Why Skyward Sword on Switch Shouldn’t Happen
Skyward Sword is one of the most polarizing Zelda titles in recent memory and it’s a title that may not be the best fit for the Switch. Here’s why.
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It’s no secret that The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword has been plummeting in popularity every year since its launch, but the recent rumors stating that a Switch port for the title may be coming has lots of fans excited, but unfortunately there are many reasons why the game is poorly suited for the Switch. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword was overflowing with controversial level design and motion control issues, which were both addressed in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and this would make a trip back to Skyloft feel even more jarring on the Switch.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword’s motion controls are so deeply baked into its structure that they’re practically a part of its identity. The main use of motion controls revolves around accurate swordplay where Link’s blade matches up perfectly with the player’s Wii remote. However, in order to accomplish this, the game needs to calibrate a center point so it can follow the player’s hand movements. The Wii’s Sensor Bar helped the game maintain this calibration, and the Switch lacks an equivalent piece of technology to provide a similar experience.
One of the main complaints players had about the Wii version of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword was the constant need to re-calibrate the controller. Without the Wii Sensor Bar, the Switch will have an even harder time maintaining the calibration needed to provide lengthy play sessions uninterrupted by excessive amounts of inaccurate sword swipes. Joy-Con controllers are capable of the same level of motion control as a Wii Motion Plus, but they are significantly smaller and less comfortable to hold, which could potentially make Skyward Sword feel more cramped and unnatural.
Skyward Sword’s Motion Controls Would Make Handheld Mode Terrible
More importantly, these motion controls will alienate those who prefer playing in handheld mode and Switch Lite owners alike. Motion controls on Switch have historically been more awkward to control when playing in handheld mode. For example, in Super Mario Odyssey, players could throw Cappy in specific directions by swinging the controller downwards or even above them. Doing this technique in handheld mode means that it is suddenly necessary to rapidly swing the entire tablet in order to perform these techniques. Because of this, Skyward Sword’s heavy use of motion controls would be unrealistic to implement for handheld use.
On the other hand, there are multiple Switch games that have motion controls as well as an option to shut them off. Paper Mario: The Origami King’s motion controls are used constantly throughout the game both in and out of battles, but players are also given the option to control these segments with buttons instead. Skyward Sword allows players to swing their sword in the eight compass directions, so it is possible to map the sword to the right stick instead. The rest of the game’s motion controls, such as flying on the Loftwing, could easily receive the Paper Mario treatment and provide players with the option to play with a traditional control scheme.
However, there would still be problems with this setup. Having the sword mapped to the right stick would eliminate the use of free camera control that Breath of the Wild used so well, and Paper Mario’s motion control segments always had a sluggish and slightly unresponsive feel to them when using physical controls. It is possible to map complex motion controls to buttons, but it’s challenging to make them feel as satisfying as what their original visions strove to be. Nintendo is likely looking to advertise Breath of the Wild 2 as much as they can, and Skyward Sword goes so far against what the original Breath of the Wild does that the two games can feel like they’re from different franchises. Skyward Sword’s lack of variety in its world and oppressive linearity are beyond repair without a massive overhaul, which is likely more than what Nintendo is looking to accomplish with a Switch version.
Link Source : https://screenrant.com/zelda-remaster-port-skyward-sword-nintendo-switch-bad/