Best Buy has just marked downThe Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HDby a whopping 50%. Today only, the critically acclaimed Switch remaster of the universally beloved Wii game can be purchased at $29.99, exactly $30 off its regular price. This hefty discount onSkyward Sword HDarrives just a day after Cyber Monday and ties the game’s lowest-ever price at Best Buy.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword wasoriginally released for the Wii back in 2011, debuting to positive reviews and fan reverence. It went on to win multiple game of the year awards and was generally regarded as an instant classic. In the run-up to its ten-year anniversary,Nintendo announced theSkyward Sword HDremaster, which was released in the summer of last year.
RELATED:Zelda: Skyward Sword Fan Finds ‘Loftwing’ in Real Life
Today’s flash sale ties the lowest price tag Best Buy ever attached to itsSkyward Sword HDstock. While the game was treated to half a dozen $20 discounts over the course of the last year, the only other time it dropped to $30 was back in April, which also lasted for only a day, according to the retailer’s listing history. This sale is even more significant in light of the fact that Nintendo itself rarely discounts its game catalog, with half-off deals on first-party titles being nearly unheard of in the context of the Switch eShop. Even seasonal promotions likethis year’s huge summer Switch eShop saletend to be led by third parties, whereas Nintendo’s own offerings are rarely available at less than 30% off, so buying them from authorized retailers has historically been the most affordable option.
Apart from high-definition textures,Skyward Sword HDfeatures some massive quality-of-life changes, including auto-saving, skippable tutorials, and modernized controls. Two console generations' worth of hardware improvements also helped the remaster perform significantly better than the 2011 original, which is best underlined by the fact thatSkyward Sword HDconsistently runs in 60 frames per second, whereas the Wii game was capped at 30fps and would sometimes dip in the low 20s.
Loading times have also been improved compared to the base game on account of technological advancements; the physical version ofThe Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD—the one that Best Buy just discounted—comes on an Ultra High Speed Phase I (UHS-I) cartridge whose peak read-write speeds are approximately ten times faster compared to the Wii’s DVD drive.
Skyward Swordproved to be a seminal game for the franchise, as many of its features made their way to future installments. Some, like the stamina wheel, are still a prominent part of the series' gameplay formula and are already confirmed to be making a return inThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, which is scheduled to release next spring.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HDis available now on Nintendo Switch.
MORE:Everything You Need to Know Before Buying The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD
