Where do you stand on Skyward Sword HD?

[MW7]

I finally got my Wii Motionplus semi-functional again so I'm playing through SS for the first time in over 5 years. Here is what I would like in a re-release:

1. Give option to map all motion controls to the second control stick.
2. Give option to map individual motion controls to the primary control stick (swimming, flying, tight ropes, and the harp).
3. Make all cutscenes skippable and in either normal or hero mode. The opening narrative sections of Zelda games became way too long and then BOTW cut them way back.
4. Give the 3 songs for the 2nd third of the game at once so you don't need to travel back and forth so many times for a song. This also would allow you to do dungeons 4-6 in any order, get the clawshot early, and complete different sidequests at different times with access to items earlier.
5. Give option to turn off notifications for treasure and bugs.
6. Completely get rid of the Imprisoned fight 2
7. Speed up text
8. Make the harp less sensitive and give it more room for error in playing successfully
9. Make warping a little easier - when going to a save statue you should be able to warp directly to another statue rather than having to return to the sky and dropping back down
10. Speed up the loftwing a bit
11. Make Thrill Digger a solvable game or at least more similar to minesweeper
12. Don't bother updating graphics - they look fine

Also as always for any Zelda remaster - a master quest would be nice.

 

[areasell]

I'd be all for it as long as I didnt have to use the controls like a Wii remote. The Wii remote just made skyward sword downright unpleasant to play.

 

[twilitfalchion]

I would really love to see a Skyward Sword HD remake, but only if the game's flaws were fixed. As long as motion controls are made optional, along with some other QoL fixes (optional tutorials, making Fi shut the heck up, removing item collection notifications, etc.), I think it would sell very well and make the game more accessible to gamers who disliked the controls or never played because of them. I didn't have a huge problem with them personally (except when fighting Bokoblins, who blocked almost constantly and had me waggling like an idiot just to get a hit in), but I get why most would rather have a control scheme that exclusively uses sticks and buttons.

 

[Dio]

It's the one that would need the most work. I can't deny that I would want it though so long as they have a complete graphical upgrade. The original looked like a hazy blotchy mess. There were GDC images of what it could look like and they looked good though. An upgrade like WW to WWHD rather than TP to TPHD.

It's the motion controls that would prove to be the most difficult part of this remake. I found they worked well most of the time in the original though link looked wierd holding his sword the way he did and the fact you could wrist waggle your way to victory against stalfos and bokoblins which I found cheapened the experience. The main problem is this was done with wiimote + and nunchuck and switch has joycons which use gyro motion and can't replicate the accuracy of SSs controls. On top of that they are very awkward to hold being not much wider than my thumb. I would hate to have a game which had to be played with them.

 

[MW7]

I think it would sell very well and make the game more accessible to gamers who disliked the controls or never played because of them.

I think this is very true, especially about accessibility. When you look at the sales of main console games in the series, Skyward Sword and Majora's Mask stick out as the two commercially disappointing games with low sales (https://vgsales.fandom.com/wiki/The_Legend_of_Zelda#:~:text=The Legend of Zelda series,of the best selling franchises.). Both had hardware barriers to entry (N64 expansion pack which in America was bundled with DK 64 but not Majora's Mask, and the Wii Motionplus which did have a bundle with Skyward Sword), and took some creative chances near the end of a system's lifecycle resulting in sales far lagging the previous games that achieved significant mainstream success (Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess).

Skyward Sword is a particularly bad seller considering that the Wii is one of the most sold video game systems in history. I think a remake could expand its reach a lot. Majora's Mask 3d almost sold as many copies as the original which is crazy, and I think Skyward Sword could actually sell more on the Switch than the Wii given its large ownership base assuming that they remove the barrier of motion controls or pull it back significantly.

Also adding insult to injury is the fact that Breath of the Wild has sold nearly five times as many copies as Skyward Sword already despite the Switch still having quite a bit of life left.