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Zelda: Skyward Sword 15th Anniversary: MotionPlus Swordplay, Skyloft, and an HD Return
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword turns 15 on November 20, 2026, counting from its North American launch on the Wii. If you ever swung a Wii Remote to fight Ghirahim, this look back is for you.
The game took about five years to make, and it nearly lost its signature control idea along the way. Here’s how it came together, how it sounded, and how it came back on Switch.
Release dates on Wii and Switch
Wikipedia lists these release dates for the Wii version:
🇪🇺 Europe: November 18, 2011
🇺🇸 North America: November 20, 2011
🇯🇵 Japan: November 23, 2011
🇦🇺 Australia: November 24, 2011
Nintendo announced the game in 2009 and planned it for 2010. The date slipped to November 2011.
Five years of work and a near miss
Development began in 2006, right after Twilight Princess. Nintendo EAD made the game, with help from Monolith Soft’s Kyoto studio. Eiji Aonuma produced it, and Hidemaro Fujibayashi directed it in his first home console project.
The hard part was Wii MotionPlus. The page says building it into the game was difficult, “to the point where it was nearly discarded.” Nintendo kept it, and the game needs MotionPlus to play. A golden Zelda Wii Remote with MotionPlus built in came out as a tie-in.
How you swung the sword
You play with the Wii Remote and Nunchuk. The Wii Remote drives Link’s sword, and the Nunchuk handles the shield. Raising the Wii Remote powers up the Skyward Strike, and a spin attack uses both controllers. Our Wii retrospective explains how the remote itself works.
Skyloft, Fi, and Ghirahim
Link lives on Skyloft, a floating island, and rides a bird called a Loftwing. His childhood friend Zelda is taken below the clouds, so Link goes after her. A sword spirit named Fi guides him, and the Demon Lord Ghirahim kidnaps Zelda and fights Link as a boss. Link draws the Goddess Sword, which is later upgraded into the Master Sword.
A live orchestra for the music
This was the first Zelda game to use a live orchestra for most of its tracks. Hajime Wakai led the music, and Koji Kondo supervised. The main theme, “Ballad of the Goddess,” is a retrograde of “Zelda’s Lullaby,” which means the notes run backward.
People liked the score enough that it led to “The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Symphony Concert.”
Sales and the critics’ view
The Wii game sold over three million copies worldwide and earned perfect scores from several outlets. Critics did push back on two things: the motion controls and the game’s linear design.
Later Zelda games reflected that feedback, and Breath of the Wild and A Link Between Worlds are named as examples.
Skyward Sword HD on Switch
Tantalus Media co-developed Skyward Sword HD, which came out for Nintendo Switch worldwide on July 16, 2021. It had sold nearly 4 million copies worldwide as of March 2022.
Frequently asked questions
Is Skyward Sword 15 years old this month?
Yes, but only in North America on November 20. Europe’s anniversary is November 18, Japan’s is November 23, and Australia’s is November 24.
Where does Skyward Sword fall in the Zelda timeline?
It’s the first game in the Zelda timeline and sits at the start of the series’ story. Hyrule Historia is cited as a source for that placement.
Planning an anniversary replay? The Switch version is the newer way to play, and the Wii version is the original. Which one do you remember best?
Image Credit: Francisco Gonzalez Romanelli / Unsplash
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