Talking Point: amiibo Have Always Been Physical DLC, Skyward Sword HD Is No Different

QOL features are not DLC.

^this
the article shows that someone hasn't got the point

Honestly, there are far more egregious examples of amiibo locking out content from non-buyers. And as far as the whole return-to-the-sky-whenever thing, no one would've batted an eye or noticed if the feature hadn't been included in the first place.

And if people buy the amiibo solely for that feature, they're wasting their money, imo. Amiibo have almost never been good for their in-game functionality. They should be viewed primarily as collector's items with the in-game perks as a bonus.

Hahahahahaha. If this figure gave you material drops or something like Hyrule Warriors, fair enough. QOL changes though? Nonsense. Might as well sell cheat codes for £25.

No difference then what Sony and Xbox does with dlc

This isn't DLC or some arbitrary thing like a costume that affects nothing. This is an actual QoL update that affects gameplay, locked behind a $25USD toy - which will substantially more expensive where I live. Not to mention, the toy it's locked behind is a collectors item, limited in quantity and subject to scalpers.
Nintendo is embracing crappy money grab schemes a little too much.

As a figure it's decent, but I never needed to urgently get to the sky in the original version. It just seems a little pointless.

I don't see how running over to my shelf to get the amiibo is saving any time. At least I can save some money and know I'm not missing out.

I have a hard time with a QOL change that almost every adventure / open world game has had as a normal feature for what, 15 years?

Can you imagine the hate Skyrim would have received if they had locked fast travel behind paid DLC?

I am fine with additional content and / or cosmetic changes, but what's next?
Having the Pause menu of a game locked behind an Amiibo?

A quality of life change isn't DLC. This article completely misses the point about why people are mad

Why the hell would they lock an additional feature specific to an HD remaster of an older game behind a plastic toy?

If it was something superfluous like item drops like what Hyrule Warriors had, nobody would've been upset. Fast travel being added to Skyward Sword shouldn't be locked behind any sort of paywall. That's a legitimate improvement to the entire game, not extra content for the sake of extra content

If any other open world game or game with open ended design did something like this they'd get the same amount of flack thrown at them.

This is most definitely not a QOL feature. There will still be the option to Fast Travel.

I won't because the only reason I would get it would be for smash and I already have a zelda amibo. I'm thinking about getting a little display thing for my amibo though so maybe

@Slowdive The difference with the e-Reader stuff and this is that in the case of the Super Mario Advance games, the e-Reader unlocked actual additional content that was seperate from the main game, like extra levels in SMA4 for example

Fast travel isn't extra content. It's a legitimate extra feature that improves the entire game. This would be like if an Elder Scrolls game locked fast travel behind paid DLC despite developing it alongside the main game and having no reason to do so

''If I defend a company this much, do you think they'll notice?''

I think people are right to be angry with this. It's not as bad as Mario Party 10 where a third of the game is locked behind a paywall, but it's worse than Smash Bros or Mario Kart where the amiibo functionality makes barely any difference to the game. Imagine if warping between shrines was locked behind a hard-to-find amiibo in Breath of the Wild, and otherwise you had to glide/ride everywhere. Still getting it because I think it looks great.

A terrible idea is still terrible, regardless of whether it was designed that way from the beginning.
If amiibo unlocked some stuff early (like a cheat code, remember those?) or gave extra portions of resources/currency in-game that would be fine, but to lock actual content and features (not just fast-warp but stuff like Wolf Link in BOTW) is, was, and will always be asinine.

Strange that the outrage has only somewhat started bubbling up now rather than in the years prior when Nintendo was locking entire game modes, harder difficulty levels, in-game companions, trainable AI, triggers to in-game events, etc... behind amiibos.

So? It was wrong then and it's still wrong now.

Amiibo are nothing more than physical dlc and no amount of marketing can change that fact.

@westman98 People are bored. They need something new to be mad about. By the time E3 has come and gone, no one will be talking about this anymore.

I don't care about fast travel, it wasn't in the original game anyway.

What pisses me off is the price of this amiibo. Crazy expensive. Not even Guardian cost that much.

I have never seen a Sony or Microsoft title to lock a game mechanic behind a paywall for a full-price game. I remember the "horse-armor-gate" from Bethesda, but it was just a cosmetic thing.

This should give unlimited fly at least

The biggest problem I have with Amiibo is that they don't do enough. Each one works for like 2-3 games and that's it. And the games barely do anything with them. I want a Subspace Emissary game that plays like Diablo. You could load up your build into your Amiibo and bring it to a friends' house. When they use it, it gets items/money and when you hop on to play, you get what they've earned. Like Dragon's Dogma. That would be something to make Amiibo worth it. I do get why people don't like the paid physical DLC. It's scummy. At least with this DLC though if I no longer need it I can sell it and make some money back.

Issue i have is availability i mean the amiibos i want are never purchasable scalpers always buy them up in quantity and sell them at a markup online locking content behind ridiculous prices. Still haven’t been able to run around with wolf link gonna order that online someday but moneys tight at the moment. Would of liked the Magnamalo one too but that sold out nearly immediately

In my country amiibos are quite expensive so i'm not buying it. But besides that, i wish they'd follow the Mario Maker decision of using amiibos to unlock content easier, the same content that could be unlocked without them and by beating some in game challenges

Last time I checked, This so called "DLC" you speak of with amiibo didn't charge 25 bucks, on top of the fact that its a feature that can be placed into the game without it being busted, You can make it so you can't use it in dungeon's, but outside dungeons you can, I don't get why they cant (Don't tell me that), It like I said the last time, even if it wasn't amiibo only, nintendo not only know how important it is to people, But thought "Hey people are all over
this" so they priced it 25 bucks.

Now if it happens to be a bigger amiibo, fine but if its the same size and all, its just amp'd in price bc of the feature, which I said last time, is just petty of nintendo, and once again treating there fans like trash.

And I know what your going to say, "But it wasn't in the game in the first place" Doesn't change the fact that this is one of the least liked zelda games of all time, Look, Like I said they don't need to add the feature to the point were its busted, not what i'm saying, but they could use that to make it into a balanced QOL update.

If it wasn't for the price I would have been on the more mad side of things, its was a annoying thing for nintendo to do but at the end of the day, it is just a amiibo, there only 15 bucks, but no It turns out its 25 bucks, I'm being for real here, I wasn't on this things but at all till nintendo amp'd the price, and just felt like are voice was heard, but it really wasn't, And don't even get me start on the scalpers bc let me tell you, alot of people were going to pay extra for this damn thing bc of them but nope, now nintendo needs to add to that, and the other day on one of the comments here, alot of people said they couldn't even place a order before it was gone so F*** me I guess Right???

(If you took the time to read all of that, then thank you.)

@NTDO89 The fact you're linking to a third party option that's basically like cheating to get this kind of content inadvertently proves how scummy this practice is

@TheFrenchiestFry Agreed, but people are talking like it's physically impossible to get the content when it isn't. If one cares THAT badly about getting a quick warp, they can still get it.

@NTDO89,

I see the moaning about this cheat code is still going on.

@NTDO89 But I don't think the QOL Feature is why there truly upset.

This Loftwing Amiibo gives you fast travel like the Travel Medalion did in BotW. The difference is that you didn't need to buy an amiibo to unlock the Travel Medalion in BotW. You got it by purchasing digital DLC.

The trouble with fast travel being locked behind an amiibo purchase is that, if you aren't quick enough to purchase one direct from an official retailer, you'll be forced to buy one from a scalper if you want the fast travel feature.

@Ravenmaster Yes, wile I don't really think this is the best idea, at least they can make it some type of damn dlc or maybe just idk ADD IT TO THE GAME!, or make in end game content if anything.

If people are willing to buy it, there's ultimately no point in complaining.
Nintendo fans do seem more willing to go along with this stuff than other gamers though, which is a bit disappointing. When it's microtransactions in an EA game, people get far more vocal in opposition. Battlefront 2 being a clear example, where the audience really did force them to change their approach.

I'm not even going to bother with this. It's just not worth it. Some folk just have it in for Nintendo these days. Fast travel. Hhahah. I never finished Skywrd Sword, but I don't ever remember thinking I wish it was a thing. Ah well.

Finally another good use of an amiibo.

I've no problem with amiibo functionally providing dlc. As long as that's providing something that's nice to have but not having it doesn't otherwise impact the game, like a skin, or some bonus items or something.

What I DO have a problem with is locking QoL updates, or entire game modes (remember Metroid 2 or Xenoblade Chronicles 3D both locked in game soundtracks/art galleries behind amiibo. These are things that could significantly improve upon the game experience. Plus, given they're usually locked behind game exclusive amiibo with VERY limited production runs, it quickly becomes almost impossible to find them for a reasonable price if you don't get it at launch

Knowing that amiibo isn’t very helpful due to the limit of games they are used for, they are still fun to see cool Nintendo-licensed figures of our favorite in-game characters.

Instead of all of us filling up a comment section complaining about Nintendo's business practices, you should probably be e-mailing Nintendo about this (NOT Tweeting, e-mail.) They won't care, but you can say you actually did something instead of just continuing to create a circus of anger for someone reading this in a month.

Honestly if the QoL change was added as an end game unlock and you could use it right away on every other playthrough then I wouldn't have a problem with the amiibo giving you access to the feature right away.

@NTDO89 I'm not saying your defending them at all nor do I think you do, But some people want to collect this stuff, some people think its overpriced, some people have to pay even more in other places, and your right, if all you care about is the fast travel, get the token, but the fact that nintendo would even lock this by a paywall is pretty stupid in my opinion, they could have made it endgame content, or they could have just made it a option you can turn on or off, so if you didn't want to use it don't that simple, or maybe a easy mode or somthin!

Where's the option for I'm buying it, but will resell it for profit once I've finished the game and have no more use for plastic tat.

@Eel Get the gun ready LOL.

No but really, How is people being unhappy about something seen as toxic, oh bow down to the nintendo gods, can't have anything bad to say about them, and i'm not about to say there is no toxic stuff, and ya you can show your anger in a toxic way, but for the most part How I see people using the word toxic, is just them not agree with them and kissing nintendo's A** but hey thats just how I see it.

'the figure will save you a little time and hassle by allowing you to transport at will'

Oohh so that's what my ma meant by time is money, I always wondered.

Wonder if this argument works in different contexts?
Imagine getting so used to being tortured that you come to expect it.
Getting to used to it that you've come to accept it however...
well thats a might different now isn't it

There will be nfc cards on ebay/etsy, if nintendo wants to go down this road of scarce amiibo.

@Solomon_Rambling,

Three articles on this in the last few days or so....click bait outrage articles at their finest, but when has the site been any different.

Well hey. No one complained about Wolf Link and Epona in Breath of the Wild. This just feels like people are looking for another reason to hate on Skyward Sword. Pathetic.

Yes, It's always been physical DLC, but the difference is this one goes too far, with locking something that should've been a normal menu option behind a paywall.

@Rika_Yoshitake,

As if any of this complaining will change this very minor issue.

For all the people whining. Loftwings Statues (from which you can transport and save) aren't scarce in the game. And it was fun trying to get back to one since you went through the zone again, maybe while hurt.

I'm glad the fast transport locked with this amiibo Is completely optional, because it would ruin the game for me.

Just remember the Travel Medallion in BOTW. It was also DLC.

@ModdedInkling Those two weren't quality of life features though. They were purely cosmetic. Not to mention, a fair amount of people were mad that Epona was amiibo exclusive.

The Wolf Link amiibo came with Twilight Princess HD's physical release anyways.

@VoidofLight,

Not a normal feature of the original game, it's a minor cheat code at best, the game is neither broken without it, or much better with it's inclusion.

@VoidofLight Fast warping didn't exist in the original game. It's not needed at all.

It's only for people who want an easier game.

@VoidofLight
But the problem is that not everyone bought a Wii U and not everyone bought Twilight Princess HD. As for Epona, I never met those people.

@Olmectron,

So True.

I still think that with all amiibo, there should be an option to buy the content they unlock digitally for a reduced price, particularly when the amiibo are no longer stocked/produced. E.g. Mario Kart 8 is still selling well, but when was the last time you saw the Sonic amiibo readily available for its RRP if you fancied the Mii costume? Offer it as optional dlc for say £1.50 = more money for Nintendo and more happy punters. Appreciate that this is a sensible business idea and therefore not likely to be adopted.

I was lucky and had a friend clue me in on a preorder opening on Amazon, yesterday. Prior to that I was upset it even existed and that I missed my window. So, I have it ordered. Its mainly for keeping my Zelda amiibo collection complete. However, I think its really overpriced. The new feature is something as simple as an in-game item that could have been added in. I hope I worded that correctly, my grammar isn’t the best at work... I think its the worst amiibo functionality for a Zelda game, yet. I’m more curious to see how it works on future and existing Zelda titles. Aside from Skyward Sword. I can’t believe I’m still collecting these things. I have a drawer full of random amiibo that aren’t even useful anymore. I wished they’d either stop being produced or actually do more worthwhile things in these games.

Ironically, I might have considered buying this amiibo if I didn't feel like doing so would just keep encouraging companies to pull this crap. Fortunately for me, I never liked this game (partially because it cements the prophecy that the hero must always be Link and never Zelda) so I never planned to buy this game in the first place. I'm still annoyed at the way the game industry is going though and I strongly believe another "crash" could potentially put a stop to it.

It s not just the game industry. Scalpers seem to be getting sadistic, like that guy who taunted people while trying to sell his ridiculous collection of PS5s. I think (and hope) he got robbed, but that part of the story is hazy. Anyway, unlike digital DLC, physical objects can be sold second-hand, which would be great if scalpers weren't buying them up like crazy, especially when using unethical if not downright illegal software to do so.

@Olmectron I love that its optional to, but my issue, is that if this said amiibo goes out of stock, thats it, you can't get it, I wouldn't be mad if it was a option in the menu or even 2, 1,$ DLC.

@Olmectron It's a quality of life feature. It's like saying "faster climbing times didn't exist in the original twilight princess, so we're gonna lock it behind an amiibo!". It's fine if you don't want to use it, since it would've been optional, but putting it behind a paywall is just scummy.

@ModdedInkling Just because you never met those people doesn't mean that they existed.

These comments are depressing. Wish we had some smarter people reading this site.

@iuli I kinda feel that way to, bc even the article says that people were not happy on this site.

@DrDaisy,

So if you were not planning to buy the game, why does this even matter to you, you might as well bu the amiibo and enjoy it.

Well I'm just glad someone has finally said "hey, Nintendo is the same as every other publisher now. Get used to it". Better than the way it used to be when some tried to pretend Nintendo was above it all, or weren't as bad.

Better take than the last one.

There are many comparisons between different game companies, but at the end of the day, they all need to be profitable to exist. If you look at a company like Ubisoft, you'll see that a massive percentage of their revenue comes from microtransactions and loot boxes. That's fairly common practice among western developers. Nintendo and other Japanese developers tend to avoid that type of monetization, and in doing so, avoid the giant can of worms that is the loot box problem gambling link. But they still have to make money somehow, so Nintendo keeps their product values high.

Another thing - Skyward Sword HD may seem expensive for a 10-year-old remaster, but comparing it to Mass Effect Legendary isn't really an apples to apples comparison. Anyone with a modest Windows device can buy the original Mass Effect trilogy and play it for peanuts. The games can be modded to dramatically improve visuals etc. as well, or customize your experience in other ways. Essentially, ME is competing against itself and therefore cannot sell each game for full price. Nobody on earth would buy that. Console exclusives generally don't have to compete with themselves and have more value when re-released because of it.

@Snatcher,

I must admit I rarely come across many happy people on these comment sections.

Ive just managed to get hold of one.
Shop to has UK stock if anyone wants one but grab it fast before it sells out like it did on Amazon

Edit: looks like its sold out now.

@johnvboy Like I already said, it's the principle of the thing. Requiring physical objects to access stuff in a game is just scummy. Also, I don't want it enough to spend $25 and I sure as hell don't want to pay some POS scalper for one. I might consider buying one from someone who killed a scalper to get it though.

@johnvboy And the sad part is.... Its true!

Really annoys me that fanboys (including Nintendo life) defending this and say it’s nothing new - just because a bad thing has happened for a while still makes it a bad thing.

The price of the thing and it’s forced scarcity just make it worse.

The same old faces defending this and saying it’s not a big deal - are the same people that moan when remasters don’t have extra features.

Any form of asking for better is seen as negative.

The comments section is depressing because of the OTT Nintendo guardians. It’s almost as bad as an Xbox site.

Oh my God, people paid extra at a golf course and got a CART to go quickly between holes!!! Insane they should only be different hats and stickers offered!!

I haven’t played the game in years so don’t remember exactly, but if you don’t do the side quests, don’t you only go back and forth between the ground and sky like 6 or 7 times? It’s not such a big deal...

@Stocksy,

Why would somebody not having an issue with this be a fanboy?, it's a silly assumption to make in my opinion, perhaps we are not bothered by a minor cheat code, not included in the original game.

Yeah i dont know why people is mad about this. Ok if it was for a online multiplayer or leaderboard or something like that. But its not. Where was all that hate when botw brought their amiibos?!

Nobody is finding this "surprising", amiibo have been doing this for a long time, it's just sad to see Nintendo take it even further for Zelda games than it was before.

Wait, this thing in the title... is still news to someone? Fans... 🙄 If amiibos weren't physical DLC vessels, all of them (or at the very least, anything not tied to SSBFor) would be mere collectibles with zero tech to them - kinda like what Sony commissioned later, IIRC. You don't have to like it, but it's a thing, and the only tangible issue with it is the default one of any physical medium - finite availability. Then again, once we move over to the realm of "game preservation" and all the tools employed therein, most amiibo content presumably just unlocks the already existent code in the game (a whole separate piece of red cloth for fandoms, I hear😜), so not hard to patch/emulate into working condition as far as a rom in a distant eShopless future is concerned.

As for the poll, though... I'm in the market for this one, but someday. Waaaay too many higher priorities in the amiibo roster, and many of them increasingly tricky to find in our retail or even second hand market to begin with. BotW Zelda, Lucina, Celica, Rosalina... the list goes on.

While the content itself wasn't obvious, the fact an amiibo for Skyward Sword HD would lock meaningful content away was obvious because of the Wolf Link amiibo 5 years ago. Similarly with the Wolf Link situation (Wolf Link was also a buddy in BotW), I wouldn't be surprised if this Loftwing amiibo also allowed you to ride a Loftwing in BotW 2.

Never liked the idea of content being locked behind amiibo and the rarity of amiibo makes it even worse. No doubt most of the Loftwing amiibo will go to scalpers.

I think the bigger issue is Nintendo managed to get half of its fans to spend $100 on a wii port. Kind of gives them the impression that they should do this on every major game going forward. But what do I know…. Im a weirdo who likes getting games on sale.

I’m pretty sure there’s going to be a lot of buyers regret.

I think part of the reason this game has people extra upset is because it's a port of a game that didn't originally have Amiibo. So there's the question why should the port add new paywalls that didn't previously exist. There implementation has really varied in different games. There's some where I really don't think you're missing out on much if you don't buy the Amiibo; such as Super Mario Odyssey and Smash. A few like the original Splatoon and Mario Party 10 essentially had whole modes locked behind the Amiibo (closest thing to DLC). Then AC Amiibo Festival was a full blown toys to life game like Skylanders where if you're not willing to buy the toys, you really shouldn't buy the game.

@Olmectron Yup. Most of the people complaining probably never played Skyward Sword anyway.

@TheFox “So there's the question why should the port add new paywalls that didn't previously exist.”

Because it’s a new feature that didn’t previously exist. They’re not locking people out of content that was in the original game.

Aside from the ammibo arguments, is skyword sword actually worth buying? Ive played BOTW and loved it. Also played Twighlight princess, loved that as well. Ocarina of time kind of passed me by and majoras mask I have never played. Will SS be a good experience?

Imagine if online stores sold DLC with limited stock. Even if I wanted to buy the amiibo, chances are scalpers will clear them out before I even get it. So yeah, that's yet another issue with this. Let's stop giving Nintendo a free pass, let's stop trying to excuse this because really...they need a nice kick in the bum to get them back in shape.

Buy a roll of ntag 215 stickers and use your phone plus the app and amiibo data. Problem solved.

@johnvboy Not having an issue with something is a big difference from defending such practice. I myself don't have the biggest issue with it, but I do not approve of this practice.
However I consider the few people who fill up almost half of the comment sections of those articles by replying to most complaints to defend those practices fanboys.
Edit:
On topic, I think that a big part of the issue also is that this game is a remaster of a Wii game with rather small improvements for full price. Back when this game originally released it was 70 Euro with a soundtrack CD and controller included while the base game now already is 60 Euro.

@DrDaisy It’s a minor feature that didn’t exist in the original game and that you didn’t know existed in the remaster until the amiibo was announced. You’re not having anything taken away from you. I think you’ll be okay.

@BAN Considering this is a full-ass $60 rerelease you'd think Nintendo would toss us some upgrades. This is just going to be another lazy port like Mario 3D all stars.

But by all means, keep defending them. I'm sure Nintendo will send you a check in the mail someday.

@Chris55 I really like it but if the majority of your exposure to Zelda is BotW then beware that it’s a very different experience from that. It’s pretty linear and there’s not much exploration but the music and dungeons are fantastic. It’s also much more story-driven.

Does that make it a good thing? No. No it doesn't.

Putting QOL behind paywall isn’t new for Nintendo. I thought Nintendo moved from this nonsense, but apparently they didn’t. This is something they easily could put in the game

Stay classy Nintendo.

this amiibo basically gives you Lazy Mode because there are plenty of save points through out thr world maps

I would rather pay $10-$20 to unlock the DLC and not have to deal with finding space for Amiibos.

I dont particularly fall on either side of the argument.

All I know is, this writer needs to learn another word which isn't the word "cynical".

@sixrings have you ever seen a Nintendo game on sale?

@dani3po ummmm what do you think dlc is???part of a finished game that is locked behind a pay way.sont has done this since ps3 and xbox has done this since 360

Buy the amiibo if you want the figurine, buy a NFC tag if you just want the game benefit. The end.

@johnvboy Anti-consumer practices should matter to everyone and it looks like people may be finally realizing what a bad deal Amiibo DLC really is.

@KBuckley27 Lazy mode? It's a video game not construction.

I think people would complain no matter what the Amiibo does. They certainly weren't going to buy the Amiibo in the first place anyway otherwise they would have thought it cool and have been disappointed if you got a bag of rice once a day everytime you scanned it (or something meaningless lol).

Seriously grow up.

I'm getting too old to care about all this jazz.

On the one hand, the amiibo functionality is something that was not originally part of the game and therefore, it's fair play. You buy the game, you get everything the original offered. The amiibo is expensive and I appreciate getting something out of it that's actually useful and offers additional value.

On the other hand, it feels like it's something that everyone should get the benefit of using, simply because not having that functionality could result in players putting the game down from it feeling like too much of a slog. And nobody wants to see that happen. Plus, I don't want to have to scan the dang thing every time I fast travel back to the hub. That's gonna be a bit of an aggravation (though it's better than not having it at all).

So... I understand those upset. Idk. I'm just getting too old to care about such trivial matters. Living in today's world you get numb from all the digital economies with MTX from digital currencies and unlimited coins that can buy random loot boxes, 3 separate $50 expansions for full priced games (which is now $70 btw)... it's like. I just don't have the energy to care about an additional fast travel from an amiibo.

But if others want to lose their minds over it, you do you I guess.

As stated many times here- this doesn’t compare to DLC. Not even slightly.

On top of everything else, stock of this amiibo is almost certainly going to be snapped up pretty quickly so inevitably even folk who would buy it to use the feature will be left out in the cold if they can’t grab one before they sell out. It really is just crappy to lock a feature like this behind not just an amiibo but a paywall in general and it sucks that Nintendo dip into this direction occasionally. Usually they’re pretty good at having the extra features be trivial to the point where people without them aren’t missing much, but then occasionally push too far the other way (e.g Fusion mode in Samus Returns).

In any case, this is an unnecessary feature to lock behind the figure any way. This would have sold out whether it unlocked a useful feature or just gave you a daily rupee so why they’ve decided to do this is beyond me.

Amibo are Nintendo's version of microtransactions, not DLC.

To me, Amiibo have always been cheat codes more than anything. This is no different. This is not QoL because the game without the Amiibo is not lacking or broken. From any point in the game it takes what, 2 minutes to reach the sky? At most? If 2 minutes is too long of a wait, then clearly you're not playing the game for fun.

The poll result speak for itself.

@rushiosan The poll result speak for itself.
That's from registered user polling not a general public inclusive polling to get a actual count.

This isn't a QoL thing, it is a way to run away from your problems and removes any challenge from the game. If you need this option in the game, you should hang up your joycons.

@CommanderMime
That's... actually a fair point I hasn't considered.

Games do not typically let you warp out of dungeons at any point to restock and warp back. Dungeons usually have a warp point at the end, near the boss, which puts you back at the beginning. Otherwise all challenge is removed.

And so in that respect, I actually think I agree- the functionality offered goes above and beyond what normal game design typically dictates (hence why it wasn't part of the original release).

I'll have to reconsider and ponder on that for a while. Not that I was that upset to begin with (to be frank I don't care much one way or the other, except for the fact I would prefer to use the fast travel without scanning each time). But you do make a reasonable point.

They’re not just physical DLC; they are DLC that keeps giving with every future compatible title.

I’m not going to defend Nintendo for putting a feature behind a £25 figuring but at the very least you still have something to hold onto AND a physical copy! In 50 years time if you have a working Switch and a copy of Skyward Sword you will still be able to use that feature. Good luck hoping your Fortnite skins or FIFA teams work in 2070!

Nice. This is what happens when people keep supporting scams by billion dollar corporations (sorry if it sounds likes curses coming out of a tin foil hat). Did not buy 3D All Stars, not buying this game, Amiibo - what's that? Keep your wares, Nintendo.

@RadioHedgeFund so what about Skyward Sword Link not also including this feature or having any interaction with the game at all. How does that carry on giving with future titles?

Breath of the Wild has QoL features (most notably, a fast travel option), so it's not exactly new. I'm not voting as I already have a perfectly good copy of Skyward Sword so have no need to double dip, so the decision doesn't affect me.

Just because it's nothing new doesn't mean it's alright. I think the complaints about this amiibo are fairly well deserved.

Gamestop is already sold out of this and the MH Stories 2 amiibo.

Nintendo NY had Monster Hunter Rise amiibo but they only announced it a week before the release. I guess I'll gamble on them being there.

It just depends on the Feature that is hidden behind the Amiibo.

I’m happy so many Nintendo fans are buying these ports because it guarantees other ports. But my god you can buy the ninja gaiden trilogy for the same price!!!

Well I’ll just wait for my ports to come out.

"That said, porting a Wii game to HD will have certainly been much more work than the numerous Wii U ports; some of those Wii U re-releases have definitely been cheekily priced, but transitioning an SD-era Wii title will have required some work and effort".

Absolute nonsense. Other games have been upgraded from SD to HD and not been sold at the "new" game price point. Crash trilogy comes immediately to mind. Three games that were essentially remade and sold at a bargain price.

The big problem at Nintendolife is that it often feels like the site is shilling for Nintendo, making excuses for their horrible business decisions, and not fulfilling the function of game journalism. Journalists should be holding gaming companies accountable for their shortcomings, not acting as their PR outlets.

@Darlinfan You assume there are enough golf carts for everyone. There are only a limited amount to be used each day at each course.

Thank you for this much needed article.

For those who continue to be furious over a toy letting you warp a little faster, just buy this thing and shut up.

@NTDO89 Reported and Ignored.

@TheFrenchiestFry This "editorial" is one of the grossest examples journalistic malpractice I've ever seen. Nintendolife has often been an embarrassing mix of fanboyism and rubbish fluff pieces, but this article is a sickening, cynical attempt to convince us that the emperor does, in fact, have clothes.

Gonna buy this secondhand just to spite Nintendo.

Completely fail to mention the inflated price of this Amiibo

@ModdedInkling "how dare people criticize big N"

@mikegamer of you will find it for a reasonable price...or you want to buy second-hand anyway, just not to give them money?

@GrailUK People complaining that Nintendo is being greedy and anti-consumer need to "grow up?"

This is why Nintendo continues to be one of the laziest companies around, because people defend their horrible behavior.

Physical DLC? Sure.
But that's not the issue here. It's paywalled QoL-features.
Wind Waker HD also had Amiibo figures and yet, its faster sail was available in-game.

I'm glad people In the comments have more common sense than this guy. Could you imagine if Nintendo locked the travel medallion in a 25 dollar botw amiibo? Skyward sword hd and everything about it has been a deplorable cash grab

@Crono1973,

It's not a bad deal, you buy an amiibo and get a free cheat code, everyone else will get the game as it was intended to be played.

@MajorTom,

We can debate prices of older HD remasters till the cows come home, but a large percentage of people buying this game, me included, will have never played the original so who is to say what is a fair price, I guess the game will sell for what people are willing to pay for it, if it bombs then people were right about the price being too high.

And as for defending this practice, you would have to prove their is an action that is wrong in the first place, up to now all we really have is people saying it's something they do not agree with personally, and on the other hand there are people with no issues at all, so no definitive right or wrong, as far as I can see.

@SwitchForce I'd say 900 votes are enough opinions into account.

In fact, limiting that to the registered users usually avoids abuse.

@Ambassador_Kong I'm not buying the Amiibo. Happy for those that are. But I also think it's not going to ruin the game, which I am looking forward to. You guys are carrying on like it's going to be unplayable. There will be some people who love the Amiibo. And the fast travel is a nice thing for them. It is what it is. But honestly, I don't think it's as big a deal as folk are claiming. It's not a BotW open world lol.

@rushiosan,

What a small amount of people from a niche site do not like this practice, no surprise there then.

Point: “Tying a QOL feature to a limited edition physical toy is a bad deal for consumers. They are already charging $60 for a minor remake.”
Counter-point? “Nintendo is a company and they can do whatever they want. And Nintendo has done way worse in the past.”

@Darlinfan But that extra boost of gloating above the commoners is added value.. maybe a little evil and pampered but it IS added value to feel better & privileged for those that enjoy that... so think of it as a real world added greedy quest to get it.
But anyway, can't someone just provide an amiibo service at a gaming shop where you bring your switch and games in and then pay $1 or $2 for each amiibo to scan to get the perks for all their games?

@DrDaisy,

Nintendo have locked something they feel is a minor feature within the game, and the way to access is it is with an exclusive amiibo figure, if you or anyone else feels the feature is much bigger than it actually is, then that's your own personal issue, but you have to realize than not everyone will care as much about it.

@johnvboy That's a VERY expensive cheat code. It's a bad deal.

@Crono1973,

You are missing the point, you are paying for an amiibo figure, the cheat code comes free with it.

@Deepdoop,

A different opinion on the matter, but more sense?, not so sure I agree with you there.

@Ambassador_Kong,

Or Nintendo do what the market supports, as every other company does, a few people complaining will not stop that, and perhaps just perhaps, they are in the minority, while everyone else just gets on and enjoys their consoles and games.

Skyward sword is hideous a game, they know it and are capitalizing on it instead just including the QoL in the base game. It’s dumpy, and I can’t think of a way to defend it.

Fast travel already exists in the game!
Go to a Bird/Owl statue!
It's the same thing!

I think the whole Amiibo thing is gross, and I've always thought so. I've also grown out of figures and stuff, so eventhough they're nice collectibles they don't appeal to me anyway.

I don't have an issue with people making a stink about something like this. Sure this is exactly what Amiibo are, but people have every right to have a renewed hatred of it, no matter the perk attached.

@koffing,

The value of Nintendo games has always been high, but this can work in consumers favor too, you can buy this or another first party title game, for a high price if that's your own opinion, but then can sell it on at a similar price, same with the amiibo figure.

@RudeAnimat0r,

No issues with people having problems with this, it's the assumption that their opinion is somehow factually correct and shared by a majority, then calling anybody without their own personal concerns a fanboy.

love this article. thank you for saying this. cry bags need to grow up. look at Bowsers fury. mario cat you get invincibility. peach you get a random power up any where. same thing. people crying over this just want attention. nothing more.

Once again, I blame Donald Trump! If he hadn't started that stupid trade war, and enabled Scalpers to be valued businessmen, then we wouldn't be in this predicament! I'm gonna buy an amiibo CARD of Zelda & Loftwing, because I'm TOO SLOW to land a pre-order! I am not now, nor have I ever been Sonic the Hedgehog! If I even try to run as fast as him, or work as fast, I will come close to getting speed-sick! And while I'm at it, I'll even complain to Nintendo in a carefully worded email, telling them exactly where I bought the amiibo card, causing them to send a C&D Order to the seller, making it harder on everyone else! Then more sellers will pop up, until Nintendo ends up buying the NFC technology, and prohibits commoners and pirates alike from making their own amiibos!

Nintendo should've made CARDS instead of figures, that would've been a perfect callback to their early days as a toy company!

@Darlinfan,

And by replying you just gave him attention, as to his point, it's as valid as anybody else's on here, we might not agree with it, but that's par for the course as we say.

He does have a point, amiibos have always unlocked specific features within games, it's not like Nintendo have ever hidden that fact.

@YoshiAngemon,

You can't blame Donald for everything, you sound like CNN saying that.

@johnvboy SILENCE! I CAN BLAME WHOEVER I WANT! And if I am accused of being just like Donald Trump, then I hope to get flagged for bringing politics into this!

"That said, porting a Wii game to HD will have certainly been much more work than the numerous Wii U ports"

Are the Wii U Zelda games (Wind Waker HD, Twilight Princess HD) suddenly not HD? Or are you writing about Virtual Console, which has quite reasonable prices?

@YoshiAngemon,

Well in all fairness I blame Russian collusion with all this, never trusted em I tell you.

@johnvboy You are missing the point, you are paying for an amiibo figure, the cheat code comes free with it.

Not true. If you could buy the cheat code separately but CHOSE to buy the toy too....but you can't.

People tell me all the time there is no point complaining here because nintendo doesn’t moderate these threads….

But surely JohnVboy is on the Nintendo payroll????!!!!!

I don't get the argument about porting a Wii game on the Switch, the game is 10 bucks more than what it originaly cost, that was counting developping the game, making the art, the levels, the animation, etc etc... But porting it cost more than the original product did ? And also, Mario 3D All Stars came out not even a year ago, 3 games one from N64, one from the GC and one from the Wii, but it's 60 bucks (ans it was already a lot) so how come you can get 3 games for 60 but then 1 port for the same price is ''fair'' because porting Wii Games is hard ? I don't get it. At elast Link's Awakening completely redone the art.

Again, warp from anywhere to the sky is NOT a Quality of Life feature, it is an Action Replay code.

@Sourcecode You don't have to. just buy a card from Etsy. I mean, before I report them to Nintendo. What? All this has gotten me worked up!

@TheFrenchiestFry isn’t the e-reader example worse though? The extra levels in SMB3 represent a significant, high-quality inclusion locked away and inaccessible to the majority of users because of an inability to get the cards.

Whereas this is such a minor feature that wasn’t needed in the first place. Can’t get the statue (or don’t want to pay that much for it)? Don’t worry, you can still enjoy 100% of the game without it.

They’ve not taken anything out of the game, this a far-from-essential add-on.

Or is it the cost of that feature? That $20 for a minor QOL is financially more egregious than paying $3 for a whole extra level in Mario 3 (that will probably last about 2 mins)?

The whole idea of Amiibo is that they have a digital value. If they have very little value to add to gameplay it's bad and when they add a lot of value it's also bad?!

I believe they should have added even more value to this amiibo, and they should have let us know if this would be usable in BOTW2 like wolf link.

Wolf Link was desirable because it was usable in two games. And one of them was very, very hyped. If they announced this amiibo was compatible with BOTW2 alot of people wouldn't be as mad.

one of the worst articles ever to be published on this site. nintendolife has really gone downhill in recent years. defending shady business practices...

Not only is a QOL feature locked behind an amiibo, but good luck even buying one. You think it will be in stock? Nope.

@Darlinfan No, it is not reasonable. That is the thing. The extra functionality is barely anything to sneeze at. So, it is complaining over nothing. Look in the mirror on the child thing.

This is also in the context of paying $10 more for the Switch version than the Wii version, and not getting what we should get for that money. Remastering, or actual work. I just feel punished for liking Nintendo games at this point. Like a bad drug habit I need to break.

@Crono1973,

It has never been advertised as such, the cheat code has always been linked to the amiibo, Nintendo have not lied of misled anyone.

@MarsOne What QoL are you referring to? Its just an action replay code

@Darlinfan,

So you only want your own opinions then, sounds totally reasonable and to be honest not surprising, the complainers always seem to suggest that people brush off their concerns, while at the same time ignoring everyone else's.

resell it for profit once I've finished the game and have no more use for plastic tat.

@Mr-Fuggles777 "Tat" is one of my favourite random British words (it's fairly new to me), and I think you've demonstrated its use perfectly, Mr. Fuggles.

@Darlinfan,

Never stated people were whining or their concerns are not valid on a personal level, my issue is a lot of comments seem to be stating things as facts not merely opinions.

I get your and others point on the matter, I get the fact you see this as a big issue, but you have to consider that not everybody feels the same way, and you do seem to be dismissing peoples counter arguments on the issue, just my take.

@YoshiAngemon
MaGA: Make amiibo Great Again

@COVIDberry thank you, we watch a lot of Ashens and have become well versed in Tat as a result lol.

Oh you all can piss right off, this is LITERALLY quality of life improvements locked behind a $25 paywall and for some places more, windwaker hd and twilight princess hd and incredible improvements and qol stuff, and yes for TP they did have a wolf link amiibo, but THAT unlocked a whole new dungeon to mess with, sure is was basically just a Cave of Ordeals, buuut you could use the data from that and bring it over to BotW and have wolf link fight alongside you, that'sawesome and was worth the extra, what $15? For SS they're locking basic ass qol improvements behind a 25 dollar paywall (which will mainly be bought by scalpers) and might I add is one of the ONLY new things in this entire game that was 50 bucks at launch on wii, and for the other new things, you could already do on an emulator, get your nintendo-boot-licking asses out of here

@weisske please do

Some people complain certain amiibos do too little, while others complain they do too much. There's no pleasing everyone. Prior to this amiibo being announced, no one was saying they wouldn't buy Skyward Sword HD because of a lack of fast travel. In my opinion, that just makes the amiibo functionality a bonus feature, what amiibos were always designed to provide. I'm grateful they're producing this amiibo and have no problem with its in-game functionality.

@Darlinfan,

I have no issues with you at all, as you said you have no problems with the opposite opinions, so that's fine, I have already stated I see why you guys have problems with all this, it's just I do not see it as a massive thing.

Yes it's still an issue, and the severity of ongoing implications will be debated on this and many other comment sections I feel.

@Doofenshmirtz,

Very helpful comment 197 posts in, well done sir, pouring pertol on the argument is always fun.

@Darlinfan,

Same here, and in all honesty there are only a few people on either side dismissing everything.

Sorry for the brush off comment, heat of the moment stuff, and I do hope Nintendo will allow the feature to be unlocked some other way at some point or other, however I will not use the feature either way.

The author is deliberately trying to be contrarian (I hope).

Amiibo before have usually unlocked minor, often cosmetic things.
The balance has always been tricky; it needs to be enticing enough for the purchaser of the toy, but not essential enough to annoy others.

Breath of the Wild, Mario Maker, and Kirby Rainbow Curse got the balance right, to name but a few.

This absolutely does not.

You add that this is an already overpriced port, where qualty of life features should be the bare minimum, and it looks even worse.

@Darlinfan,

I might have given Nintendo a way out here.

Dude, Thomas, this isn't DLC, this isn't content locked behind an Amiibo. It's a QOL feature.

@Franklin,

The author is simply stating facts behind amiibo functionality, weather or not we agree with this is another matter.

@Retroike7,

Not sure I understand this distinction, the fact is it's a additional feature linked to the amiibo, pretty sure Nintendo are just calling it a feature, no mention of either DLC or QOL, whatever in reality those terms actually mean.

Dont know why people are surprised, nintendo has been anti consumer for years now

@Darlinfan
I'm not anonymous...
That's me in my avatar.
My name is Kev.

@Darlinfan It seems like people are trying to find somerhing to be upset over. I want to roll my eyes at how this is upsetting a lot of people.

@Darlinfan But, then again, I'm not complaining about it.
I'm not getting the game, I just want the amiibo!

@weisske you sound like the Rosalina guy!

HOW in the heck is this a Quality of Life feature?
Fast travel already exists in the game!
This just does the same thing as the in-game statue!

In fact, I think it takes longer to use the amiibo than to use the in-game statue!

I am fine with content as dlc. Makes sense. Pay more, get more.
Functionality shouldn't be behind a £25 paywall though. That's extortion.
The only thing I can think of is Bamco in tales games offer 2* gold/exp or capcom in RE games offering unlocks early. But that's pay to get ahead and 1-2£. It's veryyyy different pricing.

I have no issue with dlc (or amiibo) if it offers good value for what I get in return. This one seems unbelievably expensive for nothing.

Parallel, “mystery prize” situations where you are guaranteed to get something in return isn’t gambling, and never has been.

I’ve always believed that outside of features like additional items or making the game easier, anything an amiibo unlocks should either be unlockable in game either via challenges (like in Star Fox Zero) or purchase able. Sometimes I’ve actually been willing to buy some of the content unlocked by amiibos if they were purchasable as DLC at reasonable costs. Best example for me were the skins in Ace Combat Assault Horizon Legacy+. Thankfully had a friend with all amiibos at the time unpackaged so took my 3DS over.

I've always bought amiibo for the collector's purpose (when the hell am I gonna find affordable figures of characters like Samus, Captain Falcon, Ness, Lucas, Dr. Mario, King K Rool, Snake, Chibi-Robo, Classic Pac-Man, WarioWare Wario, Cloud, Banjo-Kazooie, Fox, Shovel Knight or Miis?). Same with the amiibo cards, I just want to have a collectible of certain characters. I don't need to have all the released amiibo, though (who needs Marth and Lucina when I have my favorite FE characters, Alm and Celica?)

If I got them for their in-game rewards and functionality I would never be happy with them and would be constantly complaining. If I don't get a figure I want (missed on Bayonetta, Smash Rosalina and Villager) then I just accept it and move on.

(all of this is coming from someone who pays more than he should for amiibo figures and got most of his collection in a town with very little and limited availability)

Back in my day you bought a Nintendo game for £30 and you then owned the entire experience.

No need to buy 1+ Amiibo to unlock extra content, no DLC, no season pass, no microtransactions, no day 1 patches to fix a rushed product, no timed exclusive content/ games, no ports one gen later with hardly any new content for full price, no missing out for people who can't afford to play online as it was free, no overpriced digital only releases and you were guaranteed to get a cart or disc and instruction booklet in the box.

I miss that Nintendo.

I respectfully disagree. But first let me tell you why I like amiibo.

Amiibo are a form of dlc... the best form of dlc. Amiibo are dlc that are also little figures you can put up on a shelf. You can use them infinitely and even across multiple games for a one time payment. Best of all you can share them with friends and even sell them if you no longer want/need them.

With that said, this amiibo is pretty disappointing and I have a hard time brushing this off. This is not dlc, this is a QoL feature locked behind a pay wall. It's greedy and wrong.

@LXP8
Yea, well, welcome to gaming for the last 10 years. Nintendo's just been late to the party. They're still the least egregious when it comes to all this stuff, though, even though it's all ridiculous.

@johnvboy This has nothing to do with what Nintendo is calling it. The argument is that Amiibo have always been physical DLC, downloadable content. With the Zelda amiibo, it's not providing any new content.

The game was designed so that you can only get back to Skyloft using specific points. The amiibo allows you to bypass any risk to your character in attempting to reach one. It's not a "QOL" feature, it's a "lolol easy mode" feature, like when DLC purchases can gain you absurd amounts of EXP or money in other games. The people complaining are clueless and angry for the sake of being angry.

No need to buy it when you can simply add the nfc data to a tag

I have not decided yet on getting this amiibo. I have a few but only because of the figures, not the in game content they provide.

Nintendo's 1st party titles are always high quality. I just wish the physical versions would go down in price after while instead of staying at full retail cost. This is not the case with other systems.

@Hams96 Whilst I do agree with your sentiment, I just wanted to point out that in Xenoblade 3D you could use amiibo OR play coins to unlock the songs and CG models. But, yeah, what they did in Samus Returns was frankly ridiculous.

Basic game features is now paid DLC?

I know people have proven themselves to be sheep with things for corporate branding but good lord, stop letting companies treat you like morons and enable this kind of nonsense. At this rate, we'll see an article defending putting menu options and third/first POV switches in games as paid DLC.

I'd love to. Too bad they were sold out within hours, minutes?, in the US.

I’m in the “Down with this sort of thing,” group. I hate to be “that guy” but BACK IN MY DAY WE HAD EXPANSION PACKS THAT ADDED MEANINGFUL CONTENT INSTEAD OF CHOPPING IT UP INTO TINY BITS AND SELLING IT LOCKED BEHIND TOYS NOBODY LIKES.

Ah, that felt good.

Remember Morrowind? Diablo II? Star Craft 2? Expansions. Meaningful. And worth the money. This toy is not worth the money, and will not only just collect dust and then go in the trash, but undermines what Nintendo seems to stand for as a company. Well, at least they used to stand for something. I’m not so sure about Nintendo, as a corporation, these days.

NINJA APPROVED

@KiryuJ I see you’re trying to press the “A” button, would you like to unlock this feature permanently for $3.99?

Only Nintendo could release a full-priced port with locked content/features behind a paywall. The same company that was top-notch back in the day.

@rallydefault they maybe the least offensive when it comes to dlc or even these amiibo practices. But their prices for their ports take the cake. They are always far more expensive than any other company.

Initially the concept of Amiibo intrigued me; unlike Skylanders and Disney, who's figures only worked with their respective game series, Amiibo, being the product of a platform holder, had the potential to see use across a variety of games and mitigate buying dozens of toys for each individual game.

Despite this Nintendo still took the approach of dropping new ones for individual games and not utilizing figures that people already bought, like I thought they would.

When I bought a Shulk amiibo I thought it might work across multiple games in the Xeno series. Nope. Sadly this is the fate of many amiibo and so only really retain value as a collectable at that point.

Ok here is my take on this piece of crap. For $59.99 we have to pay for physical or digital copy ok I see this but gameplay is running 720p at 30fps that’s dock and handheld mode. Not bad for 360 or PS3 graphics back in the day. But Nintendo has the audacity to charge a extra $25 for a amiibo that should have been package with the $59.99 game to commemorate the legend of Zelda. The game is only worth $29.99 or $39.99 tops, but a full $59.99 and running 720 at 30fps at best isn’t adding up! Nintendo is being really cheap and their just cashing in on the pandemic. The total cost for the amiibo and game is $75.99 you can do the math. This isn’t a Zelda experience more like to pay for the behind funeral cost for Satoru Iwata. Which he is now rolling in his grave and wondering why Nintendo has done something this stupid to it’s customers and fans.

@johnvboy

"But is the Skyward Sword HD amiibo figure and related feature some sort of new low, a new level of cynicism? No, frankly, it's pretty much par for the course."

This is an interpretation.

@TruthisRare Dont know why people are surprised, nintendo has been anti consumer for years now

I never understand the idea that it's ok or that people were surprised because it's been going on for years.

This is how life works, people will only let things go so long before they start saying 'no, this isn't ok'. Just because people let it go this long doesn't make it acceptable forever and just because people are finally saying doesn't mean that they are surprised. They are fed up, not surprised.

Just a quick recap if you're late to the party. Alot of people are arguing about a video game and a $25 statue.....both of which are 100% optional to buy 🤦‍♂️

I learned my lesson when I spent $80 to fully complete Samus returns. Something I regret doing now. But at least I got the squishy Metroid 🤷‍♂️
Not buying either because I disliked the game when it came out. Wind waker/twilight please?

If people don't like it, don't buy it. You might say the practice is crappy, but that's Nintendo's choice. They don't have to give you this feature for free. They own it, if they want to try and make money this way, good for them. As a consumer if you don't like it, don't give them your money.

@Clubnewcasino I agree 100%.

This amiibo thing deserves criticism. QoL feature locked in a $25 amiibo, while the 10 year old remastered game is $59.99, is pure greed, and it is frustrating for loyal Nintendo fans (not counting blind fanboys). So I am wondering what would be next. Lock pause or save function in a $25 amiibo as well?

@Code-X you know what sucks though scalpers and trolls will bank on this amiibo bc Nintendo only makes so much at a time we definitely going to see this amiibo rise in price talking about $100+. It’s hidden under a greedy paywall that should have been included in the game. Your paying for a 10 year port at $59.99 that can only pull 720p at 30 FPS at best. Then you gotta to spend another $25 to use this functionality? GTFOH that’s too much for any game. Yo got $59.99 the amiibo should have been package with this game period!

@blockfight it’s not that tho! If you are a fan of the Zelda series and this game is a 10 year port and pull 720p and at 30 FPS and retails for $59.99 wouldn’t you feel like you got burn. Yes it’s Nintendo choice and ours if you don’t have to buy it. But we’re calling out trillion dollar company that gives nothing back to its fans. It’s common capitalism lol.

I alwaya see amiibo as dlc and in turn, always fking hated them and have no qualms in doing "magic" to overcome nintendo greed.

This is wrong in every conceivable way. Amiibo are toys with added incentive/functionality. You get a neat-looking statue of your favorite character, and an added bonus by having so useless, arbitrary functionality in certain games. They are not integral to the enjoyment of the game, and they are not required to play the full experience. They are bonuses, plain and simple. Stop acting as if you don't still get the same experience without them, because you do.

@blockfight Thank you. Finally, an adult has entered the chat.

People keep saying, misinforming everyone, that this is a QoL feature, no, IT'S A CHEAT!

The Amiibo circumvents the design of the game by taking the quick travel statues out of the equation and is uneeded because statues are everywhere in the game to get back to Skyloft.

It's just a convenience feature for $25 which people will rarely use.

@Chamver seems you missed some of my posts...

Or we could just figure out a virtual way of activating amiibos we don't want to own.

Meh - they want money and this works. It’s a shame but I’m not surprised by anything corporate these days.

@thedudeabides05 Just a quick recap if you're late to the party. Alot of people are arguing about a video game and a $25 statue.....both of which are 100% optional to buy 🤦‍♂️

You heard it here folks. Don't complain about things that are optional. This pretty much includes everything you buy. Didn't like that movie you bought? It was optional therefore you can't complain about it. Didn't like something about that coffee maker that you bought? It was optional so keep your mouth shut. Not happy with that brand of chili? You know the drill, that brand of chili was optional. Actually buying chili at all is optional. Etc....

Lmao the sheer tone of this article if you ever wonder why all these sites will never call Nintendo on their ***** just send them this, TLDR:it’s always our fault we should just shut up and take it.

@Darkyoshi98 really? can you show me an example where QOL is paygated by MS or Sony?

@TNLGUY
There’s no risk in the game it’s just tedious and boring you spend so much running and dealing with the stamina meter so you can exit to the overworld which is a giant empty chore to fly through, Nintendo recognized this as a problem they can exploit hence the paid solution. Your argument is trying to craft a narrative where getting back to Skyloft is akin to getting back to Firelink Shrine in Dark Souls and that’s absolutely hilarious, let’s not forget that the Souls games are brutal yet still have warp mechanics.

@SalvorHardin You clearly didn't like the game to begin with. No, it is not as hard as Dark Souls, and you're the one crafting a narrative by claiming that I'm implying it is. What even is the point of collecting health or healing items if you can whisk yourself away at any moment? I can understand if the game was never difficult FOR YOU. It isn't for me either. My point is that it only trivializes the game altogether, even for the kiddos who may have found some challenge in it. Skyrim, which is also not as difficult as Dark Souls, would only become braindead easy even for children if one could just warp to safety anytime their health is low. Hence the "you cannot fast travel with enemies nearby". If you don't enjoy easy games, keep bragging about being an elitist punk, I'm sure everyone will be your best friend. You clearly had beef with this game to begin with (many do) and are only reinforcing my perspective that you're angry for the sake of being angry. This article indicates that it is QOL, which I don't agree with. But it also indicates that if you don't like it DON'T PLAY IT. That I agree with.

Remember Codename: STEAM, where several characters were locked behind amiibo? Heck, anyone remember Codename:STEAM in general? (Wow! What a flop! Shame I I paid full price for it.) Anyway, the game allowed you to play as Fire Emblem characters in a steampunk strategy third person shooter by scanning in the amiibo for Marth, Ike, Lucina, and I think Robin. Since amiibo were mostly used for inconsequential Smash stuff, I think those were the biggest chunks of dlc hidden behind amiibo.

When on-disk content is locked behind a paywall, I think this justifies hacking the console to access the content we purchased. If the relationship between player and Nintendo becomes so strained that we start hacking our consoles, to get
the full experience of a 60usd old emulated Wii game, we may as well pirate the games. In my opinion.

@ATaco I love how any time someone defends something Nintendo does it’s “uuggghhh fanboys always defending, have fun with the Nintendo checks you bootlicking shill!!!” As if your opinion is somehow inherently more valid than mine because it’s a negative one? Hate to break it to you but it’s not. Clearly your parents failed you.

Also, this is a Nintendo site so maybe don’t come here if people defending Nintendo is this stressful for you.

@BAN

It is when it's anti consumer. Like seriously, this isn't a benefit for us at all, why defend it? It's you who I don't get. This "I don't care" mentality leads to things like this slowly getting worse and worse.

You can support Nintendo all you want, just try to do it when they make pro consumer moves for us. We don't owe them anything, they should always be striving to deliver the best services to get our hard earned money. That's the problem with consumers nowadays, they just buy and thank the corporations as if companies like Nintendo are offering these games out of the goodness of their hearts. No, they're a business and they want our money, so we should keep striving to make sure we get our money's worth.

Trash article.

If its physical its NOT DLC.

Digital has unlimited supply whereas physical is VERY limited.

QoL features should not be limited to a limited few, thats just stupid and honestly anyone who disagrees is probably privileged

@omalleycat215 Great game, would love it if it was on the switch.

Warp from anywhere right into the sky, even mid dungeon? That is an Action Replay/Gameshark code, not a quality of life feature

I'm probably not gonna get it, but that's not because I'm at all bothered by the idea. I just have too many Amiibo as it is, and I'm pretty much out of room to display stuff.

I don't like buying collectibles and this just stuffing them in a closet. I want to be able to put them on a shelf to enjoy.

The Amiibo looks great! I will buy it, but it‘s not a good thing to hide a QoL feature behind a limited Amiibo figure.

@Franklin,

As is your own personal opinion this is some how "Some new low" somehow cynical move by Nintendo, still all opinion at the end of the day.

@Retroike7,

It's providing a cheat code that is not available in the original game or this new HD remaster, we can argue all day to it's importance, or what type of content it's labelled as, but still additional content all the same.

As for the quality of it, I suggest we need to look at it as you pay for the amiibo, this on is larger and effectively two figures in one, and the additional good or bad content is free.

My biggest surprise is that people on here expected Nintendo to change what it has pretty much dome with amiibo figures since their inception.

I agree with Juiceman. The amiibo is more akin to a cheat, NOT a QOL. The statues in the game already are the warp points. The amibo breaks game design and allows you to warp from the ground wherever you are and put you back at the point from where you warped when you're done in the sky. It's a busted move, a legal cheat, and that's why it's in amiibo form in the first place. It takes away the adventure, the moments of danger, if you can just decide to warp as you well and please.

@Darlinfan ok. So what could they do to make it more acceptable? Have the amiibo do something more meaningful, like adding a bonus dungeon, the option to play as Zelda, or a new Super Hard mode where you only have 1 heart? Make fast travel a normal in-game unlockable, but the amiibo unlocks it early? Have the amiibo drop generic items (rupees, hearts) that make the game easier in a non-essential way? Or have the amiibo do cosmetic things only (e.g. change the colour of Link’s Loftwing, or alt Link outfits)?

@Desa,

Exactly, people would see this as a minor addition, even unwanted if it was in the game for free. It's only now that Nintendo have decided to give the feature as part of an amiibo package, people have got upset.

@gaga64,

That would make people more upset, as just imagine the uproar if the content was significant and locked behind an amiibo, people are already incensed by a minor cheat code as it is.

Amiibo's are just expensive MTX hidden behind a cheaply made plastic toy, never liked or agreed with them and its why i feel no shame in making my own Amiibo cards.

Just get the card is probably like six dollars or $20 for the whole Zelda deck of amibo cards. Amazon will probably have it soon after release.

@Crono1973,

The whole Nintendo anti consumer argument is very flawed in the first place, you can pretty much label most companies with that using specific examples that support their argument, while ignoring other things that do not.

For example during the Wii U Nintendo had a console that was pretty obvious was going to be their worst selling home console, the launch was pretty good, but the momentum quickly stopped shortly after, yet the kept supporting it with games, these titles had no chance of reaching their full sales potential, but still had the same development costs etc.

So when Nintendo released the Switch and it was a massive improvement sales wise, they decided to re release these games to effectively a new audience for the most part, and give them the chance to perform to their full potential, and all Nintendo get on forums is they are being greedy for doing so, when in fact I very much doubt Nintendo aiming these ports at people that had already bought them on the Wii U, which is pretty similar to these HD remastered games too.

I bought a Wolf Link amiibo, expecting Twilight Princess HD to come to the Nintendo Switch.
Still nothing...
Waiting for Golden Sun Games to get re-released for the 3DS or Nintendo Switch.
Still nothing...
Stupid Wii-U... I wont buy it.
To the people who are tired of ports from the Wii-U,
I don't care.
Nintendo should give us access all them games.
Unless its a Full-on remake, 4gb+, Zelda, Mario, or Pokémon game, they should re-release the bulk of ports digitally.

@johnvboy Skyward Sword was actually a Wii game, not Wii U. The Wii was a massively successful piece of hardware...not that I need to tell you that.

Besides, maybe if Nintendo had an...I dunno... virtual console, like they did with the Wii, y'know...the very successful hardware...we could just play that version instead of pay a full $60 for a rerelease with what looks like minimal effort? (They HAD to rework the controls at least...but that was because the switch lite's existance forced their hand.)

Again, this isn't just picking on Nintendo just to hate. I was one of the first to call out Sony for attempting to shut down the PSN store (guess what, they listened). This is just fighting for better value in the things we put our money on. In the consoles we choose to support.

@LXP8,

Pretty sure back in the day when you owned a Nintendo game, you did not get all the cheats etc bundled with it.

This game is the full original experience in HD, the only thing missing was never there in the first place, so same old Nintendo in reality, no need to miss them.

@johnvboy I mean, I’ve collected Amiibo since day 1, and I have over 100 of them, so I’m very familiar with them and the general amount of content they bring to a game. Most amiibo have provided something a little more more meaningful to the games they’re used in, even if it generally very minor, when compared to this amiibo. It’s not hard to understand why people are disappointed or dissatisfied with this release. I think it’s fair for people to expect a little more value from this, especially as amiibo prices increase.

@ATaco,

I know it was a Wii game, my points were more general in Nintendo being labeled anti consumer when it does thing people do not personally like, and then ignore things they do like support a console that was guaranteed to be losing them money, when you factor in all the development costs, lower than usually expected game sales etc.

My other point was people on forums tend to look at things from only their own points of view, and suggest just because they personally have bought and owned ports and retro remasters, Nintendo should make them lower priced, when in reality all these games will be brand new to the massive potential Switch user base, and Nintendo value their content and like to protect it, and the proof of that is in it's consistent second and value.

Anyway after around 288 comments on the third article on the subject, I refuse to give the site anymore clicks.

My position is clear on the subject, have fun still debating guys and gals.

I totally agree with this article. What I don't get is why people would be SO desperate to transfer between the ground and sky at all times in this game that they'd complain about not having access to a feature that wasn't available when it first released. If you absolutely MUST use this new feature, you buy the Amiibo. If you decide you really don't want the plastic figurine that MAYBE makes the games slightly, what... less time-consuming? Then don't buy it. But holy jeez the way people are complaining about this is a wonderful reminder of how internet-age humans in general are just plain awful.

10 or so years ago this wouldve qualified as a "cheat code" not dlc let alone locked behind a figure

I want the Amiibo because it looks nice. However am not sure I will buy it because of the price and I've already pre-ordered the special edition joy cons as well as Skyward Sword HD.
Using the Amiibo might be counter productive anyway because you'll collect less rupees and resources along the way which helps you get better stuff in the game.

Maybe Viridi is right about humans deserving extinction and making way for the evolution of the Inklings. Come to think of it, maybe Viridi can be a new Smash Representative for the Kid Icarus series.

@ATaco Putting aside any other issues one might have with Nintendo, but how in the world is an optional cheat (and let's be real, this is a cheat), locked behind an optional figurine anti-consumer?

@johnvboy like the 1P Challenge modes in Splatoon, Epona (objectively the best horse) and exclusive weapons in BOTW, Expert mode in Samus Returns, the Cave of Ordeals in Twilight Princess HD, exclusive dungeons in Fire Emblem Echoes, unlockable heroes in Fates, exclusive weapons in Hyrule/FE Warriors or the hidden 8-bit Toads in Captain Toad? Or the entirety of Animal Crossing Amiibo Festival?

Or the Challenges in Mega Man Legacy Collection, and whatever it is in Shovel Knight?

I only ever really buy amiibo just as a collectible. I never think too much about what they do, but if they do something cool that's a bonus for me. Honestly I think this is the way Nintendo are thinking now anyway. Just make an amiibo to go with a game -because they can- and then find some minor thing implement the NFC feature in-game. That's why they added this feature to this amiibo. Not because they want you to buy it so you can fast travel, but because they want it to have some use besides sitting on your shelf.

Quick talking point that I don't think anyone has brought up yet, but even if you do buy the amiibo and want to use the new fast travel feature, you are going to have to take this massive figure with you everywhere you go so you can scan it each time you want to fast travel. That has to be one of the most asinine UX choices Nintendo could have made. Locking QoL features behind an amiibo isn't just stupid, but it's also wildly inconvenient in terms of playing games on a portable console.

@Baker1000 me too. I started off the other way round, getting the ones with exclusive features for games I was playing as an excuse for some cool-looking statues, but gradually I switched round to collectible-first, game-features as a bonus.

I don't even care about the fact that it's dlc. I just hate the fact that Amiibo are so hard to get from those darn scalpers.

I wonder how many of the "DOWN WITH THIS SORT OF THING" voters would have even bought the Amiibo in the first place... #KeyboardWarriors

@GrailUK Not sure which of my comments you are referring to, but I couldn't care less about the amiibo or Skyward Sword (the second worst Zelda game). My complaint is the fanboy level journalism at Nintendolife which twists itself into pretzels justifying everything Nintendo does regardless of how awful and anti-consumer it might be.

Suggesting this amiibo is dlc is total nonsense. DLC is downloadable content, not physical items. The amiibo is a physical key to unlock gated content that is included on the cartridge. Capcom tried something similar years ago when they put unreleased fighters on the disc to be unlocked later with money. They were eviscerated by gamers and gaming media at the time, and they deserved it.

Nintendolife is giving this behavior a pass because that's what they always do. Nintendo can never be wrong and must always be defended. It's shoddy journalism and a weird cult-like attitude that I don't see on either of the sister sites.

@UmbreonsPapa

The fact that it will be locked behind a figurine which, let's be real here, will be sold out within hours of it being released? Just because you consider it a cheat code doesn't mean it's not something that most people will be able to access even if they wanted to. It's one thing to release DLC...but this is DLC that's basically locked behind a finite physical good... because another thing Nintendo is bad at is keeping these little toys in stock.

@Bentendo1609

I think the amiibo actually looks pretty nice (inflated price aside) I even went through the hassle of grabbing a few fire emblem amiibo. I do like the design and even if they didn't serve a dual purpose, I'd still buy them as collectibles.

@Ambassador_Kong I see your point. I suppose they would be more expensive if the data was actually on the Amiibo?

@Spider-Kev Sadly, I don't think the rosalina guy livestreamed himself burning the amiibo. Huge missed opportunity. He could have made a bonfire.

@johnvboy

Right, but you were claiming his to be facts.

@GrailUK I think the whole amiibo thing is a no win scenario. The amiibo does nothing of value and the buyer feels they wasted their money. The amiibo does something useful and people that don't want / can't find the amiibo get upset that Nintendo is gating content. The simplest solution (in my opinion) is for Nintendo to make a line figurines (that don't do anything other than catch dust) and sell them. People will buy them and no one will feel like they are missing any game content.

@Ambassador_Kong I imagine kids think they are magic! Hee hee.

@electrolite77 I guess the way I see it is that it's not really an "improvement" so much as a "vaguely different way to play the game". I'm sure there is some validity to some of the complaints about having to pay for that slight addition to the game; it's just that most of the complaints I've read kind of come off as people screaming about it as if Nintendo has stolen something precious from them personally.

@electrolite77 How exactly is it a QoL thing when you can warp to the sky when inside a dungeon? It takes any and all challenge out of the game if you can just run away. QoL should make the game better to play, not take the challenge out of the game. Skyward Sword has a stealth section that removes all your items. You have to get through it all. If during play you are hurt, just warp away and heal? If that is what you call QoL then you really must suck at Zelda games. It is an Action Replay code for running away, not a QoL feature.

@Euler The fast travel in Breath of the Wild was part of an expansion pass that

• was $5 cheaper
• included much more than just the fast travel
• only required you to find the thing to be able to use it freely without having to tap a chunk of plastic to your controller each time
• was for a game that many more people were willing to buy extra content for, unlike Skyward Sword, which people love to hate on as it is, and this malarkey does not help.

@electrolite77 Yeah, just like when people used to buy Action Replay/Gameshark carts. Those weren't free. You buy a thing and can do extra stuff. I remember buying a Gameboy memory card for multiple save files for Pokemon. That would have been considered by some a QoL thing, but you had to buy a separate piece of hardware to do it. The only time I have disagreed with how Nintendo handled amiibo content is locking a whole mode behind one with Metroid Samus Returns. That one was excessive. This one is a pointless feature that is more like a cheat code than a feature.

I know that Thomas tries to be relatively objective when he writes this kind of articles but this particular article misses the point entirely.

Once again, Nintendolife spits in the faces of disabled people or people with mental differences that make for lower attention spans. Accessibility options you SHOULD NOT NEED TO PAY FOR.

@JuiceMan_V So what? I think it's QoL, but cheats are usually included within a game for free as well. It's just as moronic.

What's more off-putting to me is people here saying they prefer that amiibos unlock more meaningful content.

@BAN Of course I'll be okay. I won't be wasting noney on the game or the amiibo. I borrowed the game for Wii once and thought the only good thing about it was having a gravity-defying village in the sky. I didn't like the story, the characters, or the gameplay. That doesn't mean I'm okay with this practice, and I don't just criticize Nintendo for it.

As for the amiibo requirement, it's not just about the figure itself, it's about the massive increase in scalper activity since the start of the covid pandemic. It's been bad before, but now it seems like every time a popular company releases anything in limited quantities, rich ***** ***** are buying them up in massive quantities to create a shortage and sell them for jacked up prices, so for a lot of people now, the price of a required amiibo will be much higher than $25! And yes, other companies pull this *****, and I hate it when they do that too.

Actually you know what, I want to thank the writter of this dumb article. He was able to help me with filling my ignore list with people who support this garbage, thanks Thomas Whitehead!

@Doofenshmirtz,

Never understood why anybody would want to put people on ignore lists, for simply disagreeing with their own personal opinions, I mean if people insult you or say something inappropriate then fair enough, but surely you can't be against some constructive debate.

Of course there is always going to be people simply winding others up, but for the most part it's not like that.

@KayFiOS People only “love to hate” Skyward Sword when they’re taking a break from portbegging for it. And the Breath of the Wild DLC didn’t come with a collectible figurine. Either way, meaningful DLC locked behind rebuying the game for 80$ is far worse than anything they’ve done with amiibo.

@johnvboy this is how the Internet works now. You block out the noise you disagree with and surround yourself with noise you do agree with to make you feel like you are always right. It's a shame.

@Marxally evidently they are dlc. Keep up.

@Doofenshmirtz sounds like your the one everyone needs to ignore. You simply have no concept of debate or discussion and clearly anyone that thinks different than you is wrong. You are just another woke idiot in my opinion.

@Ambassador_Kong To be fair to Nintendo, they know people will buy these half-assed ports at full price in droves so they can’t really be blamed for doing it. Activision didn’t launch the Crash and Spyro trilogies at budget prices because they felt the price reflected the content appropriately given the age of the games or whatever. If they felt like those games would have sold at full price then they 100% would have priced them as such.

Not saying it doesn’t suck at all that Nintendo squeeze their fans for all they’re worth but if people keep lining up to hand over £50 for lazy efforts then it’s no shock that they keep doing it.

@sixrings
Well, we differ on a fundamental principle, then. I think games are art, and much like movies or music or books, I don't think prices for these things should naturally decrease over time (copyright for very old books is different obviously). Old games aren't day-old bread or appliances or cars that have newer models, thus defeating the purpose of owning the old other than collector's value. After adjusting for regular economics like inflation, I believe games and other art forms shouldn't lose value based solely on age.

I think that every zelda amiibo should work with skyword sword like the new one. I think this fast travel add_on write your position in the game into the amiibo and when you use it again it load the last location written in it, that's why I think it's locked behind the amiibo paywall. But every zelda amiibo should work the same way.

And I preordered it because I found it beautiful and I want to put it on my shelf

@blockfight,

Sad, but as you say true.

@larryisanassman,

What about the people who have never played these games, are they being ripped off too?, and what if you want the game as close to the look and feel of the original, but just require the resolution to be upgraded, we do not all want the same things

This game has a very unique look, just like the Wind waker in many ways, not sure I would want it tampered with to be honest, but that's just my own personal view.

This move is a big f you from Nintendo to fans.

@blockfight That's literally reddit lol

The karma system on that site just creates echo chambers in their communities. I do believe having differing points of view is important, even though I don't agree with them. Everyone mindlessly going in one direction together is no good, no matter what that direction is.

@ATaco yep reddit for sure. And twitter is arguably worse. I think I've only ever blocked one or 2 people ever on any forum and that was because they were just being an idiot rather than me just disagreeing with them.

@Euler Remember when you could buy an amiibo and a remade Twilight Princess for $50 in a bundle? And the amiibo actually had some awesome content that wasn't just a QoL improvement, while still feeling like a nice bonus separate from the game itself so you felt genuinely rewarded for spending the extra $10? Wish we still lived in those times...

@BongoBongo123,

or a small thank you to the Nintendo fans who buy this amiibo.

@johnvboy Don't get me wrong I like the amibo, but this remake has so few new features that locking the quick travel mechanic behind physical DLC just seems very frugal of them.

I'll probably end up picking up the game anyway and enjoying it. SS is the only 3D zelda I never finished. I think it had really interesting side quests involving the villagers in skyloft.

@larryisanassman I believe you are 100% correct.

@BongoBongo123,

I have never played the original so am quite excited for the game, it will be the first time I have bought a port of an older game, that I did not buy when it originally came out.

As for the amiibo, I am not into them so will pass, pretty sure I can live without the extra feature.

The whole idea of this is stupid, not just that it's a quality of life feature you shouldn't have to pay extra for, but that you have to carry around a physical toy with your portable console in order to do it.

@rallydefault that is fine that you are ok with Nintendo pricing thing the way they want to. It’s their company so they can do what they want. But as a consumer I can raise my eye to what I think is excessive.

The competition…

Sony God of war trilogy HD standard price
Microsoft Halo MCC trilogy HD standard price
EA Mass Effect trilogy HD standard price
Activision Crash Trilogy HD lower price
Tecmo Ninja Gaiden Trilogy HD lower price

Capcom remade both resident evil two and three which would take more work. Activision included Modern Warfare remaster with their current Call of duty when it was released.

Even Nintendo just last year gave us three Mario games for the same price. I’m just confused how Nintendo gamers don’t care that they are paying such a high amount for one port.

I will be happy when they port games I have interest in though. So it’ll all work out. But I think the price is absolutely insane and Nintendo is getting away with it partially because they are Nintendo and partially because their fan base is starved.

@Kineas True.

This comment section is a goldmine. Possibly one of Nintendolife’s best so far

@DrDaisy First-world problems.

@ATaco Jesus, get a grip. It’s not anti anything to make a product and sell it for a premium. You have zero obligation to buy it. I defend it because I’m not a child and I believe in the free market. It’s not my problem that you don’t, or my fault if you can’t afford to buy a piece of plastic that you don’t need and can absolutely live without.

People need to stop acting like video game pricing is life and death. It’s offensive to my core as a human. There are real problems in the world and this isn’t even remotely close to being one of them, except maybe to 12 year olds with zero perspective.

If y'all blindly support Nintendo as fanboys and label people who criticize Nintendo as haters, you are wrong. If you attack Nintendo and their fans without constructive criticism, you are wrong too.

In this case, Nintendo definitely deserves criticism because they are getting complacent, lazy, and greedy over the past few years. They are not improving the UI for the Switch or its eShop for years, they stopped selling Mario 3D All Star and the original Fire Emblem for no legitimate reasons. What about the Joy-Con drift issue which has been plaguing our controllers for years? And now they try to sell 10 year old HD remaster with $59.99 and lock QoL feature in $25 amiibo, and that policy is encouraging scalpers to rip people off. This is like locking fast travel feature in Wind Waker HD, and it should have been included in the game in the first place. What's the difference between what they have been doing and EA's greedy business practices?

I get it. They can do whatever they want to do with their IPs. But if they get greedy and screw up their loyal customers, then we have a right to call them out as well. After all, you don't want to waste your hard earned money on crappy products. I spent over $100 for amiibos and constantly buying their games, but I am going to pass this game for sure. I will answer it with my wallet. Plain and simple.

It's the greedy price tag that bothers me. I collect these things, so have to buy one before they all disappear and end up with scalpers. £25 though, or £30 from most places if you factor delivery/shipping in. The game's due out in just a few weeks, I had it preordered. Now that Nintendo's randomly announced this thing out of the blue costing almost as much as the game and giving me hardly any time to budget for it, I probably can't afford to buy Skyward Sword HD now until later on. I love Zelda. I love amiibos. But given the rubbish and almost completely unnecessary 'feature' this enables, and the hefty price tag, it does feel very much like a last minute cash grab.

I've played SS twice and never wanted this feature. People are so against the 15 seconds it takes to run over to a bird statue? Those same people complain there is barely any overworld in SS so why would they want to skip the tiny amount of overworld the game actually has? I like the overworld too, it feels like the 2d games style of gameplay, you actually have use all your items to progress when outside of dungeons too.

@YoshiAngemon if you would of cut someone's grass instead wrote that rant comment you could just buy the amiibo and have it forever. What did you get for your comment?

QOL - here we go with another silly acronym. Some of these modern features are actually cheats, or simple enhancements, or bonuses. I'm unfamiliar with this game, only to say the principle is if the feature is integral to the improvement of the game, it should not be locked behind an amiibo. If it's more a cheat, shortcut or something cosmetic, then it's fine to lock it.

@BAN Okay. I'm getting sick of you. You're on my ignore list.

@Gerald Where did you hear that? Because everything I've heard says fast travel requires the amiibo.

@DrDaisy That’s probably for the best. I wouldn’t want you to suffer over something as serious and devastating as this.

Amiibo are not physical DLC. They don't download a new feature to the game. The feature is already there, you just need the amiibo to use it.

I don't know if I"d think it better or worse if it withheld (unnecessary but fun) portions of the game like Twilight Princess. The scarcity of them makes me think it'd be worse.

But fake amiibo cards are easy to come by these days aren't they?

And as others have mentioned I don't think this is a QoL improvement to the game, it's more of a cheat because it lets you fly to the sky in dungeons when that is really a little illogical seeing as you're in a building, or probably underground.

@ChakraStomps probably nothing. But it's funny you mentioned cutting grass, because I was paid $50. Part of It I used to pay off a pre-order for a game coming this month. It's just that when it comes to what's hot right now, I am basically too slow. I don't have a problem when it came to the Deluxe Edition of the Sonic Encyclo-Speed-ia. I am not now, nor have I ever been Sonic the Hedgehog. And if I try to go too fast physically, I get speed-sick. And speaking of Sonic, why haven't the scalpers targeted Sonic's 30th Anniversary merchandise, yet? Is Sonic not as popular as he used to be, or does SEGA stock things better than Nintendo?

@GumbyX84 in the original game, the statues give you fast travel, you unlock them as you progress. Ok, it’s not instant, but they are everywhere, it would not take long to find one.
As many people have already said, this is more like away to quickly get out of a hostile situation. I don’t consider that to be QOL, I consider that to be a way to cheat. I find that more annoying than Fi

What the hell have I walked in on?

@NTDO89 write to Nintendo? Why would anyone want to do that when they can complain in here where it makes no difference whatsoever? 🤣

The best use of amiibo I can think of was Super Mario Maker, which was compatible with most of the figures available at the time and each unlocked a specific amiibo costume to use in SMB levels. What made it work was that all the costumes were still available to players without amiibo through the 100 Mario Challenge; owning amiibo just got them faster. In the context of SSHD, what Nintendo should have done is have the feature unlock at some point throughout the game while owning the amiibo just allows you to access it before that point. I think if that were the case, there would be a lot less criticism.

@YoshiAngemon $50 is awesome. And that $50 buys real games these days.. I was lucky to get $20 and a cold glass of lemonade back in my day and then put that toward garbage like Stampede. Some might say, oh Stampede, that was way cool.. but really, would anyone cut two lawns with old school lawn mowers (no self pull) to buy that now?

@ChakraStomps Well, the game in my case is Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World: Physical Edition. I even have a Saturn Bluetooth Controller for the Switch to play it with. I used it with Streets of Rage 4. SEGA Ages: Wonder Boy In Monster Land, as well. Plus, I put the leftover Gift Card money towards Skyward Sword HD, leaving me with $15.10 to pay for it before July.

@YoshiAngemon rockin!

At the moment,
this amiibo is just fast travel for Skyward Sword,
but have y'all figured out yet that it would also be eventually utilized for Breath of the Wild 2?

Golden Cleric award for the poll takers!

@Whitestrider So what if I do?

@mikegamer nothing, I was just curious...

@ATaco I'm only presuming of course, but I feel the cost is proof that it will be a larger Amiibo similar to Detective Pikachu or the Guardian from BotW.

@SwitchplayerJohn Agreed. It just seems to be getting worse and worse. At least the announced Amiibo functionality for Metroid Dread is minimal (extra energy, extra missile tanks, I think).

Of course Metroid: Samus Returns locked an entire difficulty behind an amiibo, and that felt pretty horrible.

A few years from now there will probably be a free to play Zelda or Mario with one area initially available, and to unlock additional levels or dungeons you will have to buy the corresponding amiibo for each section. Gotta collect 'em all!

To make it even better: want to access the item screen? Get the Navi amiibo! Want to fight Ganondorf? Better have the amiibo for that too! Want to expand the amount of rupees you can hold? We have a Tingle amiibo for that too!

Sorry. Rant ended.

I refuse to pay for limited production figures to o unlock in game items and features.

Just buy a power save, and download any amiibo data from a depository for free.