Zelda Fans Unimpressed By New Skyward Sword HD Trailer
2021 is a massive year for The Legend of Zelda, and while we won't be soaring above Hyrule in Breath of the Wild 2, we will be taking flight with something similar. Remembering that The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword was released in 2011 to celebrate the franchise's 25th anniversary, we're getting a HD remaster to honour 35 years of all things Zelda.
Since the announcement of Sykward Sword HD in February this year, there's been a mixed response to the idea of bringing the start of the Zelda story to the Nintendo Switch for a new generation. Although there's plenty of excitement for the limited edition Joy-Cons, critics have slammed Nintendo for locking some features behind a paywall. Unfortunately, the latest Skyward Sword HD trailer has divided fandom further.
What's in the new Skyward Sword HD trailer?
E3 2021 didn't offer much in the way of new announcements for Skyward Sword HD, which might have something to do with the five-minute trailer that gives us an overview of new features and spruced up graphics.
Alongside a look at how the Joy-Cons will work in-game, there's an insight into puzzles and graphical capabilities, as well as a recap of the story. That's just it though, most of the trailer is just a rehash of the Skyward Sword story that will only appeal to those who are new to the game.
When Nintendo shared the trailer on YouTube, the comments section quickly filled with critics who are still unimpressed with what's on show. One critic lamented, "That's weird they're presenting it as a new game instead of talking about what they actually changed, would've been nice to show some comparison or something".
Another added, "As much as I love SS, I really dislike that almost nothing has changed. It would be nice to show something new like Hero Mode available from the get-go or polishing the old areas with new content...".
A third joked, "Nintendo: we made a bunch of quality of life changes Us: can we see them? Nintendo: …you said you wanted us to recap the story you’ve already played?" Despite criticisms, we imagine Skyward Sword HD's July 16 release will be a big hitter for Nintendo.
Is this it for Zelda games in 2021?
Even though we know Breath of the Wild 2 will launch in 2022, there are hopes that more Zelda announcements are out there to round off this milestone year in style. Namely, there are hopes that The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker and Twilight Princess could be given the same treatment as Skyward Sword.
Only recently, we covered how the insider that first leaked the idea of more HD Zelda remasters has given hopeful players an update and teased they're still on the way. It makes sense that Nintendo will wait for the dust to settle on Skyward Sword HD before rolling out the bandwagon with more remasters, however, there could be more announcements on the way.
All we need now is for someone to give Ocarina a next-gen remaster for the Nintendo Switch. If that's the case, we'd be dancing like Darunia and Nintendo would be tooting an ocarina all the way to the bank.