The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD

"Insiders" are saying collection done but coming next year, just in case BotW2 needs pushing to 2023 and Nintendo then continues having something Zelda each year.

That’s believable. Also, I don’t think the Switch needs two more Zelda remasters to push it’s sales right now. Separate releases of Wind Waker HD and Twilight Princess HD made sense on Wii U, a console that was humped before it came out, but they can wait for a rainy day on Switch. I don’t even think the Switch needs Skyward Sword HD at the minute, I think Nintendo’s summer would be just fine without it. Still, it’ll make money…

…but probably not from me, though. Looking at the release schedule for the rest of 2021, Skyward Sword HD is the game that I’m least fussed about, and it’d be the one that would take the most time to complete too.

Aye, I'm with Cappa on this one.

Also are these the same insiders that said the Switch pro was definitely coming the other week?

Yeah some are but they also bang on with Xbox showcase.

Still sort makes sense as Nintendo like a Zelda thing every year and they've got options.

masofdas wrote:

"Insiders" are saying collection done but coming next year, just in case BotW2 needs pushing to 2023 and Nintendo then continues having something Zelda each year.

We've done this, Mas.  Name your insiders. Don't want steve_69xXx's BioShock avatar getting any more attention than it deserves...

Anyway I've seen it said by Jeff Grubb (Scullion doesn't like him much) and Andy Robinson (VGC was first with the Mario remasters so more likely to be trustworthy). It doesn't say tremendous things about Nintendo's future plans.

You've named one Jeff Grubb whom I am not huge of him, yet his record is rather good then I saw Tom Warren and Andy Robinson as well.

Even if not true, I still think Nintendo will bring the Wii U Zelda's over at some point because why not?

My insiders tell me I'll have an unexpected windfall because Saturn is in retrograde, so I'm interpreting that as us getting a surprise release date for a collection. And before you question their accuracy, they told me I'd meet a dark, handsome man right before Koizumi was in the Direct so clearly they know their shit.

Here's yet insider tip, they'll give us the likes of Wind Waker and Twilight Princess but they're not announcing anything until Skyward Sword has had a decent amount of time to sell some copies. Given the reception it's already had they'd be silly to overshadow it any time soon.

I realise first impressions on hot new Zelda title Skyward Sword might not be what you're all clamouring for, but I aim to please nonetheless.

I played the opening couple of hours of this tonight and I had a fun time with it! I'm playing with the Pro Controller as I'm experiencing critical levels of Joycon drift so playing with motion controls would be a bit of a pain, but the sword controls are absolutely fine with the Pro Controller. Having to hold down L to turn the right stick into camera control is taking a bit of getting used to, but I'm sure that's down to 20 odd years of my brain being wired to expect the right stick to be solely for camera as opposed to combat.

I really like Zelda in this game - she feels like her own character as opposed to a plot device, although whether or not the story will stick the landing with that remains to be seen (looking at you, Tetra). Groose is a massive goober and he's also great, so I hope he sticks around to have more goober moments and isn't just a Mido type character.

You can definitely sense the early BotW DNA in this. Things like the Sailcloth, the stamina meter, the climbing, the breakable equipment... it all seems like trial runs for the systems we got in BotW in retrospect. Looking forward to getting my teeth stuck into some actual dungeons as opposed to the mini dungeon areas on Skyloft.

Also, the music rules but that's par for the course for Zelda.

Jay wrote:

I played the opening couple of hours of this tonight and I had a fun time with it! I'm playing with the Pro Controller as I'm experiencing critical levels of Joycon drift so playing with motion controls would be a bit of a pain, but the sword controls are absolutely fine with the Pro Controller. Having to hold down L to turn the right stick into camera control is taking a bit of getting used to, but I'm sure that's down to 20 odd years of my brain being wired to expect the right stick to be solely for camera as opposed to combat.

That's just reminded me of how the early MH games had you use the right stick for swinging your weapons, though in those games it really was just a button replacement rather than the 8 way movement I assume Skyward sword HD has.

Also glad to see you are enjoying it.

I seem to recall there was something on Gamecube that did a twin-stick swords thing - I think it was cartoony and had ninjas.

Mount and Blade Warband uses right stick for combat/weapon swings in the console ports, I actually prefer it to the original PC mouse gestures as a stick is a bit more fitting to the actual action I think. I definitely remember seeing it somewhere before that too - probably the same game you are thinking of Buska!

I was actually wondering if there were more games that had done it.

Everything after Jay talks about Controls

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance you could aim the sword with the stick.

The only game I can recall playing prior to Skyward Sword that had melee combat mapped to the right stick was bloody Too Human. Thankfully, Skyward Sword is shaping up to be a much better game than that dumpster fire!

I've not progressed too much further - I left off my wee session tonight just before the first proper dungeon. I liked the Kikwis though. They reminded me of the Porgs from Star Wars.

masofdas wrote:

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance you could aim the sword with the stick.

Oh yeah! I enjoyed slicing in that.

I've played a bit more of this and I've now cleared the first two dungeons. I'm definitely still enjoying this, but I'm noticing a few things about the game that I'm not particularly fond of.

For one, the sky overworld is a bit dull, to be honest. I was hoping for a Wind Waker style landscape with different islands to visit, perhaps with a little puzzle to solve or a small outpost situated on it or something, but it's a mostly sparse landscape. Pretty, don't get me wrong, but a bit boring to actually traverse compared to some of the overworlds of past Zelda games.

I'm still not sold on the combat, either. It's early doors yet and I'm hoping this is rectified with some more complex enemy types, but I've found the sword slashing to be a bit imprecise and somewhat frustrating. The first boss battle with Ghirahim was a key example of this as I found myself struggling to slash in the direction I wanted to. Even fighting normal enemies can be frustrating as I find they shift their defences very quickly.

Still, I'm really digging the dungeons in this and it's definitely got me pining for some fully fledged dungeons in BotW 2. Travelling with that big ol' floating lava ball in the second dungeon and taking it all over the dungeon was good fun, and I quite liked the boss to cap off the Earth Temple as well. I'm also still very fond of how Link and Zelda's relationship is portrayed in this.

I have the amiibo for tis game, but not the game itself. Go figure.

It is on my list, but to say I wasn't a fan of the controls in the Wii version would be an understatement. Regardless of the improvements, this one has a sour taste it needs to wash out with the port.

JayMoyles wrote:

Even fighting normal enemies can be frustrating as I find they shift their defences very quickly.

There's a kind of feint mechanic in the game, where you can fake out attacking from one direction, have the enemy move to guard from that direction, then quickly attack from another. It might be you need to exploit that more?

JayMoyles wrote:

I've played a bit more of this and I've now cleared the first two dungeons. I'm definitely still enjoying this, but I'm noticing a few things about the game that I'm not particularly fond of.

For one, the sky overworld is a bit dull, to be honest. I was hoping for a Wind Waker style landscape with different islands to visit, perhaps with a little puzzle to solve or a small outpost situated on it or something, but it's a mostly sparse landscape. Pretty, don't get me wrong, but a bit boring to actually traverse compared to some of the overworlds of past Zelda games.

I'm still not sold on the combat, either. It's early doors yet and I'm hoping this is rectified with some more complex enemy types, but I've found the sword slashing to be a bit imprecise and somewhat frustrating. The first boss battle with Ghirahim was a key example of this as I found myself struggling to slash in the direction I wanted to. Even fighting normal enemies can be frustrating as I find they shift their defences very quickly.

Still, I'm really digging the dungeons in this and it's definitely got me pining for some fully fledged dungeons in BotW 2. Travelling with that big ol' floating lava ball in the second dungeon and taking it all over the dungeon was good fun, and I quite liked the boss to cap off the Earth Temple as well. I'm also still very fond of how Link and Zelda's relationship is portrayed in this.

Both valid criticisms I'd say, traversing the sky is definitely the low point of the game as it's just too sparse and sometimes too slow, I'm hoping BotW 2 doesn't have the same issue but I trust it won't given you'd have all the land below as well. The combat does get better I think, I'm sure I struggled a bit at first but as I moved along I was hitting enemies with pinpoint precision (although the downward finish move is still a little iffy with button controls).

Most importantly though if you're enjoying the dungeons then it's only gonna get better, I always had fond memories of some of the later dungeons and playing through again I could see why, they had a lot of creative sparks with this one. There's another character you'll grow to love as much as Zelda later on as well I reckon.

stu_the_great wrote:

I have the amiibo for tis game, but not the game itself. Go figure.

It is on my list, but to say I wasn't a fan of the controls in the Wii version would be an understatement. Regardless of the improvements, this one has a sour taste it needs to wash out with the port.

I might be biased because I enjoyed it the first time but it honestly felt so much more enjoyable on Switch, reckon it could be down to BotW being a sort of pallet cleanser for traditional Zelda but maybe it's that solid 60fps making the difference.

Balla:

OrangeRakoon wrote:

JayMoyles wrote:

Even fighting normal enemies can be frustrating as I find they shift their defences very quickly.

There's a kind of feint mechanic in the game, where you can fake out attacking from one direction, have the enemy move to guard from that direction, then quickly attack from another. It might be you need to exploit that more?

I don't know if this is a flaw with playing with button controls or if I just simply don't get it, but it feels rather imprecise to go through from holding the sword in one direction to attacking from another. And from what I saw with those lightning rod wielding Bokoblins in Lanayru Desert, they just seem to shift their defences willy-nilly regardless of trying to feint them out! I found that incredibly frustrating considering the game punishes you with electrocution damage for hitting their lightning rods when you miss a blow. It's definitely the biggest gripe I've got with the game so far, which is a shame as traversing through each zone has actually been really fun!

Treesmurf wrote:

The combat does get better I think, I'm sure I struggled a bit at first but as I moved along I was hitting enemies with pinpoint precision (although the downward finish move is still a little iffy with button controls).

Did you play with button controls throughout the game yourself, Smurf? Ironically, I've had no problem with the downward finish - it's general combat that's tripping me up!

Agreed that the Technoblins are one of the biggest challenges early doors.  Can't remember how I got through them originally.

The sky is definitely a big old weak point.

One thing I'm appreciating from Skyward Sword is how much of a celebration of the series as a whole it is, which I suppose ties into the fact that it was originally a 25th anniversary title for the series. There's little elements from past Zelda titles prevalent throughout - things like solving the villagers problems tying into Majora's Mask, the sky attempting (keyword: attempting) to emulate the Great Sea from Wind Waker and I've just played through the first section where you collect the spirit seeds and have to dodge the Guardians chasing after you, which feels like an amalgamation of the Spirit Vessel parts from Twilight Princess and the titular Phantoms in Phantom Hourglass. Whilst the game isn't without its flaws as I've mentioned, I'm enjoying how much it leans into its roots before the big series departure in BotW.