The Magic and Charm of Wind Waker

I recently started playing Wind Waker again, and today's playthrough really showed me why this game was the game that had me fall in love with Zelda.

I had gone through the forbidden woods, and found myself just standing in certain places looking at my surroundings. Part of Wind Waker's magic is that it has aged really well. All of the scenery, the design, is beautiful. I also loved the dungeon design. I love all of the extra hidden secrets and puzzles in each dungeon. Afterfinishing the forbiddem woods, I set sail. But instead of going straight to the next plot point, I went back to windfall to rediscover the pictobox side quest.

While doing the pictobox quest, the charm of Wind Waker really shined through. Seeing the futile crush of the man sending letters, the destined lovers crossing their affection through glances, the man who could only think about the idea of being captured. All of these things capped by the pictobox man giving a hearty laugh at the finish of the quest. So much detail and effort put into crafting many stories and plotlines that depict the struggles we face everyday. But after this awesome sidequest, I decided to go out to sea to find the light for the deluxe pictobox.

On the way back from forest haven, the sun had set, and rain was falling. Seeing a submarine, I thought it would be a good opportunity to explore. After vanquishing foes and grabbing a heart piece, I came out of the submarine to a sunrise, with the music of dawn. Finally getting on my boat, the though of the magic of wind waker arose again. And that was because wind waker is so big and free and vast. It captured a sense of a grand adventure with a purpose.

After grabbing my deluxe pictobox, I returned to sea, setting my 2 gathered orbs in their pedastals. Seeing that foreshadow that tetra would soon reveal her true form. All conveyed through a statue.

Finally moving on with the story, seeing how greatfish isle was devastated, and how the relentless rain culminated to yet another visit to windfall. However, this time, the fates of link and tetra intertwined again. Going onto the pirate ship, going into the forbidden room of tetra's, and seeing all of the craft and detail put into that one room. It conveyed the hardships of tetra and how she searched for the answers. How link and tetra were destined to meet. How her mother was a key influence in her drive. All of that revealed through pictures. The charm of Windwaker shined through again.

Finally getting the bombs, I rushed to my boat, being told there was no time to waste. An adventure, a sense of purpose, was at hand. The magic of Wind Waker in a nutshell. A sense of purpose, of exploration, of a lone boy on a quest...

Tl;dr Windwaker has a lot of charm and is really awesome

Your thoughts?

I cant agree more. Wind Waker is such a beautiful game.

WW is indeed a gem in many aspects. My problems with the game are the number of dungeons and size of the overworld (Yes, there are many things out there but I rarely feel rewarded). Its a grest game that just needed a bit more polishing to be perfect.

I also started playing Wind Waker again and I also rediscovered why I loved this game soooo much.

Favorite Zelda game of all time, hands down. I love everything about this game, especially the art style. I don't understand why everyone used to hate on it, I think it's awesome.

I love Wind Waker, it is definitely my favorite Zelda Game, the only thing I wish they did different is more levels.

I really enjoyed Wind Waker. The style was really appealing and it was a nice storyline. The sailing was fun too, although it did get quite tedious.

Yep, TWW is a very fun game. It has some humorous moments and some serious ones. Sailing all the way from Windfall to Outset before morning came made me feel like I had to hurry there, only to learn that a spell of uninterrupted night had fallen over the Great Sea. I liked the puzzles, the bosses and the characters. The grappling hook and boomerang were really fun and I loved to steal things from enemies. Ah, good times!

I love the Wind Waker. It has a very pleasant and playful atmosphere. It's without a doubt one of my favorite games. I remember very well the summer mornings I used to play it, when I first got it. I can still see and feel the morning sunlight coming in through the windows^^

I'm looking forward to playing it again.

The story in WW was great. In the beginning I loved walking around Outset and getting an idea of the life Link led there. Also he had a friggin family. Except for ALttP, which I haven't played yet up to that point, that never happened in a Zelda game before so I thought that alone was pretty awesome. I only wish we saw more of Aryll in the rest of the game. I also remember sailing off from Wndfall for the first time, and it was a pretty epic feeling. It was like you've been chained for the whole game then someone finally set you free. I could go on about the story, but generally I thought it was great the whole way through.

There's two main things I don't like about the game though. The dungeons just weren't as good as they were in other Zelda games. In other game such as TP, there's certain dungeons I get to and think alright, I can't wait to tackle this one again. WW doesn't have that for me. It also doesn't have any bosses I really like. Just meh to ok. The other thing is that even though there were a lot islands you can explore, most aren't that great. All those Reed islands were just annoying. They wouldn't be so bad if the boat combat was a little more refined like horseback combat is in TP, or boat/train combat in PH and ST. There is nothing to explore near those constellation islands, and the others are very small with little to nothing on them. A few good ones, but that doesn't make up for a lot of crappy ones. There's a few other points and nitpicks I don't like about the game, but those are the main two.

Altogether though, I think it's a great game worth a play through anytime. 8/10 when I'm feeling most critical towards it, 9/10 the rest.

Agree! Wind waker is so beautiful.
Zelda in cartoon style is pure love, same with Phantom hourglass and Spirit Tracks(execpt they dont have the same resolution).
Almost forgot Minish cap!

I love The Wind Waker. Everytime I go to Dragon Roost Island for the first time, I always have a smile on my face.

Couldn't agree more, the soundtrack to this game is fantastic. Doesn't get old at all



I remember the time when everyone was going insane, either with good (few comments of that) and the bad (many comments on that one, believe me) on the graphical style Nintendo were heading in with the game. Everyone wanted realistic after seeing the tech demo at Spaceworld 2000.

When i played it, it was beautiful. Graphically stunning, the story was great. Running around Outset Island, exploring the forest above. Chasing Pigs and all that, it was great. It was great, after all it was this Link who was only going to rescue his sister and ended up saving the world at the same time.

Wind Waker is my favourite game of all time. I absolutely love it. The utter sense of freedom was and is fuel for the creative and imaginative juices of my mind. It was the first game I ever beat legitimately, and for little nine-year-old me, that was an accomplishment and a joy. I remember sitting in my room, unlit but for the TV and the small rays of sunlight, crying as the credits began. Not so much because it was a sad ending (although it was), but because my adventure was over. That was it. And how sad I felt in knowing that. But then, with the promise of a second quest, all was okay.

Ah, and the soundtrack! Who could ever forget such a beautiful and diverse score as was written for Wind Waker. I can remember sitting just outside of an island if I knew dawn would come soon, just so I could hear "my song." Yes, my song--the wonderful amalgamation of the tracks "Dawn" and "Ocean" that gave such a sense of adventure and inspiration to a growing young mind. The Helmaroc King and Molgera battle themes were also among my favourites; I can recall prolonging the killing of the Helmaroc King whenever I reached that point, just so I could listen to his theme.

tl;dr
In short, yes, I wholeheartedly agree that the Wind Waker is one of the most magical experiences I've ever had, and I thank you for giving me the opportunity to voice my opinion.