I loved Skyward Sword on the Wii as a youth but recognized its flaws; the frustrating controls, the Fi interruptions, the fixed path that punishes you for trying to do something else first, the colorless sky, no options to skip cutscenes or dialogues you've heard a million times already.
But now that the HD remake has given us button controls, the very welcome toned down Fi companion, the option to go get the Hylian shield first before completing the 3rd act of the game and the polished color scheme that made for a prettier game with more fun functionality (pun entirely intended).
I just fell in love with this game all over again, every time I set the controller down to go to bed for the night, I would fight the urge to wake up and go play some more or procrastinate on my adult responsibilities to play more Skyward Sword. I haven't felt this addicted to a Zelda game since Breath of the Wild when it released on the Wii U several years ago.
Link is the best in this game than he has in any other Zelda game. He's so expressive and the design of him is so good. All the other Link's have this angry look to him but he has many other expressions from joy to sadness to anger to fierce determination and even fear.
Link and Zelda's relationship is the glue that holds this game together. From the opening act to the end, I felt their connection and I understood right away that Link and Zelda were childhood friends that will probably end up becoming lovers in the future. But also this game has a special bird friend (known as a Loftwing) companion that Link wouldn't have completed his quest without.
The soundtrack is phenomenal, probably my favorite in any Zelda game ever, even Ocarina of Time. It's a shame we never got that soundtrack for Smash Bros Ultimate.
The many bad guys Link faces on his quest are just marvelous. Their dialogue is really threatening but also their facial expressions and voices range from kinda funny to downright intimidating. Ghirahim is my favorite Zelda villain, followed closely by Zant from Twilight Princess.
On top of that; this game is really, really funny! From a toilet hand that asks you for paper, to Link actually being able to use a toilet, to one of Groose's goons asking you to deliver a love letter because he's too much of a coward. This game knows just when to let the player sit back and just enjoy the world and story with some humor.
The final boss is phenomenal and with these updated graphics, I was just stunned by the ingenuity that went into making a game build up to something this epic.
Groose is my favorite Zelda character of all time and I really hope in a future game, we'll see another character similar to Groose. He's like if Gaston from Beauty and the Beast saw the error of his ways and decided to help the hero and save the Princess in his own way even if he can't be 'the hero'.
Even though it's a remake of an older Wii game, it's still worth the $60. I've beaten it 4 times already and I'll definitely be revisiting it more in the future!
