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Review:

5th June 2003:
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
This is one of the legendary games of which the people will speak.
Posted by John Grothier - GameCube - UK and Europe

When I think back to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on my N64, I remember it as one of the most satisfying adventure games I had ever played. The game looked stunning, it had a fantastic story, brilliantly designed dungeons, fantastic boss encounters, and you even got to ride a horse around the beautiful land of Hyrule. Finally The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker has been released for the GameCube, and not only does the Wind Waker include all the winning elements of The Ocarina of Time, but it also manages to improve greatly on all of them.

The game starts by telling the player of Links epic battle with Ganondorf by using a style that resembles the Beaux Tapestry, with that long awaited music accompanying the story telling. We find our soon-to-be hero on Outset Island, wearing an uncharacteristic blue tunic. Young Link will soon come of age, and as is the tradition in this part of the world, young men are garbed in green - clothed in the green of fields, they aspire to find heroic blades and cast down evil. The story kicks off with Links sister being kidnapped by a particularly large bird, and so it's damsel in distress time again. As with the story of The Ocarina of Time, The Wind Waker seems to start with the rescue of a helpless girl, but as the adventure plays out, the game throws the player so many twists and turns, and the story quickly becomes engrossing and captivating.

The game's world is one huge ocean, with many different islands and outcrops for Link to explore. So a horse is not much good for this adventure, and as such, Link will soon have access to a boat, albeit a talking one. His name is King of Red Lions, and after you have brought him a sail, Link can navigate the great ocean and reach the many islands that are dotted around the sea. As with any sailing boat, the wind governs your speed and direction, and this time around Link has a The Wind Waker to help him on his quest. The Wind Waker is a magical baton that allows Link to change the direction of the wind, and as Link explores his new surroundings he will find out that the Wind Waker has many other uses.

The gameplay uses the winning formula that was so prevalent in the Ocarina of Time; as you make your way through the game's dungeons, you will build up a useful collection of weapons and items that will allow access to much more of the game's world. There are many different side quests to perform, and the ocean has many secrets and treasures to surrender. The world is filled with many characters to meet, some of which will have quests for young Link, and others are key in the development of the game's story. The control scheme is almost exactly like the one employed by Ocarina, with the player being able to assign weapons and items to the X, Y and Z buttons. Link himself is able to perform just about any action, including lifting, throwing, grabbing, hanging, swinging on a rope, and of course fighting. Link has many different sword techniques to exercise on his enemies, as well as some favourite weapons like the bow, and the boomerang. This time around the boomerang is able to lock-on to multiple enemies with devastating effects.

The Wind Waker features some devious dungeons for our hero to traverse, and each have a huge boss encounter waiting for young Link at the end. The game's bosses are some of the best ever seen in a game, truly fantastic achievements - each with their own look and style, and you will get immense satisfaction finding out their weaknesses. Most rooms have puzzles to solve and/or enemies to defeat, and each of the dungeons has a particular theme, from the inside of an active volcano - to the temples of air and earth. There are plenty of chests containing useful items and also treasure maps, in which our hero can sail to the point marked on the map, and then use the much-loved grappling hook to haul up the sunken treasure. As you play through the Wind Waker, you will discover how much time has been spent on the gameplay, and it really does show. The game has many secrets and side-quests to keep the average player occupied for ages. It might be possible to whiz through the game in a matter of 30 hours or so, but if you take in the sights, and help out the game world's inhabitants, then you will be kept pleasantly busy for some time.

There has been much talk about the graphics if the Wind Waker, the game uses the cel-shaded technique, and as such the game looks and plays like a living, breathing cartoon. Whether you are a fan of this look or not, you cannot criticise Nintendo's execution of this technique; the game world is as believable as it could be. The sun sets, and the moon rises gradually spinning through its quarters, and the game features some truly stunning weather effects that seem, just like the real thing, completely random. One moment you can be sailing through calm waters with the sun shining, and then in the horizon you can see a storm is brewing far out to sea, and its not long before Link is riding the waves with rain lashing down upon him. The attention to detail is staggering, with some of the best water and fire effects yet seen in a computer game; the whole world seems alive, even the beautifully animated characters have expressions that are easily read.

The game's sound too is a fantastic achievement, from the effects of the wind in your sail, to the epic sounding music score. It seems strange that a game made now has virtually no speech in it, but the characters do have humorous noises to accompany their dialogue, which is recorded in text, but in a strange way it suits the look and style of the game perfectly. The music is well composted with some brand new material mixed in with some classic renditions from A Link to the Past and the Ocarina of Time - all presented in fabulous Dolby Pro Logic II.

Overall The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is a masterpiece, simply put. It is a definite contender for game of the year and the reason to own a GameCube.

John Grothier

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Review Summary:

Legend has it that whenever evil has appeared, a hero named Link has arisen to defeat it. That legend continues on the surface of a great sea as Link sets off on his most epic and awe-inspiring adventure yet. Aided by a magical conductors baton called the Wind Waker, he will face unimaginable monsters, explore puzzling dungeons, and meet a cast of unforgettable characters as he searches for his kidnapped sister.

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The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
for GameCube

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