The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD Reviews
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD is a fantastic Zelda adventure that's aged like wine, even if Wii-era motion controls still aren't great.
A fascinating second look at one of the oddest Zeldas out there.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD is an adventure worth taking, a chance to reevaluate one of the largest and most experimental games in the series' history.
The most uneven of the 3D Zeldas but its highs soar well above its immediate contemporaries and while the motion controls are still hit or miss at least there's now an alternative.
Skyward Sword has some of the best dungeon design in the series, but the sections between each dungeon are a slog
Skyward Sword wanted to keep Zelda fresh and exciting, but it did this by making the things you already did as part of its formula feel good instead of finding new ways to do them. But for a series about exploring at your own pace, simplifying dungeons to make them more fun to complete wasn't going to cut it for much longer. The focus on action, on pulling off simple-but-cool things, only works on a platform built around how fun its controller is to use, and it only works once. After this game, Nintendo had to do something different.
Link's divisive Wii adventure returns on Switch with some welcome quality-of-life improvements.
Those that played the game when it was first released on Wii aren’t missing a ton if they skip this one. There’s no new content, just tweaks here and there. However, those who loved it will find this is the best way to play it now.
Zelda: Skyward Sword was a weird game to assess in 2011, much less today. It had a lot of great ideas undercut by some questionable design choices, but to some, it was the best Zelda ever made. I understand that $60 for a remaster of a 2011 game is a big ask, but this is the definitive version of a flawed yet fun adventure that should be part of any Zelda rotation.
This is what people truly want from a Switch port. A gentle, well thought out, genuine upgrade that captures the heart of the original game and allows it to flourish at a higher standard. Although it is still perhaps a little simplistic, the game has redeemed itself through the quality-of-life updates that were sorely needed the first time around. Skyward Sword is finally a winner, and will undoubtedly delight newcomers and old fans alike.
Ten years after its original release, we meet again with a magical adventure. The last classic Zelda, before Breath of the Wild, is still an adventure that will leave us marked for life, and is much better enjoyed with the new control scheme. The changes ensure that it continues to be very current.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Zelda Skyward Sword serves its purpose. A second chance that has been great for the saga. A colorful, friendly game with personality that has managed to convince me that it has nothing to envy to other games in the series.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Overall, Skyward Sword HD is a wonderful remaster and is a joy to play. However, it requires more effort than your typical Zelda game, not least due to the new control options available, but with diligent practice the game opens up into something genuinely beautiful.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD is a good re-release of a game that renews, evolves or even upsets many of the distinctive elements of the series, but suffering from substantial rhythm problems in its second half.
Review in Italian | Read full review
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD is the return of a title that celebrates a decade but that is an example of the good work that occurs in the most careful Nintendo. A review of the classic formula of the saga read and executed through the prism of motion control, and a lesson in design that offers good palaces, a succession of puzzles very well measured that ends at the top, one of the most worked stories of the series, a spectacular soundtrack and a unique combat system. A revision to the height that updates with success what is already a classic of the franchise.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Skyward Sword HD has made a fool of me, and really, I am just so happy I gave it another chance. This is the best version of a truly landmark game.
It’s not quite that I had forgotten how good it was—more that I needed the intervening years to realise it.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD makes a few smart improvements to an excellent game. A cumbersome control scheme still holds it back, however.
Post Arcade's senior writer faces off against his daughter for a generational analysis of Nintendo's classic Wii game, now available on Switch
Skyward Sword HD is definitely the best version of the game with vastly improved visuals and new control options, but I can't help but feel it's lacking as a Zelda rerelease. There's no new content, and I doubt the changes are enough to win over those who have problems with the game's overall design. It certainly didn't need to be a good game in its own right, but the lack of accessibility options and only somewhat reduced dialogue makes it difficult to justify the price.