Sky Recomp v2.1.0 (v2.1)

Sky Recomp v2.1: Performance, Graphics, Controls & Quality of Life

This major update brings comprehensive stability, performance, graphics, and quality-of-life enhancements rolled up from @BlAnK182C-bak (Issue #92).

Highlights

• Optimized Native Game Code (-O1): The native game code compiler now uses -O1 optimization on all platforms (Windows, Linux, macOS) with per-file compilation time budgets and LLVM pass capping. This provides substantially higher framerates and smoother frame pacing without ballooning build times.
• Shader Pipeline Caching & Modes: Added configurable shader compilation settings (hybrid, wait, or async) and persistent pipeline cache saving to virtually eliminate stutter during gameplay.
• Bindless Shaders & Texture Gathers: Translated Maxwell bindless textures and texture gathers across both Vulkan and Metal graphics backends.
• Enhanced Video Options: Added FXAA anti-aliasing, supersampling with proper pixel averaging, and anisotropic filtering settings directly in the Video options menu.
• GPU Compatibility & Fixes: Vulkan now safely queries and binds only supported hardware features, resolving crashes on diverse GPU architectures (#46, #59, #60). Guest heap is now allocated in manageable 32 MB chunks.
• Metal Improvements: Fixed NVN alpha comparisons, depth test behavior in passes without depth buffers (fixing dark Fi rendering), OR logic op blending, and thumbnail saving on macOS.
• Physical Stick Bounds: Analog sticks are now clamped to the Switch's physical circle bounds, preventing out-of-range inputs (#16, #31).
• Free Camera Right Stick: Right-stick click now passes through correctly when Free Camera is active (#86).
• Mouse Combat: Hold left click to swing your sword directly in the direction of mouse motion for fluid combat.
• Dynamic Controller/Keyboard Prompts: The HUD and dialogue message boxes now display crisp prompt icons matching your current keyboard/controller layout.
• Audio Overhaul: Fixed aux reverb, high-pitched notes, missing PCM formats, and audio pop/click artifacts. Turning off room reverb now properly disables aux reverb.
• Virtual Amiibo: Added virtual Zelda & Loftwing amiibo support from the player's own dump in the Gameplay tab.
• Loftwing Flight & Dash Gauge: Added an on-screen dash stamina gauge for Loftwing flight, customizable flight and walking speed multipliers, and drop toggles.
• Cheats & Hero Mode: Cheats tab added with options for Hero Mode from the start, custom damage taken multipliers, and color blind mode.
• Real-Time Performance Overlay: Displays CPU, GPU, RAM usage, thermals, and frametime graphs.
• Setup & Release Packaging: Fixed folder dialog lockups and prevented accidental self-copy during initial game setup (#81, #87). Automated builds and packaging for Windows x64, Linux AppImage, and macOS 14/15.

Special thanks to @BlAnK182C-bak for these extensive improvements!

Sky Recomp v2.0.2: Language fixes, setup stability and cutscene improvements

Sky Recomp v2.0.2 addresses language display issues and fixes stability problems reported in initial setup and cutscenes.

What's new in v2.0.2

• Language fixes and regional support: Added automatic regional fallback so game data with either European (en-GB, es-ES, fr-FR) or North American (en-US, es-419, fr-CA) files correctly displays in English or the chosen language, preventing unwanted fallbacks.
• Fixed game code linking error during setup: Added compiler options to prevent undefined runtime symbol references during initial setup build.
• Fixed introductory video hang: Prevented controller skip action on non-skippable introductory cutscenes to ensure audio and video remain in sync.

Requirements & Installation

• Prepared Skyward Sword HD v1.0.0 game data (console keys and copyright game assets are not included).
• Extract the ZIP archive completely before running skyrecomp.exe.

Sky Recomp v2.0.1: Bug fixes and performance improvements

This update addresses cutscene display scaling, in-game language settings, and long-session performance on Linux.

Fixes and improvements

• Dynamic resolution scaling in cutscenes: Fixed an issue where heavy scenes with dynamic scaling (such as the tornado sequence) would shrink into the bottom-left corner with black borders. The viewport now scales to fill the display.
• Language selection and restart prompt: Added language options to the launcher settings and the Video menu. Changing the language in-game now prompts to restart immediately or keep the change for the next launch, making it clear that text archives reload on boot.
• Texture pack handling: Folders in the textures directory are no longer indexed as game data mods, preventing duplicate lookups during file access.
• Linux performance over time: Reworked texture change checks on Linux to use fast sampling before running full hashes on CPU memory. Textures that remain unchanged now drop back to periodic checks, eliminating frame drops during long sessions with custom textures.

Sky Recomp v2.0.0 — Fix Crashes and Freezes

This update focuses on stability, eliminating unexpected crashes and freezes during gameplay (especially at 60 and 120 FPS).

Crash and freeze fixes

• Fixed random gameplay freezes: Solved the lost condition variable wakeup race condition where the game screen hangs while background music continues playing. Special thanks and credit to @Taktloss (PR #58) and @ColdincD (PR #55) for identifying the root cause and providing fixes.
• Fixed random gameplay crashes: The game no longer crashes unexpectedly during gameplay or in scenes with heavy draw activity at 60 and 120 FPS.
• Better GPU compatibility: Resolved video memory issues that caused crashes on graphics cards with limited memory or without hardware features like Resizable BAR.
• Texture stability: Safer loading for custom texture packs, preventing freezes when loading new areas.
• Setup fix: Fixed a crash that could occur during the initial ROM setup on Windows.

Contributors

• Thanks to @Taktloss for PR #58 (condvar signaling order and timed wait handling).
• Thanks to @ColdincD for PR #55 (lost wakeup recovery and mutex lock fast-path).

Sky Recomp v1.0.6 - 4K Textures, Free Camera & Mouse Controls (Windows, Linux, macOS)

Windows package update - October 22: The Windows ZIP now includes a matching precompiled extracted/skygame.dll and its build ID, so a local code build is not needed when this library matches. Your own prepared game assets are still required.

Windows setup hotfix — October 22: The Windows ZIP has been updated to fix game preparation stopping at generator (subsdk1) failed with an empty log. If you downloaded the earlier package, download the Windows ZIP again and extract it into a fresh folder. Preserve your saves and prepared game files.

Sky Recomp v1.0.6 — 4K Textures, Free Camera & Mouse Controls

Sharper visuals. Freer camera control. A new way to play with keyboard and mouse. This release brings three major upgrades: Henriko Magnifico's 4K texture pack, an optional free camera, and mouse camera/combat controls.

The highlight: 4K Textures by Henriko Magnifico

The Windows visual package includes 568 replacement textures by Henriko Magnifico, his ReShade presets, and the effects they need. All credit for the texture artwork and supplied presets belongs to Henriko Magnifico — thank you for making this visual upgrade possible! Please visit his page to see and support his work.

The pack improves matching textures throughout the game, rather than only the opening room. It does not replace every original texture; anything absent from the pack keeps its original appearance.

• Extract the entire Windows ZIP and open skyrecomp.exe. No separate ReShade download or installation is needed.
• Your own prepared Skyward Sword HD v1.0.0 game files are still required. Original game assets and console keys are not included; this Windows download includes precompiled game code.
• Open ESC > Video to enable or disable 4K Textures and ReShade. Texture changes and already-loaded effects apply while playing and are saved.
• Ultra without motion blur is the default ReShade preset. Unwanted motion-blur effects were removed from the supplied no-motion-blur presets.
• If the application started with ReShade disabled, enable it and close/reopen the application to load it.
• 4K replacements currently use Vulkan. The bundled ReShade setup is Windows-only; the macOS package does not include the 4K/ReShade visual pack.

Highlight: Free Camera

Camera control has been a recurring point of frustration for players. The new optional Free Camera lets you look around with the right stick without holding L, making exploration more comfortable. Thank you to @kyrill-bo for the contribution in #45.

• Added an optional free camera, adjustable camera sensitivity, a camera-mode indicator and a smaller FPS display.
• Tap L on a controller to switch camera mode; hold it temporarily for sword-stick controls. Existing aiming and item controls remain available.

Highlight: Keyboard & Mouse Controls

Enable Free camera look and Mouse camera and combat in ESC > Controls, and use the game's button-only control mode. Move the mouse to look around, explore with WASD, and use mouse buttons for combat and items:

• Left click: sword slash. Move the mouse before clicking to choose a direction.
• Right click: hold target lock; pressing also sends a shield bash when a shield is equipped.
• Middle click: sword thrust.
• Hold Left Alt or Mouse 4: aim the selected item with the mouse. With the bow ready, hold left click to draw and release to fire.
• Adjust Mouse sensitivity in the menu. Tap Q to switch free camera mode; hold it temporarily for the original sword-stick behavior.
• Mouse controls release the cursor in the ESC menu and clear pending actions when focus is lost. Explicit mouse bindings take priority over shortcuts.
• See the complete keyboard/mouse controls, including item selection and bow aiming. Use the game's button-only control mode.

Fixes and improvements

• Texture replacement can be toggled during play, including textures already displayed. Replacements load as needed, with original textures retained when a replacement cannot be loaded.
• Reduced Windows memory use during startup and texture loading; corrected buffer handling and fallback behavior when memory is limited.
• Fixed a Windows memory allocation race and error handling for failed game thread creation. These address identified failure cases; other crashes may still occur.
• Made input sampling consistent across repeated reads and independent of stalled rendering.
• Fixed Windows configuration files causing language and other text settings to fall back to defaults.
• Improved automatic system-language detection, including Simplified Chinese (zh-Hans / zh-CN) and Traditional Chinese variants.
• Changing language in the ESC menu now shows when a restart is needed and offers Apply language and restart.... Save first: unsaved progress will be lost when restarting. The port's settings interface remains in English.
• Fixed identified macOS screen-clearing crashes and shader transparency handling, and improved game setup on Apple Silicon.
• Added Linux AppImage packaging with the required video libraries, alongside the existing Linux archives.
• Corrected font packaging and included missing third-party license notices.
• Updated the launcher version to 1.0.6.

Crash and freeze reports: please include your log

Windows now opens a separate SkyRecomp diagnostics console and writes skyrecomp.log next to skyrecomp.exe. Closing that console does not close the game. It remains available after a crash.

If the game freezes:

1. Wait at least 15 seconds so the automatic diagnostic report can be written. Long loading can also produce a possible-freeze report; tell us what was happening.
2. Copy skyrecomp.log before launching again — the next normal launch replaces it.
3. Open an issue and attach the log. Include v1.0.6, your operating system, CPU/GPU, graphics driver, location, action, controller, language and frame-rate setting, plus whether 4K Textures and ReShade were enabled.
4. Add a screenshot and a save near the problem if available. Check logs for personal paths before sharing. Linux/macOS users can attach captured terminal output and system crash reports.

Logs are not uploaded automatically. More diagnostic details.

Thank you to the contributors

• @kyrill-bo — free camera, sensitivity, toggle/hold controls, mode display and graphics contributions in #45.
• @LiamPalmqvist — macOS graphics fixes, Apple Silicon setup and resumable game preparation in #43, #41 and #42.
• @BlAnK182C-bak — Linux AppImage packaging in #29.
• Henriko Magnifico — the texture artwork and supplied ReShade presets highlighted above.

Thank you also to everyone reporting bugs, sending logs, testing fixes and submitting improvements. Reviewed PR contributions have been adapted into this release; this wording does not imply that every original PR has been merged unchanged.

Status and updating

This is still an experimental project. The reported inventory/map freezes and visual differences involving Mia and the Loftwing-area trees have not yet been confirmed fixed. Full-game stability has not been established. 120 FPS remains experimental, carried over from v1.0.5; try 60 FPS when investigating a problem.

Back up save/ before updating. Extract into a fresh folder, then copy your saves and prepared game files from your previous installation. Keep logs from a failed run before reopening the game. Do not copy an older executable or DLLs over the new release. Native macOS and Linux gameplay has not been verified on the Windows build machine.

Sky Recomp v1.0.5 - 120 FPS & Bug Fixes (Windows, Linux, macOS)

Sky Recomp v1.0.5 - 120 FPS & Bug Fixes

New: 120 FPS (Experimental)

Enjoy smoother gameplay with the new 120 FPS option! Open the in-game settings with Esc, then choose Video > Frame rate > 120 FPS (Experimental).

The higher frame rate keeps game speed and audio timing independent, so choosing 120 FPS does not simply double the speed of the game or its sounds. 60 FPS remains the default, and performance depends on your hardware and settings.

This option is still experimental: a turning animation followed a different path in testing, and combat, flight and all cutscenes have not yet been fully checked. Switch back to 60 FPS if you encounter problems.

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Fixes and Improvements

• Link's shadow: Fixed the shadow disappearing and reappearing when moving through certain spots.
• Ultrawide displays: Fixed objects appearing to slide when rotating the camera with Aspect Unlocked.
• Controller input: Prevented small stick drift from sending unwanted movement or sword commands.
• NPC and cave crashes: Fixed the causes identified in reports of crashing when talking to the door-repairing NPC after rescuing the pet and when entering the cave.

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Note on Download Sizes

You may notice that download packages are larger than in previous versions:

• Windows: The recompiled game library now includes all the previously missing game routines (fixing the NPC dialogue and crashes) plus the new 120 FPS timing support.
• Linux & macOS: Now come self-contained with built-in setup and compilation tools, so you can play without needing to manually install Python, compilers, or extra system packages.

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Downloads

Platform	Download
Windows	Windows ZIP
Linux	Linux TAR.GZ / ZIP
macOS (Apple Silicon)	macOS DMG / ZIP

How to Play

1. Back up your saves before upgrading, then download and extract the package for your system.
2. Use your own legally obtained, uncompressed The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD v1.0.0 game files, without updates.
3. Launch Sky Recomp, select your game files folder and click Set up game files. Allow setup to finish again if requested after updating.
4. Click PLAY. Press Esc to access the in-game settings.

No game assets are included.

Sky Recomp v1.0.4 - Bug Fixes (Windows, Linux, macOS)

Sky Recomp v1.0.4 - Bug Fix Release

Native PC port of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD (v1.0.0) based on static AArch64 -> C recompilation, available for Windows, Linux, and macOS.

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Downloads:

Platform	Package	Architecture	Graphics Backend	Description
Windows	SkyRecomp-v1.0.4-Windows.zip	x86-64	Vulkan 1.3+	Standalone ZIP with executable and runtime libraries
Linux	SkyRecomp-v1.0.4-Linux.tar.gz / .zip	x86-64	Vulkan 1.3+	Portable archive with executable and bundled SDL3/shaderc libraries
macOS	SkyRecomp-v1.0.4-macOS.dmg / .zip	Apple Silicon (arm64)	Metal 3 + MetalFX	Installer disk image with drag-and-drop installation

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What's New in v1.0.4:

1. Fixed Character Eye Rendering:

   • Fixed a rendering issue that could make characters' eyes appear excessively large.

2. Fixed Player Name Encoding:

   • Newly entered player names now display correctly in dialogue instead of appearing as squares.
   • Unicode text is preserved when entering names.
   • Names already stored incorrectly in older saves are not automatically repaired.

3. Fixed Sound Effect and Short Music Playback:

   • Fixed slow playback of sound effects and short musical cues, like the sound played when receiving a rupee.

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How to Play:

1. Download the release package for your operating system above.
2. Extract the archive, or install the .dmg on macOS.
3. Prepare your own legally obtained, uncompressed game files of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD (v1.0.0, without updates).
4. Launch Sky Recomp, select your game files folder, and click Set up game files.
5. Click PLAY. Press ESC to access the in-game settings.

No game assets are included. Keep a backup of your existing saves when upgrading.

Sky Recomp v1.0.3 - Multi-Platform (Windows, Linux, macOS)

Sky Recomp v1.0.3 - Multi-Platform Release

Native PC port of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD (v1.0.0) based on static AArch64 -> C recompilation, now officially running across Windows, Linux, and macOS!

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📥 Downloads:

Platform	Package	Architecture	Graphics Backend	Description
Windows	SkyRecomp-v1.0.3-Windows.zip	x86-64	Vulkan 1.3+	Standalone zip with executable and runtime libraries
Linux	SkyRecomp-v1.0.3-Linux.tar.gz / .zip	x86-64	Vulkan 1.3+	Portable archive with standalone binary and bundled SDL3/shaderc
macOS	SkyRecomp-v1.0.3-macOS.dmg / .zip	Apple Silicon (arm64)	Metal 3 + MetalFX	Installer disk image with drag-and-drop to Applications

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🌟 What's New in v1.0.3:

1. Full Linux Support:

   • High-performance Vulkan 1.3/1.4 graphics backend supporting NVIDIA, AMD (Mesa RADV), and Intel GPUs.
   • Native Wayland and X11 display support via modern SDL3.
   • Standard XDG paths ($XDG_DATA_HOME/skyrecomp or ~/.local/share/skyrecomp).
   • One-click Open Mods Folder integration using xdg-open for your default desktop file manager.

2. Full macOS Support:

   • Native Apple Metal 3 rendering pipeline with MetalFX upscaler.
   • Native Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4) execution for ultimate performance and energy efficiency.
   • Application bundle (Sky Recomp.app) signed and packaged as a convenient .dmg disk image.
   • Standard macOS paths (~/Library/Application Support/com.skyrecomp.app).
   • One-click Open Mods Folder integration using macOS open to reveal files in Finder.

3. In-Game Mod Manager:

   • Dedicated "Mods" tab accessible anytime from the pause menu (press ESC on keyboard or Minus + Plus on controller).
   • Open Mods Folder: Opens the mods/ directory in your desktop file manager with a single click across all operating systems.
   • Rescan: Re-scans the directory on the fly for newly added or removed mods without quitting the game.
   • Apply & Restart Game: Seamlessly restarts the game in place to remount the virtual RomFS with your updated mod configuration.

4. Atmosphère LayeredFS Mod Support:

   • Supports standard Nintendo Switch mod layouts: loose romfs/ folders and romfs_metadata.bin index files.
   • Dynamic File Overrides: Modded textures, models, layouts, audio, and language files seamlessly replace vanilla assets in real time.
   • New File Injection: Injects brand-new files directly into the virtual RomFS filesystem table.
   • Priority & Load Order: Use the ^ and v buttons to adjust mod precedence.
   • Individual Mod Toggles: Enable or disable any mod on the fly via the checkboxes.

5. Settings Persistence:

   • Disabled mods (disabled_mods) and custom load order (mod_order) are automatically saved to skyrecomp.ini.

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🎮 How to Play:

1. Download the release package for your operating system above.
2. Extract the archive (or install from .dmg on macOS).
3. Ensure your legally obtained, uncompressed game files of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD (v1.0.0) are ready.
4. Launch Sky Recomp, select your game files folder on the setup screen, and click Set up game files.
5. Click PLAY to start at 60 FPS! (Press ESC anytime to access the in-game menu and Mod Manager).

Sky Recomp v1.0.2 (Windows)

Sky Recomp v1.0.2 (Windows)

Native PC port of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD (v1.0.0) based on static AArch64 -> C recompilation and Vulkan 1.3+.

What's New in v1.0.2:

• NVIDIA Image Scaling (NIS): Integrated NVIDIA Image Scaling alongside AMD FSR 1.0 in the video upscaling options (Video -> Upscaler -> NVIDIA Image Scaling), offering high-quality spatial upscaling and adaptive sharpening.
• Authentic Controller Button Designs: Button prompts now feature authentic, vibrant factory designs and color schemes:
  • Xbox: Vibrant Green A, Red B, Blue X, Amber Y, with charcoal matte bumpers and triggers.
  • PlayStation: Sleek dark disc with official electric blue ✕, carmine red ○, emerald green △, neon pink □, and bumpers/triggers (L1, R1, L2, R2).
• Full In-Game Prompt Support: Patched dialogue and tutorial message box font sheets (picture_00.brfnt), ensuring 100% of button prompts across dialogues, HUD, menus, and item popups match the selected controller layout.
• Keyboard Button Prompts: Added a dedicated Keyboard option in Button Icons. Renders sculpted dark mechanical keycaps with crisp laser-etched legends, dynamic multi-character scaling, and automatic live synchronization with your custom keyboard bindings.

Instructions:

1. Extract the release .zip into a folder.
2. Prepare your own legally obtained game files of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD (v1.0.0) in a folder on your PC.
3. Launch skyrecomp.exe and select your game files folder.
4. Click Set up game files, then click PLAY!

Sky Recomp v1.0.1 Beta (Windows)

Sky Recomp v1.0.1 Beta (Windows)

Native PC port of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD (v1.0.0) based on static AArch64 -> C recompilation and Vulkan 1.3+.

What's New in v1.0.1 Beta:

• Streamlined Setup: Game files setup uses standard folder picker (SDL_ShowOpenFolderDialog). No cryptographic keys, title keys, or extraction tools required.
• Streamlined In-Game Menu (ESC / F1): Removed unused Link's Awakening tabs (Randomizer, Cheats, Warp, Cosmetics, Gameplay). Clean interface featuring only functional core options: Controls, Video, Audio, and Quit.
• Fixed DLL Linkage: Cleanly links against bundled LGPL FFmpeg (avcodec-63, avformat-63, avutil-61, swscale-10) and SDL3 without extraneous external codec dependencies.
• Updated Credits & Third-Party Sources: Full open-source attribution, third-party source repository links, and special thanks to the LAS Recomp project.

Instructions:

1. Extract the release .zip into a folder.
2. Prepare your own legally obtained, uncompressed game files of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD (v1.0.0) in a folder on your PC.
3. Launch skyrecomp.exe and select your game files folder.
4. Click Set up game files, then click PLAY!