Nintendo has introduced fans to quite the plethora of IPs over the years, and if not forSuper Mario Bros.,The Legend of Zeldawould likely be the Japanese video game company’s most well-known franchise. With nearly 20 mainlineZeldagames and a variety of spinoffs across almost 35 years, the action-adventure series has stood the test of time by innovating and adapting time and time again, most recently redefining the open-world genre withBreath of the Wild.
However, as the 35th anniversary ofSuper Mario Bros.comes to a close,The Legend of Zelda’s 35th anniversary begins,officially taking place in just a few days on February 21. Given Nintendo’s focus onMario’s monumental anniversary throughout 2020 and into 2021, many fans have hoped to see a similar celebration forZelda, with new merchandise, a new game, and/or a new collection of remasters. And now that the first full-fledged Nintendo Direct presentation in over 530 days has come and gone, a remaster of a WiiLegend of Zeldagame has been announced.
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In today’s Nintendo Direct presentation,Zeldaproducer Eiji Aonuma stated that although he had no news to share on thesequel toBreath of the Wild,it is coming along smoothly. However, just as many fans had guessed, an HD remaster ofThe Legend of Zelda: Skyward Swordis coming to the Nintendo Switch along with revamped controls, touched up visuals, and a new set ofZelda-themed joy-cons.
During the 50-minute-long Nintendo Direct, Aonuma explained thatThe Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD’s controls have been adapted to better fit the Nintendo Switch’s joy-cons, which are now much more capable than the Nintendo Wii’s Wii Remote Plus and Nunchuck, allowing for “smoother, and even more intuitive” controls. Players will be able to wield the sword using the joy-con controller in their right hand, while they can raise their shield with the joy-con in their left hand. Both joy-cons can also be used in tandem for other functionalities such as firing a bow.
Of course, the game can be played in handheld mode without joy-con controllers as well, with the right stick being used to control the angle of the sword based on the direction it is tilted in. A set ofSkyward Sword-themed joy-consbased on the Master Swordand Hylian Shield will also be released alongsideThe Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HDon July 16.
After showing off the game, Aonuma explained how certain aspects ofSkyward Swordwere used to inspireBreath of the Wild, such as the game’s glider and stamina wheel. Although today’s Nintendo Direct made no particular mention ofThe Legend of Zelda’s 35th anniversary,it is already of to a strong start withSkyward Sword HD.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HDreleases on July 16 exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.
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