Let's start with all the drama that appeared when Nintendo unveiled the fact that Wind Waker would be a cel-shaded title. You couldn’t believe it, you were shocked and totally unsure of how it would work, your faith in Nintendo may have been shaken. But, it’s when you actually get to sit down and play Wind Waker that you realise it was all okay after all. You will be enthralled by this game, you will be enchanted by it, it’s the kind of game you play until late at night, go to sleep and then wake up in the morning wanting to start again. In other words, it’s Zelda.
Never judge a book by it’s cover, and let shame fall upon those who dare judge a Nintendo game by graphics. There is a reason for the cel-shading you know, quite a good one. Much of the style of Wind Waker is taken from Japanese art and anime, notably Ukiyo-e art which incorporates ancient Japanese techniques of printing and ink art. Why is all that in the game? Well, Nintendo’s aim with Wind Waker (in my opinion…) was to heighten the ‘Legend’ aspect of the game. Firstly, setting it centauries after Ocarina of Time and building this game up around the story even more than previous titles has created a scenario where tales of old and legends become special, and none more fascinating than that of the “Hero Of Time” who purged the evil Ganon from the world far in the past, whose descendant must now save the inhabitants of his world once again from the evil hand of Ganon who is once again on the rampage.
And so Nintendo have managed to create a great starting point for a game, and they’ve developed it tremendously. Just like the story in Ocarina Of Time, WW is filled with twists, uncertainty and surprise; which only get bigger and better as the game progresses.
You start of on the tiny homestead at Outset Island where Link lives with his Grandmother and Sister, Aryll. At the start of the game, it’s Link’s birthday and so he receives a special tunic to wear for that day only – in memory of the great hero who saved the land in times gone by. Funnily enough, it’s on that day when a huge bird flies over the island, is hit by a canon ball from a pirate ship and drops a girl into a forest at the top of the hill. And just as Link rescues the girl, Aryll is kidnapped by the giant bird! Link has to find where she is and rescue his sister. After talking to the lovely lady he rescued, he discovers she is none other than Miss Tetra, who, after a bout of insults and remarks about Link’s appearance agrees to take him to the Forsaken Fortress to find Aryll. And so, your adventure begins…
That’s all very well, but the great thing about Zelda is the humour in the game. Now, it’s not too obvious, but it’s there. For example, after to talking to a handful of the residents on Outset Island once Link had received his tunic, most of the seemed to be fascinated by the fact that Link “Must feel hot in those clothes”. Strange. But not even as weird as the people on Windfall Island, they’re just plain crazy.
Once you start sailing and doing dungeons properly, the thing you’ll notice most is the vastness of everything. The sea is just huge with miles between islands. And some islands are gigantic while others are little more than rocks jutting out of the ocean. You’ll find that Link is dwarfed by almost everything noticeable he comes across because Nintendo have really aimed to impress and amaze you with the design and scale in WW, and of course, it works.
As Link continues his quest, he’ll gain more items that become invaluable to your progression in the game. The grappling hook, bombs and even the bow and arrow all appear again along with new appearances like the Sail, the Telescope and bait.
And not only will you encounter more difficult enemies, they become even more elaborate as well. Our favourite still remains the Iron Knuckle, whoa! There seem to be more sword techniques in WW also. As Link fights, he’ll pull of fancy moves on his own and you also have the new addition of being able to circle an enemy, roll, jump and slash all with the clever timing of tapping the A button.
The controls haven’t changed much; Z, Y and X refer to three items you’ve set to them while the Control stick moves Link around. You’ll be using B to slash with whatever sword you’ve got/picked up, A as an ‘action’ button and the C-stick to control the camera. You’ll pick them up and be on your way, simple, effective controls. Oh, and, in case you’re wondering, Link still doesn’t have the ability to jump on his own, it’s automatic like OoT.
And what better environments to control Link in than the stunning places you visit in WW? The bustling town on Windfall Island! The forest haven of the tree spirit’s abode or the towering summit of Dragon Roost. Just like in OoT, you’ll find areas linked with themes like “Forest”, “Water” or “Rock/Fire” and then a whole host of other areas you didn’t know were there. And that’s the good thing; because WW is set on the sea, the game has lots of time to load whatever islands are up ahead while you’re travelling on the waves. This means that more areas than usual can be added, although, they are quite far apart from each other…
This makes for a very exciting prospect, so much space for so many sub-quests and mini-games! And have Nintendo made use of that? Like custard-monkeys they have! The game is chock-full of mini adventures for Link to go on. Every Island has something to offer and there’ll be Islands you wont visit for a while, lots of them, which only adds to the lifespan of the game in a great way. You’ll feel the urge to stop just travelling from dungeon to dungeon and go somewhere else for a change. Nintendo have deliberately left the whole game open and added the word “Freedom” in block capitals. Go where you want, (and usually) when you want. There is just so much to do and see, to complete the entire game will take you at least 6 weeks plus. And because some of the dungeons aren’t quite as tricky as previous games, more emphasis has been put on the exploration of the land rather than just completing task after task. Nintendo are really trying hard to break away from the “Level 1, Level 2, Level 3” standard and instead create an area, a world, where you can play and complete a game. Instead of being within a level within a world, you’re within a world that just happens to have levels and puzzles and oh-my-goodness wonders to behold.
But back to the game’s appearance. Okay, so the actual style of the game is good – but how does it work in motion, in game, on screen? Great actually. The graphics don’t crowd the atmosphere like in some titles, but they add simplicity (but simplicity with a touch of class) to your surroundings and make the game feel much friendlier and more exciting than previous Zelda titles. We don’t think that the effects have been pulled of 100% in the game, there are one or two niggling annoyances we have with the waves and your boat, but 9/10 isn’t bad.
When a bomb explodes, a big burst of smoke bellows out and little fragments of the bomb shoot out of the top of the cloud of black smoke. When you finally vanquish a foe and he falls down dead, his body disappears in a puff of purple/black smoke to leave you with whatever the enemy was carrying (usually 1 rupee or another small item). The main problem with cel-shading is drawing distance. It doesn’t work incredibly well, so Nintendo have got around this problem quite cheekily by making objects/scenery in the distanced blur as you walk away and become clear, as you get closer. Clever, and it works – you get a sense of distance and Nintendo ease the frame-rate!
And, for those who are looking for a replacement for the Ocarina - the Wind Waker itself is it. The actual Wind Waker is a conductors baton which is used to summon magic and do things such as control statues and the direction of the wind. Conducting the Wind Waker is different from the Ocarina, but it's a nice touch and you'll soon get used to the difference. Incidentally, the songs you learn for the Wind Waker are incredibly useful and will be just as much a part of your quest as the Ocarina's songs were in OoT.
You will be captivated by this game, there’s no doubt about it. The work, thought and ingenuity that has gone into WW is phenomenal, and to be so bold as to keep the world waiting to see how the cel-shading would turn out was not only a great marketing tactic, but typical Nintendo style as well.
The only things we can really find ‘wrong’ with the game are the camera and one or two slow-down areas. But, these are in-frequent occurrences and will certainly not ruin the experience for you, anyway, the camera can be controlled in ‘Free’ mode by using the C-Stick and the slow-down only occurred once or twice while taking on about 6 enemies at once.
Overall, this is one heck of a title. Nintendo have done exactly what we expect them to and not only delivered a superb title but surpassed everyone’s expectations. Few thought it would surpass OoT, they may be right, but in my opinion it’s just as good and even more original and revolutionary. Just like it’s N64 predecessors, WW will take you months to see everything it has to offer and much longer before you’re completely satisfied that you’ve completed the game. It’s an incredible, unforgettable experience. Like I said, it’s Zelda. It’s still the best game in the world. CB
