![]() ![]() The raft of quality of life changes that have been introduced here combine with these revamped controls for a much more modern feeling, streamlined and enjoyable experience. No, I have reservations about the motion controls not being quite as one-to-one as I'd like, and the linearity is a bit of a rash change of pace after Breath of the Wild, but the pleasure of playing an older adventure with Link and having no idea what to expect from the puzzles, dungeons, and characters is a joy that's hard to top. Whether it's because I myself have changed over time, or the numerous nips and tucks Nintendo has implemented in this HD version I can't be sure, but suffice it to say I was really pleasantly surprised when giving this a second chance at last. I was a long-time sceptic of Skyward Sword when I first played it, and could never get over several design choices that just didn't gel with me. It also caused us to spend a lot of time unsheathing our sword by accident until we got used to it. It's not a huge issue, we got used to holding in the left bumper where needed and letting go to engage in combat when necessary, but it's undoubtedly slightly inferior to the total freedom of the motion control set-up. However, when using the button control mode, you'll need to to hold down the left bumper button to access full camera control on the right stick. As we're sure you already know, you now have full control over the game's camera in this HD remaster when using motion controls, the right stick granting you total freedom over where you choose to look - a huge change that makes everything about this game feel so much more modern and free-flowing. There has been one trade-off with this handheld control scheme however, with regards to controlling the in-game camera. There's still the odd time where a slash doesn't quite line itself up, where you need to thrust for a second time to get the required response, but in comparison to the original game's motion controls the difference in precision is truly noticeable. ![]() Controlling your sword by flicking the right stick works wonderfully well here, and in situations where your sword skills are really put to the test, such as those exacting face-offs against Ghirahim, they prove to be accurate and responsive enough to avoid almost any frustrations. ![]() In terms of the all-new button controls, although they don't quite match up to the feeling of immersion you get from swinging and flicking your Joy-Con as you batter Bokoblins and slice and dice Deku-Babas, they still feel remarkably good and enable Switch Lite and portable players to fully enjoy this experience in handheld mode. All of these issues are, for the most part, banished here. We were impressed with this game's combat back in 2011, but there was no doubt it could prove hugely frustrating when a thrust or cut failed at some critical moment, when your shield refused to parry an attack or a skyward strike refused to charge. Tight, responsive and absolutely up to the task in the most frantic of mob battles and boss fights, they may not quite manage the flawless 1:1 swordplay that was touted back in the day, but boy do they come close.Įngaging in combat in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD feels fluid, your sword swipes and shield actions responding accurately to your commands and enabling you to properly relax, to feel confident that the inputs you make whilst playing with motion controls will now translate onto the screen. The motion controls here, such a divisive element of the original release of this game, now perform so much closer to the way we dreamed they might back in 2011. Let's start with those technical changes. This HD remaster feels like how we were meant to originally experience this adventure, the connection between the game's world and the player now unimpeded. The raft of tweaks, changes and updates drip-fed to us in the months leading up to The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD's release may not have seemed all that exciting on paper - this isn't some ground-up remake and there's no new content or notable changes to how things unfold - but together they give the underlying game here a whole new lease of life. Well, whether or not any of that might have been the case seems quite beside the point now with this HD remaster, Nintendo has taken its gust bellows to a layer of jank that, in hindsight, stood between players and the true promise, the full potential, of this masterpiece. Captured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld/Undocked)
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |