Skyward Sword is a divisive title in the Zelda series. Hailed with praise at launch with a 93 Metacritic average, the game since received criticism for the often-unwieldy and frustrating control scheme that serves as the foundation of its gameplay, paired with a more linear experience than fans were previously used to. In 2020 we saw one of these issues fixed, as the Skyward Sword randomizer saw its first release. For those unfamiliar, a randomizer is a mod that shuffles parts of a game to provide an entirely unique playthrough. In games like Super Mario 64 we’ve seen Mario’s basic abilities be hidden in levels, in the Pokemon series we see wild encounters shuffled. For games like Zelda, you’ll generally find obtainable items being the key point of randomization, with logic in place to ensure no required item is unobtainable (for example, the Bow shouldn’t be hidden in a place you can only access using the Bow).

Along with the item placements changing, the world is opened up. Instead of you progressing in the intended linear way, you’ll find yourself adapting and moving between areas based on the items you find and what they allow you to access. It’s an entirely different way to enjoy a Zelda game that revitalises Skyward Sword more than most with a previously-lacking sense of replayability. Through emulation and custom control schemes you could even have some semblance of a controller-based experience, though the best way to play did remain the Wiimote. Having played through the randomized game a few times myself, I can say the experience is great, and the randomizer has seen plenty of active development and improvement since its 2020 launch, going all the way up to the most recent release in February this year. To me, this was the definitive Skyward Sword. At least until Nintendo remade the game.

In July of 2021 Skyward Sword HD released. The resolution bump to 1080p was welcomed, and the Amiibo functionality sure was something that existed. Where the game really caught my eye, and the eye of many others, was its new non-motion control scheme. I won’t pretend it was perfect, and I’m not going to say it didn't take some getting used to, but it was there, and it sure worked better than the makeshift emulation solutions we had before it. What was it missing though? The randomizer. And it makes sense, these mods don’t just drop out of nowhere. It takes time to research, develop, test, and polish releases that so intricately weave their way into every corner of the game. Frankly I didn’t expect a Skyward Sword HD randomizer to release at all given we’ve still not seen similar projects for either Wind Waker or Twilight Princess on the Wii U. All I can say is that I’m happy to be wrong.

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Now my preamble is out of the way, let’s get to the star of the show. Today Zelda speedrunner and randomizer developer gymnast86 posted a trailer to their channel earlier today to announce the upcoming release of a Skyward Sword HD randomizer. Created by the project lead CovenEsme, the trailer shows the updated graphics of the remake alongside a huge variety of items being picked up from places where they shouldn’t be. The project is set to release next week on the 7th of June, with a Discord server being available in advance for those interested in updates. If you want to be prepared to play as soon as the files release, you’ll need to dump your copy of Skyward Sword HD (and its 1.0.1 update) and extract the files. Full guides are available already on the Discord server, though I’m sure you can find help over on the Nintendo Switch forum here too if you are struggling.

With Majora’s Mask 3D getting its own randomizer earlier this year, on top of the already-available randomizers for Link’s Awakening on the Switch, Ocarina of Time 3D, and many more, it feels as though we’re in something of a golden era for Zelda randomization. There's already been ten months of work put into this project, with the development team consisting of CovenEsme, gymnast86, Ninou, TBPixel, and YourAverageLink. I’m incredibly excited to see how it develops in the coming weeks and months, and can’t wait to jump in for myself next Friday.

Source
Discord Server

 

[Ligeia]

Without a proper controller control scheme I'm not trying that game again. I still can't believe the Switch port messed that up that badly.

 

[IceBlazeWinters]

Without a proper controller control scheme I'm not trying that game again. I still can't believe the Switch port messed that up that badly.

as someone who plays purely with a pro controller, i don't like the fact the right joystick is used for the sword instead of the b button like all the other zelda games

 

[Bladexdsl]

it will still suck unless it can randomize out them terrible imprisoned battles

 

[Scarlet]

it will still suck unless it can randomize out them terrible imprisoned battles

Amusingly there is a setting for that in the Wii version. I think it still has one Imprisoned battle in, but not the repeats if you select it?

 

[Ligeia]

as someone who plays purely with a pro controller, i don't like the fact the right joystick is used for the sword instead of the b button like all the other zelda games

I seriously can't get over how idiotic that control scheme was. And what about the camera ?

 

[Bladexdsl]

Amusingly there is a setting for that in the Wii version. I think it still has one Imprisoned battle in, but not the repeats if you select it?

i want them all gone there is one thing i absolutely hate in games is timed battles. KH turned me off too for having them.

 

[Robert Newbie]

I still have to play through Skyward Sword, but I recall the opening tutorial being about as tedious as the Twilight Princess one. I didn't know that the right stick gets sword duty in the HD release, but it may still be more preferable to a Wiimote.

Either way, a new Zelda randomizer is always awesome. Kudos to the devs

 

[Sir Tortoise]

Not sure how you'd input directional attacks with just the B button.

 

[Scarlet]

On the controls, it's just a difficult control scheme to have to adapt. The only thing I really think they should've added is an option to swap whether you have camera or sword as the default right stick option (with the other mapped to holding L). It's fine as-is with the sword as default, especially since the original game had no camera controls anyway, but it's those small QoL options that really go a long way.

 

[Ryab]

Without a proper controller control scheme I'm not trying that game again. I still can't believe the Switch port messed that up that badly.

How do they do a "normal control scheme" without completely redesigning the game though? Being able to swipe in 8 directions is a base part of the game that is used thousands of times throughout it.

 

[Osha]

People complaining about the control scheme for SSHD wouldn't be able to survive MGR Revengeance.

 

[The Catboy]

“And then Nintendo’s lawyers ruined the fun”
Quote from the future

 

[Scarlet]

“And then Nintendo’s lawyers ruined the fun”
Quote from the future

Have Nintendo ever shut down a randomizer? There's a pretty hefty history there and I can't think of a single one that's been hit.

 

[MariArch]

How can you complain about the control scheme? Precise Directional input/The Wii Motion Plus is like a core gimmick of the game so I think they do more than a good job of streamlining it for the Switch

 

[The Catboy]

Have Nintendo ever shut down a randomizer? There's a pretty hefty history there and I can't think of a single one that's been hit.

I actually don’t know if they have or haven’t, I just assume Nintendo will one day listen to more farts and do it

 

[IceBlazeWinters]

Not sure how you'd input directional attacks with just the B button.

the same exact way they did in every single zelda before skyward sword and after skyward sword: by using the joystick (n64), d-pad (nes, snes), and the left joystick (every single pro controller for wii, wii u, and switch)

People complaining about the control scheme for SSHD wouldn't be able to survive MGR Revengeance.

played it, hated it. don't like raiden.

 

[HarveyHouston]

How come I've never heard of this mod?! I thought I knew about every Nintendo mod...

 

[Ryab]

I actually don’t know if they have or haven’t, I just assume Nintendo will one day listen to more farts and do it

Yeah I think a big thing with them is they are such a mainstream company that them doing this stands out a ton. There a ton of other companies who are even worse than them but they just dont stand out as much due to them not being as mainstream.

 

[Apache Thunder]

I've enjoyed the Switch version of this game. The controls aren't that bad. Though they really missed the mark with recentering motion controls. Games like Breath of the WIld handle this pretty well. Motion controls for that game for example recenter the moment you pull an item out that uses it.

Not Skward Sword...for some reason it retains the last center point. This was fine in the original because it'd use the sensor bar to automatically recenter. But there is no sensor bar for Switch so the game can't do that. Instead I constantly have to manually recenter almost everytime I pull out my Sword, bug net, etc.

it's really annoying and the only thing about the HD port that disappointed me. I'm hoping once modding becomes easier for this game that someone addresses this. Surely it wouldn't be too complicated to replicate what BoTW does and just recenter automatically when a motion controlled item is pulled out.

Oh and the flying/swimming...I hated using motion controls for that and still do in the Switch version. I wish I could use normal controls for that but keep motion controls for everything else. There seems to be only be able to turn all motion controls off or on but not specific things like the flying/swimming stuff.