The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is coming to Nintendo Switch later this year, but will it do well? It is coming out a year after the special edition released on other consoles and PC and several years after the original game. To succeed on Switch it needs to be different, and I think it will be.
If Skyrim on Switch were just the original version of the game, it would have come early at launch. If it were just the special edition….it would also have been a quick port. The fact that it is coming out so late, makes me feel that more work is being done on this. In fact this might even be a special Nintendo themed edition of the game. But what would that entail. Well, probably exclusive mods that allow Nintendo content. maybe some items, armor and weapons from Nintendo games. Heck maybe some cameos and even a sidequest if we are lucky. The game could also make use of HD rumble to give the shouts more of an impact.
But what can really make a difference is amiibo. Hear me out on this. Imagine scanning an amiibo into the game and getting new items based off that amiibo for the dovahkiin. Scanning one of the many amiibo from Legend of Zelda will bring weapons, armor and more from that series. Maybe even a location or two will make an appearance. Or you could even bring Epona into the game, to replace the horses in Skyrim. The same for a fire emblem amiibo, with it giving you the armor and weapons from that series, and maybe some changes to the dragons. The Mario amiibo could make osmall changes to Parthuunax who is voiced by Charles Martinet, the voice of Mario himself, or we could see some new enemies and more appear, all to give the game a unique feel that has a Nintendo feeling.
Ideally, this would also work with third party amiibo. Imagine using the Mega Man amiibo to get his iconic look and then kill a dragon and take its soul. The music could even change to the turn that plays when Mega Man absorbs a new ability. Using the upcoming Cloud amiibo could give you the buster sword, which could be an over powered sword in the game. Ryu could give the player the Hadouken either as a spell or a new shout, which would be something many fans would like. And let us not forget the Shovel Knight amiibo. This could unlock Shovel Knight’s armor and shovel blade for use in the game. The amiibo could give specific armors depending on gender, but otherwise it could be all uniform.
The best thing about this, is that all these changes would be optional. There would be no need to force these on people who just want the game, but it would be available if people want, via the amiibo. There should still be something in game without the amiibo, just to be there for people who don’t want the amiibo. But still the main focus should be on the amiibo and their optional use.
This is an idea, I hope Bethesda considers and Nintendo helps make happen. Using amiibo could be the big selling point for Skyrim on Switch.
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The above was an opinion piece and solely that of the author. It does not necessarily reflect the views of Real Otaku Gamer or that of its staff besides the author.