The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD announced for Switch

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And it's launching alongside special Zelda Joy-Cons

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
(Image credit: Nintendo)

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD remaster has been announced for Nintendo Switch.

The publisher announced the revamp of the 2011 Wii game during today's Nintendo Direct, and it's launching July 16, 2021. A gorgeous pair of Zelda Joy-Cons will be released on the same day, which you can check out below:

Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons

(Image credit: Nintendo)

The motion controls of the original game have been replicated using the Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons, with one functioning as Link's sword and one serving as his shield. Fortunately, the remaster is also fully playable with button controls, so it's fair game for the Nintendo Switch Lite. 

In this mode, the sword motions are mapped to the right stick, so you'd flick the stick in the direction you want to swing Link's sword. The motion controls of the original Skyward Sword weren't exactly perfect, so it'll be interesting to see how the remaster handles. 

Skyward Sword is the latest in a growing line of Wii and Wii U games finding new life on Switch, but it's also one of the few that did pretty well on its original platform. Curiously, Skyward Sword wasn't high on the list of Zelda games that fans speculated would see a remaster for the series' 35th anniversary. Newly surfaced trademarks sparked theories around Phantom Hourglass and Wind Waker, but Skyward Sword was more of a stab in the dark than anything. Still, as one of the more recent games in the series, not to mention one that hasn't been re-released too many times already, it's a reasonable pick. 

Speaking of Zelda remakes: the studio behind the Link's Awakening remaster is hiring for a new game. 

Austin Wood
Austin Wood
Senior writer

Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.