The Wind Waker
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The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (Japanese: ゼルダの伝説 風のタクト; Zeruda no Densetsu: Kaze no Takuto, The Legend of Zelda: Takt of Wind) is the ninth installment in the Legend of Zelda series of video games. It was released for the Nintendo GameCube in Japan on December 13, 2002, in Canada and the United States on March 24, 2003, and in Europe on May 3, 2003.
The game is set on a group of islands, a first for the series. The player controls Link, the hero of the Zelda series, struggling against his nemesis Ganondorf for control of a holy relic known as the Triforce that grants the wishes of its holder. Link spends a significant portion of the game sailing on a talking boat called the King of Red Lions, 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.
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Story
Unlike most Zelda games that take place predominately on land, The Wind Waker places the hero Link on an island. Link lives with his grandmother and younger sister Aryll on Outset Island, one of many islands in the Great Sea, although few are inhabited. 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 evil that had been sealed began to return, but the hero did not appear; the people could only pray to their gods. The inhabitants of the Great Sea do not know what happened to the kingdom, but it is clear that this legend is the story of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
The elders of Outset Island customarily dress their youths in green like the Hero of Time when they come of age, hoping to inspire in them the courage the Hero of Time knew. 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 taken by the Helmaroc King as he returns.
Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow. The girl rescued in the forest is Tetra, captain of a pirate ship. At Link's request, she takes Link on her ship to the Forsaken Fortress, where a mysterious figure is holding Aryll and several other kidnapped girls. Link is thrown from the fortress following an unsuccessful raid. A talking boat called the King of Red Lions takes Link to safety and tells him that the master of the Forbidden Fortress is Ganondorf, the evil of legend. After purchasing a sail, Link sails to Dragon Roost Island at the King of Red Lion's suggestion.
Goddesses' Pearls
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 that members of the Rito tribe traditionally climb to the top of Dragon Roost 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 the monster that had been upsetting the dragon, and earns Din's Pearl.
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 meets the Deku Tree and the Koroks, spirits of the forest. Aware that Ganondorf has returned, the Deku Tree agrees to give Link the pearl after the completion of the annual ceremony to replenish the forests. Linder, one of the Koroks, enters and informs the Deku Tree that Makar has fallen into the Forbidden Woods. The Deku Tree, believing that Link's appearance at this time was not a coincidence, asks Link to rescue Makar. Link does so, allowing the ceremony to be completed, and receives Farore's Pearl.
Link then travels to Greatfish Island to find Jabun, a great water spirit, but when he arrives he finds that the island has been ruined by Ganondorf. After a side trip to Windfall Island to obtain bombs, the King of Red Lions takes Link back to his home of Outset Island where Link blows open the entrance to a cave in which Jabun had been 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 sails to and 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, filled with enemies, frozen in time. Link opens a hidden staircase and descends, where he finds the Master Sword, the evil-repelling blade that the Hero of Time had used to seal Ganondorf. Removing the sword has awakened the castle; Link destroys the enemies inside the castle and returns to the surface.
Restoring the Master Sword
Details such as explosions are rendered in a stylized form.With the Master Sword in hand, Link returns to the Forsaken Fortress. Meeting Tetra and the pirates there, Link rescues the captives and kills the Helmaroc King. Link attacks Ganondorf, but is quickly defeated. 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 and can no longer 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. Ganondorf realizes that Tetra is wearing a Triforce fragment on a necklace and calls her Princess Zelda. Prince Komali, having grown wings, flies in with Quill and takes Link and Tetra away. Valoo swoops into view, breathing fire and sending Ganondorf's room up into 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. King Hyrule 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 completed 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 go to the Earth Temple. After battling through the temple and defeating a boss, Link and Medli reach a spot where Medli prays, restoring some power to Link's sword. Link leaves Medli to continue praying and sails to the Forest Haven. Link finds Makar and plays for him the Wind God's Aria, giving Makar the realization that he is the Sage of Wind. Together they travel to the Wind Temple, defeating a boss there. 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 give the location of the pieces of the Triforce of Courage. Link raises the pieces from the bottom of the sea and restores the Triforce of Courage, which then dwells inside Link, marking him as the true Hero, the Hero of Wind.
Confrontation with Ganon
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 Ganondorf, fighting large puppets created by Ganondorf. When these are defeated, Ganondorf reveals himself to Link, acknowledging that Link must be the Hero of Time reincarnated. Ganondorf then retreats to the rooftop of the tower; Link follows. 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 together 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 Hyrule suddenly appears, touching the Triforce. He wishes for a future for Link and Zelda and asks that Hyrule be washed away forever. The Triforce splits apart and water from the ocean above begins to pour down.
With the ocean falling all around the tower, Ganondorf laughs, believing that the King has simply ensured Link's and Zelda's destruction. Ganondorf and Link begin battle; Zelda assists by using Link's bow and shooting Ganondorf with Light Arrows. Link wins the battle, plunging the Master Sword into Ganondorf’s head. Ganondorf is turned to stone. Link and Tetra float to the surface inside a bubble, leaving Ganondorf and the king to be buried under the waves with Hyrule. Link and Zelda sail away together on the King of Red Lions and the pirate ship in search of a new land with the wind as their guide.
Spoilers end here.
Gameplay
Link uses the Deku Leaf to float on the wind.Like Majora's Mask before it, the 3D engine of The Wind Waker is largely unchanged from Ocarina of Time. 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. One new addition to this basic control scheme is the ability to parry. When locked-on to an opponent, certain attacks by the opponent will trigger a visual cue and a chime if Link is not actively defending. 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 previous games. This is taken advantage of with a new system that causes 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 a number of 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. One notable sidequest is 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 will use to sculpt figurines. There are a total of 134 figurines to collect, but Link can only hold three pictures at a time, making this one of the longest sidequests to appear in a Zelda game.
After completing the game, the player can start a second game 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
Link uses the Wind Waker to control the wind.In a striking departure from the series, The Wind Waker is set on a group of islands in a body of water known as the Great Sea. The sea is divided into 49 sections on a seven by seven grid, with each section containing an island or small group of islands. A significant portion of the game is spent sailing the water, traveling from island to island. This layout allows the game to mask any loading time by accessing data while the player is between islands.
To help him sail between the islands quickly, Link uses the Wind Waker, a baton that allows the holder to conduct the wind, provided he knows the correct song. Wind plays an important role throughout the game and 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 shows the player the current wind direction.
Tingle Tuner
A new item to the Zelda series, the Tingle Tuner allows the player to receive assistance from Tingle. Once found, a player can attach a Game Boy Advance (GBA) to the GameCube using a Nintendo GameCube-Game Boy Advance cable. The GBA can be operated by a second person, or the player can choose to alternate between the GameCube and the GBA. With the GBA, players can control Tingle on a map more detailed than that of the GameCube's. 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 certain sidequests. Use of the Tingle Tuner is optional, but the ability to examine a more detailed map and place remote bombs is often helpful. In addition, players who want to complete every sidequest will find it 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.
Development and history
Box art for the Japanese edition.Feeling pressure from Sega's DreamCast and the target release date of "fall 2000" for Sony's PlayStation 2, Nintendo announced on 3 March 1999 that a new video game system was under development. This new 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 that were shown, Nintendo had several software demonstrations to showcase the power of their new system, one of which was a real-time duel between a very realistic looking Ganon and Link. Despite being a hastily assembled technical demonstration, fans and the media could not help but speculate 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 brand-new cel-shaded (or toon-shaded) look, giving the appearance of an interactive cartoon. Shigeru Miyamoto says the new look is designed to "extend Zelda's reach to all ages". The cel-shaded approach was such a radical shift that it caused IGN to wonder if two separate games might be in concurrent development.
While some at the event loved the new look, there was a huge backlash from many disappointed fans who had been expecting a realistic Zelda game. Miyamoto was shocked at the reaction to the footage and the media's claim that Nintendo is shifting its focus to a younger audience. Worried that the reaction to the new style will outweigh what he felt was an excellent game, Miyamoto refused to reveal anything further until a playable demonstration became available. It was his hope that once critics played the game, they would focus on the gameplay, the most important part, rather than the graphics. Miyamoto promised a playable version for E3 2002 and a release later that year.
As promised, Nintendo exhibited 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 look was also compared to the style of A Link to the Past and promotional artwork from previous Zelda games. E3 also introduced some 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, underscoring the importance of wind in the game. The official translation of The Wind Waker was given 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. This game, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, features darker, more realistic graphics while retaining some cel-shaded elements.
Bundling
Link arrives at Windfall Island.On 22 November 2002, an update to Nintendo's Japanese Kaze no Takuto website revealed that a special bonus disc was being offered to those who pre-ordered the game. 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 called 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 bonus disc was distributed in Europe by including it with The Wind Waker in a two-disc case.
On 17 November 2003, Nintendo released a new Zelda compilation disc that contained 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. This disc, called The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition, could be had by purchasing a special GameCube bundle containing the disc, by registering a GameCube and two games at Nintendo's website, or by subscribing or renewing a subscription to Nintendo Power.
Critical response
Reviews and awards Publication Score Comment Famitsu 40 of 40 IGN.com 9.6 of 10 Editor's Choice EGM 9.83 out of 10 Gold Award GameSpot 9.3 of 10 2003 Game of the Year Nintendo Power 10 of 10 Game of the Year Compilations of multiple reviews Game Rankings 95 of 100 (based on 100 reviews) Metacritic 96 of 100 (based on 79 reviews) Awards 2004 Game Developers Choice Awards Excellence in Visual Arts 7th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction Upon release, The Wind Waker received critical acclaim, becoming the fourth of six games to date to receive a perfect score of forty from Famitsu magazine, even though the game did not duplicate 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"; IGN 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.
GamePro magazine featured The Wind Waker on the cover of issue 173.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 shortcomings, 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. The game also met commercial success, propelling sales of the GameCube console and becoming the most successful pre-order campaign in Nintendo history.
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