Forget horses, Breath of the Wild 2 should give Link this Skyward Sword mount
Remember the Loftwing?
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 might not be the only Zelda game from Nintendo targeting a release on the Nintendo Switch in the near future. A listing for a Switch port for The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword emerged over the weekend, and while Nintendo has not confirmed whether or not this leak is accurate, it's a good reminder of the ways Skyward Sword might influence the next mainline entry in the series.
What about Skyward Sword leaked? By Sunday, a new listing on Amazon UK caught the attention of several Zelda fans. A store page went up for a Nintendo Switch version of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. The page seemed barebones and unfinished, with no real description and a placeholder release date of January 1, 2030.
Bring back this goofy bird.
Still, those who accessed the page were able to pre-order the game before Amazon UK took the listing down. It is currently unknown whether or not this was just a mistake of an Amazon employee or an accidental early listing for Skyward Sword's Switch port. Regardless, it has brought back interest to the divisive Zelda game that has long been rumored to get a Switch revision.
How Skyward Sword should influence Breath of the Wild 2 — A Switch port of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword probably wouldn't be directly connected to Breath of the Wild 2 outside of making Zelda fans happy enough in the short term so that they might endure a longer wait for the next game, but both could be a part of the game's 35th anniversary in 2021. Even if that's not the case, Skyward Sword still has some unique features that could have real potential in an open-world game like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2.
Namely, the Loftwing flying section would be an interesting feature to revive. Towards the start of Skyward Sword, Link is trained in how to mount a Loftwing bird he can use to fly around. After that, it can be used to explore the air, and you can occasionally find small floating islands that you can skydive onto. Like a lot of Skyward Sword's gameplay, these mechanics use fairly responsive motion controls thanks to the Wii Motion Plus. There were even some lively Loftwing races.
Skyward Sword included some high stakes bird racing.
While the Loftwing sections in Skyword Sword were ambitious but somewhat limited, flying around could become even more exhilarating if Nintendo decided to put a similar feature in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2. It could provide a faster way to travel in the air than hang-gliding and could pair well with skills like Ravali's Gale. Think the motorcycle that was added to the original Breath of the Wild, but in the air. Either that, or maybe it can only be used in limited circumstances or once a day.
Being on Nintendo Switch would also make these sections control better as they wouldn't have to rely on motion controls.
Making Loftwings a late-game or sidequest unlock like the motorcycle would probably be for the best so it doesn't break the immersive feeling of exploration initially. Still, it would also open up the opportunity to add some areas in the sky above Hyrule that could only be accessed via whatever Breath of the Wild 2's version of a Loftwing would be.
While we still haven't gotten more than a reveal trailer for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 and a feature like this is unlikely to make the cut, Nintendo shouldn't forget about some of the coolest features to come out of Skyward Sword. We think they're long overdue for a revisit.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 is in development for Nintendo Switch.
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