The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is a remarkable feat for the GameCube, an absolute joy to play.

User Rating: 9.4 | The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (Limited Edition) GC
By jobot8000 | Review Date:
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Is one of the most highly rated video games ever made. Scoring a rare perfect 10 on Gamespot’s review and receiving worldwide recognition, OOT was always going to be a hard act to follow. It has to be said that when the next Zelda game was originally shown to the public, at Nintendo’s SpaceWorld 2000, details were sketchy. Nintendo had several software demonstrations on hand to showcase the power of their new system, one of which was a realistically-styled real-time duel between Ganon and Link. It was a year later at SpaceWorld 2001 where The Wind Waker was unveiled, brandishing new anime-like visuals. It was soon known that fans were disappointed by the cartoony, cel-shaded graphics Shigaru Miyamoto had showcased. Eventually everyone settled down and realised, graphics aren’t everything in a video game. Thereafter people actually sat down and played TWW, seeing that it was really a great game.

Keeping the same basic gameplay and control system from OOT, TWW was clearly an example of the ‘if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it’ saying. All aspects of battle are practically the same as OOT, the only exception being the ability to parry. When locked-on to an opponent, certain attacks will trigger an on-screen prompt, which causes Link to counter-attack accordingly, which works well. As with OOT, the battle system is practically flawless. The most obvious change about the gameplay in TWW is that the whole story is set in a vast, unexplored ocean. The only way to travel from A to B is sailing, and you will be spending a good chunk of this game doing just that. While it can become tedious later on, it feels refreshing and at times relaxing when you first start at the beginning of the game. All in all, it can be both good and bad.

Graphics are an absolute joy to behold, the cel-shading works brilliantly with every aspect of gameplay and lighting is fantastic. Character animations become quite complex and facial expressions become integral to the story, giving another layer of emotion. The story told primarily in text, has Link’s sister kidnapped by his arch-nemesis, Ganondorf. Link then sets out to rescue his sister, Aryll, by sailing across the big blue sea, where he encounters plenty of problems along the way. As with OOT, TWW has a main instrument to which Link’s journey can only be completed with, a musical wind baton known as The Wind Waker. With the ability to make the wind change direction (along with some other novel uses) this helps you move from island to island, eventually progressing the story.

The music is typical for a Zelda game, upbeat and dramatic, it fits in well with the pace of the story and never sounds dull. The dungeons are well paced and you should never be struggling to find the solution for too long. TWW isn’t a tough game, with that said it isn’t an easy one either, probably one of the easier games in the Zelda series, most of the games puzzle solving is straightforward. The game can be completed in about 15-20 hours, but there are plenty of other side-quests to get on with, which will last you quite a while.

Overall TWW is a fantastic achievement for the GameCube that is great fun to play. It may not match the likes of OOT, but few games ever will. This is definitely worth a look.

Other Helpful Reviews for The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (Limited Edition)

Load Comments (0)