The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Following the Nintendo 64's Ocarina of Time, the next installment in the main storyline of the Zelda franchise had a lot to live up to. Through the doubt of hype; through the cynicism towards the game's graphical style; through the criticism of the game's target audience, Link shone through and proved once more why the Zelda series is great.
When screenshots of Wind Waker were first publicly released, it caused quite a stir - the game's graphical style was cel-shaded, or made to look like a cartoon. This received much negativity, as people were concerned and convinced that the game had been designed for a younger audience, and that it wouldn't be enjoyable to play. After its release, however, the majority of these critics have been convinced of the error of their ways, as not only does the game have a fantastic design and an enormous fun-factor, but the graphics in motion are some of the smoothest and most beautiful of any game to date.
The game opens with the telling of a legend about an ancient kingdom, once plagued by a great evil, and saved by a young boy in green - the Hero of Time. The legend goes on to say that the evil returned, though the Hero was gone; and darkness fell over the land. The people prayed for the Hero's return. "What happened to that kingdom? ...None remain who know." It goes on to tell of a particular tradition, on a particular island, to clothe their young boys in green once they reach the age of the legendary hero, in hopes that they too would achieve valorous deeds, despite the fact that the world is now at peace. Here is where the legend ends, and the game begins.
Wind Waker is set on a vast ocean world. You begin on Outset island, one of a total of 49 islands in the game. It is Link's birthday - the day he receives the traditional green Hero's clothes. From an unfortunate accident, Link must coincidentally go rescue a girl stranded in a forest high atop the island; and through another unfortunate coincidence, Link's sister, Aryll, is kidnapped by the gigantic bird that brought the other girl there in the first place. Through attempting to save his sister, aided a band of pirates led by a young girl named Tetra (the girl Link saved from the forest), Link comes upon a series of events leading to a woeful failed rescue and becomes enlisted by the King of Red Lions - a sentient boat - in the quest to kill Ganon, the king of evil, who has returned to the world to wreak certain havoc upon the land. Further exposure of the story would be quite a bit spoiling (for instance, it explains the great ocean), but suffice it to say... on it's own, it's magnificent; to a Zelda fan, it's breathtaking. The storytelling is done well, escalating continually throughout the game, from start to finish.
Wind Waker's gameplay mechanics are based on the foundations set by Ocarina of Time - but improved by leaps and bounds. The X, Y, and Z buttons are used for items, just as the C buttons were in Ocarina; L is used for targeting enemies; B for sword, and A for miscellaneous actions. Additions to the control setup include actions in different situations for the R button (defending with a shield, pushing a block, or setting an object down), a map controlled by the D-pad, and perhaps most importantly... a manual camera control with the C-stick. The items are done well - many classics return improved (the Boomerang can target up to five things at once), and many new items appear (including a Grappling Hook for swinging and climbing). The Wind Waker, the item for which the game is named, is similar to Ocarina's namesake - it controls the forces which will allow Link to progress through the game. The Waker is a conductor's baton, and using it, Link can summon the forces of the winds (more on this later) and also conduct a few other things he'll need in his quest. The dungeons aren't exceptionally numerous - there are only six or seven in the entire game - but they are all done well, a few of them to the point of rivaling any game dungeons that have ever been seen before. Puzzles are well thought-out, and the difficulty scales excellently as the game progresses. The bosses are also a blend of challenge and triumphant fun.
Speaking of bosses, one particular area of vast improvement in Wind Waker is the combat system. Targeting enemies remains from the game's N64 predecessors, and the basics of the sword are the same - but a few twists are added. One of these is the Paree; at certain points in a battle, when an enemy is about to strike, the A-button icon in the upper-left of the screen will flash. At this moment, pressing the A-button will cause Link to Paree the foe's strike, evading damage and dealing a blow to the enemy in one movement. Some heavily-armored enemies must be pareed in order to remove their protective outer casings before they can be struck down. Another very interesting battle twist is the fact that not only can you knock an enemy's weapon away - you can pick it up. Link can swing an enemy's weapon, or throw it, causing a fair bit of damage (some weapons are also used in the game for puzzle purposes). Additionally, battles are slightly more 'realistic' in Wind Waker - if an enemy swings wide at Link and misses, and his weapon hits a fellow enemy nearby, his comrade will take damage.
The final bit of gameplay magic in Wind Waker is literally the biggest - sailing. Wind Waker's world is vast, the great sea divided into a seven-by-seven map grid, with an island on each map square. To get from place to place, Link will use his boat (the King of Red Lions), a wind-catching sail, and the Wind Waker. Adjusting the direction of the wind to go in a needed direction isn't just a good idea; in many cases, it's necessary. The boat can also cruise on its own, independent of a sail, but this is comparatively sluggish. Some say that the sailing is tiresome, but if a player, on his way through a long journey, makes some stops along the way at some of Wind Waker's numerous islands, it doesn't seem like a long journey at all - every island has something different to offer. Sometimes a dungeon, sometimes a small cavern, sometimes a mini-game; regardless, almost every island has something to do, and every island has its rewards. Additionally, a certain Wind Waker spell earned about halfway through the game makes traveling much easier.
As previously mentioned, Wind Waker's graphics have suffered a lot of fire - but for all this, after seeing the game in motion, there doesn't seem to be a thing to worry about. The graphics are so smooth, so detailed, and so well-polished that one would likely have trouble forcing oneself to not become absolutely gleeful at several points due to the game's beauty. Everything, from the interactive elements to the background environments, moves so fluidly and cleanly that it's hard to believe anything could look better. The cartoony look doesn't hurt the game at all - at some points, be they humorous or deeply emotional, the look fits the game better than anything else could. The sound is also top-notch; sound effects, from the very loud to the very subtle, are done quite well. And the soundtrack is magnificent - old tunes remixed, and entirely new ones as well, give every moment in the game a perfect audio environment.
Playing Wind Waker through easily takes up to or upwards of 20 hours. Aside from the standard Zelda fare of replayability - heart containers, magic upgrades, and optional items - there are other things to be found for replay in Wind Waker. Firstly, there are treasure charts which you can find, which show the locations of sunken treasure boxes - one in each square of the map. There are optional enemies to fight (gigantic squid monsters) which can net you prizes; and as previously mentioned, every island has something to do. There's also the Nintendo Club Gallery, where pictures you take with your Picto Box can be turned into figurine statues and stored in the gallery - in all, there are 134 of them to collect (none of which are required to complete the game). And as if that weren't enough, after beating the game, the player has the option of making a new game file dubbed by some as the "second quest" - the game is the same, except Link and his sister wear different clothing, you begin with the Deluxe Picto Box in your inventory, and you can understand the ancient language of Hylian (spoken by some particularly important characters in the game).
Overall, Wind Waker is simply fantastic. It starts out good, and keeps getting better up to the very end. Not only does it have quite a bit of character to stand up on its own, but it also evokes pangs of nostalgia in any Zelda fan for its plot elements. It's a good story, and it's fun to play - it's hard to imagine a better Zelda game.
Progress: Complete