Skyward Sword HD launches tomorrow as of this posting, and the reviews released thus far are mostly positive. Not too surprising for a remaster of a widely successful 2011 Wii game, but the Nintendo Switch version is offering enough changes to warrant a more thorough examination of the rerelease.
Below is a quick roundup of scores gathered from the web:
- Metacritic Metascore: 82/100
- Nintendo Life: 9/10
- GameSpot: 7/10
- Game Informer: 8/10
- The Guardian: 4/5 stars
- Games Radar: 4/5
- Video Games Chronicle (VGC): 5/5
Overall, reviewers found the remaster to be an obvious enhancement over the original, attributing the upscaled graphics and frame rate, dialogue-skipping options, and other quality-of-life additions to the game’s overall improvement. Difficulty with controlling the freeform camera in handheld mode and new struggles with the updated controls contribute to some of the remaster’s downsides, according to reviewers.
As noted by GameSpot, “while many of the game’s original faults remain intact, a variety of welcome tweaks make it easier to appreciate now.” VGC describes Skyward Sword HD as “a superb remaster of the decade-old Wii game,” and Games Radar writes that “one of the most misunderstood games in the [Zelda] series gets a second chance.”
Additional reviews are sure to follow (including one of our own), and gamers will have their own opinions on Skyward Sword HD, whether they played the original or are experiencing the adventure for the first time.
