New Zelda: Skyward Sword HD Footage Shows Off The Game's Autosave Feature

This, we already knew, thanks to another trailer.

I'm not excited. I played this game on Wii, got bored and turned it off, years and years ago. I already have it, gathering dust somewhere.

Geez Nintendo, save it for the reviews.

Any idea of an ETA for the review of this? I'm probably going to get it but I'm just looking for confirmation that the whole thing isn't ruined by some stupid decision they've made...

Sorry, but that was the whole thing of getting to a Bird Statue, all these "Quality of Life" updates are just a type of cheating in my mind.

I know BOTW is technically more impressive, but this game looks so gorgeous to me (as someone who never played the Wii version) I love how brightly coloured it is and the fact that it's the first 3D Zelda to run at 60fps. I always preferred the art style in games like Ocarina and Wind Waker to the more realistic "mature" style of games like Twilight Princess or BOTW...

I just want to see how well the controls translate to using the analogue stick as I hate playing games with Joycon motion controls.

Not anything that’s gonna change the world but not just a straight port either.

Does it really hang the game every time it autosaves?

@dystome I'd imagine that embargo will lift Wed or Thurs at 2 or 3pm BST based on previous timings. Very curious to see how this rates...

Even though I enjoyed the game back in the day, I absolutely appreciate these changes and am not necessarily complaining. Ill be picking the game up at some point down the road.

But someone made a great point in the comments of another SS article. What exactly was the discussion or decision making behind some of the games issues in the beginning? Some of the games quirks weren't necessarily new concepts back in 2011 (or the 4 or 5 years prior I assume during the game's development). Was there anyone in the room who looked at some of these things and thought "Maybe this isn't helpful to the flow of the game".

While I'm glad for these changes... why are they announcing them Tweet-by-Tweet this close to launch? Just tell us all the changes at once if you really wanted to wait this late, drip-feeding it feels like a misstep to me.

I'm surprised by how excited I am for this. Its been a minute since I played a 3D Zelda game (that isn't BOTW).

@erikharrison Yeah I actually don't like this...

More like Skyward Bored...

Several tweaks like that autosave feature could collectively improve the game quite a bit. I'm excited.

It's getting hilarious how they're trying to sell this remake, on pure standard features that simply weren't there before.

Still, I am a bit curious...

Looking forward to getting this on release.. I just couldn't get into the Wii version with the motion controls so only played it about a third of the way through...
Now with the button controls and HD visuals I hope I enjoy it alot more....

@erikharrison if the auto save actually causes the game to stutter like that, it would be game-killing…Hopefully that pause is just part of this video production to highlight the auto save feature…

@erikharrison I’m sure they just did it to highlight the feature - I doubt the game actually stops every few minutes to allow for the autosave, while the ‘saving’ icon gets magnified and surrounded by a ring-like pattern. It’s just a marketing gimmick added to the video to make sure people notice the feature is there.

Kids these days with their quality of life upgrades. Back in my day...

autosave.. $60! Nintendo Nintendo

I'm looking forward to it as i never owned a Wii cause I was too hardcore back then. Same reason i want prime trillogy on switch.

While I don't actually like skyward sword, I can at least commend Nintendo for fixing SOME of the really annoying problems the OG game had. Still not buying it though. SS has too many problems that can't be fixed at all and are just a result of its overall mediocrity

@Jooles_95 Yeah, it's pretty obvious upon rewatching that you're right. I watched in low-res the first time and it looked like the "magnification" was actually part of the auto-save notification, not post-production on the video.

The qualify of life changes are nice, but it's still not worth $60 for the minimal improvements. I still own my launch day Wii copy with the gold wiimote so I probably won't be picking this up unless I see a steep discount. I recommend others do the same. It's the only way to holding Nintendo accountable for these lazy practices.

Never have I seen a trailer for autosave 😂

Normal things are getting trailers now?

@Bunkerneath Yeah. Who wouldn't want to go back to the long, Castlevania, Metroid, etc. password days? And how about that save system on the original Zelda? I mean WHAT?!

@RupeeClock Yea that's how game releases work

Is there any word on using motion control aiming when you've selected to use the Pro Controller to slash the sword with the stick? I'd love to still be able to aim my bow and sling shot with motion controls and use the stick for the sword.

Was gonna get it later when I could find it for cheap. But after watching chuggaconroys let’s play I am convinced for day one. Most troubled people have with the game either look overblown or are fixed. I know a let’s play isn’t the best way to decide these things but it is a good indicator

@NinjaGuy69
I think this port is more for people who don’t own it. Skyward sword sold 3.5 mil copies and botw sold 22.2 mil. Even if we round up to 4 mil for skyward sword to account for people using emulators or playing a used copy that is still 18 mil people who haven’t played it. Links awakening sold 4 mil so at the very least it will sell like the original did

@UmbreonsPapa Nearly every time that questions gets asked about Skyward Sword, the answer is: "Nintendo Execs asked the devs to target people who have no idea what video games are."

The choices make a lot more sense with that in mind... Other than this particular one, which was more just weird, since prior 3D Zeldas let you save anywhere save Majora's Mask.

Anyways, if you have any doubt, take a look at Mario Galaxys development. They had the same directive. Luckily, shortly before launch, Miyamoto (I think) got his hands on the game and forced them to do something about the difficulty, since it originally had 8/16 health like 64/Sunshine, not 3/6. But the fact that you have to use motion for even accessing menus, the planned huge difficulty drop, the linearity of the game, they all trace back to that.

Big problem was: Mario is a series better suited to appealing to casuals than Zelda.

@The_New_Butler
If they were on switch they would be 60 bucks. But people praise them so they would say it is worth it

@The_New_Butler
I am not saying that they wouldn’t be worth sixty and I even think skyward sword is worth sixty. But people complained about a new Metroid not being forty so that is my proof. Or they would contradict them self’s when praising Nintendo giving us these games.But I agree with you it would be nice to see them on switch but people hate paying for good games these days

I hope you can turn this off. This is just making the game easier, like the amiibo. Reaching a bird statue was part of the challenge. Now, don't worry, you are always saving. Are people really that bad at the game they need an auto save feature?

Having bought a used Wii U in the last few weeks in order to play the other Zelda HD remasters, I'm tempted to get this one as well. The price point is a bit steep (Twilight Princess HD retailed for $50-60 with the Wolf Link amiibo included), and I already have Skyward Sword through backwards compatibility; one the other hand, the HD remasters definitely look better and have small but significant improvements to gameplay. I'd really like to test out the new control scheme before fully committing, but I'll probably get the game regardless.

Trumpeting these QoL changes (most of which should've been in the originaL) is quite sad, as the game has no actual augmentations to its gameplay, unlike the HD duo that came out on the Wii U

Ew, keep autosave away from my Skyward Sword.

Skyward Sword was the second Zelda game I ever played. Honestly, at the time I didn't even realize how much people disliked it. I mean, the motion controls were a bit awkward throughout the playthrough, but I finished the game with no problems at all.

I'm actually kind of excited for this remaster as I've forgotten most of the story. Won't be playing it anytime soon though, since I'll wait for a sale.

Autosave is almost a must-have these days. If anything, let players turn it off if they want but I hardly play any games that don't have this basic modern feature.

@deadmaker Same here. I try to stay away from reviews on a game I know I'm going to buy anyway. Almost feel like the negativity of this particular became sort of a cult. They do tend to be the loudest voices. Nowadays, if a first party Nintendo IP doesn't get at least a 9 or 10 review the pitchfork and torches come out.

Only a Zelda game can make headlines in 2021 for having auto-saves as a new feature.

@Bunkerneath it isn't dark souls, or Jedi fallen order. The game design isn't based around save points as part of a risk reward system. It was literally just a hold over from SNES through PS2 era Japanese game design that held you captive to save points and the old gamer meme of "I have to keep playing until I get to the save point". It didn't serve a real purpose. It's a Zelda game. How often do you actually die at all excluding lynels and guardians in botw? It just padded play time if you stopped.

That old design drives me crazy. Playing nocturne now. Ugh...I forgot why I hated consoles so much in that era.

Smt4 did it, but had far more frequent save points. Same with mhs2.

@The_New_Butler Sony is a weird one. You hear about their system seller super duper amazing exclusives, but when you look at the real sales, they really don't sell all that amazingly. It's a fraction of their install base compared to Nintendo that sells many of their big games to most of their install base. Most Nintendo owners buy it to play Nintendo games. Most ps owners buy it to play Things other than Sony games. It'll be interesting if they can really get away with nickel and diming their loyalist niche forever the way Nintendo can I don't think their games, however critically praised have that same merchandising ability Disney/Nintendo does. 　

@The_New_Butler One big big problem is that as the world population grows, theres more and more rich people to sell luxury goods to, even if it's the same percentage of the population as always, it's just more raw numbers meaning you can reach sales goals of the past selling exclusively to that now huge luxury market. Sony and Nintendo both seem to be leaning into that. It's becoming pervasive through all society. Everything is only luxury premium goods and everything is moved up market because there's enough of them to make it the only market that matters..... But that market demands exclusivity away from the unwashed masses. The more expensive the better simply because it means it's exclusive for a refined class. Rebuilding the aristocracy. Never thought I'd see video games go that route but everything from food to flooring did, so why not. For us masses theres F2P for the common rabble.

I typically play one game at a time, so never in a mad rush for save points - I just put the Switch console to sleep... anytime I like.

I don't know why but I just have to make fun of this.

In a deep manly voice
In the year, 2021, there lives these weird sky people that live on clouds or land on top of clouds or they just float on top of clouds and they live happily on their clouds. Not far below the sky people live the not-so-sky people and they also live happily.

But wait, that's not the only happiness here. These people can sleep peacefully at night because of a neat invention called "autosave", which saves the universe automatically at intervals. No more, do people have to worry about their homes being invaded while their out grocery shopping. Now, the universe will automatically save after the bandits take all your valuables.

LOL, Nintendo gets praise for things like autosave and allowing camera controls.

That's fine by me. Good stuff

@link3710 Dunno since when, as Zelda has always, and I mean always, been way easier than Mario.

I assume actually making use of the autosave feature is optional.

@Thirteen1355 You're mistaking difficulty for accessibility. Mario started out from a very linear route with minimal buttons. Just running and jumping as you move right.

Zelda on the other hand? The games always have been about adventuring and freedom. But freedom means the ability to get lost. With Mario, its literally impossible to get lost or not know how to proceed, save for a few ghost houses.

In order to cater for the lowest common denominator, Mario merely had to embrace aspects of it's identity. Zelda? It had to break what made people like it in the first place.

@link3710 Actually, you make a great point. Agreed wholeheartedly.