The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD Reviews

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD is ranked in the 89th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Recommended
Jul 14, 2021

A fascinating second look at one of the oddest Zeldas out there.

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94 / 100
Jul 14, 2021

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

Dave Aubrey
Top Critic
Jul 14, 2021

The linear structure of the game and relative empty space of the sky will still frustrate some, but the core sword-fighting gameplay and straightforward Zelda structure is better here than it is in many other games. If you want a traditional 3D Zelda experience, then Skyward Sword HD is an easy choice.

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Jul 14, 2021

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.

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8.5 / 10.0
Jul 14, 2021

An almost mandatory recovery for those who have been struck by Breath of the Wild and equally essential for those who threw in the towel in 2011.

Review in Italian | Read full review

8.5 / 10.0
Jul 14, 2021

What Skyward Sword HD does best is make a 3D Zelda once thought limited to a unique console playable in perpetuity (hopefully). Along the way, enough changes and tweaks are made to improve the adventure, whether it's streamlined tutorials or satisfactory button controls. It wasn't known at the time, but this represents the final chapter of Nintendo's 3D Zelda design that started with Ocarina of Time. With hindsight, Skyward Sword HD serves an interesting coda that paved the way for Breath of the Wild. The linear ebb and flow of Link's earliest chronological story might be rooted in the past, but it's still an engaging and cozy adventure in the present that's well worth playing or revisiting.

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8.5 / 10.0
Jul 14, 2021

A simple control scheme concession elevates this new version of Skyward Sword from simple HD remaster to essential playing for anyone that dismissed the original for its love affair with waggle. Here's a top-tier 3D Zelda, freed of its shake-to-win shackles and ready to be appreciated anew for its timeless tale and awesome adventuring.

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Metro GameCentral
GameCentral
Top Critic
8 / 10
Jul 14, 2021

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.

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Jul 14, 2021

This remastered game from the Wii-era remains a wildly imaginative and magical experience created by Nintendo's brainiest puzzle architects

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7.8 / 10.0
Jul 14, 2021

Skyward Sword is still not one of the best Zelda games out there, even after improvements added to this new Switch port, but it deserves to be played thanks to a great cast of characters, a good narrative and some interesting gameplay ideas that Nintendo developed further in Breath of the Wild.

Review in Italian | Read full review

Daily Mirror
Eugene Sowah
Top Critic
Jul 14, 2021

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD is a masterclass in how to do a remaster. Nintendo has really gone out on a limb to improve the games overall performance and it really shows. The extra little quality of life additions will make this game more accessible for a lot more gamers. This title is a must-have and will keep fans occupied until Breath of the Wild 2 arrives.

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8.8 / 10.0
Jul 14, 2021

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

Jordan Minor
Top Critic
Jul 14, 2021

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD’s upgraded visuals and motion-free control options make this the best way to play the Wii classic, even if the game is firmly stuck in Zelda’s past.

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Spaziogames
Top Critic
9 / 10.0
Jul 14, 2021

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD it's the second chance that the poignant origin story of the Zelda franchise has always deserved.

Review in Italian | Read full review

TrustedReviews
By Ryan Jones
Top Critic
Jul 14, 2021

While most of the puzzles are enjoyable to solve, I wasn’t so keen on a select few objectives that required me to collect a number of orbs within a time limit without disturbing the roaming guards. I also wish that the flying mechanic hadn’t been introduced, since it only seems to be included to support the story rather than offering any enjoyable gameplay mechanic, which is odd since it featured so heavily at the beginning.

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9 / 10
Jul 14, 2021

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD introduces a raft of technical improvements and quality of life updates that reinvigorate and revitalise this ten-year-old game. With motion controls more precise than ever before, an alternate button control scheme that totally works, crisp HD graphics, smooth 60fps gameplay and a bothersome sidekick who's been streamlined into something altogether more useful, this really does feel like Skyward Sword as it was meant to experienced. Yes, the locking off of instant travel behind the official amiibo is a misstep, but beyond this one issue what's here is a sublime experience, a technical triumph and an absolute must-play for Switch owners and Zelda fans.

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9.5 / 10.0
Jul 14, 2021

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.

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Jul 14, 2021

Skyward Sword has always sat a little apart from the others, because while all other Zelda games give the impression that you're experiencing current events through your Link-avatar, Skyward Sword instead leaves the impression that you're witnessing the retelling of a great legend of antiquity.

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80 / 100
Jul 14, 2021

While it’s not perfect, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD is a massive improvement over the original release.

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7 / 10
Jul 14, 2021

Link's divisive Wii adventure returns on Switch with some welcome quality-of-life improvements.

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