Lovely plot and atmosphere! The soundtrack may be the best one in the series and the stylized visuals are timeless :) Very easy, so it's probably a good first Zelda game to play. For anyone other than beginners it really poses no challenge though, so if you want a game that challenges you, look elsewhere. However if you want an easy, charming, light hearted game, this is it my friend.

The game begins in a pretty linear way, but after Tower of the Gods the world really opens up. You can explore the whole map before that too, but I personally felt like the plot driven, linear part of the game ends there, letting you get in the drivers seat. Exploration was engouraged, and I loved the fish guys who fill in your map and give you hints. They reminded me of the old men in the first Zelda.

The dungeons are unfortunately linear. They never require much of the player, and where you need to go seems to always be conveniently in front of you. The puzzles are easy but good, and I do think that if you haven't played a Zelda game before they would be the perfect difficulty to get you familiar with the way these games work.

There are only four main dungeons, but to get the triforce pieces you have to get through a few enemy gauntlet style minidungeons. They're fun the first two times, but after that whacking on enemies that pose no real threat to you just gets repetitive and boring. This was especially bad on the way to the final boss. There was the road to Ganon's tower, the long repetitive fight against Phantom Ganon, the corridor to get up the tower... It just felt like filler. I mean it was repetition to fill out time, and quantity of enemies to make up for the lack of difficulty.

Then we get to the only hard boss in the game. Puppet Ganon was fantastic! Really a great and challenging boss. The final fight with Ganondorf was not super hard, but the story was perfectly told. This is by far my favourite Ganondorf in the series so far. His humanity really comes through, making him more than just big bad evil guy who's evil because he's evil.

Overall, loved this. Plot, sound and visuals 5/5, dungeons and difficulty sort of disappointing, but fine. Highly recommended for anyone!

After nearly a decade of sporadic playing across two save files, I finally buckled down and cleared through the back half of The Wind Waker. I didn't like it as much as I thought I would, which I suppose explains to some degree why it was so difficult to push myself to finish it. Yet I feel pretty happy about the experience, both due to what was undoubtedly an excellent finale to the game and also because I can finally close the book on it at last.

I'll start with the good. The art style in this game has aged quite gracefully, even if the Wii U version makes it a tad too bright to look at sometimes. The ocean is beautiful. The characters are super expressive and downright adorable. And the enemy designs feel inspired-- well-suited to the world they reside in. The soundtrack is similarly excellent and the game for the most part feels great to play. I love how the sea charts and items display on the gamepad so you aren't forced to open up a separate menu to navigate them. I think it'd be tough to go play the Gamecube version after this because the QOL is so well integrated.

What's more hit or miss for me are the dungeons and bosses. Granted, it took me years to play through so my memory of the early game's dungeons is quite fuzzy, but I don't recall being all that impressed with them. The dungeons in the second half have an irritating escort mission feel where you're switching between Link and an NPC to solve puzzles but every time you want to switch you need to pull out the titular Wind Waker and play the right song. It gets old fast. Like I said, bosses are also a mixed bag, but in general I liked them. The final boss as well as the boss of the Wind Temple are clear standouts for me.

What drags the game down is the world it takes place in. It was certainly ambitious to have the world largely covered in water but I'm not sure it panned out in my eyes. The gameplay of sailing metronomes between requiring so little interaction that you can walk away from the TV and get a drink while Link sails straight ahead to the destination and forcing you to play the same song on the Wind Waker two to three times just to keep redirecting the wind so you can reach the opposite side of an island. It's very tedious but also makes up a bulk of the game's playtime so it's a big negative for me. The Swift Sail, added in this remake, removes the need to adjust wind and also speeds up travel time. This feels more like putting a portrait over a crack in the wall than any kind of real solution because as a result I'm interacting even less with the game until I get to where I need to be.

My issues with the sailing trickle down into other parts of the game as well. The ocean feels empty and uninteresting. Each large square on the map has on average a single zone of interest-- the remaining space peppered with irritating enemies that respawn as soon as you leave. The tedium of sailing made it a chore to explore the few things I could. The available loot also felt pretty meh. Once I filled out my map I didn't have much to spend my rupees on save for chart deciphering in the notorious final overworld quest, which was also a slog to get through despite being trimmed down a bit from the original.

I think at the end of the day, The Wind Waker ends up near the bottom of my favorite 3D Zelda games, but that's mostly due to their generally high bar of quality. This is still very worth checking out, especially for any fan of the series. I do appreciate how it fits into the larger story of the franchise and also feel it has one of the coolest versions of Ganondorf.

Introduction

As I neared the completion of the game I was wrestling with what score to give it. I knew it was going to be high but I wasn't sure if it was a solid 4 or 5 type of game. It had everything and delivered so much more than I could have wanted. Even when I began my first playthrough three years ago and the first enemy exploded into a dark purple cell-shaded haze I thought to myself, I am about to play something special. And I did. The game was magical; enchanting and feels timeless, as if it operates within its own vacuum.

Just one problem...

But. I cannot get past the fact that the lock-on button and camera reset use the same button. Time and time again I would attempt to lock on only to have the camera swing around, have the game ignore the lock-on because I wasn't centred properly or the enemy was too far, or try to re-position the camera only to have it swing around and focus on an enemy. Whether it was me or the system I couldn't say but it rendered the combat experiences with many enemies frustrating and killed the momentum the game was otherwise giving me.

The game allows you to aim in First-Person, in fact it is necessary in places but trying to quick shoot arrows could sometimes place you in First-Person unintentional and kill the momentum of battles. These contrivances weren't absolutely detrimental to the overall experience of the game or even the combat, but it made skirmishes feel more contrived than they should have and one boss battle in particular in the sand felt borderline impossible at times. Now, on to the good.

Welcome to the Cell-Shaded Sea

The game is without a doubt beautiful. I'm reviewing the Wii U version and the added gloss and shine is stunning. The game truly does look ageless. It'd be hard to describe the game without the word charm, it just oozes it from the enemies through to the NPCs. Everything feels cohesive and just like a functional world. The sea actually feels as if its thriving and there is always something to discover and treasure to pull up. The draw distance can be choppy at times but it doesn't bring the game down in any way.

When you begin it already feels like an epic adventure is about to begin and as the game progresses and you gather your upgrades to unlock more of the map and areas it continues to feel bigger and grander. The lack of voice-overs in cutscenes do kill some of the epicness but I understand that the 3D Zelda games didn't have this feature until Breath of the Wild.

The temples are few in this game but they are deep and if you're unfamiliar with them, can take a while to complete. I got stuck several times and only once did I have to look up a guide to find out what to do. In this case, I'd simply forgotten what a certain item did which brings me to explain that this game can be a challenge if you only play it small burst at a time.

I forgot where I was going, what I was doing so many time it was would have been frustrating if I hadn't been content with just exploring the Great Sea. It was just an amazing experience to be up late at night, headphones in and on the GamePad cruising against deep blue sky over the cutting waves.

Some Final Notes

Wind Waker is a great game visually and design wise. I read up on a lot of the changes from the original and all of them seem like necessary and functional choices. I played the game for around 25 + hours and used a guide in places when I got stuck and didn't know where to go. The game lived up to the hype placed on it by the internet and as my first 3D Zelda game I can say it was an absolute blast and pleasure to play despite my grievances with the lock-on system and the camera at times. However, as with many things, there could still have been room for improvement and changes. Which is why, despite being charmed to Hell by the game I can only give it a 4 out of 5, or 9 out of 10.

Being my first Zelda game, I didn't know what was I going to see or play. I remember that there was no jump button, which was crazy for me coming from Mario. But soon I forgot it, because this game immersed me right from the start.

The game is beautiful to look at. After seeing some videos on the gamecube version, which did not look bad at all for its time, the difference is obvious. Just looking at the water or Link, this is definitely a beautiful game and a great remaster. Combat is nor easy nor hard, being instead a nice middle point between the two. You have enough sword techniques to make it feel varied yet not overly complex. And then, apart from the main weapon and shield you have other weapons that you gain throughout the game that help making the combat not feel stale and boring. And wow does the bow feel great to use. The motion controls of the gamepad have never been better implanted than this. It feel natural to aim and the game plays better this way. And if you don't like it, you can turn it off. And that's great, because the more choice we have, the better. Passing onto the level design, the best areas on this game are the dungeons. They are perfectly designed, fun to play through and great to explore. And just because the dungeons are the best part, doesn't mean the islands you visit are poorly designed, with each one of them being and feeling different than the other, while also also being beautiful to look at.

Then there's the amazing story. I'm not gonna spoil anything, but if when you reach the middle of the game you pause and look at what your first goal was when you started the game, which goes to show how great of an adventure it is. All of the characters have different personalities, and they all feel complex and real. Ganondorf, the villain of the game, doesn't feel like the generic villain, and ends up making you understand his side and why he is the way he is. He is definitely evil, but not just for the sake of it. Even Link has chance to shine in this game. The cartoon style graphics are used well in his situation, because while he still doesn't talk, he is given expressions and there are some really clever comedy scenes that are made funnier because of the amount of detail that went into his facial expressions.

And now we go into the last aspect of the game: the sailing. This is the aspect often regarded as boring and tedious. And I just have to disagree. It can get tedious, but now, thanks to the remaster/remake, you can get a new sail that let's you control the direction of the wind blowing and let's you go faster than normal. It's not hard to get the sail, however it is kind hard to know where you get it or that it even exists without help from a guide or a video. And that has to be my only small issue with the game. And even if you don't get it, fast travel is introduced early in the game which fixes the hassle of going to already discovered islands. And to be honest, the game felt like, to me, a contained yet greatly designed open world game. There were side missions, and you gain new weapons or improvements to Link from them. It felt great to sail off into the unknown, and I just got an immense amount of satisfaction from hearing the game's music while travelling through the sea. I think that after all I said it is kinda of obvious what my final rating will be. I absolutely loved this game, and I'm happy to give The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD 5/5 stars.

Thits title is a stunning remaster of one of the GameCube’s most unique Zelda titles. The HD visuals breathe new life into its distinctive cel-shaded art style, making the ocean and islands more vibrant and expressive than ever before. I highly recommend playing this version instead of the original one, and this is a rare things for me to say, I tend to stick to the originals, but this remaster is simply too good not to play, in every single way.

The game’s world feels timeless, filled with charm, personality, and a sense of adventure that few others in the series match. The story remains heartfelt and whimsical, supported by memorable characters and a beautifully composed OST that enhances every voyage across the Great Sea. This version improves on the original with smoother performance and several QOL upgrades, such as the Swift Sail for faster travel, streamlined inventory management, and enhanced use of the Wii U GamePad for maps and item control.

These changes make exploration far more enjoyable and reduce some of the pacing issues of the 2003 release. However, a few elements still show their age, certain quests, especially toward the end, can feel repetitive or slow, and the sailing, while atmospheric, may test the patience of people seeking constant action. Despite these small flaws, this game remains one of the most charming and emotionally resonant adventures in the Zelda series. It’s both a faithful homage to the original and the best way to experience its magic today.

This is a must-play if you like this franchise to any extent, it's sense of adventure is the same as any other entry in the series, some people may get themselves fooled by the nature of the sailing mechanic, thinking if would limit the exploration and world-building, but it is quite the opposite, it is a very welcome addition to the varied mechanics the Zelda developers tend to be inclined to implement. And similar to all Zelda titles, I highly recommend this one to be played to the fullest, doing 100%, it'll be a very pleasant experience.

The Wind Waker HD is a title that adds a fresh coat of paint to an old GameCube game that has held up so fantastically well that it feels brand new, even to this day. The art style was divisive and was a real make-or-break decision for many people, but in my opinion the cel-shading and overall unique art direction takes the game in a direction that provides a breath of fresh air to the classic 3D Zelda formula.

At a glance (spoiler-free!)

Pros:

• Visually appealing to this day, with some lovely graphics updates
• Great balance of exciting combat and inventive puzzles/dungeons
• Exploration feels fun and rewarding
• One of my favorite settings and stories in the series
• Some fantastic QoL improvements (I love you Swift Sail)
• The use of the Wii U gamepad sold me on the console

Cons:

• Performance can get a bit jittery
• Although MUCH improved, that one specific annoying quest still exists
• Still a few tedious bits and bobs that carried over from the original

More Details (potential spoilers!)

It is interesting how one small addition can completely change your experience with a game. When I got in that sailboat my first thought was  "ooooooooohhhhhhh nooooooooooo". Realising I would have to stop and play a song to change the wind direction so I could slowly travel across the map was immediately frustrating. I found myself lining up the boat, checking my phone, and ignoring the screen except to make the occasional minor adjustment.

Enter the Swift Sail, and now I fucking love this game. Navigating the ocean is a breeze (sorry).   All I wanted to do was sail around and explore, talking to fish ("TAAAY!), and hunting for treasure. I had completely mapped the ocean (minus one square) before even getting the Master Sword. That one change turned the game from a chore to an absolute pleasure to interact with.

There is a lot I like about this game. It looks great - the visuals are charming, and so are the characters. While the sidequests can be hard to find, they are worth seeking out, since they often lead to nice moments. I helped a couple express their love for one another, a child turn away from crime, and possibly lead another child to be eaten by a Bokoblin... but hey, that's just how it goes sometimes. I also love how the races are related to those in OoT, and was weirdly touched when you get to perform music with them and the spirits of their ancestors.

The implementation of the gamepad is wonderful. It's just a big DS, so not having to pause the game to use my inventory or check the larger map makes playing a lot smoother. The map is such an essential part of navigating the ocean, and it feels great to be able to flick through the various charts on the move. I haven't played the original release, but I assume it just used a minimap, but I could be wrong.

That's not to say I loved everything this one had to offer. The dungeon design feels a little lacklustre, and the puzzles don't offer any challenge. You'll mostly just go through the motions until you arrive at the bosses, who you will quickly destroy and immediately forget. I didn't dislike the dungeons, but none of them left any real impression, except for maybe the semi-escort dungeons which resulted in minor annoyance from having to play the Command Melody again and again.

There is also a lot of filler and repetition. The triforce hunt could have been so much more than fighting rooms of different assortments of enemies. What's the point of a ghost ship if it is just another submarine? I wasn't surprised to read a lot was cut for time in the original release. It feels a little unfinished, and could have done with a couple of good dungeons to expand the world. I wanted to explore a larger chunk of underwater Hyrule, and it would have been nice to flesh out Ganon's Tower, which is mostly terrible except for Puppet Ganon.

Oddly, none of these complaints really matter since I came away from Wind Waker with an overwhelming feeling of warmth towards it. This is a world I can imagine revisiting in the future, preferably when it is eventually rereleased on Switch.