The Wind Waker has been criticised by many people since its highly controversial first showing at Spaceworld 2001. Amongst the Nintendo community, the initial shock wore off, and the great anticipation for a new Zelda adventure began. After almost three years, The Legend of Zelda has finally returned; on a new console, with a new look and a new adventure, but is it able to topple Ocarina of Time?
The Wind Waker opens with a retelling of the story of Ocarina of Time, and an explanation of the events which transpired after. The story then zooms to the current day, which just happens to be Link’s 10th birthday. It has become a tradition amongst the islanders that a boy must wear a ceremonial outfit to celebrate this special birthday. This outfit is the same type of clothing worn by the Hero of Time when he saved the world.
Link’s birthday activities are interrupted when a massive bird carrying a young girl flies over the island. A large pirate ship is in pursuit of the feathered menace. A lucky shot from the ship hits the bird, and causes it to drop the girl into the woods. Link and his younger sister Aryll run to the woods to rescue the girl. Link rescues the girl, and she thanks him. She tells Link that her name is Tetra, and she is part of the pirate crew which was chasing the bird. On the way back to the village, the bird comes back for a second shot at catching Tetra, but snatches Aryll away instead. Link convinces the Pirates to allow him to join them on their journey to the Forbidden Fortress, where they suspect Aryll is being held.
Controversy has always surrounded the cel-shaded look of The Wind Waker. Cast any doubt aside, because the new look gives the game far more character than any realistic look could possibly achieve. The game is essentially a cartoon – it moves like one, it looks like one, some of the events are a little over the top and there are goofy characters scattered around the world. The music in the game is excellent – several classic tracks have returned, some others have been slightly altered and there is a bunch of new music. No real voice work to speak of, though the travelling merchant will say “Thank You” after you make a purchase.
Aesthetics aside, The Wind Waker plays like Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask with a few alterations. The controls are practically the same, only slightly altered to suit the Gamecube’s controller. The lock-on targeting system featured in Ocarina has returned, but is now enhanced, as you now have the ability to adjust the camera with the C-Stick. Combat seems improved on the whole – Link has gained a variety of new attacks, such as the Hurricane spin attack, and the parry and counter. Fighting feels more urgent and frantic as Link will encounter hordes of enemies which he will be required to fight all at the one time. Each enemy has a variety of ways in which they can be defeated. If an enemy is carrying a weapon, they will drop it when they’re stunned or defeated, and Link can utilise these weapons, though they cannot be stored for later use.
The overworld in The Wind Waker takes the form of a vast ocean, with many scattered islands. The map is divided into 49 squares (7x7), and it takes nearly 10 minutes to travel from one end to the other. Link’s method of transport on the ocean is a small boat with a sail. Once Link is able to control the wind, travelling across the ocean becomes a breeze. The Wind Waker is slightly obscure to control at first, especially to gamers who are used to the ocarinas from the previous two games. You earn a variety of songs which will aid you through the quest, such as the ability to use cyclones to warp across the map with great speed.
The dungeons featured in The Wind Waker are of an excellent quality. For example, the first “dungeon” requires you to sneak into a fort, without your sword. Link has to make use of various objects around the map to conceal his presence (the infamous cartoon barrels), and also steal weapons from the enemies in case he is attacked. Get caught, and you’re thrown in jail, and must work your way out of the cell, back to the place where you were caught, rather than the traditional restarting of the sequence. On top of the usual dungeon crawling, a number of side quests have been provided. Unfortunately at the time of this preview I hadn’t really sampled any of the quests.
Difficulty may be of concern to some fans. The quest is extensive – it took 32 hours to play through the game – that’s just the main quest without any attempt made to complete side quests. In that period death was only met twice, both times on the end boss. There is no sticking point (Ocarina’s Water Temple), and while some parts of the game will be frustrating, the game isn’t very challenging. It is a joy to play, however, so the lack of difficulty should not perturb you from purchasing this game.
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is due for release in Europe on May 3rd and May 9th in Australia.
Loading...
