The Legend of Zelda series has proved itself to be a reliable source of above-quality gaming, ever since the early days on the NES. In 1998, the game moved into three dimensions, resulting in The Ocarina of Time on the N64; which I firmly believe to be the absolute greatest videogame of all time. Then in 2000 we had its sequel, Majora's Mask, which proved that the Zelda games were still a force to be reckoned with. Now, in the generation of the GameCube, we get the Wind Waker. Don't be deceived by its cel-shaded cover; The Wind Waker is definitely the best game on the GameCube, and perhaps the 2nd best Zelda game of all time.
The Wind Waker is actually set hundreds of years after the Ocarina of Time. Hyrule is covered in water now, and the only remains are the mountaintops, which are now the various islands throughout the game. The Link from OOT is considered a legend in TWW, and on a certain island known as Outset Island, it is customary to garb boys in green when they reach the age of the Hero of Time. Here on this island is where the adventure begins. Unlike the old Link, the Link of TWW has a family: his Sister and his grandmother. They live together on Outset Island, and when the game begins; it is Link's birthday. He reluctantly puts on the green clothes (they seem a little hot for this time of year....) and not long afterward, things start happening. A band of pirates sail by Outset, pursuing a gigantic bird who has taken there Captain: a little girl named Tetra. A shot from their cannon makes the bird drop Tetra to the earth. But then, in an attempt to recapture her; the bird takes your sister instead! Link leaves the island with the pirates, determined to rescue her. But things get a lot more complicated, and before the game is over, the fate of the world hangs in the balance. It appears that Ganon has returned, and he's pretty ticked. The Wind Waker has a story thats every bit as epic as OOT. There are many memorable supporting characters, and numerous twists and turns throughout. (Something I missed in Majora's Mask.) And don't worry; it has plenty to do with Hyrule, Zelda, the Master's Sword, and the Triforce But I'm not going to spoil it.
Despite how it looks, TWW actually remains quite faithful to the groundwork laid down in OOT. You traverse a gigantic ocean, go through numerous riddle-filled dungeons, collect new items (which in turn allow you to access new areas), et cet. Most of the usual items are back, (The bow, the boomerang, the hookshot), along with some interesting new ones, such as the Grappling Hook and the Deku Leaf. Not to mention; the title item: The Wind Waker. The Wind Waker itself is much like the Ocarina instrument from OOT and MM. You learn songs for it that do different things. However, you don't learn as many songs for it as in the past two games, and you don't play the songs that often. Three different items can be equipped to the X,Y, and Z buttons, while your sword is default on the B button. The control scheme is essentially the same as OOT and MM, with a few tweaks. The camera can now be rotated with the C stick, which helps when you need to look around. You can crawl through tight spaces with the R button. The control scheme isn't broke; so I don't think they need to fix it.
The combat which worked so well in OOT and MM is here, and its better than ever. The controls are still the same, but this time we're treated to beautiful acrobatic animations for the attacks, rather than just a monotonous slashing of the sword. Also, there is a new feature called Parry; which allows you to dodge an attack and strike back at the same time. Also, Link can pick up an enemies' dropped weapon. This is fairly useless; but adds a bit of depth. Also, for the record, this is without a doubt the most fighting-oriented Zelda yet. There are literally hordes of enemies at a time; and they are a lot more serious than before.
The Wind Waker's overworld is bigger and better-looking than ever, although this time its a vast ocean with islands scattered throughout. You'll sail back and forth of these islands many times throughout the game, on your trusty talking boat. (Yes, talking.) This actually is one of the faults of TWW. The sailing from island to island can take forever. Seriously, you'll sometimes spend 10-15 minutes just sailing. And the sharks that come and knock you out of your boat don't help. Thankfully, you'll learn a warp song for your Wind Waker that seriously cuts down on the time spent traveling.
There are plenty of islands throughout the sea. Most of them are just secret areas where you can find money or upgrades, others are bustling towns and homes. Windfall Island is a very impressive place, with plenty of people to talk to and plenty of buildings to enter. Its not as large as Clock Town from Majora's Mask, but its impressive enough. A lot of the time you'll spend in WW is in the overworld, but thats no complaint. There are an absolute TON of secrets to be discovered.
But that being said, you'll spend a fair amount of time in the game's dungeons. There are only five official dungeons, which is one more than MM, but three less than in OOT. Like in the past games, there is a theme to each one. (Fire, forest, earth, and a newly added Wind Temple.) They are filled with riddles that you have to solve to progress, and at the end of each one there is a massive boss. The dungeons are amazingly well thought out, and extremely fun to navigate and defeat. However, they rarely put up much of a challenge. But this can be said of the entirety of the Wind Waker; it is generally quite easy. The puzzles are straightforward and easily recognized. (For the most part. I will admit that there were a few instances in which I was confused.) But none of the dungeons ever get as difficult as, say; OOT's Water Temple. (Shudder). Also, while the bosses are bigger and better looking in this game than they've ever been, they are all very easy to defeat. Even the games final boss, amazing as it is, really does not put up much of a fight. When I completed TWW; I realized that I had not died a single time. If you have played OOT and MM, you will probably breeze through TWW.
This is part of what makes TWW shorter than either OOT or MM. But it isn't just the difficulty; the course of the game just doesn't run very long. In OOT there were 8 dungeons, plus the Well Temple, Gerudo Fortress, Ganon's Castle; et cet. In MM there were only 4 dungeons, but a TON of sidequests and out-of-dungeon missions. (And 20 masks to collect as well.) TWW has 5 dungeons, and very few out-of-dungeon missions. Plus the fact that you can basically breeze through the game due to its low difficulty, the WW goes down a lot quicker than the past two games. Granted, the game will take you around 15-20 hours to defeat, depending on your skill level. And for those who want to gather every heart piece, every arrow upgrade, et cet; you can probably make it last a lot longer. Also, there are a few uneven parts. For instance, the first part of the game has you collecting 3 pearls (Rather like the quest to collect 3 spiritual stones in Ocarina). You have to beat a Fire and Forest temple to get the first two; but there is no water temple to get the third. It seems like it was cut out, perhaps to get the game finished on time. Then for the last part of the game it makes you go on a "scavenger hunt" of sorts to collect 8 triforce shards. You have to literally sail across the entire world to collect 8 charts that tell you where the shards are, and get them deciphered for a whopping 398 rupees each, which makes money collecting a necessity. And then finally, you have to find the shards themselves. This portion of the game is boring, lengthy, and seems like it was shoved in to stretch the game to an acceptable length.
Now we turn our attention to the graphics. As you know, TWW has a distinctly different graphical style than OOT or MM; going with a cel-shaded cartoony look. There are many people who say it stinks, makes the game a cartoon, et cet. These complaints are unbased, as TWW is, in a word, gorgeous. When you play through the game, you'll realize that this was actually a good idea. As this is a new world and time period, there definitely needed to be a new look. And the graphical strength of the Wind Waker lies in other areas. Mainly in the facial expressions of the characters, including Link. Now, as we all know, we never hear what Link says to others; only their answers to him. In the N64 games, he basically seemed like an emotionless shell. But in TWW he is fleshed out through his many, many different expressions and sounds. But it isn't just Link; its every single person you meet. The expressive characters are the main strength of this game. But there are many more. Wind blows through the grass, trees sway, waves wash the beach, lighting streaks the sky, the shadows cast by torches are beautiful, and TWW boasts an extremely high resolution. The graphics are, in fact, quite a step up from the past games. Also, the Wind Waker is by no means a silly game. The ONLY aspect that is not serious are the look of the graphics. I actually thought TWW to be a more serious game than MM.
The audio is solid as well. The music is mostly remixed themes from OOT, and it sounds great. There are numerous sound clips for the characters, although there is no voicework. And I somehow doubt there ever will be.
Despite a few shortcomings, this is still the best game on the GameCube. A great story, fantastic gameplay and excellent graphics combine to make a more-than-worthy title in the Zelda series. It is every bit a must-own as every Zelda title before it.
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Charlie Rodgers
I Hope You Like Sailing!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 16, 2010
