Skyward Sword’s Nintendo Switch port brought a number of quality-of-life changes in 2021: Gameplay was refined, textures updated, and the often criticized motion controls were dampened to better suit the Switch hardware. It was a significant step to rehabilitating Skyward Sword’s reputation, and Nintendo seems to be taking some cues from the Wii’s only exclusive mainline Zelda title with Breath of the Wild 2. It’s apparent that the company is not willing to give up on the game, and the upcoming release could be a chance to prove it correct.
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Skyward Sword Has a Story Worth Telling
The yet-untitled Breath of the Wild sequel may be more narrative heavy, with developers having discussed Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption 2 as a possible influence. Not only would this improve one of the few drawbacks of Breath of the Wild, but it also plays to the strengths of Nintendo’s background, as Skyward Sword has arguably the best story in the series to date. The 2017 Zelda title feels cryptic in comparison, and merging the strengths of the two would give Skyward Sword a more legacy that it deserves.
As was apparent from the E3 2019 announcement trailer, Breath of the Wild 2 looks to bring players a tale worthy of the iconic Zelda name. Strong writing was a huge component of Skyward Sword’s critical praise, and its availability on the Switch makes a return trip to Skyloft feel all the more enticing. It helps that many feel Skyward Sword presents the best take on both Zelda and Link in years.
Skyward Sword Represents Nintendo at its Most Experimental
As mentioned, The Legend of Zelda has a tendency to make significant tweaks on the trail to forging something great. Where Breath of the Wild reshaped the way games beyond Nintendo’s scope approach open-ended level design and physics-based gameplay, Skyward Sword’s changes were decidedly less revolutionary.
There was a time when motion controls were thought to be the future of the medium, and though there are several modern games that could benefit from motion controls, new hardware uses it minimally. The Switch remaster of Skyward Sword does well to keep to the times, offering a more traditional control scheme without losing its quirky, unique charm. It was Nintendo at its most innovative, and the Nintendo Switch version’s refinements could provide the perfect springboard for Breath of the Wild 2.
Keeping up an open-world formula could set a dangerous precedent for the series, as the universal acclaim for Breath of the Wild may have stifled the potential for more traditional, linear Zelda games. Thankfully, the Switch remake of 1993’s Link’s Awakening and Skyward Sword HD have done well to break up the release schedule, and prove that Zelda doesn’t have to be exclusively designed with an open world in mind. The changes between each release means there’s something for everyone to love, which is a trend that will likely continue. The impact that Skyward Sword has had on the upcoming title may be small, but Nintendo not giving up on it has the potential to pay off in a big way.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD is available now on Nintendo Switch.
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