LoginAs a young boy, I played the first three (S)NES installments in the Legend of Zelda series, and was quite hooked by the rich mythology, combat and exploration element in the games. However, not owning a GameBoy or Nintendo 64 made me miss all the installments for those systems, so I was out of the Zelda experience for several years. The Wind Waker was a very welcome re-introduction to the series after all those years of absence, and it actually sparked my interest in Ocarina of Time as well.
Ocarina of Time was the first Zelda game to venture into three-dimensional gaming, and it also employed a very sophisticated narrative that went far beyond the straightforward dungeon-to-dungeon plot that hallmarked the first installments. Wind Waker was not only a revolution in graphics, but it also perfected the level of storytelling in the series. You start out with a nice background story and with young Link, who is embarking on a great adventure on the Great Sea when his little sister is kidnapped, and he is forced to tag along with a bunch of pirates; as the player, you need to find the story by following clues, obtaining objects and talking with other characters. Watching the plot unfold as you play is half the fun, and involves not only puzzle-solving, but also mastering the way of sword combat. It is nice to see how this game continues where Ocarina of Time left off; it uses the known elements of the series, like Link, Zelda, Ganon and the Triforce, and takes it in unexpected directions. For example: how many games take the hero to the big boss' stronghold already in the very beginning? Or skips the obligatory happy end for a more bitter-sweet finale?
The cell-shaded graphics in Wind Waker are the giant leap forward in the series, and showed what the GameCube system was capable of. However, it was also the reason why it was scathingly called 'Celda' after its release, which summarized the view of many who thought the game was much too kid-friendly. There is little denial that the game, with its lush cartoonesque animations and underage hero, caters to a young audience; but let's face it, the rest of the series was targeted at minors too, and weren't we all kids when we were introduced to it? Granted, the game does not look as dark or scary as Ocarina was at times, but that was mainly due to some creepy dungeons, like the one in the graveyard. Perhaps also the limitations in animation made that game seem a bit unpolished and grim, and drew less comparisons to a family-friendly cartoon. Wind Waker also has plenty of tense and dark moments (those hands from the floor and the screaming zombies still freak me out), but the unique selling point is the staggeringly high production value, almost the quality of a hand-drawn Disney feature, making it akin to a interactive cartoon; but at no point did I get the feeling that the mature audience was not taken seriously, because the game keeps the focus on an intricate and adventurous story.
Ocarina of Time introduced a revolutionary targeting system that enabled effective fighting, which has been further perfected for Wind Waker. In Ocarina, the camera would often take an annoying position that didn't quite give the best view of the fight; in Wind Waker, no matter what happens, the camera always shoots the action from an optimal angle, and you can always modify it to your preference. The array of sword moves has been expanded to include combos and rolling moves, which, together with the camera work and awesome graphics, creates fight scenes that would not feel out of place in a Prince of Persia game.
It was a very bold move to introduce a radical change of scenery in this game. The familiar forests, swamps, lakes, fields and deserts have been been replaced by The Great Sea, where isolated islands still contain sparse inhabitants and civilization, so more than ever does the player need to explore and keep a sense of direction. This makes for another epic new element: the sailing; although many fans thought it was long-winded, tedious and uneventful, I found the sailing a great part of the exploration, especially because the game keeps changing the circumstances: day changing to night, sunshine suddenly turning into lightening storms, and the unexpected discoveries on the vast ocean, as well as a couple of nice battles, made the sailing alluring enough. True, sometimes the distances were a bit long and the backdrop a bit monotonous, but backtracking through familiar scenery is also an integral part of the Zelda experience. As with most Zelda games, there comes a point where the player can warp to certain places, which saves precious traveling time, and there are a few locations in the game that bring back pleasant memories to Ocarina.
If there is one point of criticism that I agree with, it is that the game is a bit too short; the main quest is relatively brief, and the number of dungeons a bit meager compared to the amount of terror-filled challenges that Ocarina and Link to the Past offered. But, on the good side, the Great Sea is where most of the sidequests take place, another staple of the series that usually makes up more than half of the playing time.
To conclude, a lot of fans were initially displeased with Wind Waker, but judging by the very positive reviews here on the site, I think it is safe to say that I am not the only one to express his admiration for this little masterpiece. Not that it is necessarily my favorite Zelda game, but it is a great entry anyway that has shaped the series and the face of gaming for years to come.
The Legend steers into a glorious direction
Posted : 1 year, 9 months ago on 17 July 2022 07:57
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The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker review
Posted : 10 years, 3 months ago on 3 February 2014 06:41
Amazing Zelda game with beautiful graphics, a catchy soundtrack, excellent gameplay, and plenty of sidequests to do in almost every island. This is one of the best 3D Zeldas.
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Almost Like TLZ:OT...just cartoony
Posted : 15 years, 6 months ago on 17 October 2008 07:49
Gamers must for a moment forget that Wind Waker looks totally different from Ocarina of Time because in actuality these two games are very much alike. The GameCube adventure is clearly inspired by its N64 predecessor where design and play mechanics are concerned. Link once again travels through an immense world except this time not by horse, but by boat. The character is still called upon to solve countless environmental puzzles, to drudge through dungeons, to engage in fierce combat with enemies, to learn spells, to use a variety of weapons and items and more. It all still controls and moves along at a pace that will be d¿j¿ vu for anyone who's swung the Master Sword at Ganon in the past. In fact, everything from the way in which Link is maneuvered to the lock-on battle camera and the very way players can assign individual items like the boomerang and hookshot to specific buttons is all almost identical to Ocarina of Time
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Nice game, lots of fun
Posted : 16 years, 2 months ago on 12 March 2008 11:37
Lol, a cartoony link? who would've thought such an odd concept be so cool. Wind Waker is awesome, with more tactics, problem solving, thinking and coordination, this game takes the cake compared to what i thought it would be.
I didn't set the controller down until the Gamecube finally fried and turn off for 3 days, as soon as it came back on the game was broken, so I didn't get very far, but I still loved it nonetheless, it was challenging in its own way
I didn't set the controller down until the Gamecube finally fried and turn off for 3 days, as soon as it came back on the game was broken, so I didn't get very far, but I still loved it nonetheless, it was challenging in its own way
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Zelda
Posted : 17 years, 3 months ago on 26 January 2007 05:22
I wouldn't say that I've wasted countless hours on this game, but I've sat in bed for long periods of time trying to complete all of the extras in this game.
It's colorful, great Zelda story, lots of extra missions, neat weapons, plenty of gameplay, and most of all, fun, which is really what I'm looking for in a game.
It's colorful, great Zelda story, lots of extra missions, neat weapons, plenty of gameplay, and most of all, fun, which is really what I'm looking for in a game.
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Wait, wah?!?!?!
Posted : 17 years, 6 months ago on 18 October 2006 12:19
Where did it go wrong, Nintendo?!?!?! We were all expecting a great graphics game, the best Legend of Zelda yet, and you go......CHIBI?!?!
I saw pictures of "previews" for what was going to be instead of Wind Waker, and my jaw dropped. I was excited to play it, and this was after Wind Waker had come out! Anyway, I was greatly dissapointed in the lack of realistic Link, but I suppose WindWaker wasn't so bad.
Some of the downsides: you sail.......and sail and sail.....you can literally get pointed in the right direction and sail for 45 minutes before ariving at your desired destination. (Yes, you can warp later on, but still.) Also, the game is extremely long!
The upsides, Fighting has got to be my favorite in this game than of the others. You can roll behind the enemy, you can dodge, fighting is one of this games main strong points. Also, I LOVE the boomerang. Being able to target multiple enemys and take them out can come in handy. ;)
Another plus would be the fact that you can control other characters in some parts of the game. WEEEEEE!!!!!
My biggest disappointment is that the game isn't exactly....frightening. Now when you look at Ganondorf from the OoT (Ocarina of time), and skull kid/majora's mask in MM (figure it out), personally, I get a little frightened. You can tell that they are pure evil, and the entire game is based on beating the ultimate evil and saving the world. WW (obvious) isn't so much evil, it's wind, and waves, and sunshine.
Overall, Windwaker is a terrific game, but when compared to the previous (and maybe future) Zelda games, it just falls short.
I saw pictures of "previews" for what was going to be instead of Wind Waker, and my jaw dropped. I was excited to play it, and this was after Wind Waker had come out! Anyway, I was greatly dissapointed in the lack of realistic Link, but I suppose WindWaker wasn't so bad.
Some of the downsides: you sail.......and sail and sail.....you can literally get pointed in the right direction and sail for 45 minutes before ariving at your desired destination. (Yes, you can warp later on, but still.) Also, the game is extremely long!
The upsides, Fighting has got to be my favorite in this game than of the others. You can roll behind the enemy, you can dodge, fighting is one of this games main strong points. Also, I LOVE the boomerang. Being able to target multiple enemys and take them out can come in handy. ;)
Another plus would be the fact that you can control other characters in some parts of the game. WEEEEEE!!!!!
My biggest disappointment is that the game isn't exactly....frightening. Now when you look at Ganondorf from the OoT (Ocarina of time), and skull kid/majora's mask in MM (figure it out), personally, I get a little frightened. You can tell that they are pure evil, and the entire game is based on beating the ultimate evil and saving the world. WW (obvious) isn't so much evil, it's wind, and waves, and sunshine.
Overall, Windwaker is a terrific game, but when compared to the previous (and maybe future) Zelda games, it just falls short.
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Absolutely fantastic... and frustrating!
Posted : 17 years, 7 months ago on 4 October 2006 09:56
I've just finished The Wind Waker, the latest installment in Nintendo's famous series The Legend of Zelda, and even though I'm a Zelda fanatic, I can't help but have mixed feelings about this game.
On the one hand, the cute toon-shaded graphics are stunning. The gameplay, with its inven tive battle system where the hero and his enemies can pick up weapons dropped by other enemies, is irreproachable. The sounds, moods and music are captivating, even though there's no voice acting... but who'd want to hear Link talk?
On the other hand, it's not even that the game is too short, because actually the world is huge and the side quests numerous (although some might be a tad repetitive), nor that it lacks the traditional time/space warp (such as Overworld/Underworld, Young Link/Adult Link or Deku/Zora/Goron Link). It's that there are only five and a half dungeons! This can only leave you begging for more.
And this is what is so frustrating! The Wind Waker could have been one the greatest game ever made, but sadly it's not quite it, and I have no choice but to face the fact that it lacks the dimension of an Ocarina of Time, to name but one... So Mr. Miyamoto, when's the next one coming out?
On the one hand, the cute toon-shaded graphics are stunning. The gameplay, with its inven tive battle system where the hero and his enemies can pick up weapons dropped by other enemies, is irreproachable. The sounds, moods and music are captivating, even though there's no voice acting... but who'd want to hear Link talk?
On the other hand, it's not even that the game is too short, because actually the world is huge and the side quests numerous (although some might be a tad repetitive), nor that it lacks the traditional time/space warp (such as Overworld/Underworld, Young Link/Adult Link or Deku/Zora/Goron Link). It's that there are only five and a half dungeons! This can only leave you begging for more.
And this is what is so frustrating! The Wind Waker could have been one the greatest game ever made, but sadly it's not quite it, and I have no choice but to face the fact that it lacks the dimension of an Ocarina of Time, to name but one... So Mr. Miyamoto, when's the next one coming out?
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