STACK #201 Jul 2021

GAMING FEATURE

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PAUSING FOR BREATH Zelda fans are itching to get hold of the sequel to Breath of the Wild , and it’s looking like it will be with us sometime in 2022. Here are some new teaser screenshots to take in while we wait.

A QUICK SWORD WITH LINK SW RD W T I K Nintendo’s Switch receives another classic update this month with the arrival of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD. It’s a remake of what was seen upon release on the NintendoWii as heralding a ground-breaking new era in the series. Words Bec Summer

S kyward Sword was the second main Zelda release on the Wii (it also launched on the previous generation’s GameCube), with development beginning hot on the heels of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess back in 2006. Nintendo really wished to up the ante artistically, lending the game a visual style that was inspired by impressionist painters, while a live orchestra was used for the first time, for the majority of in-game music. All the action and all of the adventure that we loved from the long-running series returned in Skyward Sword , which made its Wii debut in November 2011. It boasted several new features, chief amongst which was the incorporation of motion controls in main gameplay, utilising the updated Wii RemotePlus coupled with a Wii Nunchuk controller. The sixteenth main entry in The Legend of Zelda saga, Skyward Sword was also the first in the series’ storied timeline. We learned the origins of what has been known variously as the Blade of Evil’s Bane, the Legendary Sword, the Sword of Legend, the Master Sword

of Resurrection, the Sword that Seals the Darkness, the Sacred Sword or, most simply and most commonly, the Master Sword. As usual, players

I FEAR MOTION! In its original incarnation on the Wii, many had issues with Skyward Sword ’s motion controls not responding how they thought that they should. With this HD upgrade, Nintendo have worked to make them “smoother and more immediate”, plus, if you’re still not convinced, there’s a new waggle-free button-only control scheme.

took control of the series’ main protagonist, Link,

motion controls, allowing the player to attack and block with various controller movements. Then there’s the Silent

and were tasked with navigating the airborne floating island of Skyloft,

as well as the land beneath it. Link’s quest? To rescue his childhood friend Zelda, who has been kidnapped and whooshed away to an abandoned land known as the Surface. Players expected to face all manner of quests, and that they did, alongside both dungeon-based and environmental puzzles, all to help advance the story. Combat was key via the aforementioned

Realm. It was a supernatural region which Link had to access

• The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD is out July 16

via a special portal in order to prove his spiritual growth before continuing his quest. All four offered increasing challenges – and some hair-tearing moments! No quest is complete without boss battles, and Skyward Sword gave us many, with such adversaries as Demise, Ghirahim and the Imprisoned offering a whole lot of challenge – and on multiple occasions, too. Talk about taking a licking and keeping on ticking! If you missed it the first time around, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD and all of its now-gen improvements are ready to offer quite the wild experience, as well as a fascinating Hyrule history lesson.

THE JOY OF ZELDA! To add to the Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD experience, this very cool-looking pair of new Joy-Cons will launch the same day as the game.

10 JULY 2021

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