While Skyward Sword was one of the more divisive Legend of Zelda titles when it first came out in 2011, since its release, it has been seen in a much more favorable light by much of the fanbase and has even seen a HD remaster that dropped on the Nintendo Switch 10 years after its release.
Despite often being overshadowed by many of the classic titles that came before it, and the mega-hit that was Breath of the Wild a few years later, there's no denying that Skyward Sword's influence can still be felt, even in the latest game in the series, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, with Nintendo placing a few callbacks and references to Link's journey across the Skyloft and the airborne islands.
Considering just how gigantic the map of Hyrule is in Tears of the Kingdom though, it's highly unlikely that players will be able to catch these references in a single playthrough, but while some are well-hidden easter eggs that need to be found, there are other callbacks that are actually tied into the design, aesthetic, and story of the game itself.
6 Thrilling Minecart Sections
No one who has played through Skyward Sword can ever forget their experience taking on the Rickety Coaster, or any of the many minecart sections found throughout the game that tested the player's mastery of the Wii motion controls and the in-game time mechanics.
Thanks to the new physics-based gameplay of Tears of the Kingdom, it has made minecarts even more fun to use, but there's no doubt that they have been heavily inspired by how they functioned in Skyward Sword, especially with some of the more challenging cart rides like the one found at the Mine-Cart Land which is very reminiscent of the visually-stunning minecart minigames that were a big feature in Skyward Sword.
5 Skyward Sword Outfit
While Link's Skyward Sword getup was technically obtainable in Breath of the Wild, players could only get it by purchasing an Amiibo, but in Tears of the Kingdom, it can be acquired in-game by seeking out a few chests found in three different areas. It's worth stating here that retrieving the Sky clothes is actually very challenging considering that all the parts are located in the Depths which is an area packed full of monsters.
The first chest can be found in Retsam Grove right next to a giant tree stump which is directly under Hateno Village. The next part is in the Minshi Grove which can be found under the road that leads to the Korok Forest, and the third is in the Crenel Canyon Mine. It can definitely be quite tricky to get all three parts while remaining in one piece, but it's still nonetheless a fantastic love letter to Link's appearance in the game that inspired many parts of this latest title.
4 White Sword Of The Sky
Players can finish off the Skyward Sword look after retrieving the outfit by seeking out the White Sword of the Sky by either scanning the Link Skyward Sword Amiibo, or by completing the Mother Goddess Statue side quest. This quest will involve a lot of running around and a few combat encounters, but it isn't too hard to accomplish so long as the player has decent weapons and armor sets.
This lengthy side quest requires the player to retrieve multiple Dragon Claws which are then presented to the Statues of Courage, Wisdom, and Power in exchange for the Sword of the Sky which is near-identical in design to the first iteration of the Goddess Sword that Link uses in Skyward Sword. What makes this even more fascinating is the fact that, when Link finally retrieves the sword for his efforts, it is inside the Forgotten Temple which many have theorized is actually the Sealed Temple seen in Skyward Sword.
3 Fi Residing In The Master Sword
In nearly every Legend of Zelda game, Link will have some sort of companion who will guide him through much of his journey to save and reunite with Princess Zelda, and in Skyward Sword, that companion is the humanoid spirit Fi. Fi actually was created by the goddess Hylia alongside the Goddess Sword which is where she resides, and is the weapon Link would eventually find and use as the Master Sword.
Interestingly, Fi is actually indirectly referenced in Breath of the Wild when Zelda talks of a legend that claimed a voice could be heard coming from the Master Sword, and her presence becomes even more obvious upon completing the Trial of the Sword when Fi's sound effect would play, and the sword would begin glowing. Fi is again referenced multiple times in Tears of the Kingdom, such as how Zelda will begin referring to the sword as "she" rather than "it", and when Zelda speaks to the sword, it glows a bright blue color which is how Fi communicated with Link in Skyward Sword.
2 Taking To The Skies
Perhaps the biggest inspiration taken from Skyward Sword which dedicated fans noticed upon seeing early trailers was the much larger emphasis on exploring the skies. Link spends the majority of his time in Skyward Sword journeying across multiple floating islands, with some of the most well-known being the Skyloft and Pumpkin Island. Not only are these islands very relevant to the plot and the story of the Skyloftians, but there are also plenty of hidden items and side quests that can be retrieved from exploring them too.
What's especially interesting about this is that the idea of traversing across a wide open landscape that wasn't on the ground actually was inspired by Wind Waker and how Link would need to navigate the open seas for much of that game. It seems that Nintendo has continued to build upon this idea, to the point where the inspiration has moved from Wind Waker, into Skyward Sword, and all the way to Tears of the Kingdom where it is, once again, a huge component of the game.
1 Story Influences
Skyward Sword's story is all about Link and Zelda purifying the surface so that the Skyloftians, who are living in the sky, are able to finally descend and live on the surface, eventually forming the Kingdom of Hyrule. While the smaller details aren't exactly the same, it's still very easy to see many parallels between the story of Tears of the Kingdom and Skyward Sword, especially when also taking into the account that Rauru and Sonia were sent by the gods in Tears of the Kingdom to essentially kick off the story, and Zelda herself was a reincarnation of the goddess Hylia in Skyward Sword who eventually played a big role in ridding the world of evil and defeating the precursor to Ganon, Demise.
Because of the obvious inspiration, this has inevitably sparked a massive discussion among the Zelda fanbase about whether Tears of the Kingdom could potentially even be a direct sequel to Skyward Sword, with some going as far to say that some of the Hylians who were seen returning to the sky at the end of Skyward Sword, such as Groose, would be the ones to evolve into the Zonai. As of right now, Tears of the Kingdom's place in the timeline isn't clear, but the wider plot of ridding the surface of evil and receiving assistance from a divine-like being is still a common sentiment shared between both games.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is available now on Nintendo Switch.