Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker...Maybe, just maybe even the best Zelda ever made...

User Rating: 9.3 | The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (Limited Edition) GC
By Mystikvm | Review Date:
A cel-shaded Legend of Zelda? That's so 'kiddy', I can almost read your thoughts. Yes, it looks kiddy, but let me tell you that when you start to play this game you have to be ready for some matured gameplay that feels perfect, but nonetheless comes with a few flaws. Those flaws are easy to disregard as soon as you dive into this epic story, that's presented with a light-hearted tone. Here's the deal with the story: There's a legend about a young hero in green who once rid the world of darkness. Of course this was a long time ago, so nobody knows if this is actually true, but the legend has remained and it is tradition that boys that reach a certain age are being dressed up in green when their birthday comes. The day that your adventure begins is your birthday, and so you will be wearing green. But the unthinkable happens, your little sister gets kidnapped, and you have to save her out of the hands of Ganon, who has returned to spread evil across the world. So you team up with King, a red boat that can talk, and set off on a journey, one of the most epic in any videogame ever.... The objective is simple, beat the living daylight out of Ganon once you have visited every outback of the known world to gain strength and confidence. To do so you are equipped with some cool gadgets, that comes as no surprise. Of course you have your sword, and one of the great feats of this game is the comical, yet well worked-out battling system. Basically it is just button-mashing, it gets you very far, but some enemies are unbeatable of you don't use certain tactics. Tactics that require you to memorize certain combos, this way Nintendo's sure that the depths of the battle system are fully explored. That's not all, you'll also be getting a leaf, a hammer, bombs and numerous other pieces of useful equipment. Only some of them are not so well designed.... The boomerang for instance is way overpowered. Almost every enemy can be either instantly killed or stunned with the boomerang, so the Tactic Of Victory is to throw your boomerang to stun an enemy and then beat him up good. Works wonders. The bow and arrow on the other hand are a pain to use, it is hard to aim, as the analog stick is just not sensitive enough to fire very precise shots, which you are required to do sometimes. You'll often find that carrying 30 arrows is at times a bit too less. And then the device that makes the game go round...The Wind Waker. The Wind Waker makes you feel like you're in charge of an orchestra, you're required to play certain melodies to enjoy a few nice effects. Playing these melodies is child's play, why they even implemented these is quite unclear to me...But you can live with it, trust me. And some of the tunes are really useful, like the Command Melody which puts you in charge of other beings. The msot important one however, the Wind Requiem, is annoying. The biggest flaw of the game is namely the sailing. Your good friendboat King takes you anywhere the wind can take you. The Wind Waker allows you to control the winds so you'll always be going in the direction you need to go in, but the map is big, and the sailing gets tedious, really tedious....Good thing that later in the game you'll find a way to skip the sailing. It's truly a dirty spot on the game's bright facade, a shame, really. Another small point of criticism is the aimlessly wandering around you'll sometimes do. I had to resort to tips from freinds more than once because the things I had to do in order to open a door in a dungeon were completely illogical. There will be moments you'll almost give up, but depend on your bright moments, you'll need them, more than once. The rest of the game is extremely easy, so there's no worrying about that. Other than that this game's a delight to play. The visuals are crisp and colorful, with a very playful tone, it looks like it came straight out of a picture book, so lively and so well done, it was truly a sight to behold sometimes. The entire game breathes this atmosphere, while you're actualy fighting some serious evil you'll sometimes chuckel as you see the protagonist silently nod when he agrees with King, or when you see him flying through the air in a very, very comical manner. This is all wrapped up in some really nice music and sound effects. The murmuring of the young hero when he climbs on a ledge, the sound of grass being cut, your enemies who are being defeated, and of course the sometimes awe-inspiring music that really fits the atmostphere. It fits all the different themes you'll come across. Suspenseful moments, eerie moments, happy moments, all is accompanied by a great soundtrack. One of the better ones of the past years. This game is a must-have. Don't let the looks deceive you, let them take you on a epic journey instead, you'll come to love the young hero very, very soon. Everything about this game is adorable, and every little flaw is easy to overcome because the epic quest keeps you interested and entertained.

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