The Legend Of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD Trailer Reveals The Big Changes

We are precisely two weeks out from the launch of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD on Nintendo Switch. As the name implies, this is an HD remaster of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, a game that originally launched for the Wii 10 years ago in 2011. In the lead-up to release, Nintendo has published a few different explainer trailers – first was a rather long overview trailer, and today we're getting a trailer that walks us through some of the quality of life updates that will be present in the Switch version.

After all, game design is a constantly evolving beast, so it makes sense that even just a 10-year-old would need some quality of life enhancements in a modern re-release. The trailer clocks in at just a hair over a minute-and-a-half long, and we've embedded it below.

The trailer first covers the fact that players can now ask Fi for optional help whenever they want. For example, players will be able to ask Fi for general advice, analysis, or information about their objective, which could be useful if you get lost in the uncharted surface world. Then the trailer shows us the Skyward Sword HD's motion controls and button-only controls side-by-side.

While the button-only controls are closer to a normal control scheme than motion controls, they can't exactly be called traditional. With button-only controls, players will use the right thumbstick to control Link's sword or throw items, while tapping on the left stick will make Link block with his shield. It seems that both control schemes will likely require an adjustment period, so keep that in mind if you're looking to pick up Skyward Sword HD when it launches later this month.

We'll also be getting a smoother framerate, the ability to fast forward text, streamlined item information, and the option to skip cutscenes. All in all, it sounds like there are a few useful features that are shipping along with this updated version of Skyward Sword. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD is out on Nintendo Switch on July 16th.