Now that BotW 2 a.k.a Tears of the Kingdom has an actual release date, I have decided to continue playing every Zelda game that aren't the two DS titles. Much like Majora's Mask and A Link Between Worlds, Wind Waker was a game i had played before and like A Link Between Worlds, too much time had passed to where i needed to refresh my opinion of the game. I had played the original GameCube version but there's no reason to go back to that one since HD exists.
Wind Waker is a good game but with an asterisk because there's certain things that i like and simultaneously kinda don't. Sailing the Great Sea does really feel like you're in an adventure. At the same time, this Great Sea is pretty empty and there's barely anything to do on the islands that you do come across (also thank God for the Swift Sail). The Triforce hunt, made smoother in this version, is conceptually good. But it's also just padding and it feels like you're doing it simply because the game told you too. The counter system is great. But enemies are honestly a push over, you are never in any real danger, not that difficulty has been a big thing in Zelda.
Where Wind Waker excels at is in the artstyle and just how full of personality the game is. Even the original still holds up. Story-wise, it presents some interesting ideas. This game has the best incarnation of Ganondorf, a very fun version of Zeldaeven if it's kinda sus that the dark-skinned pirate girl was actually just a disguise for the white-skinned princess and just generally an interesting take on the Zelda story formula. It's no Majora's Mask but i wouldn't disagree with calling it one of the better Zelda narratives.
The dungeon design is fairly standard, i don't really have too much to say about it. I do really like the Earth Temple though, it's honestly on the same level as the Stone Tower Temple with how it uses the mechanics it presents. This game also has Molgera, which cemented itself as one of my favorite bosses in the series. Music's good because it's Zelda, of course it is.
Yeah this game's about as good as i remember it being....with an asterisk.
Wind Waker is a good game but with an asterisk because there's certain things that i like and simultaneously kinda don't. Sailing the Great Sea does really feel like you're in an adventure. At the same time, this Great Sea is pretty empty and there's barely anything to do on the islands that you do come across (also thank God for the Swift Sail). The Triforce hunt, made smoother in this version, is conceptually good. But it's also just padding and it feels like you're doing it simply because the game told you too. The counter system is great. But enemies are honestly a push over, you are never in any real danger, not that difficulty has been a big thing in Zelda.
Where Wind Waker excels at is in the artstyle and just how full of personality the game is. Even the original still holds up. Story-wise, it presents some interesting ideas. This game has the best incarnation of Ganondorf, a very fun version of Zelda
The dungeon design is fairly standard, i don't really have too much to say about it. I do really like the Earth Temple though, it's honestly on the same level as the Stone Tower Temple with how it uses the mechanics it presents. This game also has Molgera, which cemented itself as one of my favorite bosses in the series. Music's good because it's Zelda, of course it is.
Yeah this game's about as good as i remember it being....with an asterisk.