The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
is the ninth installment in the
Legend of Zelda series of
video games. It was released for the
Nintendo GameCube in
Japan on
13 December 2002, in
Canada and the
United States on
24 March 2003, and in
Europe on
3 May 2003. The upcoming
Zelda title,
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass is a direct sequel to
The Wind Waker.
The game is set on a group of islands — a first for the series. The player controls
Link, the
protagonist of the
Zelda series. He struggles against his nemesis,
Ganondorf, for control of a sacred relic known as the
Triforce. Link spends a significant portion of the game sailing, traveling between
islands, and traversing through dungeons and
temples to gain the power necessary to defeat Ganondorf.
The Wind Waker follows in the footsteps of
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, retaining the basic gameplay and control system from the
Nintendo 64 title. A heavy emphasis is placed on using and controlling
wind with a
baton called the Wind Waker, which aids sailing and floating.
Critics enjoyed the similarity to
Ocarina of Time, but often complained that the large amount of sailing became tedious."
Despite this, the game has met commercial and critical success and is the fourth of only six games that have received a perfect score from
Famitsu magazine.
Set hundreds of years after the events of
Ocarina of Time,
The Wind Waker finds the hero
Link in a sea scattered with several islands, which necessitates frequent sailing and naval combat. Link lives with his grandmother and younger sister
Aryll on Outset Island, one of the few inhabited islands in the Great Sea. The people of the Great Sea pass down a legend of a prosperous kingdom with a hidden
golden power. An evil man found and stole this power, using it to spread darkness until a young boy dressed in green sealed the evil with the
Sword of Evil's Bane. The boy became known as the Hero of Time and passed into legend. One day the sealed evil began to return, but the Hero of Time did not reappear. The inhabitants of the Great Sea are unsure of the kingdom's fate, but it is clear that this legend is the story of
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
When children of Outset Island come of age they are customarily dressed in green, like the Hero of Time. The elders hope to instill the
courage of the Hero of Time. It is Link's
birthday as
The Wind Waker opens, and he receives the familiar green clothes and cap. Aryll's present to Link is permission to use her
telescope. As he looks through the telescope, he sees a large bird, the
Helmaroc King, carrying a girl to a nearby forest. After retrieving a
sword, Link sets out to investigate. Link rescues the girl, only to have Aryll kidnapped by the Helmaroc King as he returns.
The girl rescued in the forest is
Tetra, captain of a
pirate ship. At Link's request, they sail to the Forsaken Fortress, where a mysterious figure is holding Aryll and several other girls. Following an unsuccessful raid, Link is thrown from the fortress. A talking boat called the King of Red Lions rescues Link and tells him that the master of the Forsaken Fortress is
Ganondorf, the evil of legend. After purchasing a
sail, Link travels to Dragon Roost Island at the King of Red Lion's suggestion.
Goddesses' Pearls
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Link, on board a pirate ship with Tetra, waves goodbye to his home. |
Once at the island, the King of Red Lions instructs Link to find a
dragon named
Valoo and ask him for a jewel called Din's Pearl. Link receives the Wind Waker, a
baton able to control the
wind, from his boat and sets out towards the dwelling of the
Rito tribe, a bird-like race. Link learns that
Prince Komali has Din's Pearl, but is unwilling to relinquish it. Prince Komali is of the age when members of the Rito tribe traditionally climb to the top of Dragon Roost Island to get a
scale from Valoo, which allows a Rito to grow
wings. However, Valoo has grown violent and unpredictable and Prince Komali is fearful to attempt the journey. He agrees to give Link the pearl if Link can reach Valoo. With the help of Rito tribe member
Medli, Link makes his way to Valoo and defeats
Gohma, the monster that had been upsetting the dragon. Afterwards, Link receives Din's Pearl from Prince Komali, who is finally ready to ascend the mountain and gain his wings.
The King of Red Lions has Link sail south to the Forest Haven to ask the
Deku Tree for Farore's Pearl. Inside the
haven, Link saves the Deku Tree from a group of
ChuChus and is introduced to the
Koroks, spirits of the
forest. Aware that Ganondorf has returned, the Deku Tree agrees to give Link the pearl after the annual
ceremony to replenish the forests. Linder, one of the Koroks, enters and informs the Deku Tree that fellow Korok
Makar has fallen into the Forbidden Woods. The Deku Tree, believing that Link's appearance is not a
coincidence, asks Link to help. Link rescues Makar from a large plant monster named
Kalle Demos and returns to the Forest Haven. The ceremony is completed and Link receives Farore's Pearl.
Link then travels to Greatfish Island seeking
Jabun, a great
water spirit, but finds that the island has been demolished by Ganondorf. After a side trip to Windfall Island to obtain
bombs, Link returns to Outset Island and blows open the entrance to a cave in which Jabun is hiding. During a conversation between Jabun and the King of Red Lions, Jabun gives Link Nayru's Pearl.
Link takes the three pearls to the three Triangle Islands, inserting one into a
statue on each island. An image of the
Triforce appears and the Tower of the Gods rises from the sea in the center of the islands. Link enters the
tower, where he battles
Gohdan to prove his worth. After defeating Gohdan, a ring of light appears on the surface of the water below. Link sails into the ring of light and is taken beneath the waters to
Hyrule Castle, overrun with enemies and frozen in time. Link descends a hidden staircase, where he finds the
Master Sword, the evil-repelling blade that the Hero of Time used to seal Ganondorf. Link removes the sword, which awakens the castle; he destroys the enemies and returns to the surface.
Restoring the Master Sword
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Details such as explosions are rendered in a stylized form. |
With the Master Sword in hand, Link returns to the Forsaken Fortress and joins Tetra and the pirates. He frees the
captives and kills the Helmaroc King, but is easily defeated by Ganondorf. Ganondorf tells Link that taking the Master Sword has fully lifted the seal, unbinding his full power; furthermore, the Master Sword has lost its power to repel evil. Ganondorf raises his sword to attack Link, but Tetra intervenes. Ganondorf grabs Tetra, causing the Triforce of Power held within him to resonate. He realizes that Tetra is wearing a Triforce fragment on a
necklace and calls her
Princess Zelda. Prince Komali, having grown wings, flies in and takes Link and Tetra away. Valoo swoops into view, breathing fire and sending Ganondorf's room up in flames.
Link and Tetra sail back to the castle at the bottom of the sea and descend the staircase. There they meet
Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule, the king of Hyrule and the voice of the King of Red Lions. He tells Link and Tetra that the
prayers of the people in the legend were answered — the gods sealed Ganondorf and all of Hyrule with him by flooding the kingdom with a torrential
downpour, ordering those chosen to rebuild to take refuge on the
mountaintops. King Hyrule gives a Triforce fragment to Tetra. Combining it with the fragment on her necklace, Tetra now holds the complete Triforce of Wisdom and is revealed to be Princess Zelda. Ganondorf is seeking the Triforces of Wisdom and Courage to complete the entire Triforce, which grants its holder's
wish. Leaving Zelda, Link returns to the surface.
At Dragon Roost Island, Link plays the
Earth God's Lyric to Medli, which awakens in her the knowledge that she is the sage of Earth, able to help restore the power of the Master Sword. Link and Medli battle through the Earth Temple and defeate a massive
Poe named
Jalhalla. Medli begins to pray, restoring some power to Link's sword. Link leaves Medli to continue praying and sails to the Forest Haven. He finds Makar and plays the
Wind God's Aria, giving Makar the realization that he is the Sage of Wind. They travel to the Wind Temple and defeat the
sandworm Molgera. Makar prays and restores the Master Sword's full power.
Link then goes on a variety of
quests to find and decode eight
nautical charts that mark the locations of the pieces of the Triforce of Courage. Link raises the pieces from the sea and restores the Triforce of Courage, which then dwells inside Link, marking him as the Hero of Wind.
Confrontation with Ganondorf
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Link delivers the deathblow to Ganondorf. |
With the restored Master Sword and the Triforce of Courage, Link returns once more to Hyrule Castle, where Zelda disappears before him. Link breaks through the barrier beyond Hyrule Castle and enters Ganon's Tower. Link reaches Zelda and fights large puppets created by Ganondorf. When these are defeated, Ganondorf reveals himself to Link, acknowledging that Link must be the Hero of Time
reincarnated. Link follows Ganondorf to the
rooftop of the tower. Ganondorf remarks that it must be
fate that has allowed him to bring all of the pieces of the Triforce together, just as he had with the Hero of Time. The three Triforces are extracted from Ganondorf, Link, and Zelda and combine to form the complete Triforce. Ganondorf demands to the
gods to expose Hyrule to the sun once more, under his control. Before he can reach the Triforce, however, King Daphnes suddenly appears, touching the Triforce. He asks the Gods of the Triforce to give Link and Zelda a future and to wash away Hyrule. The Triforce splits apart and water from the
ocean above begins to pour down all around the tower.
Believing that the King has just ensured Link's and Zelda's destruction, Ganondorf laughs and begins battling Link. Zelda assists by using Link's bow and shooting Ganondorf with
Light Arrows. After gaining the upper hand, Link plunges the Master Sword into Ganondorf's head,
petrifying him. Link and Zelda float to the surface in a
bubble, leaving Ganondorf and the king to be buried underwater with Hyrule. Link and Zelda sail away in search of a new land — with the wind as their guide. This scene marks the beginning of the upcoming DS Zelda game,
Phantom Hourglass.
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Link uses the Deku Leaf to float on the wind. |
The control scheme of
The Wind Waker is largely unchanged from
Ocarina of Time and
Majora's Mask. Link's basic actions of walking, running, attacking, defending, and automatic jumping at ledges are retained. Link also uses the control system introduced in
Ocarina of Time that allows him to "lock-on" to an enemy or other target. An addition to this basic control scheme is the ability to
parry. When Link is locked-on to an opponent and not actively defending, certain attacks by the opponent will trigger a visual cue, a vibration of the controller, and a chime. Attacking at that point causes Link to dodge or parry then counter-attack from the rear. This tactic becomes crucial for defeating armored enemies or bosses.
The new art style used in
The Wind Waker gives Link
eyes that are much larger and more expressive than in previous games. This allows Link to focus his gaze on approaching enemies or important items. For example, if Link needs to solve a puzzle by lighting a
torch to set a distant object on fire, his eyes might turn to look at a nearby
stick, giving a hint to an observant player on how to proceed.
As with all
Zelda games,
The Wind Waker features several dungeons — large, enclosed, and often underground areas. Link battles enemies, collects items, and solves puzzles to progress through a dungeon, fighting a
boss at the end. To complete a dungeon, Link primarily uses a sword and shield. Other weapons commonly used by Link include a
bow and arrow, a
boomerang,
bombs, and a
grappling hook. Certain enemy weapons can be picked up and used, a feature new to the
Zelda series.
The Wind Waker, like most
Zelda games, includes many
sidequests, such as the Nintendo Gallery. When Link is in the Forest Haven, he can float to a
cylindrical island with a hatch containing the sculptor Carlov and his gallery. Once Link obtains a color camera called the Deluxe Picto Box, he can take pictures of
non-player characters and enemies, which Carlov uses to sculpt figurines. There are a total of 134 figurines to collect, but Link can only hold three pictures at a time.
After completing the game, the player can replay it with minor modifications: Link starts with the Deluxe Picto Box, making the Nintendo Gallery sidequest easier; Aryll wears a skull dress given to her by pirates; Link can understand the
Hylian language; and Link wears blue crayfish pajamas throughout the game instead of the traditional green
tunic and cap.
Wind and travel
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Link uses the Wind Waker to control the wind. |
The Wind Waker is set on a sea consisting of 49 sections arranged on a seven by seven grid. Each section contains an
island or small group of islands. Therefore, a significant portion of the game is spent
sailing between islands, allowing the game to mask loading times by accessing data while the player is approaching an island.
To sail between areas quickly, Link uses the Wind Waker, a
baton that manipulates wind direction with a series of songs. Additionally, wind is often needed to solve
puzzles. The Deku Leaf allows Link to use wind to spin
turbines or to float for short distances. By creating a
tailwind, Link can float farther distances to reach remote areas. An on-screen
weather vane displays the current wind direction.
Tingle Tuner
A new item to the
Zelda series — the Tingle Tuner — allows the player to receive assistance from
Tingle. Use of the Tingle Tuner requires a player to attach a
Game Boy Advance (GBA) to the
GameCube using a
Nintendo GameCube-Game Boy Advance cable. The GBA, which controls Tingle on a map more detailed than the one provided by the GameCube, can be operated by a second person, or the player can choose to alternate between the GameCube and the GBA. Among other services, Tingle can uncover hidden treasures, give hints, restore Link's health, or sell a few items. These services are provided for a fee, but Link can earn
discounts through the completion of sidequests. Use of the Tingle Tuner is optional, but the ability to examine a more detailed map and place remote bombs is often helpful. Players who want to complete every sidequest will find the Tingle Tuner necessary; Tingle
statues hidden throughout dungeons can only be found by using Tingle and the Nintendo Gallery sidequest cannot be completed without first completing a separate sidequest requiring the Tingle Tuner.
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Box art for the Japanese edition. |
Feeling pressure from
Sega's
Dreamcast and
Sony's
PlayStation 2, Nintendo announced on
3 March 1999 that a new video game system was under development. This system, the
GameCube, was revealed on
24 August 2000, the day before Nintendo's
SpaceWorld 2000 exposition.
Along with the specifications and designs for the console, Nintendo had several software demonstrations on-hand to showcase the power of the GameCube, one of which was a realistically-styled
real-time duel between
Ganon and
Link. Despite being a hastily assembled
technical demonstration, fans and the media speculated that the battle might be from a game under development or at least an indication of the direction the next
Zelda game would take.
Staff at
IGN referred to the demo as an "unofficial sequel", calling it "absolutely everything we could have hoped for in a Gamecube Zelda title" and stating that "the future looks very bright for Nintendo loyalists".
Nintendo said nothing more about the possibility of a GameCube
Zelda game until one year later at SpaceWorld 2001, where a completely new
Zelda was shown. Replacing the dark, gritty demo of 2000 was a new
cel-shaded look, which resembled an interactive
cartoon.
Shigeru Miyamoto said the new look was designed to "extend Zelda's reach to all ages".
The cel-shaded approach was a radical shift and IGN staff wondered if two separate games might be in concurrent development.
While some at the event enjoyed the new look, there was a backlash from disappointed fans who had been expecting a realistic
Zelda game. Many critics referred to the game as "Celda", a
portmanteau of Zelda and
Cel-shading. Miyamoto was surprised at the reaction to the footage and the media's claim that Nintendo was shifting its focus to a younger audience
and he refused to reveal anything further until a playable demonstration became available. It was hoped that once critics played the game, they would focus on the all-important gameplay, rather than simply reacting to the new graphic style.
Miyamoto promised a playable version for
E3 2002 and a release later that year.
When Nintendo did exhibit a playable demo at E3 2002 it was well-received. An editor at IGN said the cartoon look "works very nicely" and that "it feels very much like Zelda".
The whimsical style was compared to
A Link to the Past and promotional artwork from previous
Zelda games. E3 also introduced new features, such as the ability to connect to the
Game Boy Advance and receive help from
Tingle.
On
15 October 2002, the Japanese subtitle
Kaze no Takuto (
Takt of Wind) was revealed, to emphasize the role of wind in the game.
Nintendo announced the official translation,
The Wind Waker, on
2 December 2002,
and a
North American release date of
24 March 2003 was set two days later.
A new
Zelda game using a heavily modified version of the
Wind Waker engine is currently in development for the GameCube and
Wii. This game,
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, features darker, more realistic graphics while retaining some cel-shaded elements.
Bundling
On
22 November 2002, an update to Nintendo's Japanese
Kaze no Takuto website revealed that a special
bonus disc was being offered to
pre-ordering customers.
This bonus GameCube disc, given at the time of the pre-order, contained an emulated version of
Ocarina of Time and
Ura Zelda, an expansion for
Ocarina of Time with modified dungeons and other small changes that never saw a North American release due to the failure of the
Nintendo 64DD. On
4 December 2002 this offer was extended to North American consumers, with
Ura Zelda translated to
Ocarina of Time Master Quest.
Some retailers made the mistake of giving the bonus discs away then allowing consumers to cancel their pre-orders without returning the disc. As a result, the European bonus disc was included with
The Wind Waker in a two-disc case.
On
17 November 2003, Nintendo released a new GameCube bundle that included
The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition, a compilation disc containing versions of
The Legend of Zelda,
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link,
Ocarina of Time,
Majora's Mask, a twenty-minute playable demo of
The Wind Waker, and two short
featurettes. The disc was also given to consumers who registered a GameCube and two games at Nintendo's website or subscribed or renewed a subscription to
Nintendo Power.
Critical response
The Wind Waker is the fourth of six games to receive a perfect score from
Famitsu magazine, despite claims that it lacks the sense of newness that accompanied
Ocarina of Time, the first 3D
Zelda game.
Reviewers favorably noted the gameplay similarities to
Ocarina of Time and praised the cel-shaded art style that had initially met a cold reception.
GamePro called the game "a combination of vivid artistry and timeless gameplay";
advised gamers to "forget that
Wind Waker looks totally different from
Ocarina of Time" since "these two games are very much alike".
The 2004
Game Developers Choice Awards and the Seventh Annual
Interactive Achievement Awards gave
The Wind Waker awards for Excellence in Visual Arts
and Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction,
respectively.
The game's most common criticism is the heavy emphasis on sailing.
GameSpot noted that the game "starts out in a very brisk manner", but that in the last third of the game, the "focus on sailing ... is pretty tedious".
IGN complained that viewing the animation of using the Wind Waker "hundreds of times" became "a tedious nuisance", and that the lack of an option to skip the animation "is more bothersome still".
Some critics also felt that the game was easier than previous
Zelda games.
GameSpot thought that some players would be "a little put off" by the "easy puzzles and boss battles"; IGN called the boss battles "slightly simplistic" and noted that enemies "inflict little damage onto Link".
GamePro, on the other hand, felt that the dungeons tended to be "huger and more challenging with new twists", with treasure hunts that would "tax even the most accomplished Zelda gamer".
Despite these negative comments, critics consistently gave
The Wind Waker high reviews, with
Nintendo Power calling the game the fourth best game to ever appear on a Nintendo console.
[(February 2006). "NP Top 200". Nintendo Power, vol 200, pp. 58-66.] The game also met commercial success, propelling sales of the GameCube console
and becoming the most successful pre-order campaign in Nintendo history.
As overall sales are concerned, Wind Waker was ranked to have the 13
th highest selling game of the 21st century.
[The Top 100 games of the 21st century retrieved August 2, 2006.]*
Sachi Matsumoto: Link
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Hikari Tachibana: Princess Zelda/Tetra
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Takashi Nagasako: Ganondorf
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Osamu Hosoi: Various
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Asami Imai: Various
*
Eiji Maruyama: Various
*
Hironori Miyata: Various
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Takeharu Ohnishi: Various
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Chiaki Takahashi: Various
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The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker characters*
The Legend of Zelda series weapons and itemsThe Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, the official sequel to
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.
*
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker official site*
Collection of reviews of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker*
Speed Demos Archive -
Speedruns
*
April Fools? Zelda Universe's writeup about EGM's joke, including a scan of the bogus article.
