”The wind will guide us!”
The original version of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker has, without a doubt, the WORST pacing of any Zelda game. Sailing takes too long, constantly having to take out the Wind Waker itself kills the pace, the Command Melody is annoying, and having to salvage each piece of the Triforce is tedious.
The Wind Waker HD fixes all of those issues.
The game gifts us with the Swift Sail, a sail that doubles our boat’s speed and causes a favorable wind to constantly blow in whatever direction we want, meaning that we don’t have to waste time pulling out the Wind Waker every five seconds to change the wind direction. The game no longer plays back every single song we play on the Wind Waker, which makes the Command Melody much less of a pace breaker; instead, it’s just another item in Link’s arsenal. Finally, five out of the eight Triforce shards are simply in the chests that you find, meaning significantly less time wasted hunting them down.
All of these changes make the game much faster, bringing it more in line with the masterful pacing of other Zelda games. Since I no longer felt bored and/or annoyed, I was able to soak in the experience of The Wind Waker.
The already gorgeous visuals have been given an HD overhaul and a new lighting engine; it’s pure eye candy. The story is stil magnificent. Even the dungeons, which I considered some of the worst in the series in the original, are actually… pretty good? They don’t stack up to the dungeons in other 3D entries and they’re still too easy, but they have solid puzzle progression and distinct visual theming. The Tower of the Gods and the Wind Temple are still awesome.
I partook in more side quests this time around. They’re not the best thing ever, but they have their charm. Windfall Island is essentially this game’s Clock Town, only much less depressing. Helping all of the residents with their problems is inherently satisfying and fleshes out the world of the Great Sea, showing you why Link needs to protect it from Ganondorf.
Speaking of the Great Sea, The Wind Waker’s oceanic overworld has a wonderful sense of adventure that only Breath of the Wild would be able to recapture. Sure, the Great Sea isn’t exactly dense, but there’s still lots to do and discover. So many mini-dungeons, so much treasure, so many Heart Pieces… it’s amazing. Exploring the Great Sea makes you feel like a true adventurer.
I honestly loved The Wind Waker HD. I still wish there were more complex dungeons, but I was more than satisfied with what I got. All of the little improvements and quality of life changes have boosted The Wind Waker from the most overrated Zelda game to one of the series’ best.
The original version of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker has, without a doubt, the WORST pacing of any Zelda game. Sailing takes too long, constantly having to take out the Wind Waker itself kills the pace, the Command Melody is annoying, and having to salvage each piece of the Triforce is tedious.
The Wind Waker HD fixes all of those issues.
The game gifts us with the Swift Sail, a sail that doubles our boat’s speed and causes a favorable wind to constantly blow in whatever direction we want, meaning that we don’t have to waste time pulling out the Wind Waker every five seconds to change the wind direction. The game no longer plays back every single song we play on the Wind Waker, which makes the Command Melody much less of a pace breaker; instead, it’s just another item in Link’s arsenal. Finally, five out of the eight Triforce shards are simply in the chests that you find, meaning significantly less time wasted hunting them down.
All of these changes make the game much faster, bringing it more in line with the masterful pacing of other Zelda games. Since I no longer felt bored and/or annoyed, I was able to soak in the experience of The Wind Waker.
The already gorgeous visuals have been given an HD overhaul and a new lighting engine; it’s pure eye candy. The story is stil magnificent. Even the dungeons, which I considered some of the worst in the series in the original, are actually… pretty good? They don’t stack up to the dungeons in other 3D entries and they’re still too easy, but they have solid puzzle progression and distinct visual theming. The Tower of the Gods and the Wind Temple are still awesome.
I partook in more side quests this time around. They’re not the best thing ever, but they have their charm. Windfall Island is essentially this game’s Clock Town, only much less depressing. Helping all of the residents with their problems is inherently satisfying and fleshes out the world of the Great Sea, showing you why Link needs to protect it from Ganondorf.
Speaking of the Great Sea, The Wind Waker’s oceanic overworld has a wonderful sense of adventure that only Breath of the Wild would be able to recapture. Sure, the Great Sea isn’t exactly dense, but there’s still lots to do and discover. So many mini-dungeons, so much treasure, so many Heart Pieces… it’s amazing. Exploring the Great Sea makes you feel like a true adventurer.
I honestly loved The Wind Waker HD. I still wish there were more complex dungeons, but I was more than satisfied with what I got. All of the little improvements and quality of life changes have boosted The Wind Waker from the most overrated Zelda game to one of the series’ best.