Let's Update Skyward Sword HD

We got a new Zelda release in the digital age of downloadable content and you know what this means: it's time to assess what Nintendo should do via a free update in order to improve the title. And there's always something to improve. Of course we all know that Nintendo is probably done with Skyward Sword HD and won't fix anything, because it's Nintendo (as we all know), but this shouldn't stop us from giving them ideas. So, let's go over some suggestions...

 

Improved Control Options

With Skyward Sword HD Nintendo and Tantalus already have done a good job of making the original game a lot more accessible via the new button-only controls. However, there are a couple of shortcomings and not everyone is happy with how everything works. So, here is what needs to be added to make more people truly enjoy the game:

• There should be separate camera control options for aiming. If you invert the camera, it does this for both the 3rd person camera controls and when you're aiming with items, where this is no way of having the same camera behavior as on the Nintendo GameCube with The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess. Sadly, Twilight Princess HD also had the same issue and this never got fixed.
  
  
• When using motion controls, it still should be possible to steer via the left stick. This should work when you're underwater, flying with your Loftwing, controlling your Beetle, balancing things and so on. There are players who actually switch between motion controls for combat and the button-only controls for everything else, where it would be nice to have a hybrid-mode option that has this covered for the sake of convenience and comfort.
  
  
• Some people really don't like that you have to hold the L-button to use the camera controls with the button-only setup. It's just not what they are used to from other (Zelda) games and that's understandable. A possibility would be that it activates the R-stick sword and item controls only when you hold ZL, either to target an enemy or just to center the camera, where this also could be a separate toggle in the options.
  

And here are some general changes to the interface and controls that the update should implement:

• Let us use the D-pad to navigate menus.
• Enable quick draw for the bow with the button-only controls.
• When using motion controls, it should automatically re-center your aiming when you switch to an item, like the Slingshot or the Beetle.
  

 

Hero Mode from the Start

If you are hoping to go into Hero Mode right from the get-go, then Skyward Sword HD will disappoint you. While Skyward Sword was the Zelda game to invent the mode (unless you count Ocarina of Time 3D with its Master Quest implementation), its remaster keeps things exactly like they were in 2011. This means you first have to beat the game normally before you can go into the higher difficulty mode. And some people really don't want that.

Of course the Hero Mode in Skyward Sword has a New Game+ functionality to it, where you keep all your treasures and insects from the previous playthrough to make your life much easier. But this can already be skipped by starting a new quest log in Hero Mode, so that's not really a deciding factor.

What might be a problem is that you're supposed to have all the boss fights available in the Lightning Round in Hero Mode right away. That's even part of the challenge here, because you might have to overcome more difficult battles on your way to get the Hylian Shield. But if this is also available right from the start, it might be a huge spoiler for some people, who have never played Skyward Sword before, but also want to play in Hero Mode right away...

A compromise would be that the Lightning Round simply works like in normal mode on your first Hero Mode playthrough and then adds all the options after beating the game once. In any case, Nintendo should let the players have what they want.

Additional amiibo Support

Skyward Sword HD supports amiibo – but only the one that was made for the game and nothing else... Which is a joke, much like the fact that this hides a new quick travel feature. There is no excuse for this and Nintendo certainly won't change this, but in the least they could offer some simple support for all other Zelda amiibo figurines out there.

This would work similarly to Breath of the Wild or the Hyrule Warriors games, where you can scan an amiibo once per day to receive items. These items can be Rupees, hearts, bombs, arrows, slingshot pellets, treasures and insects, but also basic Gear Shop goods, like the Wooden Shield or a Small Seed Satchel. Of course you can only get items that are already available to you in the game, so no early Sacred Shield or something like that. And the likelihood for the latter, as well as rare treasures is naturally lower than some of the other stuff.

What items you may get also depends on the amiibo / character. Revali for example may give you arrows or Bird Feathers on a regular basis, but also rarely a Small Quiver or a Blue Bird Feather. And that's it. This would be very simple and completely optional, but still nice to have, especially in the early game.

Travel Between Surface Bird Statues

If you want to travel around in Skyward Sword HD any faster, then you need the new Zelda & Loftwing amiibo, which is a shame. In the very least, the game should let you quickly switch between Bird Statues within the same area on the surface without having to go back to the sky.

Lightning Round: Chamber Challenge

Last but certainly not least, the update should add this game's equivalent to the Savage Labyrinth / the Cave of Ordeals, where you have to go through a number of chambers full of enemies, which need to be defeated. It's a staple in the Zelda series by now and a simple concept, which could be very interesting to have in Skyward Sword with its more challenging foes. The different rooms could be themed after the different dungeons and areas of the game, similar to the chambers inside the Sky Keep.

To keep things simple, this would become another option at the Thunder Dragon's Lightning Round and work similarly to the Treacherous Tower in A Link Between Worlds, where you can choose between three different challenges, each becoming increasingly longer and more difficult. Unlike during the Boss Battles, however, you're allowed to bring all your Adventure Pouch items into this and make good use of them. 

There could be a total of 50 chambers and you can choose to tackle either 10, 30 or all of them, but the order of the chambers will always be random, much like the boss battles in the Lightning Round. So, you will never know what comes next and this will make things different from similar dungeons in other Zelda games. This would also work well here, because you don't get access to the Lightning Round until near the end of the game anyway, where you're already familiar with all the enemies.

This is what the rewards could be for the different levels:

1. Another Empty Bottle
2. A second Treasure Medal
3. A completely new Medal
   

With the latter there are many possibilities, but it's hard to settle for something that only will become available in the late game and therefore won't be of much use any longer. For example, there could be a Bird Medal that adds more stamina to your Loftwing, but this would come way too late.

An idea could be the "Steadfast Medal", where enemies can't knock you over any longer and this also lets you keep stable on tightropes. This is something that somewhat breaks the game, but it's okay, because you're getting it very late and only through lots of effort, similar to the Hylian Shield, which also trivializes a lot of the fights, because you can just block normally without damaging your shield. There could also be a new Medal that protects you from electricity, which would be a fitting reward from the Thunder Dragon and even be helpful in the late game.

In the Treacherous Tower you actually had to fight Moldorm as a boss, where they could do something similar here with Moldarach. They could even bring back the Moldarach battle from the E3 2010 demo with this, where you fought the scorpion boss inside the Great Tree. This would be a nice throwback and at the same time also change the fight somewhat, because it can't hide beneath the sand any longer.