SSHD Skyward Sword HD: Motion vs Button Controls

[Mikey the Moblin]

This is definitely a problem most people with larger TVs have. I think this is why there’ll almost always be a need/demand for higher resolution versions of games to come out. Anything from N64-Wii looks terrible and pixelated on my TV, so if an HD Switch version of a game I know I’m gonna play or want the option to play comes out, I’m probably going to purchase it so that the resolution matches or at least will upscale better for my current set-up.

definitely, not to mention skyward sword deserves an HD version to begin with. Really let that iconic art style shine
the old tv my family had was 45 inches and we've had it since I was a wee lad, as of last christmas I'm on a 60 something and skyward sword just can't keep up

 

[Hylian Viking]

Personally I would start with motion controls deactivated. I remember some parts of the original game where motion controls seemed to be a difference between life or death: Probably one most irritating was the minecart roller coaster segment in the Lanayru Sand Sea. As for some of the other parts I might have them activated once I get past some of the more stress inducing parts in the game that require more precise dexterity. What would really be nice is if Nintendo allows the player to pick and choose which things work better for the player as motion controls or button-based, that and lastly having the ability to activate and deactivate motion controls quickly without having to return to the Menu Screen and going into the Game Settings.

 

[MapelSerup]

I’ll stay with motion controls most of the time, for old times’ sake. I do want to try out the buttons, however.

 

[Vanessa28]

Buttons for sure. I loath the motion control. I didn't really struggle with it though. I just loathed them

 

[Hero-of-Time777]

When motion controls first came out with the Wii, it was pure coolness and novelty. Then the coolness wore off when playing as Link in Twilight Princess is just flicking your wrist from side to side until it hurt. It doesn't feel like you're really swinging a sword anyway, so it detracts from the enjoyment. You have to get used to motion controls, especially in Skyward Sword.
I still love the original Wii version, but I'm SOOO happy they added button-only options for the HD version. Far more comfortable and you can pay attention to the awesome story better.

 

[NintendoCN]

I don't have the physical stamina to play something as motion dependent as Skyward Sword. If the motion controls can't be turned off, I won't be wasting my money.

 

[Azure Sage]

I’ll try both for sure but I expect to use motion controls more often. It won’t feel like the same game otherwise. It might honestly end up depending on my positioning because I’ll be playing it in handheld mode on my bed like I do with everything else and laying flat on my stomach with detached joycons doesn’t sound too comfortable. We’ll see.

Coming back to this post now that I finally have the game is funny because I have been playing exclusively in button mode so far and it's probably gonna stay that way, for the exact reason I lined out in my first post; my position while playing. It's way easier to just do handheld since I always play my Switch on my bed.

Also, I'm genuinely surprised at how wrong I was about it not feeling like the same game outside of motion controls. The way the buttons are set up does feel remarkably close to playing in motion. I think they did a great job translating the control scheme, and it's just as fun to play as it was back in the Wii days. I'm very impressed.

 

[Dragon_Onox]

Coming back to this post now that I finally have the game is funny because I have been playing exclusively in button mode so far and it's probably gonna stay that way, for the exact reason I lined out in my first post; my position while playing. It's way easier to just do handheld since I always play my Switch on my bed.

Also, I'm genuinely surprised at how wrong I was about it not feeling like the same game outside of motion controls. The way the buttons are set up does feel remarkably close to playing in motion. I think they did a great job translating the control scheme, and it's just as fun to play as it was back in the Wii days. I'm very impressed.

Fun isn't the word i'd use to describe SS controls. The game can be fun sure. Not the controls. some aspects of the motion I can understand.

I guarantee you won't be playing another game on switch or any other console where you'll be using the right stick to control a sword. Its not fun at all. The controls are terrible. They work. But they're bad. Having beaten SS and gone back to normal games I'm more convinced of that.

God damn ****ing mindset I kept hitting the bumper to control camera on Samurai warriors for Xbox and just thought to myself...you're not playing SS anymore...just use the Right stick to control camera.

SS had messed with my mind and not for good reason. Nintendo aren't going to put these horrible controls for BOTW. We'll go back to having a button for sword and right stick for camera. Like Normal games.

ITs why I will never ever replay that game ever again unless they patch in a hybrid controls.

To answer the topic the best controls are motion for sword control and button for everything else

 

[Azure Sage]

Fun isn't the word i'd use to describe SS controls. The game can be fun sure. Not the controls. some aspects of the motion I can understand.

I guarantee you won't be playing another game on switch or any other console where you'll be using the right stick to control a sword. Its not fun at all. The controls are terrible. They work. But they're bad. Having beaten SS and gone back to normal games I'm more convinced of that.

God damn ****ing mindset I kept hitting the bumper to control camera on Samurai warriors for Xbox and just thought to myself...you're not playing SS anymore...just use the Right stick to control camera.

SS had messed with my mind and not for good reason. Nintendo aren't going to put these horrible controls for BOTW. We'll go back to having a button for sword and right stick for camera. Like Normal games.

ITs why I will never ever replay that game ever again unless they patch in a hybrid controls.

To answer the topic the best controls are motion for sword control and button for everything else

I actually am really enjoying the sword on the stick, just as much as I enjoyed it with motion. Fighting Ghirahim last night was just as much of a blast as it's always been, and I was using buttons. I've had zero issues with sword combat and I'm having fun with the controls as well as the game.

Yeah, this control scheme will probably never be seen again, and that's fine. But I don't think it's bad. It's part of SS's charm.

 

[Dragon_Onox]

I actually am really enjoying the sword on the stick, just as much as I enjoyed it with motion. Fighting Ghirahim last night was just as much of a blast as it's always been, and I was using buttons. I've had zero issues with sword combat and I'm having fun with the controls as well as the game.

Yeah, this control scheme will probably never be seen again, and that's fine. But I don't think it's bad. It's part of SS's charm.

My issues aren't that it doesn't work. It does. Its fine. But I'm saying i'd never want to play another Zelda game with them. I just hate how they were too lazy to implement alternate controls regarding the camera. The actual sword they had no choice. The game was designed around motion. But they could have put out better more accessible control schemes. I said its bad because its lazily designed.

 

[Azure Sage]

My issues aren't that it doesn't work. It does. Its fine. But I'm saying i'd never want to play another Zelda game with them. I just hate how they were too lazy to implement alternate controls regarding the camera. The actual sword they had no choice. The game was designed around motion. But they could have put out better more accessible control schemes. I said its bad because its lazily designed.

I don't think the button controls are lazy at all. I can't imagine the kind of work it took to fully replicate the feeling of full motion controls through just buttons. Before I got the game, I didn't think it would be very good and I thought it wouldn't feel like the same game, but I was wrong. They did a great job and it still feels like the same unique experience it was on the Wii.

I don't disagree that having to press a shoulder button to use the free camera isn't ideal, but I've already gotten used to it and I'm finding it hard to think of what else they could have done to them with the sword on the right stick. The sword would absolutely have to be given priority over the free camera, and holding a shoulder button just to swing your sword would be immeasurably worse than what we have now.

Whether you like them or not, it's pretty clear that a great deal of thought went into designing the button control scheme. You don't have to want another game with this setup, but I can't agree about the controls being mechanically bad or lazy. If you're talking personal tastes, sure, everyone's got their own. But design-wise, they're pretty darn impressive.

 

[Dragon_Onox]

I don't think the button controls are lazy at all. I can't imagine the kind of work it took to fully replicate the feeling of full motion controls through just buttons. Before I got the game, I didn't think it would be very good and I thought it wouldn't feel like the same game, but I was wrong. They did a great job and it still feels like the same unique experience it was on the Wii.

I don't disagree that having to press a shoulder button to use the free camera isn't ideal, but I've already gotten used to it and I'm finding it hard to think of what else they could have done to them with the sword on the right stick. The sword would absolutely have to be given priority over the free camera, and holding a shoulder button just to swing your sword would be immeasurably worse than what we have now.

Whether you like them or not, it's pretty clear that a great deal of thought went into designing the button control scheme. You don't have to want another game with this setup, but I can't agree about the controls being mechanically bad or lazy. If you're talking personal tastes, sure, everyone's got their own. But design-wise, they're pretty darn impressive.

You say unique but there's nothing really unique about SS if played with button controls. Also its not full motion for sword. Its 8 directional sword attacks. The full motion aspects are in the flying and controlling certain objects..and those are made redundant by the stick. So yes SS was unique 10 years ago on the Wii. Theres nothing unique about it except how badly some of the motion aspects have aged. Theres a reason Nintendo ditched the motion controls of the wii to the Wii u. It was a 5 year fad that ultimately wouldn't last.

The unique aspect of SS was purely the motion controls of the original be it using it to control the beetle or flying. I personally found the original to be unplayable in certain aspects.

And using a shoulder button for sword attacks wouldn't be worse. When do you need to use sword attack in this game? When facing an enemy in 90% of the time you're Z targeting anyway. Have the sword automatically be active when Z targeting. The other times you're trying to get rid of a group of enemies or random bats and jellies coming at you you can hit a random button to swing.

Also in other Zelda games if you press B(sword attack) and the left stick in a direction Link swings the sword in that direction. Yes you have to be stationary but most of the time you aren't moving while swinging.



You say a lot of thought went into it but that doesn't show in the design. Theres so many aspects of SS that should have been altered or changed or improved and they didn't really do enough. The only thing impressive is how they managed to get the game to run at 60FPS on the Switch at 1080p and 720p. Thats the truly impressive thing. Everything else feels a bit half assed compared to Wind Waker HD and TP. They put way more effort into both of those remakes/remasters. Both of those games had significant pacing improvements to the overall game. SS had none of that. They could have removed one of the ****ty Imprisoned fights or shortened the trials like they did with TP but they didn't. Its as if they spent so much time trying to figure out how to implement button controls and didn't look at the game itself. Would it have been hard to add a faster flying option or better traversal?

I mean ultimately My opinion of SS is higher now than it was 10 years ago. Its a good game but severely flawed. Theres a reason why its widely considered the worst 3D zelda and is also the worst selling.

 

[Mikey the Moblin]

friendly reminder that if you call devs lazy you lose any sort of credibility you might have had before saying the L-word

 

[Requiem Of Spirit]

I'm playing with the default motion controls. So far I'm having a blast with it. I find it a fun change after the 3DS's button controls.

I find steering the loftwing and Link (when jumping off and landing) a bit tricky but everything else is great so far. Swinging the sword and making the loftwing flap its wings with a swing of the joycon is pretty cool.

 

[LowManna]

I think the motion controls with the Wii definitely wasn't great and definitely had me way less immersed than what I wanted to be. I haven't played SSHD yet, but I do have joycon motion control experience with the re-release of Mario Galaxy and that was pretty terrible.... I want to have a good experience of SSHD in general so I'll be doing the non-motion controls for sure