The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword HD Quick Guide

Nintendo announced in February that The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD will be coming to the Nintendo Switch. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword was originally released on Wii in 2011 and now the remastered, updated game is coming to Nintendo Switch consoles on July 16, 2021, with some significant changes to the Zelda classic.

This game will still see Link taking to the sky and battling to save the world from the otherworldly Imprisoned. While the majority of changes are subtle and technical in nature, for those who played the original they will be very noticeable. As you might have guessed from the name, the new version will be of higher definition, but it will also have control changes, camera angle improvements and quality of life additions to make for a smoother playing experience for new Zelda gamers or fans of the whole series.

Before you buy The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD (or perhaps you’ve pre-ordered and just can’t wait), we’ve put together a quick guide of everything you need to know about the Skyward Sword HD. From new Amiibos to combat special moves, this guide to The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD will get you ready and prepared to battle with Link in a timeless story.

News and Updates

One of the most significant and controversial additions to Skyward Sword HD is the Amiibo. The Amiibo is a figurine of Zelda and Loftwing and the quality and design are both top-notch. Amiibo has the added bonus of unlocking a new in-game feature, and this is where the controversy has come from. Purchasing the Amiibo allows players to return to the sky whenever and wherever they are on the map. Players have complained that this is a notable benefit for people who purchase the Amiibo and gives them an unfair advantage—literal pay-to-win.

Nintendo is also releasing some new The Legend of Zelda-themed JoyCons. These will come as part of the series’ 25-year anniversary celebrations. Reports have shown that these are already increasingly difficult to find to purchase so players wanting the limited-edition Zelda JoyCons should get shopping sooner than later. Fortunately, we have a small quantity in stock if you are after some Zelda themed Joy-Cons.

Nintendo hasn’t, at this time, announced any plans for season passes or DLC for The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD. The game will be released on July 16 and will be available in both physical and digital formats. Bear in mind the download will take up a considerable 7.1GB of Switch memory so make sure you have the space on your console. Nintendo Online subscribers can take advantage of the backup saving feature for this game.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD will now have a standard resolution of 1080P and run at 60FPS, which is great news for fans who played the old version and yearn for a more detailed environment. The other good news is that this game will be fully compatible with both the Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo Switch Lite! Players replace motion controls (docked playing) with button controls, allowing the game to be played in both handheld mode and on the Lite—a major complaint when on Wii was that the motion-centric controls were difficult to use, while other found it simply impossible.

Familiar Characters

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD involves the essential characters of the series, with the player taking control of the franchise’s hero, Link. Zelda features predominantly in Skyward Sword HD in her usual supporting role, battling alongside Link or–more often in the series–awaiting rescue.  Link’s Crimson Lofting and Zelda’s Loftwing are beautiful creatures that allow you to take to the skies to travel the map faster.

Combat, Enemies and Bosses

Combat in docked mode has the classic Zelda feel with in-game movements matching strike angles made with your JoyCon controllers.

There are different techniques to wielding each piece of equipment when playing docked and utilising the Joy-Cons motion sensors.

For any of the swords, players need to angle their slashes and aim their corresponding strikes in the game. Pushing forward thrusts your sword. For the shields simply shake the controller to raise your shield and deflect enemy attacks. Shaking again will activate an offensive shield bash. For the Bomb, use an overhand motion to throw or underhand movement to roll. For the bow hold up the right JoyCon controller while pulling back the Left JoyCon controller to draw your bow, and then release to let your arrow fly while aiming.

Link encounters plenty of bosses of various challenge levels as the game progresses, namely the Imprisoned. This is a fearsome black monster found in the Sealed Grounds in the Faron Woods region. This is the monster that prompts Link to take to the skies in the beginning as he dreams of the horrifying creature eating Zelda.

In between the boss fights and vintage-Zelda dungeons, Link will take down enemies of a huge variety, as is the Legend of Zelda way. Enemies possess uniquely different abilities and require the player to use all of the weapons and items at their disposal to make it past them.

Cubes, Crystals, Pieces

There are plenty of interesting goodies to pick up and use in Skyward Sword HD. Goddess Cubes are one of these. 27 Goddess Cubes are within the game and each leads to a Goddess Chest located in The Sky. Perform a Skyward Strike on a cube to unlock its chest.

Gratitude Crystals are also fun items to be found in the game by simply discovering them in various locations during the night or given as rewards after completing side quests around Skyloft. Once shown to Batreaux Link receives valuable items in return.

Heart Pieces play an important role in the game. Scattered across both land and sky, these will give you 6 extra heart containers (health) once all 24 are found in total.

What’s the Story?

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD is a fan favourite in particular for its story premise. The game tells the tale of war so catastrophic that it’s become a generational tale. Essentially, The Goddess pushed back a malevolent force trying to get hold of the Ultimate Force and sealed it away from the remaining humans.

When Link has a dream of this dark force, the Imprisoned, devouring Zelda in the clouds, he takes to the skies with Skyloft to once again seal away the darkness and save the world.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD is going to be a delight for new and existing fans of the series, so get your pre-order in to soar through the skies atop your Loftwing straight from release day.