Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo

Genre: Adventure

Year released: 2003

Number of Players: 1

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker takes place 100 years after the events of Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask. Link and his defeat of Ganon have become merely a legend. The game starts out on Outset Island, where a young boy, also named Link, has just turned twelve. A gigantic bird has swooped down and kidnapped Link’s sister, Aryll. Link sets out on an epic journey to save his sister, but little does he know he’ll be going on a huge adventure that spans across the whole sea. And thus begins a new legend…

Visuals: (98%)
The cell-shaded graphics were largely discussed before the game was released. The graphics are truly remarkable. Everything looks very bright, vivid, and colorful. The characters, enemies, etc. each have their own unique appearance. Link himself looks nice as well. His facial expressions look really cool, and sometimes are funny. The only problem with the graphics is that faraway objects are a bit blurry. So, if you’re near an island, you sometimes have to zoom in with the telescope to see what island it is. Not much of a problem, really.

Controls: (98%)
The controls of TWW are simple and easy to get used to. The control stick makes Link walk, run, swim, or jump if you are near a platform or ledge. The L button is used to focus the camera behind Link, and also locks onto an enemy, which makes Links focus on that particular enemy. The Y, X, and Z buttons are used for the item that you assigned to it. The A button is your Action Button; you can perform the action shown on the A button on your TV screen’s top-right hand corner. The R button is also used as an Action button; press the R button to perform the action shown on the R button at the top-right hand corner of your TV screen. The B button swings your sword. More controls are explained in the game.

Sounds: (100%)
The Wind Waker has a remarkable soundtrack, like nearly all Zelda games. There are many new songs, but you may hear some remixed old tunes as well. The sound effects in TWW are great as well. Nearly all the sounds effects have improved over the N64 Zeldas.

Gameplay (98%)
The gameplay is somewhat similar to the two N64 Zeldas, but there are many differences as well. First off, you still get items that you did in past Zelda games, such as Bombs, the Boomerang, and others. You also get new items, such as the Grappling Hook, Telescope, and the Wind Waker. The Wind Waker is a conductor’s baton that has several different functions; think of it as the Ocarina of this game. Most of your traveling is done on the ocean waters. You travel on a boat called the King of Red Lions. This mysterious boat actually talks to you; it gives information and advice. Exploration has a huge part in TWW. In most of TWW, you are sailing throughout the vast ocean, going from island to island. Each island is unique; some islands are big, some islands are tiny. Some islands are inhabited by people, and some have just patches of grass. Some islands have secret places or items located within them. It’s up to you to explore them all. There are also several dungeons that you must conquer in order to reach the boss of it, but you must solve several puzzles and enemies to advance.

Replayability: (90%)
The game itself should take you a while to beat. There are a lot of things to do in the game. Once you beat the game, you open up a second quest that isn’t much different than the first, save a few changes.

Bottom Line:
Another great Zelda game. The Wind Waker is game that you must own if you are looking for a good, long adventure.

Final Score: (97%) A+

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