Back in February, Nintendo announced that The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD would be making its way to the Nintendo Switch later this year. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword was originally released for the Wii in 2011 and saw Link taking to the sky on an all-new quest to save the world from the Imprisoned, while also bringing a lot of new changes to the series.

One of the biggest changes made was the introduction of motion controls. Rather than just hitting buttons to perform attacks or using an analog stick to aim Link's bow, players instead had to swing about their Wii remote and Nunchuck to find a way through their enemies' defenses. The game also introduced Loftwings, the now-iconic flying mounts that allowed Link to traverse the islands floating in the skies. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword also introduced other features that would make an appearance again later in the series, like Breath of the Wild's stamina system or the game's craftable upgrades.

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It's a given that The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD will improve upon the original game's graphics to make the game fully playable in HD for the first time. Since the original Wii did not have HD capabilities, it is a pretty decent visual upgrade for the game on the Switch, although most of the game's assets and graphics remain otherwise untouched. One of the biggest improvements, however, is how The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD is improving the game's motion controls. With the improved accuracy and feedback of the Switch's JoyCons, Nintendo says that the motion controls will feel better than ever and will feel much more responsive to the player's movements.

For players who still don't like the idea of motion controls, however, players will have the option to disable them entirely. This also allows players who have a Switch Lite or want to play in handheld mode to get in on the fun as well. For these players, motion controls will be substituted with using analog sticks to mimic the motions of the sword and shield. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD will also make some quality of life adjustments as well. These changes include revising the player tutorials, as well as introducing more hints throughout the game to help any players that get stuck or lost.

Any fans interested in buying The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD will also have a few accessories that they can consider picking up as well. Perhaps the biggest of these is The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD's Zelda and Loftwing Amiibo. Not only is the Amiibo a good figure for fans of the series, but it also unlocks a new feature in the game that seems pretty powerful. In the original The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Link could only return to the sky area of the map by finding a bird statue in the various areas players visit throughout the game. This task proved to be difficult when low on health or resources. However, the Zelda and Loftwing amiibo will instead allow players to return to the sky no matter where they are in the game by using the amiibo with the console.

Many fans have voiced their frustration about the feature, saying that it should have been included in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD regardless of whether or not they purchased an amiibo. However, fans will also have the option to get the new The Legend of Zelda-themed JoyCons being released in celebration of the series' 25 year anniversary. The JoyCons are already hard to find in some areas, however, so fans who want them should hurry. For players wondering whether or not they should preorder The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD, there are no pre-order bonuses announced as of yet for the game, so players most likely won't miss out on any goodies if they wait on purchasing.

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For any players interested in the game and think that The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD is a worthy enough remaster, the game releases for the Nintendo Switch on July 16 and will have both physical and digital versions for fans to pick from. The game only has one edition and does not have a season pass or any planned DLC for players to consider. It'll also take up a pretty sizable 7.1GB of the Switch's memory so players should make sure they have room for it before launch day. However, the game does also support Nintendo Online subscribers saving backing their saves up on the cloud, which is always a great feature to have.

As for the game's ESRB rating, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD maintains the game's original E10+ rating, featuring plenty of fantasy violence, some comic mischief, and just a bit of animated blood. At launch, the game will also support English, Japanese, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Korean, Dutch, Russian, and Chinese so that The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword's many excited fans can play in a variety of languages.

It is great to see Nintendo bringing one of the classic Legend of Zelda games to the Switch. Not only will it allow new players to experience the game for the first time, but it will also help veterans revisit the game and see The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD's unique position in the timeline of the series leading up to the release of Breath of the Wild 2. Hopefully, Nintendo will continue to give more classic games the remaster treatment so that fans and newcomers alike can enjoy them on the Switch.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD releases for the Nintendo Switch on July 16.

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