all time, it makes sense that Nintendo is trying to get people to associate it withSkyward Sword, though it must be stressed thatSkyward Swordis still a very different kind ofZeldaexperience. The two games may share some similar gameplay features, butBreath of the Wildfans shouldn’t go intoSkyward Swordexpecting all that similar of an experience.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HDlaunches July 16, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.
