If you follow me on social media, you’ll have probably picked up that over the last year or so I’ve become rather obsessed with the Zelda franchise. The jaw dropping Breath of the Wild on the Nintendo Switch really helped me get through lockdowns and pandemic anxiety; with its beautiful open world and spirit of exploration exporting me to another world.

I was incredibly late getting into the series of course; with Breath of the Wild being the most recent of 19 ‘main’ games since the first Legend of Zelda all the way back in 1986. I always admired the games from afar, but felt I would never have the time or the brains to take on such huge and seemingly complex games. A combination of lockdowns, portable gaming and YouTube walkthroughs were to finally give me the chance and the confidence to make up for lost time. And I’m so glad I did! From that first game I was hooked, and went back to play as many as I could find on portable systems. So far this has included seeing my way to the end of 7 of the series ( Breath of the Wild, Ocarina of Time 3D, Links Awakening, The Minish Cap – ok, I never beat the end of game boss – Phantom Hourglass, The Legend of Zelda and A Link Between Worlds) and getting at least half way through 4 more (Majora’s Mask, A Link to the Past, Spirit Tracks and Link’s Adventure).

From each of the instalments I’ve experienced so far, one overriding aspect seems to pertain….the way in which one of the main Nintendo ‘flagship franchises’ seems to be a kind of ‘tech demo’ of each of the new Nintendo consoles capabilities (think about the stylus gameplay in Phantom Hourglass or the 3D gameplay in Ocarina of Time for example). And perhaps the most drastic and divisive of these leaps in technology for the series came with the Nintendo Wii and 2011’s motion controlled Zelda game ‘Skyward Sword.’

Fans opinions were divided about this huge step away from what they knew or had come to expect about Zelda games. Although the motion controls and the style of gameplay were revolutionary, they were also … erm shall we say inconsistent? The graphic style too, although impressive, seemed to take Zelda into more of a ‘Tomb Raider’ style than had previously been used; which again divided fans.

Skip forward 10 years however, and the insanely popular Switch console has started to re-evaluate and remaster some of their historic games; including some of the Zelda series. This began with Link’s Awakening, possibly my alltime favourite of the 2D Zelda games; breathing new life into the original Gameboy adventure and turning it into a much more fleshed out and user friendly experience on the Switch. They brought out the first 3 games on their online Switch emulators for the NES and SNES. But with the 35th anniversary looming, Nintendo decided to go back to the very beginning…canon wise…and readdress Skyward Sword.

And I’m so glad they did, because one of the main improvements they made was in giving the player complete choice over the notorious controls. Yes, you could decide to use the motion controls through the much more reliable Switch joycons. But you could also decide to use the normal controls if you desired. I would’ve chosen this control setup anyway, but only having a ‘Switch Lite’ without the detachable joycons also made the choice for me.

So, with all this hyperbole out of the way….how does Skyward Sword (HD) hold up in 2021?

Well, I would say pretty mixed. I still have my fair share of niggles with this game, as you’ll see. But at the same time this is a good Zelda game, and the improvements have definitely built up it’s defence against many of the unfair criticism that often get levelled at it.

I suppose I better address those niggles first?….

I’m sorry, but even with the new improved controls, I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t still one of the most irritating control setups of any Zelda games I’ve played. And its a shame because it really does detract from the enjoyment of the game until you get used to them. And by the time you have, you have died 100s of times more from controls mishaps than from the actual enemies… If you don’t rage quit at least once from the 3-4 step process it takes to pick up, look around (a 2 button combination by itself) angle and then throw a bomb before it blows up in your face, you are a more patient person than me! …And don’t even get me started on the motion sickness this game gave me!

Another irritation for me was the rather linear narrative, which seems to borrow from that most memeable of Mario level endings ‘Thank you Mario, but the Princess is in another castle.’ You work your way through areas that feel like dungeons, to then take on ‘proper’ dungeons; only to be told ‘oh, Zelda was just here but she left…try the next temple…’ again…and again….and again. The world itself is stunning, and I wanted to explore a bit more. But the story’s simultaneously best and worst ingredient is that it continues to drive you ever onwards. It’s equal parts mesmorising and frustrating….I couldn’t put it down, and yet after nearly every chapter I was left thinking ‘thank God that bit’s over…I can’t wait to see what’s next!’ I don’t think I’ve ever been so divided about a Zelda game as this!

Now onto the positives; and you might be surprised to know there are many! Firstly, as I said the world that Skyward Sword takes place in is gorgeous, and the gameplay is truly inventive and constantly intriguing. The music is some of the most beautifully orchestrated of any Zelda game. Motion sickness aside it’s great to have such a monumental edition to the series available on a portable handheld you can take anywhere; rather than being tied into your Wii’s sensor bar. The characters are memorable, and I have to say the bosses throughout the game were easily some of the most inventive of the whole franchise.

So, in conclusion, I would say that although vastly improved for it’s ten year anniversary; Skyward Sword will no doubt still divide the fandom. But is it worth a play….most definitely!