The release of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD on the Switch is proving to be a welcome addition to the console's family of games as players await Breath of the Wild 2. With the re-release, Nintendo saw to bring the game in-line with the Nintendo Switch to ensure it functions properly and accurately on the popular console. However, it appears the reworked control scheme has brought with it what appears to be unexpected side-effects that make the game easier to play in some areas.
In its original Wii release, Skyward Sword relied heavily on the console's marquee motion controls for players to combat enemies and traverse the environment thanks, largely, to WiiMotion Plus. Nintendo updated this control scheme in the remaster to account for the flexibility the Switch's Joy-Cons provide, granting players the ability to use motion controls or the more traditional button/joystick style.
It's this redesign where some of the game's difficulty is eased as Reddit user Jiehfeng shared in a video thread the Zelda subreddit. The video shows the player doing one of the game's clean cut challenges which previously relied on the Wii's motion controls. Instead of using the motion controls, though, Jiehfeng uses the Joy-Con's right thumbstick to cut through the bamboo with what appears to be relative ease.
Jiehfeng confirms this in a response to one comment joking about ruining their Joy-Con's joystick, saying they didn't feel rushed and it was little more than a flick of the controls.
Several more Reddit users confirmed Jiehfeng's experience, saying how Skyward Sword's control redesign made certain activities across the game notably easier compared to its original 2011 release. In regards to the clean cut challenge, several users took the chance to share their original bests and how they were able to easily surpass said best on the Switch. However, other users pushed back at this by sharing their preference for Skyward Sword's motion controls and argued some of the players were simply not as sharp with the original control scheme as other players.
In either case, this discovery is just one example of how a reworking an older game can sometimes drastically change the experience. It is nothing new to the Legend of Zelda series, though, as Nintendo has brought many of the franchise's most popular titles back on newer platforms and making use of said platform's features. The beloved Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask were remastered for 3DS and Nintendo made use of the bottom touchscreen to help streamline the user experience. Should Nintendo continue returning to the series' past in the future, it won't be surprising to find more unique changes to classic Zelda titles brought to newer consoles.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD is currently available on Nintendo Switch.