Daily Debate: Would You Like to See the Return of the Loftwing in a Future Zelda Game?

Posted on August 15 2024 by Julia Wilson

One of the things I really loved about Skyward Sword was Link’s ability to soar through the air on his Loftwing. Tears of the Kingdom enables Link to create flying devices, but that, in my opinion, does not recapture the joy of racing through the clouds on the Loftwing. Likewise, Link may have a Glider (or something equivalent) in several games, but he can only use it to travel in a downward trajectory. The Loftwing offered speed changes, spiral charge, and the ability to ascend through the sky. And Link didn’t have the issue of his Loftwing running out of stamina either!

Elements of Skyward Sword have inspired development in future games. In Nintendo’s “Ask the Developer” series, Tears of the Kingdom director Hidemaro Fujibayashi stated that being able to descend from the sky was something his team had wanted to implement since Skyward Sword:

“Thinking how satisfying it’d be to dive from the sky and jump directly into the water.”

The introduction of the Sky Islands made this dream a reality, as players could dive from The Sky to The Surface without having to sit through a loading screen. However, the development of the Sky Islands could have also been a prime opportunity to create the true equivalent of a Loftwing in Tears of the Kingdom. How much fun would that have been as a mode of transport? It could have been so very gratifying to spiral charge the irritating Aerocudas!

On the other hand, Tears of the Kingdom made you work for the flying experience, as you had to build the appropriate device and provide it power. Plus, exploration of the Sky Islands in the early parts of the game was quite challenging due to lack of stamina — if you didn’t prep with an abundant supply of stamina replenishing meals. So perhaps having a Loftwing would have made navigating the Sky Islands too easy?

Skyward Sword was one of the few 3D Legend of Zelda games that did not include horses as a mode of transport, opening the door for something similar in future games. What do you think? Would you like to see a Loftwing (or an equivalent) in a future Zelda game? If you were given a choice between a horse or a Loftwing, which would you choose? Let us know in the comments below!