Skyward Sword's Art Style Evolved Would Work Well in HD

GenGAME writes: "E3 2009 gave Zelda fans their first glimpse at “Zelda Wii,” and although it was only one piece of artwork and a few cryptic words from Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto, the response was tremendous. Rarely in gaming has one piece of artwork managed to inspire as much interest and discussion, and reactions were fairly positive across the board.

"It wasn’t until E3 2010 that we got to see what Skyward Sword’s actual gameplay looked like, and the reaction was a little mixed. Skyward Sword had a similar impressionist painting style to the original artwork, but the in-game graphics lacked the edgy, mature look that many had anticipated. Instead, the game took a far more light-hearted approach to graphics, full of bright and vibrant colors. Meanwhile, the Wii’s limited hardware struggled to do justice to Skyward Sword’s art direction. Jagged edges and blurry details plagued the game at times, causing the game to look far less impressive than it could have."

[PopRocks359]

As a Zelda fan and as a very big fan of Skyward Sword, I really hope they don't keep the style. One thing I liked about Zelda's evolution is that it has changed into so many cool visual ideas throughout the decades.

They didn't need to stay in a comfort zone, they really don't need to now. Especially since something new is what fans are really looking for (or at least this one in particular).

[DarkBlood]

i didnt have a problem with the graphics with the exception of the blurryness from a distence

[PopRocks359]

I kinda liked that though. It sort of strengthened the feeling of the game looking like a moving painting. Of course that's aesthetics, so to each his own.

[--Onilink--]

Well that was due to hardware limitations. Its one of the simplest way to keep a good framerate. Limit the draw distance or in this case make it very blurry. At least Nintendo was smart enough to use the art style to "hide" it a bit.

I dont think this will be a problem with the next one

[showtimefolks]

i hope Nintendo does a Zelda HD collection, only problem i see is some Zelda game used motion controls while other standard controller. now if they can redo the controls for a HD collection where you can play with Gamepad or the pro controller i would be all over it

[Kingofwiiu]

Skyward sword is one of , if not THE best looking game i've ever played. And that's saying something because I had to remove the composite cable from wii , take it from my Plasma , and hook the wii up to the tube tv that was is my attick.

Yes , this game looks dramatically better when played on a SD tube tv.

Technically it's not impressive at all , especially by 360 , ps3 , pc standards.

But the art , love , style , time , effort is all their for the taking.

I just love the way that game looks , sounds , feels , etc.

And I cant wait for the next Zelda game on wiiu to enhance all of those things with it's much nicer graphics...

[GenericNameHere]

Ehh, I disagree. I still think WW looks better, SD AND HD. There's something about its cel-shaded graphics that still makes it one of the best looking games ever. The graphics look smooth, with little to no jaggies, the cartoony world makes it a delight to see, and everything about it just feels unique and awesome. Not that Skyward Sword isn't great looking itself. Game looks great when it's raining, the forests are lush and green, water effect is cool to see, flying is nice, etc. But when you compare the two side by side, I'd stick with WW's cleaner, smoother, cartoony cel-shaded graphics.

[Kingofwiiu]

Windwaker is a stupidly good and clean looking game. That game deserves a 1080p remake...

I agree with what you say. I just like the feel of SS. The way the world has been designed and the way it feels really captures the zelda atmosphere. I love it....

[BanBrother]

Zelda is amazing, constantly evolving. I would like to see a realistic looking one, but at the same time I wouldn't. Nevertheless, I think it is time for a more mature take. Playing any of the Zelda games and you can see that they play with some pretty dark ideas, and I think it will be a great showcase of Nintendo's dedication to gamers (who expect innovation) whilst also showing off some sweet graphical capabilities.

Zelda fans are always left with a special kind of grin at the end of every game. Never disappointed. Oracle of ages and Seasons were also amazing, I still remember trying to complete them without dying just so I could see a slightly diferent ending.

[CouldHaveYelledUiiW]

I don't completely agree with you but you made a great case, "Interesting" read. >FYI: I hit "Agree" because...

If they went in the more mature direction and/or photo-realism, the only thing I would most interested in, is how Nintendo's developers stack-up against their peers.

I would like for them to show-off their talents and show that they are just as able as any company West or East of them.

Even still, I would mourn the loss of some crazy visual style that I missed.

I griped after the Space World switcheroo and I moaned when they changed Skyward Sword’s, reported, realistic style; but many now consider Skyward Sword and Windwaker visually epic.

-I trust them with whatever they come up with- even if I don't at first ;).

[Excited2play]

I totally agree that skyward sword does look great, my only gripe was not the graphics at all but the motion controls.

No matter how well they are implemented, i will always prefer a more traditional configuration.

[Yodagamer]

While I liked the art style of sw I would like to see an art style like that, but with full on cell shading instead

[wiiulee]

its not so much style or look of the game...its just what nintendo will do with zelda on the wiiu which will be fantastic to begin with.

[A7XEric]

Honestly I thought the whole painterly style of SS was beautiful. It just works better with larger draw distances and more saturated, vivid colors, part of the reason a lot of the surface areas weren't as visually striking as Skyloft.