The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (HD)

Original Release: December 13, 2002 (JP), March 24, 2003 (USA)

HD Release: September 20, 2013

Platform: Nintendo GameCube (original), Wii U (HD)

Introduction

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker was originally released on the Nintendo GameCube in 2002, but the version I have played is the HD remaster, released for the Wii U in 2013. I'll talk about the differences at certain points, but there aren't any major changes other than the graphical overhaul and a few gameplay changes that make the game more enjoyable.

Gameplay

Wind Waker was the third 3D Zelda game ever made, and the 2nd if you don't count Majora's Mask because that game was weird (and amazing), and used the same engine as Ocarina of Time. But this was Nintendo's first real attempt at a 3D Zelda after the universally acclaimed Ocarina of Time, so they wanted to do something different. And they did.

Sailing from island to island

Sailing

While most Zelda games, especially the 3D ones, take place in the sprawling kingdom of Hyrule and its varied terrain, this game takes place on an ocean, the Great Sea. Instead of using a horse to ride from place to place across Hyrule Field, Link uses a sailboat and manipulates the winds to sail from island to island. This was a common complaint of the original Wind Waker, because whenever the player wanted to change the direction they were sailing they had to play a song. They fixed this in the HD version by adding the Swift Sail, an item that lets you sail twice as fast and changes the wind direction automatically.

Battle

I love the battling in this game. It's probably my favorite battling mechanics in any Zelda game (except Breath of the Wild, which I hope to cover soon, see the bottom notes). In Ocarina of Time, this game's direct predecessor, battling was usually just two identical sword swipes and then a swipe in the opposite direction. I'm simplifying it a bit, but that's pretty much how Link attacked. In Wind Waker, it's much more lively, with Link doing spins, jumps and dances between his sword thrusts, and with orchestra hits whenever he landed a hit on an enemy.

Gripes

The Triforce Quest, the part of the game where you must gather the 8 pieces of the Triforce of Courage scattered all over the Great Sea, is known to be an annoying part of the game. I agree with the popular opinion that this quest is drawn-out, unnecessary, and stops the flow of the game. They made it significantly easier in the HD version, but it's still an unwelcome quest.

Music

Here are a few music pieces that I feel encompass the Wind Waker. I'm using the soundtrack of the HD version because the audio is better quality, but the songs are almost identical.

The Great Sea

This song plays whenever Link travels on the ocean, which is a large part of the game. Because of this, this song is very iconic. It gives the feeling of setting off to sea on a grand adventure. It starts out with a hint of the famous Zelda theme, but quickly develops into its own melody. There's also a wonderful remix in Super Smash Bros.

This song also changes with gameplay, which Nintendo seems to like to do. When it's stormy out, it transitioned into an ominous rendition of the song, and during sunrise and sunset, it's a laidback, peaceful version.

Molgera

*chikka-chikka-chikka-chikka*

^Original version^

^Version in Wind Waker HD^

"Molgera" is a song that plays when fighting the Molgera, a giant sand worm. Wind Waker was different from past Zelda games because each boss has its own battle theme. In past games, all the bosses shared one or two music themes. When bosses like Molgera have their own themes, it really makes the battle more unique and memorable.

Selfie with the Molgera

This song uses a lot of percussion, which really helps give it a 'desert' feel. The melody, on a flute/tin
whistle-like instrument, cuts through the background percussion for a really cool sound. As you may have noticed, I put both the original version and the HD version up there. This is because they changed some things in the HD version that sort of change how the song feels. I really can't decide which one I like more, but they definitely have a slightly different feel.

Also, check out this rock version from Hyrule Warriors Legends if you want something spicy.

Artstyle

When Wind Waker was released, it got a lot of crap for its "cartoony" artstyle. Fans were expecting a more realistic Zelda game, in line with Ocarina of Time. Over time, however, Wind Waker's timeless style is almost universally acclaimed.

While Ocarina of Time (and Majora's Mask) have aged pretty badly over the years, the original version of Wind Waker still looks stunning because of its cel-shaded artstyle. When The Wind Waker HD was announced, many fans said that there was no reason for an HD rerelease because the original still looked so good. I agree, and I think this is the best Zelda artstyle (besides possible Breath of the Wild).

Story/Characters

Premise

This game takes place hundreds of years after Ocarina of Time. When Link went back in time to his own time at the end of OoT, he left Hyrule without a hero. Because of this, Ganondorf returned, and the three goddesses flooded the kingdom of Hyrule after telling the citizens to go to the mountaintops.

The Great Sea, in Wind Waker, is the ocean that covers the old kingdom of Hyrule. The islands are the mountaintops, and the people are descendants of  the old citizens. At one point in the game, you actually go beneath the sea to the old Hyrule Castle, where there's a statue of Link from Ocarina of Time, and stained glass windows depicting each of the Six Sages of the same game. The castle has been preserved in a bubble of air, and the King of Hyrule has been waiting there since the flood.

Link's goal is to defeat Ganondorf, who resides in his tower under the ocean, and flood the rest of the kingdom so Ganondorf is sealed under the ocean forever.

Characters

Link, you monster!

Wind Waker is one of the few Zelda games were Link has a family. He lives with his grandmother and sister on Outset Island. When his sister is taken away, he has to leave the island to rescue her, leaving his grandmother all alone. As he's setting sail with Tetra and her pirate crew, the player sees the grandmother sadly waving from her house as the ship leaves, which really tugged on the ol' heartstrings.

**Well known spoiler, but just to be safe**

Right after the ship leaves, Link keeps waving goodbye to his grandmother from the bow of the ship. Tetra, the leader of the pirates, makes fun of him for being homesick already, and says he won't last long on the ship.

Tetra is one of the more interesting versions of Princess Zelda, and definitely more interesting than all of the Zeldas before Wind Waker came out. She's the leader of a pirate crew, and sails the Great Sea, pillaging the islands. The only reason she let Link come on their ship was because she was guilt-tripped about his sister. Once it is revealed to Tetra that she's Zelda, she unfortunately takes a much smaller role in the story.

She does join in on the final battle with Ganondorf, however. She and Link fight Ganondorf on the top of his tower as the rest of Hyrule is being flooded. Zelda uses her bow to shoot Ganondorf with light arrows, at which point Link must strike him with his sword. It was an amazing final boss, standing out in a series that usually has great final bosses.

Notes/BREATH OF THE WILD!

You may have noticed (probably not) that I added The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild to my "posts sometime in the future" section. This is kind of different from the other posts in that section, because a) I have not finished the game yet, and b) it is a VERY recent game (March 3, 2017). Because of the general hype and praise around BOTW, I'm going to do a post about it right when I finish it. I'm going to have to bump down the posts in the Upcoming Posts list, but alas, I don't care.