The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword was first released in 2011 and was the 16th game in the series at that time. After 10 years, this adventure, which we stretched to the sky, came to the Nintendo Switch platform this time. Let's see what awaits players in this renewed version called The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword story is actually a classic introduction. If you've played another game in the series before, you're already familiar with the dream or vision scene that usually symbolizes a hero's awakening. Skyward Sword does not break this tradition and opens with Link's vision.
When we open our eyes, we realize that we are on an island in the sky called Skyloft. This part of the island generally constitutes the living space of people, and there are other islands, large and small, on the face of it. In the later stages of the game, we usually go to these other islands to collect different items and explore. Of course, you make these island visits thanks to the birds called Loftwing. The guard bird that Link uses is called Crimson Loftwing. We can say that this bird, which helps us in parts of the sky throughout the game, also causes an important crisis at the opening of the story.
At the beginning of the story, you have to participate in a race called Wing Ceremony. Since you are already a Knight Academy student, you are trying to pass this exam and become one of the guardians of a nevia. Although the kidnapping of Crimson Loftwing disrupted this event a little, we soon solve the problem and we have successfully completed this midterm exam, in which we will set sail towards our greater destiny. After passing the Wing Cerenomy exam, the story gradually settles on its main track and we begin to switch to a gameplay that is also connected to the classic dungeon system.
A storm gripped us, blew into the sea
I would like to open a parenthesis here and talk about the character of Zelda and the earth part. Although Zelda has a different character structure in almost all the games in the series, it is portrayed in a much more friendly way in this game. The earth is told to us as cursed in the first stage of the game. Of course, when Zelda floats to the earth with the mysterious storm after the ceremony, we surrender to our inevitable fate and embark on a great adventure to save her. Of course, this adventure, which started with the search for Zelda, begins to take on a much more mysterious structure with our understanding of the importance of the character and characters like Ghirahim.
On the earth, of course, we cannot land in every region we want. You need to collect tablets to unlock dungeons. I can say that each dungeon sees the key to reach the next tablet. On the other hand, we cannot enter the post dungeon as we descended to the earth. After a series of activities and platform dynamics, the dungeon door opens at the end of the level and we are on our way to the boss fight with more puzzles.
The puzzle structure in the game is generally based on exploration, finding items or keys. Of course, the gameplay is incredibly diversified with the special items you own and get as you progress. In other words, I can say that there is a huge difference between the gameplay dynamics at the beginning of the game and the system at the end. You use every special item you find in puzzles designed accordingly, or you use these features to reach extras. When I say bombs, a mechanical bug floating in the air or a slingshot, I can say that a really successful dynamism has been achieved in terms of diversity. You can also update these special items with the Rubies and creatures you collect, or the items you find by searching around.
As always, we have a help in the game. No, this time there is no Navi who makes us swell our heads even though it is cute, instead, the fairy named Fi, who appears at critical moments throughout the story or whose opinions we can consult whenever we want, becomes our companion in this adventure. There is also a tracking mechanic called Dowse in the game. Thanks to this tracking mechanic, you can see the items you need to find or what you need to do in accordance with your task more clearly.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD version has a clearer view with increasing resolution. When I played the Nintendo Wii version at the time, especially considering the technical capacity of the console, there were problems such as loading the objects later. In the renewed version, many topics, including this one, have been overhauled and have a better look.
The graphics of the game are fairy-tale, but at the same time, it has a dark atmosphere in the dungeons. To summarize, I can say that it has a tone between Windwaker and Twilight Princess. When you reach the sky, you encounter a colorful world, but when you descend to the lands that are said to be cursed, you witness that the atmosphere changes drastically. In addition, each region you land is separated from each other in terms of atmosphere. Wooded areas, volcanic mountains, dungeons, this color tone varies greatly in each region.
The character expressions still look good, especially in the main characters such as Link and Zelda. Although parts such as resolution have been overhauled, animations such as jumping have never been handled. Especially when you play after Breath of the Wild, the animations can feel a bit like a log. I wish some touches were made on these issues, even if it was small. There is nothing to be said or talked about for the music of the game. The music of the game, which is decorated with orchestral pieces as always, is very successful. The adventure, which starts with Zelda's harp melody, turns into a complete musical feast when wind instruments and percussion instruments are mentioned. There are no character voices, but you don't feel the lack of it due to the structure of the game.
As a result, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD version offers a very nice adventure, especially for those who did not play in time, with a reworked resolution, technical details and much better control options thanks to Joy-Con. The price issue, of course, brought a big question mark. Of course, since it came out after Breath of the Wild, technical and some deficiencies can be seen. But when you consider the game as a whole, I can confidently say that it is an incredibly diverse and constantly renewing production.
