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Everything we know about The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD

By Justin Koreis July 6, 2021

Few series capture the imagination of the gaming world quite like The Legend of Zelda. This venerated series is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, and what sort of celebration would it be without a Zelda game to play?

Contents

Release date
Platforms
Trailers
Gameplay
What improvements have been made
Preorder

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword originally released on the Nintendo Wii in 2011. Now, a new generation of players will be able to experience the game that comes first in the Zelda timeline, with The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD. The game arrives in just a few days, and we’ve combed the internet for all the information you need about this HD remaster of a Zelda classic.

Further reading

Release date

Link pulling a sword from a stone. — Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD arrives on July 16.

This date was revealed during June’s E3 Nintendo Direct by series director Eiji Aonuma. This comes after months of speculation following the initial reveal of the game in February. The game itself has been rumored for many years. It arrived at an odd time in the Nintendo Wii’s lifecycle, just a year before the arrival of the Wii U. Many gamers missed Skyward Sword the first time. Both The Legend of Zelda: The Windwaker and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess received HD remasters, so Skyward Sword seemed like the logical next step.

Platforms

Skyward Sword HD is coming exclusively to the Nintendo Switch. No surprise there — this is Nintendo, after all. What is not clear is when we might see the much-rumored Switch Pro Console and whether Skyward Sword HD will be able to run on that hardware.

Trailers

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD – Announcement Trailer – Nintendo Switch

Nintendo has released several trailers for Skyward Sword HD. The game was first announced in a Nintendo Direct in February, showcasing enhanced resolution and updated controls. This trailer gave viewers a first look at the remastered graphics and information about how the controls work on the Nintendo Switch.

The brand new Zelda and Loftwing amiibo debuted in a trailer showcasing some unique functionality. This amiibo allows the player to instantly teleport from the world below to the sky above and back, alleviating some of the backtracking from the original release on the Nintendo Wii U.

Quality of Life Trailer – The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD - Nintendo Switch

Quality of life improvements were highlighted in the newest trailer. Most of the changes are minor adjustments to how the player interacts with objects and Fi (who acts as Link’s guide on this journey) to create a smoother user experience.

Gameplay

As this is an HD remaster, we know what to expect. Skyward Sword was the last console entry to fully embrace the classic Zelda gameplay. Link will split his time between the sky — flying through the air on his Loftwing — and the ground below. The classic monsters of Hyrule stand in opposition as Link defeats enemies and solves puzzles across a widely varied landscape.

This game takes place at the beginning of the Legend of Zelda timeline, in a time before Ganon and before the Master Sword itself. Link and Zelda are students at Knight Academy in the floating town of Skyloft. Events that were set in motion long before, in the age of the Goddesses, result in Zelda being abducted, and Link is the only one who can find her.

Link will have the aid of classic tools, from his sword and shield to his trusty Hookshot and more. Players will take on numerous dungeons, with interesting bosses at the end, each with their own unique mechanics.

What improvements have been made

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD is a remaster, not a remake. Still, there are many notable improvements from the original release.

The most obvious improvements, of course, are the visuals. Skyward Sword was originally made for the Nintendo Wii, which even at the time was not known for great graphics. The upgraded 1080p graphics are crisp, running at a clean 60 frames per second.

Skyward Sword was built with motion controls in mind, but Nintendo has given players an optional buttons-only control scheme. This eschews the waggling of the past and instead maps the sword swings to the right thumbstick. This gives players the ability to continue slashing at enemies at advantageous angles without having to look like they are fighting off swarms of bees.

The user interface has been adjusted as well. Cutscenes can now be skipped, and dialogue can be sped up. Item information has been streamlined, saving players from having to see text pop up repeatedly when picking up the same item. Fi can now be called upon for helpful hints and advice, adding even more functionality to your companion.

Preorder

A Zelda and Loftwin amiibo statue. — Zelda.com

Preorders for Skyward Sword HD are live. The game has both physical and digital copy options. There are no special editions. There are, however, some special edition accessories in the form of the aforementioned Zelda and Loftwing amiibo, as well as a collector’s Joy-Con set.

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Justin is a freelance writer with a lifelong love of video games and technology. He loves writing about games, especially…

Gaming

Nintendo’s next console may feature DLSS and ray-tracing support

Mario high-fives Nintendo Live guests.

New reports affirm the rumors that Nintendo has started to show its next-generation console -- referred to colloquially by fans as Nintendo Switch 2 -- behind closed doors at a recent video game industry expo. It reportedly featured tech demos highlighting features like Nvidia DLSS support and ray tracing.
Gamescom 2023 was held in Cologne, Germany, between August 23 and August 27. Nintendo attended the European game industry event, and shortly thereafter, rumors emerged that Nintendo had shown its next console behind closed doors. Now, new reports from Eurogamer and VGC are corroborating these claims.
Specifically, both sources say that Nintendo showed tech demos for its next game console in private during meetings with some other game developers at Gamescom. Both sources confirmed that an upgraded version of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was shown off on this "Switch 2" hardware.
VGC also had a source who claimed that the impressive The Matrix Awakens Unreal Engine 5 tech demo -- used to promote Epic Games' new engine and the power of the PS5 and Xbox Series X back in 2021 -- was also shown to developers and seemed to confirm that the new Nintendo system will support Nvidia's upscaling DLSS tech as well as ray-tracing. Keep in mind that tech demos for systems often don't make the transition to full-game releases.

We don't know much else about what was shown, although VGC claims that this system will be usable in a portable mode like the Nintendo Switch is. Currently, the launch window for Nintendo's next new piece of hardware is expected to be sometime in fall 2024, although Eurogamer's source stated that "Nintendo is keen to launch the system sooner if possible."
Nintendo has not commented on these rumors, and is unlikely to ahead of an official console reveal. Still, the idea that the next Nintendo console is nearly upon us should be exciting for fans of one of the video game industry's most storied companies.

Gaming

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom DLC is not happening, says Nintendo

Link and other characters from Tears of the Kingdom.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is one of the year's most successful games, but a developer from Nintendo has confirmed that it doesn't have plans to make any DLC for it. Speaking to the Japanese publication Famitsu, series producer Eiji Aonuma confirmed this was the case because the development team had already explored all of the ideas they wanted to in the base game and is now looking to the future.

"At this time, we are not planning to release additional content. We feel like we have already fully explored and exhausted the gameplay possibilities in this world," Aonuma said in comments translated by Video Games Chronicle. "Initially, the reason we decided to develop a sequel was because we believed there was still value in experiencing new gameplay within that particular Hyrule. If, in the future, we find a compelling reason, we may revisit that world once again. Whether it’s another sequel or an entirely new title, I believe the next game will offer a completely new experience."
While Aonuma's explanation is sound, it's still a pretty surprising move by Nintendo. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild received two expansions after it came out in 2017. Some fans expected that Tears of the Kingdom would follow in that game's footsteps, especially as it would make sense for Nintendo to find more ways to capitalize on a game that has already sold 18.51 million copies. Still, it's probably best for Nintendo to move on from Tears of the Kingdom and create something new rather than making underwhelming DLC for the sake of having post-launch content.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is available now for Nintendo Switch.

Gaming

The best Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom mods

Link giving a thumbs-up with a smile.

With the addition of the Ultra Hand and Fuse abilities in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, it might feel like you're already playing the game with mods enabled. This power lets you pick up, connect, build, and combine nearly every item in Hyrule. We've already seen people push the boundaries with what they can create using the default tools, but there will always be some things just out of reach for players. Well, that is until mods are entered into the equation. Because Tears of the Kingdom is a Switch game, mods take a bit more work to not only make but play as well. Unlike PC games, you can't just download a file, plop it in your game, and go. If you're willing to put in a little work, there are some amazing mods out there to add another couple dozen hours to your playtime. Here are the best mods in Tears of the Kingdom.
How to mod Tears of the Kingdom
If you are just looking to play mods, not create them, then the process isn't terribly complex. There is a nice tutorial laid out you can follow here, which also includes a link to the Tears of the Kingdom modding Discord where you can go if you need to ask more specific questions.
Rinkuru v0.5.3/Rinkuru Pronouns and Dialogue

For those a bit out of the loop, Rinkuru is the Japanese name for the female Link we know as Linkle from the Hyrule Warriors games. It has since been adapted to simply be the female version of Link. If you were disappointed that you couldn't play as a female in Tears of the Kingdom, these two mods effectively add in a female option. Rinkuru v0.5.3 is a complete model swap from Link to Rinkruru, including new outfits and even some weapons. The companion mod, Rinkuru Pronouns and Dialogue, changes all instances of game dialogue from referring to your character as Link, he, sir, and all other male pronouns are swapped to Rinkuru, she, lady, and so on to fully immerse you as the heroine of Hyrule.
Yet Another Better Sages Mod - With Voices
Yet Another Better Sages Mod