Skyward Sword‘s Amiibo Is Causing Controversy

In case you missed it, Nintendo has announced a new, beautiful amiibo for the upcoming Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD release. It features Zelda and her Loftwing and is priced at $24.99. Like previous Zelda amiibo, this one also gives players a bonus feature. Using it unlocks the ability to create a warp point that can be returned to by using the amiibo again. The exclusivity of this figure’s feature is proving to be quite upsetting to many fans, however.

Skyward Sword is a divisive game. There is a lot to either enjoy or dislike in the game. One is the fact that the whole of Hyrule is fragmented into zones. Each one cannot be accessed from another. If you want to go to a different area of Hyrule, the player must return to Skyloft, the floating sky city Zelda and Link grow up in and where the game begins, and then fly back down to the new area. It’s tedious. Many fans were hoping that tedious quirks like this, of which there are multiple, would be removed. Making travel across Hyrule can now be easier, but it is locked behind $24.99. And, if the past is anything to go by, it is likely that there will be limited availability thanks to Nintendo and scalpers.

Luckily, one of the most heavily criticized elements in the game, the motion controls, will be optional. But so far, it is all the changes to game play we have heard of so far. Normally, I prefer less change to HD remasters or remakes. However, with the case of Skyward Sword, if Nintendo wants it to be its major Zelda release for the year, developers need to make at least a few more optional changes for players.

Most concerning about this amiibo is that Nintendo clearly listened to criticism from players, but instead of using it to improve games, Nintendo decided to offer desired changes for a price. And an expensive one at that.

Source: IGN