I often avoided Wind Waker for a long time due to the fact that I simply thought the setting was boring. And while I'm still not the biggest fan of ocean settings, I think Wind Waker does it very well.
The story for this Zelda game is actually pretty personal. Normally it's just "chosen one goes on journey with companion". This entry spices things up a lot, and I felt more compelled than usual to actually become a hero of legend. This Zelda game also works very well in this regard because this incarnation of Link is truly nothing special. Just some kid on an island, and one thing leads to another for him to step up as a hero while still being very young.
The Gameplay is good. Swordplay is pretty simple in this one, but it introduced a lot of mechanics that continued to persist in other Zelda games. Flashy sword combo's, parrying, the works. I do find the actual flourishes Link does in this game really fun to look at as well. Link's arsenal is better than ever in this game, too. Plenty of fun items to make use of, I was especially happy to see almost every item kept some sort of significance in both puzzles and fighting, which made them memorable. Deku Leaf being my personal favorite item in this game besides the staples. Controls are good, I did have a few instances of struggling with certain things like swinging on ropes and some puzzles I feel go on for too long.
This is getting a separate section, the boat. So I did not mind the boat, and the mechanics tied to it. I will give criticism however with fighting enemies in the boat. Now it doesn't happen often, but when enemies popped up, I just wanted to sail past them. You have to pull out your weapon, stop the boat, kill the enemy, and start the boat again. It's a minor complaint, and some enemies in the ocean I actually don't find annoying at all.
The artstyle is awesome. I personally remember being very skeptical about it when I always looked at it. But after playing it and seeing everything it had to offer, I really liked it. Everything is very expressive here, enemies have fun and goofy animations, and some are genuinely pretty intimidating. Hell, even Link's victory jump animation makes me laugh just because it's making great use of the artstyle they chose.
The music is inspiring. It sounds like Zelda, and feels like Zelda, but it does so well to capture that feeling of sailing on the ocean. It's very cheerful and upbeat, listening to it makes you smile, and couldn't help but hum a few songs to myself while doing stuff. I am very impressed by this soundtrack, and while it might not be as epic or intense, it doesn't need to be. It's exactly what this game needed to stick out more.
Sound effects are great. Every item has amazing sound design that's very satisfying. Enemies and Link are more vocal than ever, and it was a nice change of pace considering Link is usually just making whatever noises he makes when doing whatever. But Wind Waker Link is very vocal and diverse with reactions and noises he makes. The rest of the sound effects are also good, nothing feels out of place.
Wind Waker is certainly something to be cherished for being really unique, and still is to this day. Don't let the artstyle throw you off, it's Zelda through and through. And if you love summer feeling games, this is probably the best you can get besides Mario Sunshine. You can get Wind Waker on the Gamecube, but it got a beautiful HD port on Wii U I highly recommend, as it has a lot of quality of life stuff, and some fun new features.
The story for this Zelda game is actually pretty personal. Normally it's just "chosen one goes on journey with companion". This entry spices things up a lot, and I felt more compelled than usual to actually become a hero of legend. This Zelda game also works very well in this regard because this incarnation of Link is truly nothing special. Just some kid on an island, and one thing leads to another for him to step up as a hero while still being very young.
The Gameplay is good. Swordplay is pretty simple in this one, but it introduced a lot of mechanics that continued to persist in other Zelda games. Flashy sword combo's, parrying, the works. I do find the actual flourishes Link does in this game really fun to look at as well. Link's arsenal is better than ever in this game, too. Plenty of fun items to make use of, I was especially happy to see almost every item kept some sort of significance in both puzzles and fighting, which made them memorable. Deku Leaf being my personal favorite item in this game besides the staples. Controls are good, I did have a few instances of struggling with certain things like swinging on ropes and some puzzles I feel go on for too long.
This is getting a separate section, the boat. So I did not mind the boat, and the mechanics tied to it. I will give criticism however with fighting enemies in the boat. Now it doesn't happen often, but when enemies popped up, I just wanted to sail past them. You have to pull out your weapon, stop the boat, kill the enemy, and start the boat again. It's a minor complaint, and some enemies in the ocean I actually don't find annoying at all.
The artstyle is awesome. I personally remember being very skeptical about it when I always looked at it. But after playing it and seeing everything it had to offer, I really liked it. Everything is very expressive here, enemies have fun and goofy animations, and some are genuinely pretty intimidating. Hell, even Link's victory jump animation makes me laugh just because it's making great use of the artstyle they chose.
The music is inspiring. It sounds like Zelda, and feels like Zelda, but it does so well to capture that feeling of sailing on the ocean. It's very cheerful and upbeat, listening to it makes you smile, and couldn't help but hum a few songs to myself while doing stuff. I am very impressed by this soundtrack, and while it might not be as epic or intense, it doesn't need to be. It's exactly what this game needed to stick out more.
Sound effects are great. Every item has amazing sound design that's very satisfying. Enemies and Link are more vocal than ever, and it was a nice change of pace considering Link is usually just making whatever noises he makes when doing whatever. But Wind Waker Link is very vocal and diverse with reactions and noises he makes. The rest of the sound effects are also good, nothing feels out of place.
Wind Waker is certainly something to be cherished for being really unique, and still is to this day. Don't let the artstyle throw you off, it's Zelda through and through. And if you love summer feeling games, this is probably the best you can get besides Mario Sunshine. You can get Wind Waker on the Gamecube, but it got a beautiful HD port on Wii U I highly recommend, as it has a lot of quality of life stuff, and some fun new features.