Twenty years ago,The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Wakercame out for the Nintendo GameCube on December 13. Fans had been waiting for this game since the days ofOcarina of Time, asMajora’s Maskwas viewed as more of an experiment than a true evolution of the series. Reception was positive, but complaints arose at the time due toThe Wind Waker’s cartoonish art style. It also became obvious that the back half of the game was missing large chunks, some of which were allegedly added toTwilight Princess. Still,The Wind Wakerwas vindicated by history and is now looked back on as another ofThe Legend of Zelda’s classic installments.
This game is in an odd spot today. It was released with significant upgrades for the Wii U, but not many people bought that console.The Wind Wakermay be better known nowadays as a popular target for emulation, especially with mods. Many would be happy to seeThe Wind Waker HDrelease on the Switch. Having subtly laid the foundations for what would later become major parts of the series,The Wind Wakerdeserves it. This game was a big step towardZelda’s 3D outings finding their identity beyond the N64, and can still be appreciated for trying something different.
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The Wind Waker’s Ocean Reinvented Zelda’s Overworld
One of the biggest distinguishing features between what fans considered major and minorZeldatitles are their overworlds. As an early predecessor to 3D open-world gameplay,The Legend of Zeldahas long been fondly regarded for its secret-rich maps. From thenearly abandoned Hyrule of the first gameto the Malice-soaked ruins of the latest, the freedom to search every nook and cranny for treasure is aZeldastaple. Titles that lack it such asFour Swords AdventuresandTri Force Heroes, despite being fully featured games, are still clearly marked as minor entries by this alone.
When it came time forThe Wind Waker, Nintendo wanted to try something different. For many games now, the players have been exploring the fields of Hyrule, Termina, and various other lands.Wind Waker’s development team set out to create the same wide, interconnected area, but without making it a field. This manifested inThe Wind Waker’s Great Sea, which was arguably the series' largest foray into open-world gameplay untilBreath of the Wild. While entering important islands and structures would cause loading transitions, the rest of the game world could be traversed seamlessly. On the back of the King of Red Lions, players were able to ride the wind and waves that heldThe Wind Waker’s world together.
It isn’t the best overworld in theZeldafranchise, but the ocean still has its benefits. Sailing along at high speeds conveys a sense of adventure, and there are a lot of little distractions spread throughout the map. Players could spend hours clearing lookout platforms, treasure charts, and challenge islands, all while finding fishmen to fill out their map. The rewards aren’t always worth it, but the concept of trawling an open world and clearing out enemybases to spawn chests was revisited inBotW. Anyone who wants an extra spicyWind Wakerexperience may want to try a randomizer mod, as that can spread value throughout the Great Sea’s huge map.
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Later Zelda Titles Owe Much to The Wind Waker
There’s no talking aboutThe Wind Wakerwithout addressing its unique presentation. Wind Waker uses heavy cell-shading and bright colors everywhere, lending it a distinct appearance not only amongZeldagames but gaming as a whole. In spite of initial complaints about looking childish, remnants of its style remain inZeldatoday. Aside from lending its aesthetic to severalotherZeldagames including its two sequelsandThe Minish Cap, it also crept back intoSkyward SwordandBreath of the Wild. They have noticeable cell shading on top of their more realistic visuals, andSkyward Sword’s Link is almost as expressive asThe Wind Waker’s.
Looks aren’t everything, andThe Wind Wakerhas plenty more going for it. Its whimsical nature is enhanced by a stellar soundtrack, full of classicZeldastylings and tunes that emphasize the seafaring, adventurous nature ofThe Wind Waker. The town themes and sailing track are especially famous, as they convey the game’s unique identity perfectly. Whilegood music is a given inZelda, one can draw some parallels betweenWind Waker’s oceanic experience and the airborne sections ofSkyward Sword. Riding on a Loftwing through Hylian skies alongside an epic orchestral track seems like an attempt to recaptureThe Wind Waker’s Great Sea, albeit with more fleshed-out ground areas to explore as well.
The final points forThe Wind Wakerthat carried onward are its combat and narrative. Its swordplay is significantly more refined and satisfying than the N64Zeldagames, largely owing to the context-sensitive counter system. This remained a small part ofTwilight Princess' further expanded combat and arguably returned inBreath of the Wildas the Flurry Rush.
However, of greater relevance isThe Wind Waker’s narrative, particularly how it relates to otherZeldagames. This was the firstZeldatitle that explicitly came long after another existing game in the franchise.Twilight Princessopted for a different take on this same idea, andSkyward SwordandBreath of the Wildtook place on thedistant ends of theZeldatimeline.The Wind Wakerdidn’t introduce continuity to theZeldafranchise, but it did make great strides in keeping it in the back of players' minds.
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HDis available on Wii U.
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