Maybe it was how dark Majora’s Mask had been. Maybe the developers wanted to try something completely different. Whatever the reason, the sixith Zelda game on console was unlike then anything that had come before. Released in 2003, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker took the series in a new direction, with a new look and new mechanics.
The world of Hyrule is gone, spoken only in legend. The people live on islands and one young boy named Link is about to celebrate his coming of age. A giant bird appears, dropping a young woman named Tetra and kidnapping Link’s sister. Link resolves to get her back, but it will take a talking boat called the King of Red Lions and many others to find a weapon that can destroy the bird’s master.
When you talk about The Wind Waker, the first thing is how the game looks. Gone is the realistic style, replaced by an anime tinged style that looks fantastic. This new artwork did not impress most gamers when they saw it, some claimed that it was too cute not work. Looking at it now, the art is breathtaking, looking like something out of an animated movie. This led most gamers to dub the this Link, “Toon Link”, a name that has followed the character ever since.
Taking to the sea is an important part of the game. Link, and the player, must learn to control the winds by using the Wind Waker. This style of play mimics using the Ocarina in the last two previous games. The fighting is fast paced and the dungeons have everything a Zelda fan could ask for. The side quests can be a little grindy. When a teacher asks you for a Joy Pendent, be prepared to hand alot of them over to her.
The story has a very important place in regards to the that ever confusing timeline. This Hyrule is in the future, the deeds of the original Link or spoken as nothing more then a legend. It is believed that Gannon was destroyed, but he returned and Link did not reappear. This was one of the first games to directly mention the splitting timeline, a idea that puts the games into two distinct categories. Until Breath of the Wild, this game was the final stop in the timeline.
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker sold well when it was released, but it wasn’t what Nintendo was looking for. The series would return to it’s gritty roots in the next game. Toon Link and his world would not go away, and this game has the most sequels of any in the series. The game was remastered a few years ago and finally was seen as the classic it was and still is.
