The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is finally getting a re-release with the upcoming The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD on Nintendo Switch. We already had special Joy-Cons revealed for the game and now a brand new amiibo has also been revealed with Zelda and a Loftwing. This announcement has sparked a good bit of controversy though, as it locks a new quality of life feature behind it.
Nintendo revealed the existence of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD a few months ago, but they waited until this week to reveal the special amiibo that is releasing alongside it. Unlike The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD that had a version that came with the Wolf Link and Midna amiibo, this one is only being sold seperately.
This is certainly a premium amiibo, as it has basically two figures included on one base with both Zelda and a Loftwing on it, which looks great. This figure retails for $24.99, which is up there with some of the other premium amiibo like the Breath of the Wild Guardian.
Where the controversy arose though was in the above video that detailed its usage in the game itself. Within The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD, you can use the amiibo within the menu at any time to transport yourself between the surface and Skyloft. This is a brand new quality of life feature that was not in the original, but people are upset that it is locked behind the amiibo.
Without the amiibo, traveling between the surface and Skyloft is limited to special areas like in the original. It is very understandable why people are angry, because amiibo content should be cosmetic items or just extra items like in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Locking an actual quality of life feature behind the amiibo is a big mistake that sets a bad precedent. That would be like locking some of the upgrades in The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD behind an amiibo, which would have been a disaster. At least this feature isn’t as important as those were, but it’s still not a good move for Nintendo.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD and the Zelda and Loftwing amiibo will release on July 16.
