Freeing up the “A” button in Skyward Sword allowed for the dashing mechanic
Generally, the “A” button in Zelda games is used to swing Link’s sword. But since that function is now mapped to the slashes of Wii Remote Plus, the developers were able to add a new gameplay element: dashing. This was the perfect situation, as, based on tradition, director Hidemaro Fujibayashi wanted to include a new action.
Satoru Iwata, Eiji Aonuma, and Fujibayashi explained:
Iwata: Stopping the sword was revolutionary this time, but also important was freeing up the A Button.
Aonuma: Yes, that’s right. (laughs)
Iwata: Up till now in the series, swinging the sword with the A Button was a matter of course, but using Wii MotionPlus frees up the A Button—an important point this time.
Aonuma: Yes, you can swing the sword without pressing the A Button.
Iwata: How did you decide to make use of the A Button then?
Fujibayashi: Every time we make a new Zelda game, Miyamoto-san assigns certain tasks, like “Add a new action.” I wasn’t involved with development, but for example, in The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, you jump with a feather.
Iwata: Yes.
Fujibayashi: In The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, you can pick up grass. So adding a new action was a theme whenever we made a new Zelda game. This time, we wanted to put in something before Miyamoto-san said anything and put in a dash by which you dash.
Iwata: You assigned that to the A Button.
Fujibayashi: That’s right. Link could dash before, but if he ran into a wall or other obstacle, he would stop on a dime.
Iwata: In The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, if you rammed into a tree or house, it would knock you down.
Fujibayashi: Yes, and that interrupts the flow of the game. For that reason, I had a strong desire to put in some kind of action so that whatever you hit, it reacts and won’t kill your speed. Thus, we made Link able to dash up.
Aonuma: As a result, since you’re not using the A Button as you usually would for your sword, after you select an item with the B Button, you can smoothly perform the action of using the A Button to dash up.
Iwata: When you see videos of Link dashing up and over an enemy to move behind him, it feels great.
Aonuma: And you can scurry up a small cliff or steep slope.
Fujibayashi: But once your energy runs out, Link runs out of breath. His shoulders heave and he wheezes. (laughs)
Iwata: (laughs)
