My favorite Zelda of all time. Beautiful Graphics, Great story, and a flat out fun game. Truly a masterpiece.

User Rating: 9.7 | The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (Limited Edition) GC
The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker is truly a masterpiece and all around the best Zelda Experience in my opinion. The game blends stylized cel-shaded graphics with unsurpassed adventure gameplay. This was the game that got me into the Zelda franchise. I saw the unique art style and how much fun it looked. So I decided to pick it up. Boy am I glad I did. Since then I have almost played every other Zelda game ever made, but none of them can match the level of quality of Wind Waker. Story: You are a young boy named link who lives on Outset Island. It is your birthday today. You go to your grandmother’s house and she gives you the customary green tunic outfit that has been the main stake for all the other Zelda’s in the franchise. This outfit is customary for boys to ware for their birthday at that age. It symbolizes the hero that defeated the evil and stopped the war long ago. You notice a giant bird on the horizon drop an unconscious girl into a forbidden forest. As your duty you decide to go and rescue her. You save her and you become friends. Her name is Tetra. Next your sister has been kidnapped by the same giant bird. You, Tetra’s crew, and Tetra who is a pirate embark across the vast ocean to save Link’s sister.
Later, events unfold and you learn that the evil Ganandorf is up to no good again and he’s trying to gather the other triforces. The King of the Red Lions informs you that you have the triforce of courage only that you have to awaken its powers. He also informs you that Ganondorf has the triforce of power and Zelda has the triforce of wisdom. So like in other Zelda’s, you accept the quest to stop Ganondorf and set out to save Hyrule (well the Hyrule that is now under water). Gameplay: LOZ: WW is essentially an action/adventure game with light RPG elements. The RPG elements are that you can upgrade your character with special weapons, magic, and abilities. Link is outfitted with numerous weapons including: the Deku leaf, a shield, a hookshot, and the ever-popular Master Sword. The master sword is always equipped to the B button and any other weapon can be set to the X or Y buttons. The game mainly focuses on smooth combat with the occasional puzzle. There are also many side quests that can help you obtain special items, but mainly there is a linear path that follows the story. Link has a companion in a talking boat who is the King of Red Lions or as many knew him as the King of Hyrule. With maps, a compass, and a sail Link will travel to an assortment of different islands all with hidden treasures and secrets. Some of the islands have “dungeons” on them like in all the other Zelda’s. These dungeons always feature a new weapon, a boss, and an advancing story. Link will hack and slash his way through many foes with the master sword and use his items to journey through these maze-like dungeons. The gameplay is where WW truly shines. The game perfectly blends puzzle solving elements and great fighting with many different combos. Each foe has a special weakness and link needs to exploit this weakness to defeat them. A lot of the gameplay involves link sailing from island to island looking for things which really never becomes boring because the graphics just make it so entertaining.

Graphics: The graphics in WW are what really makes this game stand out. The developers drastically changed the way the Zelda franchise looks while still retaining that same fun feel. The colors are bright and vivid, and they are just fun to gaze at. When things explode a cool swirl effect shows and it truly looks great. All the character models are fantastic and there is rarely clipping. At times the frame rate would hiccup, but it didn’t detract from the game. The water in WW looks astonishing. The cel shaded waves are something to marvel at and make you appreciate the art style. The game may not be the best looking, but in the way they did the art, it just is so cool to look at. This is partly the reason why this game grabbed my eye. If you are turned off by this art style you should still give it a chance because it is still a fantastic game. Many people were disappointed by the change but I think it shows the versatility of the franchise. It also shows that the franchise can drastically change while still having the same Zelda Feel

Sound: The sound in this game is seriously Koji Kondo’s best work. The music in this game is so perfect and epic it is unmatched to this day. From an intense boss battle to just sailing the seas, the music is always present and leaves you humming the epic tunes. Obviously music is an important part in the game because in the game you are given a wand like object called the Wind Waker. This is basically a conductor’s baton that allows you to change the wind and do other amazing things. You direct the motion of the baton to make certain songs that unlock a special ability. All the dungeons require this instrument so it’s not a throw away addition. These tunes stay with you well after the game ends and can still be hummed. The music is just so epic. When you’re riding the seas this music is so uplifting and it motivates you to keep going. It is truly fantastic and IMO is the best in the franchise.

Value: This game is pretty lengthy. At around 20-25 hours you will definitely have gotten you’re money’s worth. The game is a little too easy so you may find yourself breezing through combat, but the puzzles add a bit of difficulty and it is balanced out by the length of the game. The replay value is pretty great considering the game is so fun. You’ll never play the same way twice. There are numerous islands that hold secrets not necessary for completion that can be gotten if you want to replay the game. The combat also is rewarding because of the fluidity so you may find yourself wanting to pop it back in the tray just to slice up some moblins. There is no multiplayer function, but this game is meant to be a single player experience. This game is a game you will want to replay so it has amazing value.

Tilt: Overall this game is superb and right up there in my top 10 list. It is easily my favorite Zelda on account of the great music, the unsurpassed gameplay, and the amazing story. This was my first Zelda and still remains the best IMO. Even after 4 more years of playing all the other Zeldas this one still feels better. Now that I am a fan I obviously give it a 10 for tilt. It is just that fun. The only real complaint that could be made is that it is just a little easy and at times sailing can be a little tiresome. But the overall package makes this game a masterpiece. Everyone should go and find this treasure. It is such a great game and should not be missed.