The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker
A game with near-perfect to perfect scores as well as game of the year awards cross multiple publications, this game really needs no introduction. There are countless reviews about the game. So I’m not really going to go into all that makes this game so great. I will at least cover the basics. But overall, this reflection is more of a personal account.
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker’s first footage was unveiled the 2001 Nintendo Space World event. But before we dive into that let’s travel back a year prior. In 2000, Nintendo had showed a technical demonstration of the power and possibilities of the then in-developed console, the Nintendo GameCube. Within this technical demo was a video of Link and Ganon in the middle of a sword fight. What we were shown was a darker and more realistic look on both characters than we have ever seen before. But at the same time, it looked like the same Ganon and Link we were already used to seeing from Ocarina of Time.
Can you imagine what Ocarina of Time would look like on the GameCube? Well, the tech demo showed us just that. The video was very short, as you can see, and it wasn’t an official announcement of a new Zelda game. But the demo showed some amazing possibilities for Nintendo’s new system. Fans, including myself, were absolutely hyped. Like, crazy mad hyped. As gamers, we spent countless hours playing The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on the Nintendo 64 upon its release in 1998. And here we were, two years later, witnessing the next evolution of Nintendo in the form of the Nintendo GameCube. It was a glimpse, albeit a small one. But the future was bright and very exciting.
Now fast forward a year later. A year after that GameCube demo. A demo that the Zelda community has been analyzing, spectating, contemplating, communicating, and hyping over for a full year. A year later, Nintendo unveils the first footage of the next Zelda game in development. A game which would eventually become The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker. What we were show was drastically different than what we saw, hoped for, or what we were even expecting.
See for yourself
Jaws dropped to the floor. The community went into an uproar. Confusion and panic spread across the land. Dogs and cats, living together, mass hysteria! After this new game and new art style was revealed, there was a huge backlash. When you look back in the Nintendo 64 era, Ocarina of Time was the most epic game, possibly the best game, we have ever played up to that point in time. It was an experience that we all wanted more of and that technical demo got people’s hopes, dreams, and expectations, really really high (for a full year, no less). Then out of nowhere we were shown this new cartoon cel-shaded art style of a game. It really came left field for a lot of people.
Now we also must remember that this was 2001. We were on the cusp of advancing technologies, making games and gaming experiences look and feel more realistic. In 2001, we had systems like the Sony Playstation 2 releasing games Final Fantasy X, Metal Gear Solid 2, and Grand Theft Auto III. That same year, Microsoft released the first Xbox console that featured many games for an older audience like Halo, Shenmue 2, and Dead or Alive 3. Nintendo teased a mature looking Zelda one year and then revealed a cartoon looking Zelda the following. It was then that the perception of Nintendo started to change. After the new Zelda reveal, for the first time, it felt as if Nintendo was going backwards, not forwards.
Kotaku.com posted a really great article about 5 years ago. They revisit the backlash and all the craziness that followed since the Zelda trailer release. I highly recommend you read it to get more insight on what the perception was in the community back in 2001. I was a junior in high school when they revealed Wind Waker. I will admit that, yes, I was shocked at the sudden change in art direction. I definitely didn’t see that one coming. And for the first time, even though I grew up with Nintendo, I think it was then that I felt that Nintendo wasn’t growing up with me. And I know I am not alone in that regard. But that was the perception. Nintendo’s fanbase was growing up and it felt like Nintendo wasn’t making games for that fanbase. The perception was that they were still making games for kids and it left a lot of appeal for the Playstation 2 and the Xbox. For me though, after I got over the initial shock, and after watching the trailer multiple times, it was cute, it had appeal, and overall, it was and still is The Legend of Zelda.
While there was a huge internet backlash for this game, I was not a part of that ‘movement’ so-to-speak. These days there’s a lot of hate for things to be found all over the corners of the internet. It’s real easy to find too. But back then, grouping together on the internet to hate and gang up on a (insert video game or movie title here____.) was a new concept for me. Back then, it was really shocking. Everywhere you read about Wind Waker before its release was how bad of a game it was going to be, and how Nintendo dropped the ball, etc. Zelda’s new trailer caused the creation of the “Official Zelda Bitch Thread”, a forum found at IGN.com, one of the biggest go-to websites for all things gaming and entertainment. This forum became a cesspool of hate surrounding this game and caused quite a stir in the gaming community. So as you can see, this trailer really lit the fire under a lot of people and they were clearly not happy. And yes, I read all the arguments, letters, posts, articles. I’m obsessed with gaming, the industry, the community. I want to read it all and be on top of the discussions and be ‘in the know’. But all the negativity surrounding this game was such a downer. At some point I really had to stop reading about it. No one wants to be surrounded by that much negativity. And unfortunately, even though there were some places with hope, wonder, and excitement for this new game, the negative voices were the loudest. And I will admit, for me at least, it took away a lot of the hype and fun of wanting to get this game.
However, that being said, I wasn't going to let that stop me from trying it out for myself
I was an 80s Nintendo kid. I’ve grown up with Nintendo my whole life as I’ve had an NES and every console iteration Nintendo created from that point on. I’ve played them all countless times. The Legend of Zelda and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link on the on the NES, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past on the on the SNES, The Legends of Zelda: Link’s Awakening on the on the Gameboy, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask on the on the Nintendo 64. They were ALL amazing experiences for me growing up. Plus, Nintendo has genuinely always produced high quality gaming experiences. I needed to remind myself of all of this. Even Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, which is considered to be the black sheep of the series, was one of my favorite video game experiences growing up. And I’ve actually beat that game! How many of you can say that? (I’m sure there are a lot). So all the negativity aside, I still loved Nintendo and I knew I had to play the game for myself. I pre-ordered it and picked it up at launch.
The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker was released in North America on the Nintendo Gamecube on March 24, 2003. The year 2003 was an interesting time for me. By the time Wind Waker was released, I had just turned 19 years old. It also had nearly been a year since I graduated high school. I was also working as a head cook at a local restaurant. Basically, at 19, I was an adult, living on my own, and working full time. No school, no parents, just living the dream. But I wasn’t entirely alone though. I lived in an apartment with a couple of roommates. It was epic though because we all loved video games. With all of us combined, we had just about every console you can think about. Some of my best memories were the Xbox Halo parties we would host. Just a bunch of friends, 4-player split screen on a 27” tube TV. We’d play Halo till the sun came up, passing the controller around the room when you died in a match, and waiting for it to be your turn next. Man, those were the days. We did the same thing with Goldeneye 007 on the N64, Super Smash Bros., you name it. Before online multiplayer, it was all local co-op matches and everyone hung out at my place. Good times were had by all.
When I finally got Wind Waker and started playing it, all of those reservations and concerns immediately faded away the second I started sailing the seas. I had no idea what to expect with this game. I actually went in with zero expectations. The look, design, art style, and location, all of it was unfamiliar to me. It looked nothing like the Zelda I was used to. But what I ended up discovering was under all of this new fancy cel-shaded wonder, was nothing but a full-fledged Zelda game. I discovered a vast open ocean with so many places to explore. I found no loading times in the open seas. And if this game had to load, they did it in a way I couldn’t notice. This game was immersive, this game was huge. I never had experience with cel-shaded graphics before until now. I was playing a clear as day cartoon and it was amazing. Seeing the game play out on my TV screen compared to the the trailers shown on the internet, this was a whole different experience. Better than I initially thought it would be.
I think it was after the first time I visited Dragon Roost Island and finished that dungeon that I had that “wow” moment. It is there where the game really kicks into high gear. Running through that whole island, the whole dungeon, all the way to the boss...wow. Just wow. What an experience. It was that island that made me feel like I was truly playing a Zelda game. When the first trailer was released and the backlash started because it looked too cartoony, I think that’s why people didn’t take the game seriously. These days, there are A TON of cartoons made for adults. In 2001, besides Family Guy, South Park, and Adult Swim on Cartoon Network, adult cartoons were still few and far between. They defaulted to the “it’s a cartoon, therefore it must be for kids only.” And that was a common misconception. What I discovered in my game play was that everything about this game was absolutely true to the series. Immersive dungeons, bosses, treasures and secrets, this game had it all. But that also didn’t stop Nintendo from expanding the series, pushing new ideas. Ideas like sailing, Hyrule completely flooded, pirates, islands full of treasures, creatures, and wonder. This game was a behemoth. It was not only impressive, but it was also an absolute joy to experience. But this is where this reflection gets interesting and one of the reasons why I am writing this. All of it is fun and games until you start to feel a bit guilty that you’ve never actually beaten the game...
My Wind Waker experience turned sour for me my first time around. It wasn’t from the actual game itself, but having the ending spoiled for me. So, my roommate asked if he could play Wind Waker while I was at work. We share our stuff, so yeah, that wasn’t an issue. I would come home from work and he would be playing it, making lots of progress, no big deal. But it was that one day I came home from work, and there he was, already fighting the last boss of the game. It all happened so fast. I could have left the room, but I was actually excited that he made it that far. I ended up staying in the room, cheering him on, and witnessing the end of the game. And it was amazing. The hero won (spoiler alert), the world saved, the evil vanquished. But after that, it hit me. It was over. The story was complete. Suddenly, I didn’t have the urge, the desire, or the need to pick up my last save point and continue the game. I tried, though. Believe me, I tried. But in the end, I just didn’t finish it. I ended up moving on to other things.
Over the years I’d make an attempt to pick the game back up. I’d start at the beginning and then make my way through the Temple of the Gods. I’d push my way through Hyrule castle and acquire the master sword and then I would just stop. Something just kept me from wanting to moving forward and to this day, I don’t know what it is.
Then in January 2013, Nintendo announced The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD for the Nintendo WiiU. This was a welcoming breath of fresh air as it looked like Nintendo was starting to take a serious look at HD. The remaster came about as the development team experimented with art styles for the next main Zelda title, also in development for Wii U. It turns out that HD remasters of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword were also tested during the planning stages, but the development team considered The Wind Waker's visuals to be the most improved.
The Wind Waker HD took six months to develop and expands on the original by introducing native 1080p resolution, an alternative lighting engine, as well as new gameplay features and modifications. I was impressed with what I was reading and seeing about it all across the internet. I felt that this approach to Wind Waker, as well as all the extra features beyond the HD enhancements, was welcoming, inviting, and refreshing. I felt that this could get me to revisit the game all over again, after all these years, and truly beat the game from start to finish. So when it was finally released (and when I finally purchased a Wii U) I picked it and got the game fired up again.
That’s when things got interesting (again).
One of the things I love about my wife is the fact that she’s a big gamer just as much as I am. We have a lot of fun playing games and I am a firm believer that those who play together, stay together. Back when we were dating, I found out that she grew up on Playstation games and never owned any Nintendo consoles outside of a Nintendo Gameboy. No SNES, no N64, no GameCube, nothing. She missed out on all of the Nintendo classics. So I tried my best to expose her to all the games that she had missed out on. One of those games was Ocarina of Time. I mean, it’s a classic, right? (Seriously, it’s a MUST PLAY game) She tried to get into it, but it just didn’t click, which is totally fine. Some games aren’t for everyone. But then we got Wind Waker HD on the Wii U.
She gave it a try and found herself really getting into it. Like a lot. Something in Wind Waker got her so hooked that she got really good at it. So good in fact that I came home one day and she was at the last dungeon, about to face the final boss.
That's when it hit me. This game is a curse.
I am never going to beat this game...
Don’t get me wrong though. I was very happy that my wife found a Zelda game that she enjoyed. I’ve been trying to get her into this series for a while now and it finally happened with this game. I just thought it was both a crazy, hilarious, coincidence(?) that this happened to me for the second time in my life. Everyone out there is beating this game but me. But the more I think about it, it’s not so much that I haven’t beaten this game. I think it stems from the fact that I want to enjoy this game. I want to be immersed in the world, I want to be wowed by the lore, and blown away with the surprises. Watching others beat this game feels like that takes that experience away. It then becomes a chore to keep at it, just to complete it. The more I write this, the more I’m starting to understand why I would get to a certain point in the game and then stop playing. It’s familiar. I’ve played the beginning enough times to know what will happen that I won’t be disappointed. Anything past the Tower of the Gods and Hyrule Castle, I had this genuine fear of being disappointed because I already saw what was at the end of the tunnel. I let fear get the best of me.
However, a long while later, I actually gave it another try. I started streaming on Twitch over a year ago and I found that this platform helped me re-discover games. On Twitch, it’s almost like playing games for the first time again because you invest in more than just replaying a game when you’re streaming.
Twitch has given me a lot. So much so, that I wrote about my experience of streaming after a year. If you are interested, you can read it here. Twitch helped me get really creative in designing stream promotions for the games I would be playing, video editing of all the clips that viewers would capture, and interacting with everyone in chat as I played it. It was a lot of fun because there were viewers who had either played the game before, or were seeing it for the first time. It made the experience much richer because it was more than just playing the game and beating the game. It became an experience, one that everyone could be a part of. Replaying Wind Waker on Twitch, I completed it from start to finish and it ended up being one of the best gaming experiences I’ve ever had. And it’s one that I will never forget.
So, as you can see, my journey through the Wind Waker was quite an adventure. I went from a game that was introduced that shocked the world, to being a game I never thought I’d ever complete, to turning out to be one of the best gaming experiences I have ever had. If you have never had an opportunity to play this game, I highly recommend you try it if you ever get the chance.
Thanks for reading.
Sincerely,
BlueNile101
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