With The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD coming out in 3 days on Nintendo Switch, let’s take a look at the new features in this HD remake and see if it’s worth going back to replay the game – or to play the game for the first time. We know that Nintendo will address some of the most annoying design decisions from the original Wii game. The remaster will feature a ton of quality of life improvements so let’s just dive into it.
Autosave
Strangely, this feature was only mentioned towards the bottom of a PR feature list, but it really makes our life easier. It’s something that seems so ordinary by today’s standards, but back in the original you had to go to a Bird Statue every time you wanted to save your game. Nintendo posted a tweet saying :” The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD features an autosave system that saves your progress at regular intervals. If you save at a Bird Statue, you can now choose from one of the three available slots to save to.”
Free-moving camera
A long standing issue with the original was that you couldn’t control the camera freely, because the game had to be played with the Wii Remote and the Nunchuk, there was only one joystick to control movement. You could’ve only look behind you using the Z button but only if there was no one else nearby, as this was also mapped for locking the camera view onto enemies. The remake makes use of both the joysticks so the experience of the game will be way better and you will have much more control over your character.
Other Quality of Life Improvements
- Streamlined the opening hours of the game for a smoother play experience
- Enchanced frame rate of 60 FPS (compared to the original’s 30 FPS)
- Fast forward dialogue
- Skippable cut scenes
- Streamlined item information (we won’t be reminded what an item does every single time we pick it up)
- Ability to choose motion controls on button-only controls
- Reduced amount of “help” offered by Fi, the spirit who lives in Link’s sword
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD releases on Nintendo Switch on July 16, launching the same day as a new amiibo featuring Zelda and her Loftwing, which lets players fast travel to the skies from anywhere.
