4/5 ★ – johnschwartz's review of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD.

Switch Skyward Sword was a BIG deal for middle school me. I think this may have been the first thing I ever ordered on Amazon and I remember very distinctly the day it arrived on my doorstep. It was spring break and my only plan was to fight the forces of evil, Master Sword in hand. If only that damn UPS man would deliver the package already… So yeah, I’ve got a lot of fond memories with this game. From listening to the pack-in CD over and over again, to convincing my friends to give me their extra club Nintendo codes so I could pair a gold nunchuck with my shiny new gold Wii remote, the hype was very real for me. It was such a joyous time to be a Zelda fan that it was impossible not to fall under the game’s spell. 14 years later though…I have to admit this game has a lost a bit of its luster. It’s not “bad” by any means- in fact I still think it’s great to play! The vibe is perfect, the music is lovely, and it’s always fun to venture Hyrule with Link! But after how vast Twilight Princess felt it’s hard to shake the feeling that this may have been a budget title for Nintendo. Or maybe a production of compromises. What I’m trying to say here is that the main quest brings you back to previously explored areas way too much and it’s not always fun. The Silent Realm stuff is weak, and the late game Triforce hunt varies in quality. Like c’mon, a flooded Faron woods? That’s the best you got? I understand reusing assets and areas but Skyward Sword relies on that way too much and at a certain point starts to feel tedious because of it. But the swordplay is still quite fun and at the end of the day, it’s Zelda game and Zelda games are fun. Should this be your first entry? Maybe not, probably save this for second or third.