Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker Review (no fat)

Game Description

The protagonist’s sister has been kidnapped by a giant bird and your mission is to rescue her. Seems rather straight forward at first but the game play is anything but simple. All the villages and dungeons are islands in a gargantuan sea and the game involves lots of sailing to hop across islands in the bid to on complete the quest.

Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker Gameplay

Link, the hero in this game, lives along with his grandmother and sister in a remote island. On his coming of age birthday, he receives the characteristic green elfin clothes. These clothes hark back to a tradition in his island of honoring a legendary hero and hoping that all boys emulate him. A giant bird kidnaps Link’s kid sister, Aryll and soon enough, Link learns sword play from an elder in the island and sets off to rescue his sister. His talking ship, King of Red Lions, accompanies him as he moves from one island to another.

The combat and puzzle solving are what set the game play apart. Numerous dungeons will be found in the islands accessed by Link and various monsters and boss characters will fight, and try to kill, him. But this game is actually very easy and Link will never get killed… unless, of course, if you are bent on making it happen.

One important feature in this game is the seamless connectivity it offers to the Game Boy Advance console. Using the GBA, a character called Tingle can be used to help Link. Tingle has special abilities like bombing at will and there will be a nominal charge for his services. The currency of choice in this game is the rupees. This feature would especially be useful for parents of younger players as they can guide them in the game…or you could enjoy teaming up with friends as well.

Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker Accessories

One important accessory which Link possesses is the Wind Waker, a baton which can be used to control the direction of the wind. Since the Ocean is very huge and traversing it takes quite a few hours, this baton will allow him to change the direction of the wind and quickly hop on to specific islands.

There are numerous puzzles in this game and the levels range from very obvious to complex ones which can be solved only using aids collected earlier in the quest. Other objects Link possesses include bombs, Deku leaf, boomerang, bows and arrows and a master sword. The Deku leaf is used as a parachute to jump from heights as well as to cross chasms. A grappling hook allows Link to swing from branch to branch. The boomerang can attack five opponents in one shot.

Legend of Zelda Wind Waker Controls

The controls take full advantage of the intuitive design of the GameCube. The L trigger is used for targeting opponents. When the Game Boy Advance is used as a controller, the controls are still very tight and respond correctly.

Legend of Zelda Wind Waker Audio

Quite a few surreal tunes are included in the game and these come on at various points. The only problem is that none of the characters speak. But the noises made by them while in combat and background sounds like waves lapping on the sands, birds twittering, etc. are very realistically done. There is good support for Dolby Pro Logic II.

Legend of Zelda Wind Waker Video

The 3-D images have been rendered with the aid of Cell Shading and this gives a cartoon-like tinge to the game. Link can show emotions and the boss characters have been designed with great detail.

The care taken with the graphics can be seen even in small portions like the waves rolling onto the shore, lightning strikes and the design of dungeons. There is a shined and polished look to the screen and the presentation of the game sets it a class apart along with a pretty stable frame rate .

Legend of Zelda Wind Waker Summing Up

A game which will involve you for at least 20 hours, Legend of Zelda Wind Waker is a great adventure game. The many puzzles and combat are excellently designed and offer interesting challenges. The slick presentation and the involved gameplay are very easy on the eye and provide entertainment of a high order. A collectable for adventure seekers.

Legend of Zelda Wind Waker Cost

Legend of Zelda Wind Waker currently retails for $19.99US at the time of writing.