It’s no exaggeration to say that Skyward Sword was developed with Hero Mode in mind, which makes it baffling that the HD remake keeps the difficulty as an unlockable. Skyward Sword is already the hardest 3D Zelda, but Hero Mode pushes the gameplay to a level that demands mechanical mastery the likes of which the series hasn’t seen since the NES days. Skyward Sword Hero Mode warrants a playthrough, even if you need to take a break after unlocking it.
Hero Mode doesn’t change too much about Skyward Sword, but it changes enough to improve the game wholesale. Coupled with all the quality of life features added by the HD remake, Skyward Sword’s Hero Mode stands out as one of the best gameplay challenges in The Legend of Zelda – and one every fan should experience at least once. It’ll help you appreciate Skyward Sword so much more.
No Hearts (Without Medals)
Arguably the biggest change in Hero Mode is the fact that Hearts no longer drop naturally. This means you need to either be very careful about taking damage or carry Potions in your Adventure Pouch. The only way to get Hearts to drop is by equipping the Heart Medal, which blooms Heart Flowers in the overworld again.
Beyond that, the only way to reliably heal is by sitting in chairs. There are countless seats carefully placed throughout the level design that fully heal Link. These are all but useless on a normal playthrough, but are life savers on Hero Mode. You will run out of Potions, so be observant and take a seat whenever you can.
Double Damage
Along with Hearts no longer dropping on Hero Mode, Link now takes double damage. Enemies already hit quite hard on normal mode, but this makes them even more dangerous. Careless gameplay will lead to death and bosses are extremely tense. This consequently makes Shields more valuable. Be mindful of what you have equipped, always be patient, and get ready for the gauntlet that is Hero Mode.
Harsher Stamina Consumption
Rounding off the double damage you’ll be taking, Link also exhausts stamina at a much harsher rate than in a normal playthrough. It isn’t so bad where stamina just drains, but you’ll need to be more considerate about Stamina Fruit in the level design. This nerf also applies to Link’s lung capacity while swimming.
Fortunately, the HD remake makes swimming easier so this isn’t so bad, but the lower stamina can feel punishing early on. Of course, this is only done to get you to use Stamina Potions more often and actually engage with the core mechanics.
Treasure And Bugs Carry Over
Skyward Sword’s Hero Mode also serves as a soft New Game Plus. While virtually everything resets (including Hearts, equipment, and Medals), your Treasure and Bugs do actually carry over. If you take the time to farm Bug Rock on your normal playthrough before beating the game, you can start Hero Mode with all the Treasure and Bugs you’ll ever need.
This is extremely useful since Potions are very useful in Hero Mode. With enough bugs stockpiled up, you can breeze through the early game, only running out of bugs once the difficulty curve spikes. Likewise, being able to upgrade every item as soon as you unlock it helps make Hero Mode a smooth experience.
Complete Thunder Dragon’s Lightning Round
The Thunder Dragon’s Lightning Round is Skyward Sword’s boss rush. By speaking with the dragon Lanayru, he’ll allow you to challenge a 9 battle boss rush on a normal playthrough. In Hero Mode, the Lightning Round will last for 12 battles – adding the endgame Horde fight, the final Ghirahim battle, and the final duel against Demise.
You only need to win the first 8 rounds to unlock the Hylian Shield, so the Hero Mode expansion is really only if you want to test your skills even further. For what it’s worth, you can unlock a massive amount of Rupees and Treasure by going all 12 rounds.
Buffed Skyward Strike
As an added courtesy for beating the game at least once, Hero Mode starts you out with a fully buffed Skyward Strike. The Skyward Strike is essentially Skyward Sword’s version of the Sword Beam from classic Legend of Zelda games. By tilting Link’s sword directly into the air, you’ll charge energy from the sky into your blade which you can then unleash into enemies or Goddess Cubes.
The fully buffed Skyward Strike allows you to deal massive damage from far afar for virtually the entire game. Since Hero Mode is so difficult, though, this doesn’t come off as an overpowered ability so much as a useful part of Link’s toolkit – certainly more so than it was in a normal playthrough. Real heroes use their Skyward Strikes.