Test the Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD - Saut de la Faith

Nintendo constantly seeks to support a flow of games for his switch.When a recent game is not ready, the Kyoto firm can always count on one of its former successes to fill the calendar.Finally, this time, Skyward Sword is entitled to the treatment of a remaster, enough to rehabilitate one of the least appreciated games of the legendary series.

The ride of the goddess

After years of experimentation with innovative controls-but a bit of a snack-from the Wii, in 2011, Nintendo was finally ready to apply everything he had learned by publishing a new ambitious zelda like no other: Skyward Sword.

With the introduction of Wii Motion Plus, the precision of movement recognition had leap forward, giving the possibility of making things a little more sharp.Even if Link looked in a stupid to agitate his sword in the air (not to mention the player), in addition to suddenly becoming right -handed from one game to another, the proposal did not lack charm by exploitingthis specificity.

Admittedly, most actions could have been carried out by a simple button rather than shaking its Nunchuk - a word that you have not read for a long time - or its Wiimote more, but its combat system which revolves around the directional attacks n'would not have had the same flavor.

The revolution was expected on the side of the controls, but also at the level of the structure.Twilight Princess had checked all the right boxes in terms of his atmosphere and narration, but applied the Zelda formula to the letter, which had left a lot of fans hungry.Too clever in his time, Wind Waker seemed to be the breath of freshness - sailor - which the series needed: why not a mix of the two?

Well, the artistic direction in pastel colors and the NPCs with one -stranged tables than the other - like its big bad guy without charisma - left more than one on the tile, leaving the game behind them without turning around, butSkyward Sword tried very much to advance the series, perhaps even sowing the seeds of a game that will become Breath of the Wild.In addition to mechanics bordering on the systemic, the title wants the player to use his objects as often as possible, rather than on unique occasions like old titles.

If the first part of the game is fairly classic, freedom of action eventually opened, whether in the order of accomplishment of tasks or in creativity required to progress. Le jeu n’est jamais vraiment difficile et porte les stigmates d’une époque qui se voulait accessible à tout prix (c’est de toi que je parle, Fay), mais Skyward Sword fourmille de bonnes idées qui forment un tout cohérent et très engageant une fois qu’on a fait le saut de la foi dans la mer de Nuages.

Skyward Sword is clearly not the favorite opus of the saga, and this for many valid reasons often linked to its experimental side, but it is not the horrible game either that many people think.And if we can happily grumble that this remaster hd is sold full pot, the curious players or who want to give it a second chance will have plenty of leisure to do it with this switch switch.

Impressive

You could say that this remaster HD makes the minimum union, but it does it well.The increase in resolution is undoubtedly appreciable, but it is above all the framerate at 60 fps that makes a lot of good.Even for a 2011 game, the engine remains robust and still behaves as well with this fluidity (in Docké as in portable mode).Even the cutscenes and the animation of the characters - very expressive - take part.

However, I might have things to say about the really remaster of this Skyward Sword HD.Although they are an integral part of his artistic direction in warm tones, the textures already considered as drooling at the time would have deserved an additional pass.

Admittedly, the lack of polygons in the environments does not help, but I am sure that there was a way to refine certain aspects to make them less anachronistic.It's a shame, because overall, Skyward Sword remains rather pleasant to the eye.

With a higher resolution, we can still note that this remaster benefits from much more contrasting and precise lights, not betraying the impressionist painting side, however, which makes it possible to sublimate certain staging.

We are clearly not in The Wind Waker HD on Wii U in terms of technical improvements, but hey ... we play on Switch: graphic concessions is our daily bread.

Finally, the game has never been so readable, fluid and its singular charm has not aged (provided I am sensitive, I agree).That is the demand of the people ?That..?What fay is silent?Ah yes, speaking of that ...

Because life is already quite hard

Where Nintendo really took the time to review his copy, it is on the quality of life of the player, and after having made the comparison with the original game, we realize that Skyward Sword needed greatly.

It doesn't look like, there are lots of little things that you might think as acquired (even in 2011) that have not always been assimilated by Nintendo.But with Skyward Sword HD, the Kyoto firm seems to have taken notes on the many little things that annoyed the players and did its best to erase them.

Simple example: if the introduction of the game is still a little long and well talkative, the new possibility of accelerating dialogues is a real blessing of the goddess.It is also possible to zap the cutscenes for those interested, but it is indeed the fact that the game stops taking you in per-home by the hand with bubbles of uninteresting untimely dialogues which is almost allthe difference.

Another example that has weight: each description on an object that has already been discovered during a previous session will not return.We know how hearts work when we walk on it, thank you ...

In addition to the fact that the horrible hud that marked your old screen of a Wiimote/Nunchuk combo was swapped for something much more refined, it is indeed Fay, service robotics, which learned to do notno longer interrupt his master every two minutes.From now on, as soon as Link's sidekick has a suggestion to emit it, the sword is gently shining with a blue glow, waiting wisely to sound it.

Some dialogues remain compulsory to progress, but the end result is already much less tense than before.

On the other hand, the kind of thing that we forgive a little less is the fact of having reserved the possibility of getting out of the dungeons or going back in the heavens anywhere with the amiibos that accompany the game (dear,in addition).This necessarily practical feature to further fluid an adventure that needed it, but blocking the majority of players to access it seems very vicelard.The Mysteries of Nintendo ...

Floats

Obviously, the most important changes of Skyward Sword mainly concern its playability.If everything is not to be thrown, the observation is unfortunately already more contrasting.

Indeed, the existence of the Switch Lite forced Nintendo to do without the motion gaming ... which is still the main argument of the title whose gameplay revolves mainly around.Thus, the sword's directions can be given by the right analog stick, with all the other features replaced by much simpler commands.

If other games in the past have already used the right stick for something other than camera control, it is necessary to admit it is particularly counter-intuitive.Even after several hours of play, wanting to take a look around you, we find ourselves regularly with the sword out of the scabbard.

Basically, this is not really a problem in itself and does not prevent us from taking advantage of the game, but prepare to fight against your automatisms if you decide to/must do without movement detection.

The camera always takes so long to tighten behind Link, and it will be necessary to use and abuse locking to refocus quickly (as on Ocarina of Time).It is quite possible to manipulate the camera with the right stick by holding the L touch, but its slowness and the impossibility of attacking at the same time makes its use a bit frustrating.

But it was not to mention the special attacks that sometimes become a real wound to go out effectively, since you have to come into a series of directions, almost like a fighting game.The obligation to click on the analog sticks for the use of the shield and the attacks of Estoc is not always very pleasant either.

On paper, the pair of Joy-Cons is getting much better, with the possibility of manipulating the camera independently of the sword controls.But the motion gaming comes up against another problem: its precision.

Like the Switch version of Mario Galaxy in Super Mario 3D All-Stars, we realize that the Joy-Cons really do not have the same precision which the Wii Motion Plus could enjoy, and it is difficult toemulate the same playability without suffering from some inaccuracies, however quite tenuous in the original game.

If the 2011 Skyward Sword ended up being tamed and proposed a certain immersion thanks to the detection of movements, the Switch version brought me out regularly from the game.To put it simply, it is necessary - very - regularly reset the gyroscope of the controller, whether to recalibrate the direction of his sword or the viewfinder who points to the screen.The function is so vital for the well -being of the player that it is attributed to the Y button.

Each time we try to take an action, there is always this little moment of floating or the gyroscope went to a lollipop, and where it must be said: "Ah yes, I have to put my hand flat andthat I press the button ".This is all the more dramatic when it is necessary to go regularly from the subjective view to the gameplay to the sword.It is with hindsight that we really realize that the sensor bar of the Wii contributed enormously to avoid this problem.

Admittedly, we end up doing it, but I have regularly happened to miss actions considered simple because my gyroscope was not reset.It has never been so ridiculous to play Skyward Sword from the outside, especially when it comes to lifting the sword in heaven.But hey, it is also for these little moments of bravery that some like this opus.

Modern time hero

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD is not such a lazy port as you might think and is a golden opportunity to (re) discover an underestimated game from the famous Nintendo franchise.Despite an artistic direction that divides, the adventure with multiple good ideas remains engaging and particularly pleasant with the many quality of life improvements enjoyed by this portage.The motion gaming remains relevant, even if it loses in precision compared to Wii Motion Plus, while players who prefer to keep their arms inside the vehicle may have to make efforts of understanding to take full advantage of the title.We win somewhere, but we also lose a little elsewhere.It's up to you if the opportunity is worth 60 balls.

What we liked:

What we didn't like:

This game is made for you if:

You are happy that Fay finally asks for the floor before opening it.

This game is not made for you if:

You still can't stand Ghirahim's look.

WarLegend.net a bénéficié d’une copie presse fournie par Nintendo.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD will be available on July 16 on Nintendo Switch.

Citizen Erased

Video games are an art, especially if there are big guns.PC to the body, nintendo in the soul, lover of contradictory sensations.Venerates Gabe Newell and the mane of John Romero as it should be.