"The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD" has the potential to be one of the standout games of summer 2021 That's because this game was one of the centerpiece games of fall 2011, and time has (almost) been kind to this ambitious Zelda prequel The game has always been a bit difficult to control, however, and Nintendo plans to address that this time around

In Skyward Sword HD, you can return to the Skyhub area from anywhere in the game--but only if you purchase the $25 amiibo accessory However, only if you purchase the $25 amiibo accessory This means that if you want to use all of the game's features on day one, you will need to pay $85

Nintendo revealed this information in a short YouTube trailer for the amiibo figure Zelda & Loftwing, which will be released with the game on July 16 As the name suggests, this product is an amiibo toy featuring Princess Zelda and Loftwing from "Skyward Sword" (For those unfamiliar with Nintendo merchandise, amiibo are small plastic statues that can be digitally linked to Nintendo's various game consoles)

Here's how amiibo work: in Skyward Sword, the main character Link frequently travels between a hub world in the sky and various explorable environments and dungeons on the ground In the original game, the only way to travel between the two areas was through a specific bird statue, which also allowed him to save his progress This was quite inconvenient since the bird statues were not always located near the quest objective Scanning the Zelda & Loftwing amiibo would allow the player to return to the "sky" from anywhere in the game, even from within a dungeon, for easy escape when regrouping is necessary

This useful feature could be unsatisfactory for two reasons First, there is the issue of price While most amiibo cost between $10 and $15, "Zelda & Loftwing" will sell for $25, at least according to popular sites like Best Buy It is as if Nintendo is charging a higher price because of its gameplay utility

Which brings us to the second reason why the Zelda & Loftwing feature seems a bit disingenuous Normally, scanning an amiibo gives the player a little perk, such as an alternate character skin or concept art gallery However, fast travel is a major addition to Skyward Sword and has the potential to dramatically change the overall experience If Nintendo thought it was important to add this feature after 10 years, it seems odd to lock it in behind the $25 gate

In any case, "Skyward Sword" was perfectly clear without instantaneous movement, and I have to imagine that "Skyward Sword HD" will be no different in that regard Still, $25 is a pretty high asking price for a feature that could streamline the entire game One also has to wonder what game-changing features Nintendo will include in the amiibo in the future and how expensive amiibo will become