The Legend Of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD Will Feature amiibo Support, File Size Revealed

Loftwing amiibo incoming?

Amiibo will almost certainly give you material drops. Which might not be a bad thing.

I mean, I'm excited about the amiibo but their is no way I am buying this game again. I dumped it and emulated and to be honest, it looked better. My wife even asked when we saw the trailer "didn't the Wii version look better". I had to remind her we emulated it at 2k.

I really want this game but it being full price seems a bit ridiculous to me. When other remasters/remakes come out they aren't normally £50 and even Nintendo included 3 games in the Mario collection for that price.

and it will cost £50/$60. For a Wii game.

Move aside DKCTF, we have a new champion for the category of "Most Overpriced Port on Switch"

@BongoBongo Miitopia at $50 would like to have a word with you.

Looks nicer in the post-streaming video. That soft painted look is a bit mixed when the resolution is higher, but seeing it full-res now I think it works well enough. I sure hope they fix the targeting arrow though! Compare that obviously untouched asset everything else to see how upgraded the other interface elements are.

I really did enjoy this game, but I am one of those fans of the motion-controls. I'm happy they were able to supply both options and pretty much in the way I thought they might. No contest, though, I'll be using the JoyCons. Part of this is nostalgia, and I want to enjoy it in a similar way.

@Cheez if you were watching the livestream it didn’t even stream at the native switch resolution so... pretty sure it will look fine when it releases. If nothing else you won’t have to flair your arms about anymore which is enough of a selling point to me 🤷🏼‍♂️

I’m kinda of mixed excitement- I never played this one before, so I’m looking forward to it, but also I bought it NEW for Wii and never played it because the intro was so boring I couldn’t even focus - and I’m saying that as a lifelong Zelda stan since the NES days

@WillQuan Don’t forget about the Zelda Game Boy remake that is on the eShop for $60. Yes, it has a new art style and enhancements — but still, it is overpriced.

I was looking forward to buying it for £24.99.

I am no longer looking forward to it. Due to not actually intending to buy it. Because for £50 I can buy games that are actually new and look like they were meant to come out in 2021.

@BongoBongo
Of course it is because they want to force a redemption for this mess of a game to satisfy Aonuma‘s ego, $30 would be seen as admitting it has low value. Notice how he tried to pitch the game talking about how Botw reused a few ideas and actually made them worthwhile like the parasail, a causal player that doesn’t know all the details of this serie’s history who lloved the freedom of Botw will be crushed going into SS but Aonuma won’t talk about that of course.

The biggest hope I have, and what would make the price tag completely acceptable to me: Quality of Life improvements that smooth out the modal dialogs that break the pace of the game. At the very least:

• Fix the tell-you-right-before-you-can-figure-it-out-yourself "Hey, Listen!" moments
• Fix the stops when collecting to re-explain everything every time you come back to the game.

@aaronsullivan
Same here. I'm one of the rare ones who loved this game largely because of the motion controls. The joy-cons will be a perfect fit for it. But yeah, super glad they included a motion-less option, since the majority really hated that.

And yes, those two changes would be so, SO welcome. Especially the re-explaining of collectibles upon startup. I actually have high hopes for that one, because I think they fixed that with Twilight Princess HD (if I'm remembering correctly). And the Fi one would be really nice too...

I really wish we would’ve gotten a Zelda 3D Collection. It definitely would’ve softened the blow on the retail price of $60 and added more value.

Of course knowing Nintendo, they’ll release TP and WW separately at full price each and release OoT and MM in a duology at the same price.🙄

I absolutely loved skyward sword on wii back when it released but it sure did have its share of problems. Hopefully they'll streamline it a bit like they did with wind waker and twilight princess. I am dying to get those joycons they look beautiful.

Ooh Amiibo functionality hmm, yeah @nessisonett prolly material drops but I could also see like the stupid Shiekah hint statue unlocking more hints, or it breaks those Goddess cubes for you, or something minigame related.

I'll undoubtedly get this, along with whatever 35th anniversary shindig set they come up with. Zelda and Ratchet & Clank are the only two franchises I'll buy at launch/full price any more. Though $140.00 for a game and Joy-Con set is a bit steep.

@Sahnec I'd rather play it at 4k which we can now that I have a 4k TV than use an analog stick to swing the sword. But yeah even though it's probably my favorite Zelda game, the motion controls weren't my favorite.

But yeah you're right, streaming quality is always sub par. Even non-live streaming like Netflix compared to 4k bluray.

Imprisoned Amiibo? And to scale.

While reading the comments hating on this game for whatever reason (even though WWHD and TPHD both had QoL improvements so this one will likely get the same treatment), I remembered Switch games like Paper Mario The Origami King and Pokemon Sword/Shield getting hate online as well but they ended up selling well anyway because Switch just happened to get a magic touch that grants high sales numbers for Nintendo no matter what game it is. The same applies for all those Wii U ports too (which deserve the 2nd chance because they were on a failed system).

SS is a good game and I'm looking forward to playing it again on Switch, with hopefully several of its little issues fixed (namely Fi and item explanations).

It's a shame though that all this is is a port of the wii game, with a different control scheme and better resolution. They didn't even bother with making HD textures, improving models, or even making HD lighting. I guess they're bothering with adding extra features, but honestly I wouldn't expect much.

@SeantheDon29 I could see WW and TP being a two pack collection for $60. Or individually at $40. Since there are already HD versions of these games, they should be easier to port.

@Tandy255 That would be funny. WW and TP look like real HD ports while SS just looks like when I play it on Dolphin in 1080p.

Phew. I'm one of the lucky ones who won't feel shame shelling out for this since I'll be playing it for the first time.

@Tandy255 my guy, you sure have more optimism in Nintendo than I do.

Noice! The amiibo collection will be pleased.

YAY amiibo support! Here's hoping to maybe having a Link and Zelda set that can attach/detach to Loftwings, similar to those amiibo for Monter Hunter Stories on 3DS.

zzzZZZZzzzzZZZzzzz - game felt tired and old and outdated and sloggy when it was released over a decade ago. But wow...amiibo support and generic A.I. Upscaler graphics. Wow.

@Sahnec It is nice to have an additional control scheme for handheld mode. However, SS is designed around motion control. A lot of things only make sense when you are fighting with real motions. Otherwise, a lot of thing might be very bland.

This is one of of the only 3D Zelda titles I have yet to play so I’ll definitely be picking it up. It doesn’t look like an insane remaster but being in HD with physical controls is enough for me. Oh, and the portability is a nice bonus too. I’ll just snag it at Walmart so I don’t have to pay the full $60.

Now hopefully that Wind Waker rumor ends up being true. I’d love to have my favorite Zelda title portability on the Switch!

@SeantheDon29 I am probably too optimistic! 😁

Still, the Mario 3D All Stars has one N64 game, one GC game, and one Wii game. It is possible to get WW and TP in a two-pack!

@Lukandon WW and TP got released on WiiU. There, Nintendo had to put effort and improvements into the games to sell them. Now, people will just buy everything, see 3D Allstars, no matter how few improvements old games get.
I fear that SS does not get anything changed at all...

Even if they had brought it up to 1080p and re-textured everything to erase the abysmal water-colour visuals, I still wouldn't buy this abomination. It's the Dead Space: Extraction of the series and I was perfectly fine keeping it on equally dead consoles. This is being done in the hope of redeeming Aonuma's fragile ego about people not liking his puzzles and half-baked mechanics.

@nessisonett as long as you don't need to sit down and see the material descriptions over and over every single time.

My most notable memories of the "Skyward Sword experience":

-Frustration with the constant Fi explanation/item description interruptions
-All the map worlds outside of the hub town feeling like incredibly linear dungeons
-Awkwardly needing to re-re-fight the Imprisoned 3 separate times in slightly different ways less than 30 minutes apart near the end of the game due to having not regularly re-visited the temple for no reason (and on that note, annoyance of recycling boss fights)
-Collectathons needlessly padding out the game length at the last second completely breaking any remaining end-game momentum the game might have otherwise had.
-Being relieved I managed to miss activating an extremely easy to invoke game breaking bug that affected many others (one severe enough they had to invent a way to patch games and game saves on the Wii).

I actually didn't mind the motion controls, on paper. Although the battles felt really awkwardly paced due to all the "enemies standing there waiting for you to slash in a specific direction" nonsense.

My positive highlight for the game is that the town of Skyloft was fun to explore.

@Sahnec Exactly. Similar complaints have been going on for a long time. I remember when Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was announced and people were saying it either looked no better or looked worse. Compression in these Youtube video streams doesn't help sell a product that in person looks much better. I thought the same thing when watching the Splatoon 3 reveal, it was pretty bad.

@Chandlero There's the Zelda team, and there's the Mario team. Both teams work differently. I see no reason to doubt SSHD will have improvements.

@Nico07 Mario Kart 8 Deluxe came out less than 3 years after the WiiU release, and playing on 720p, it looks almost exactly the same.

@Lukandon How do you know what teams are working on which games and how they work? That is complete speculation.
Regarding Skyward Sword, a good improvement would be to have less: Removing a lot of handholding textboxes would make the game much faster and better.

@JohnGrey Most Zelda titles including Skyward Sword have their fans. Personally I thought the game was great and will be picking it up, though it is by no means my favorite entry. With Mario's 35th seeing both a compilation and a re-release (Mario 3D World), hopefully the same or more is done with Zelda. I'm really hoping we also see a 3D compilation including Ocarina and Majora's Mask. Though I'd prefer a remaster of both games. Who knows, Nintendo could potentially have Grezzo working on remasters of Minish Cap, the Oracle games or even Four Swords, similar to the work they did on Link's Awakening.

Hopefully they'll be a physical bundle with the joycons.

I'm very excited for this game to re-release! When I played it I was reviewing it for a class. (was majoring in journalism at the time) I made it a point to finish the game before I turned in the review. This game came out near the end of the semester and I had to rush through it to finish my review. I remember staying up long hours to play as far as I could to be able to turn in my review.

I loved playing the game, but it will be nice to play it at my own pace now. Hopefully they fix Fi and the item pick up.

@Chandlero Visually the Wii U was a 720 machine, and Mario Kart 8 on Switch bumped it up to a smooth 1080p/60fps (on Wii U it had weird frame pacing and would skip frames every so often).

My point was if you go back and look at the reveal footage of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe from the 2017 Direct, it actually looks worse than 720p at points because of Youtube's compression. From the comments back then a lot of people who saw the Direct said it looked no different or worse. In reality side by side the Switch looks sharper, but again my point is Youtube is not the place to actually demonstrate enhanced game footage (however small or great) because of compression.

@Nico07 The WiiU played Smash Bros. fine with 1080p/60fps.

However, now I get your point, regarding first presentation of games and you might be right that, especially in live streams, the compression on YouTube might not good enough for such details.

Still, Skyward Sword seems odd. The resolution is higher but the textures still look blurry or strange in some way.

I will only be paying £40 for this from the eShop.
£40 is ok, and we have yet to see the new features it will have.

3ds and wii u ports for 60$...

If you don't want to pay $60, then don't buy it. A game's value shouldn't be based on how old it is. DKC:TF is absolutely worth buying even at $60. Will you get $60 of value personally from Skyward Sword? If so, buy it. If not, wait for a sale. Nintendo will charge the price that they believe people will pay for it. That's supply and demand.

The true question is are their actual QOL changes like speed up/skip any and all dialogue? Disable any Fi interruptions?

My god, they're asking full price for this... No thanks, I still have it original on Wii (good game, but not brilliant). If at least they improve it somehow, adding new content and such like in Xenoblade... No way.

Waiting for a pack with WW and TP, though. Together in a pack, not separated!

Chill people it will be £40 on launch when you shop around.

@Broosh New content, like a new epilogue?

@octane Really not sure why as a mod you think it's acceptable to take such a strong stand in either direction

@the_beaver That's definitely a pipe dream lol Gotta pull Xenoblade Chronicle Remaster's leg for that kinda polish.

Outta all these years people are still so dumb. Playing the game on your own switch and own tv.always looks better then videos online.wow and people still dont know this lol

@Cikoltan dont buy then whining wont change anything

@Nancyboy Arms and tail included, or just round 1? =P

This is the only Zelda game i havent played yet. I didnt like the Idea playing with the wii mote.
Maybe i will give it a go this time.

@Chandlero It may be speculation, but it at least evidence compared to your speculation that SSHD won't have improvements. Every Zelda remaster has had improvements. There is literally no reason to doubt the same will happen for SSHD.

I feel bad for Mr. Aonuma that they trotted him out just for that.

Is the paint daub style DOP filter still present?

Can't really see it in the videos. :x

@MS7000 Oh, arms and tail all the way. And the toes should light up.

@Sahnec It may look fine but nothing will fix zelda's face.

@Darkyoshi98 Whining changed the sonic movie design didn't it?

Okay, of what was revealed in this story for Skyward Sword the thing that sticks out to me the most is...Pro Controller support. Reason this is so important? It's because if the Pro Controller is supported that means you may be able to played in Docked mode with a Pro Controller instead of the 2 Joy Cons (1 in each hand) controlling sword and shield. That may be a big deal if true for sure. Out!

Amiibo support? I'm more interested in what technology improvements this has over the Wii version 🤔🤔

@BongoBongo yeah it's bull sheet, feels like a port for £50 I don't see the appeal paying that when I see no improvements

@Lord no?are you delusional? 😂😂

@Nancyboy Damn. Really want it now. Would also like amiibo of -SPOILER-.

@Nico07 I'm very glad you enjoy it, mate. There's enough misery out there without begrudging people the right to determine that they find fun or not. There are plenty of them that don't click with me, but it's a rare few that make me actively dislike them. Skyward Sword is on that list, so I was just giving my own opinion on the game.

Groose Amiibo confirmed!

@a1904 lol what

@Pak-Man the REAL important news! I would absolutely buy a Groose amiibo

@Cheez cool l would like to do that with my copy. l wonder if there was ever a way to get rid of that permanent glitch though...its dangerous

Most of the announcements yesterday are probably hold backs from last year. After E3 and close to the end of the year I'm expecting Switch Pro and more of the games everyone has been asking for.

When July hits I will be buying this game xxx

I didn't pick it up for the Wii, so I will definitely be buying
Skyward Sword.

I think Skyword Sword HD should be a 50 dollar game but its ok. Its 10 dollars more.

HD graphics, higher framerate, amiibo support, and optional button controls.

That is pretty good. I will buy it for 60 dollars

@tzahn "A game's value shouldn't be based on how old it is."

It is if that game is being re-sold at full price with no enhancements made to the game like we saw with the Mario 3D All-Stars Collection when you could get those games, as well as SS, at a cheaper price of $19.99 separately on the Wii-U eshop (except for Sunshine) with the exact same functionality that is in the collection minus the widescreen, more control options and a few bells and whistles that don't effect gameplay much at all.

Stop defending anti-consumer practices, guys; Nintendo-senpai does not love you.

They'll make it worth every cent I'm sure. Probably it will have a snapshot/selfie mode.

@SeantheDon29 "No Enhancements" is factually incorrect. And this is not anti-consumer, it's normal business practice. If you don't want it, don't buy it.

@tzahn And how was I factually incorrect? Most people don't consider a slightly up-scaled, that anyone with an emulator can do and better, picture quality an enhancement, at least not enough to garner such an outrageous price increase

Also, just because it's normal does not mean it isn't anti-consumer.

@SeantheDon29 Minimally enhanced is more accurate. There are a lot of people that don't have access to an emulator, nor the time or ability to do what you're describing. And that's setting aside the legality of it, depending on if you actually own the game and ripped it yourself, etc. Those people might be more eager to pay for the work that was done by someone else.

Again, if you don't want it then don't buy it. That's kind of the point here. Speak with your wallet. Until a game like this bombs for Nintendo they'll keep doing it.

I would be happier if the price was cheaper too. However, I understand why they're doing this. In their mind, the game has a $60 value and a large majority of people will pay for that. Anti-consumer is such a broad term that's used way too often in cases where the consumer just disagrees with the business practice and shouts about it being anti-consumer. Businesses are created (and stay open) by making money and serving their best interest. Anything they do can be labelled anti-consumer.

Say I'm a plumber. I fixed a pipe at your house 10 years ago for $100. You call me today and I fix the exact same pipe. Is it anti-consumer for me to charge you $100 for doing the exact same thing I did 10 years ago?

@tzahn Great comment. To your point about the plumber, that same pipe plus 10 years of inflation would likely be $120+ to fix. Too many people, and gamers in particular, have this childish attitude that they are entitled to someone's creativity and labor, not to mention material goods with the physical release, for little to no expense whatsoever. That's not how business or creative endeavors work. There isn't a "Port to Switch" button or setting that the developers turn on and off at their whim. Even a straight port has to be programmed for the Switch's architecture. Enhanced ports like HD remasters would logically require even more labor to produce because someone has to do the "enhancing." The point is and will remain "vote with your wallet." I don't think certain games are worth what I'd be charged to purchase them, so I simply pass. It's possible to do this without complaining on the internet. 🤷‍♂

@Chandlero Let's not get carried away. TPHD wasn't a real looker either. For a ''HD remaster'' it wasn't quite up to date with most other games at that time.

Wind Waker had the benefit that it still looks good on the Cube.

@Octane True but still in TPHD I saw more HD textures at first glance than here for SS.

Can we play the game with normal controls? Like slashing without motion controls or using the right analog

@UltimateOtaku91 No way. The game is designed around slashing in strange angles all the time.

@Debo626 my guy, this has nothing to do with entitlement, this has everything to do with business ethics and the fact that a pandemic is currently happening.

It is in no way “childish” to call a company out on anti-consumer practices because as the old saying goes, “the squeaky wheel gets the oil.” There is nothing wrong with giving a dissenting opinion on a big company’s decisions even if you personally don’t agree with it because that’s a how free society works.

Also, the argument that ‘it would require more work’ is one of the flimsy excuses I’ve heard, both for the 3D All-Stars Collection and here. Nintendo is one of the largest companies in Japan that rack in over one billion dollars a year. Do you really think they can’t afford to do some HD work on some of their older ports, or is it because they know that they don’t have to because people will buy them anyway?

Why are people complaining that this is full price? This is the first time they have remastered the game. It's not like it didnt take development costs to rework controls, sections of the game and update code, textures and besides who knows what new features or gameplay additions were made.

People are way too entitled nowadays

I'm excited 😁

This means I can hopefully get one of those skyward sword link amiibos!

Whoa, the picture of Link riding the bird is from the new HD version? That looks terrible! I guess they didn't put much work into the upgrade.

If you buy a movie on DVD 15 years ago, would you expect to now get the same movie on Blu-ray at reduced price because you already have the DVD?

Does anyone know the timeline of this game is it Pre ocarina of time?

@The-Chosen-one Yep. It is the earliest point in the timeline.

@Slowdive Yes, we will have to respectfully disagree. They reimagined another GB game, Samus Returns, into a new game and kept it at 3DS prices (with excellent 3D). They also made a new top down Zelda inspired by Link to the Past and kept it at 3DS prices.

Link’s Awakening should have been $50 at the most. But yes, the same is probably true for Skyward Sword.

The original version of this game is still available for £17.99 on WiiU (digital download).
Love Nintendo but this is Skyward Robbery!

@machinepaul What about the physical copy?

@Bizzyb Sadly I don’t think they ever released a physical version.