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WW-Wii U Wind Waker in Retrospect

Forgive me if this thread has already been done to death.


Having replayed both Skyward Sword and Wind Waker recently, I'm curious to know what people think about Wind Waker now that we're a few more games down the line.

Did Skyward Sword's disappointing flying make you forgive sailing in WW (if you hated sailing) Did you prefer WW's interesting island to SS's three unconnected provinces. Did Phantom Hourglass make a mockery of WW's features such as sailing and island exploration with its new controls for exploring the land? Did SS's flying bring new meaning to the notion of 'slow transportation' that people complained about in Wind Waker?

Do we prefer WW's cel-shading to SS?

In short, have post-WW games enhanced or diminished the experience of it.
 

DinNayruFarore

God of Goddesses
Joined
Feb 20, 2011
I haven't changed my opinion about Wind Waker mainly because whatever I hate about it is usually neutralized by the music. I loved the games music and the sailing music was still refreshing after the ominous or ambience of music in the dungeons.
The flying in Skyward Sword was pretty well done because you could get there faster with those tunneled islands throughout the skies.
The sailing was interesting because there were several things around that caught my eye. I'd like to fill my maps with the drawings of the islands.
 

Mrflamexd3

Wind Waker!
Joined
Apr 6, 2012
Location
California
I love all the Zelda games (except Zelda II, I honestly don't like that one but I won't get into it). I do admit that the sailing is better then the flying but I bet the flying wouldn't be as annoying is you could use the nun-chuck to steer like the control stick on the gamecube to sail. Same with the flying in Twilight Princess..I would think they would have learned from that because a lot of people disliked that flying part in Twilight Princess and wished it was changed with nun-chuck.
I think Wind Waker & Skyward Sword & even Phantom Hourglass are all good games, and my opinions haven't changed on any of them.
 
Joined
Dec 22, 2011
I still love Wind Waker and want to replay it real soon (my memory cards have gone missing :( ). I don't think SS changed my opinion on it. HOWEVER, I did just today restart TP and miss many of the added features from SS.

I also very much enjoyed ST and PH. Those games have a bad rep that I don't think they deserve.
 

theoathtoorder

“Zinga-dingding!”
Joined
May 10, 2012
I haven't changed my opinion about Wind Waker mainly because whatever I hate about it is usually neutralized by the music. I loved the games music and the sailing music was still refreshing after the ominous or ambience of music in the dungeons.
The flying in Skyward Sword was pretty well done because you could get there faster with those tunneled islands throughout the skies.
The sailing was interesting because there were several things around that caught my eye. I'd like to fill my maps with the drawings of the islands.

I agree with your sentiment about WW's music. It wasn't my favorite Zelda game, by far. However, the music is really good.
 
The Wind Waker certainly is a very interesting case. If anything, my opinion of the game has only grown since its release. The Wind Waker did so many things right: It showed the power of the Gamecube, possessed a musical instrument which was not only central to the story but also fun to play, juxtaposed the principles of light and dark, and possessed one of the most sentimental, rich, and varied stories in franchise history.

At Space World 2001,a more realistic Zelda game in the vein of Ocarina of Time was shown to highlight the power of the Gamecube. Fast forward two years and the seemingly cheerful and cell-shaded Wind Waker is released. In retrospect, however, The Wind Waker is a greater technical marvel than Twilight Princess. Twilight Princess suffered due to trying to portray a more photorealistic world on a system that was not up to the task. Taking a more stylistic approach, The Wind Waker avoided this same fate. Nintendo made excellent use of the Gamecube's color palette with The Wind Waker and only added to the immersion of the experience by providing smooth transition between the fundamentally similar but truly different worlds to explore in the game. There was everything a Zelda fan could want smashed into that title-realms of forest, fire, water, and so much more.

The musical instrument whose name is in the title of The Wind Waker was also a pleasure to play. Above all, it was never a hassle to pull out The Wind Waker and change the direction of the wind, teleport or the like. This was something that disappointingly was not true of the harp in Skyward Sword. Nintendo should take note from its past successes when creating another instrument for future installments. The Wind Waker is my second favorite instrument in the Zelda franchise after the Ocarina of Time in the N64 games.


On the surface, The Wind Waker seemed like a tranquil experience catered to children moreso than any installment before it. That could not be farther from the truth. Things quickly took a turn for the worse when Aryll was kidnapped by the Helmaroc King. In that respect, The Wind Waker followed in the footsteps of Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask-it quickly got the player into the action. Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword struggled in that department. The melancholy tone that would repeatedly break the game's happiness returned in the Forsaken Fortress and every subsequent dungeon. This contrast between happiness and despair-yin and yang-was personified most clearly in Ganondorf. The traditional series villain took on a completely new role in The Wind Waker. No longer was he the same power-hungry, greedy, and arrogant overlord from Ocarina of Time. Centuries of being trapped away in the Sacred Realm hardened his soul. Ganondorf appears to be a much more pensive figure than ever before. This is heavily implied in his choice of diction throughout the game, ": Do you sleep still? Wait! Do not be so hasty, boy... I can see this girl's dreams... Oceans... Oceans... Oceans... Oceans... Oceans as far as the eye can see. They are vast seas... None can swim across them... They yield no fish to catch... What did the King of Hyrule say?... That the gods sealed Hyrule away? And they left behind people who would one day awaken Hyrule?". While eventually turning berserk and challenging Link to a sword fight to the death, Ganondorf does not initially have malicious intentions-at least on the surface. This new approach to a villain in the series is a testament to The Wind Waker's timeless appeal.
 

MiniMouseofPyru

The Notorious M.O.P.
Joined
Mar 8, 2012
Location
Canada
I've always loved The Wind Waker. There is much that it could improve on such as its sailing, but it's still a great game.

Skyward Swords flying was, in my opinion, much better than The Wind Waker's. This is mainly because in SS, the regions are closer together, so you would have to fly for about thirty seconds doing nothing while in TWW you would be sailing for two or three minutes doing nothing. Skyward Sword's transportation was much faster, but it was still boring and very...bad...

In Phantom Hourglass, the sailing was boring too, but I'd have to say it was a bit better than TWW's. The islands in PH were closer together, making sailing easier since you wouldn't have to sail for more than ten seconds or so. Also while sailing in PH there were more enemies to watch out for. The enemies appear ever so often so that takes up a lot of time while you sail.

I like SS's graphics, but TWW's graphics were more, light and fun. The SS graphics were a mix between TWW's graphics and TP's, I think. I don't have a preference between the different graphics in the two game.

I think PH was a disappointment and kind of shamed TWW while SS was much better in sorts.
 

Night Owl

~Momentai
Joined
Oct 3, 2011
Location
Skybound Coil Tree, Noctilum
Gender
Owl
The Wind Waker certainly is a very interesting case. If anything, my opinion of the game has only grown since its release. The Wind Waker did so many things right: It showed the power of the Gamecube, possessed a musical instrument which was not only central to the story but also fun to play, juxtaposed the principles of light and dark, and possessed one of the most sentimental, rich, and varied stories in franchise history.

At Space World 2001,a more realistic Zelda game in the vein of Ocarina of Time was shown to highlight the power of the Gamecube. Fast forward two years and the seemingly cheerful and cell-shaded Wind Waker is released. In retrospect, however, The Wind Waker is a greater technical marvel than Twilight Princess. Twilight Princess suffered due to trying to portray a more photorealistic world on a system that was not up to the task. Taking a more stylistic approach, The Wind Waker avoided this same fate. Nintendo made excellent use of the Gamecube's color palette with The Wind Waker and only added to the immersion of the experience by providing smooth transition between the fundamentally similar but truly different worlds to explore in the game. There was everything a Zelda fan could want smashed into that title-realms of forest, fire, water, and so much more.

The musical instrument whose name is in the title of The Wind Waker was also a pleasure to play. Above all, it was never a hassle to pull out The Wind Waker and change the direction of the wind, teleport or the like. This was something that disappointingly was not true of the harp in Skyward Sword. Nintendo should take note from its past successes when creating another instrument for future installments. The Wind Waker is my second favorite instrument in the Zelda franchise after the Ocarina of Time in the N64 games.


On the surface, The Wind Waker seemed like a tranquil experience catered to children moreso than any installment before it. That could not be farther from the truth. Things quickly took a turn for the worse when Aryll was kidnapped by the Helmaroc King. In that respect, The Wind Waker followed in the footsteps of Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask-it quickly got the player into the action. Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword struggled in that department. The melancholy tone that would repeatedly break the game's happiness returned in the Forsaken Fortress and every subsequent dungeon. This contrast between happiness and despair-yin and yang-was personified most clearly in Ganondorf. The traditional series villain took on a completely new role in The Wind Waker. No longer was he the same power-hungry, greedy, and arrogant overlord from Ocarina of Time. Centuries of being trapped away in the Sacred Realm hardened his soul. Ganondorf appears to be a much more pensive figure than ever before. This is heavily implied in his choice of diction throughout the game, ": Do you sleep still? Wait! Do not be so hasty, boy... I can see this girl's dreams... Oceans... Oceans... Oceans... Oceans... Oceans as far as the eye can see. They are vast seas... None can swim across them... They yield no fish to catch... What did the King of Hyrule say?... That the gods sealed Hyrule away? And they left behind people who would one day awaken Hyrule?". While eventually turning berserk and challenging Link to a sword fight to the death, Ganondorf does not initially have malicious intentions-at least on the surface. This new approach to a villain in the series is a testament to The Wind Waker's timeless appeal.
^this :)

WW will always hold a special place in my heart. In general I try not to compare the games with each other too much. (it is inevitable though)
A steamboat and Flying are different from sailing so It doesn't make a huge difference.
The art styles of WW and SS while similar are still different enough that It's like comparing a comic book with watercolor,imo.

WW did make me feel like the Sky was empty though. The Islands (49) had character to them and were unique. The sky was mostly barren chunks of rock only. (a handful had something to do on them)
 
The Wind Waker certainly is a very interesting case. If anything, my opinion of the game has only grown since its release. The Wind Waker did so many things right: It showed the power of the Gamecube, possessed a musical instrument which was not only central to the story but also fun to play, juxtaposed the principles of light and dark, and possessed one of the most sentimental, rich, and varied stories in franchise history.

At Space World 2001,a more realistic Zelda game in the vein of Ocarina of Time was shown to highlight the power of the Gamecube. Fast forward two years and the seemingly cheerful and cell-shaded Wind Waker is released. In retrospect, however, The Wind Waker is a greater technical marvel than Twilight Princess. Twilight Princess suffered due to trying to portray a more photorealistic world on a system that was not up to the task. Taking a more stylistic approach, The Wind Waker avoided this same fate. Nintendo made excellent use of the Gamecube's color palette with The Wind Waker and only added to the immersion of the experience by providing smooth transition between the fundamentally similar but truly different worlds to explore in the game. There was everything a Zelda fan could want smashed into that title-realms of forest, fire, water, and so much more.

The musical instrument whose name is in the title of The Wind Waker was also a pleasure to play. Above all, it was never a hassle to pull out The Wind Waker and change the direction of the wind, teleport or the like. This was something that disappointingly was not true of the harp in Skyward Sword. Nintendo should take note from its past successes when creating another instrument for future installments. The Wind Waker is my second favorite instrument in the Zelda franchise after the Ocarina of Time in the N64 games.


On the surface, The Wind Waker seemed like a tranquil experience catered to children moreso than any installment before it. That could not be farther from the truth. Things quickly took a turn for the worse when Aryll was kidnapped by the Helmaroc King. In that respect, The Wind Waker followed in the footsteps of Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask-it quickly got the player into the action. Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword struggled in that department. The melancholy tone that would repeatedly break the game's happiness returned in the Forsaken Fortress and every subsequent dungeon. This contrast between happiness and despair-yin and yang-was personified most clearly in Ganondorf. The traditional series villain took on a completely new role in The Wind Waker. No longer was he the same power-hungry, greedy, and arrogant overlord from Ocarina of Time. Centuries of being trapped away in the Sacred Realm hardened his soul. Ganondorf appears to be a much more pensive figure than ever before. This is heavily implied in his choice of diction throughout the game, ": Do you sleep still? Wait! Do not be so hasty, boy... I can see this girl's dreams... Oceans... Oceans... Oceans... Oceans... Oceans as far as the eye can see. They are vast seas... None can swim across them... They yield no fish to catch... What did the King of Hyrule say?... That the gods sealed Hyrule away? And they left behind people who would one day awaken Hyrule?". While eventually turning berserk and challenging Link to a sword fight to the death, Ganondorf does not initially have malicious intentions-at least on the surface. This new approach to a villain in the series is a testament to The Wind Waker's timeless appeal.

^ what he said.

You read my mind dude. Especially about Ganondorf, WW's ending was so crushingly heartfelt to me and no other Zelda, not even the entirety of SS got me anywhere near as close to emotional as WW made me. Evil and desperation and despair all went hand in hand with Ganondorf and the King was wonderful too. They missed their home, (as did we) Ganondorf wanted to undo his punishment to SAVE his land. WW was so deep and powerful that i don't think Nintendo are going to be able to do it again. and even if they did i don't know if it'd affect me as much as WW did.

On your comments about the gameplay, a lot of people hated the Wind Waker instrument and hated having to watch a 5 second cutscene while the wind changed or you warped but i never minded it at all, it was all wonderful. Lots people hated the sailing but to me, the sailing made it not just a quest but an adventure, once you got on that boat and left home you feel the sense of a possibility that you might not come back and Link loves his granny and sister there was always a heartstring being pulled in WW even if you didn't realise it. =]

PH was a mockery of the sailing system and the story overall, i didn't think i could like WW any more than i already did until i played PH and then SS. But all the same i hope nintendo's next Zelda effort doesn't increase my love for WW, i want a decent game next time =]

"I coveted that wind, I suppose."
 
Last edited:

MW7

Joined
Jun 22, 2011
Location
Ohio
For me Wind Waker has definitely grown in my eyes. I actually felt like flying was better implemented than sailing in one regard- you could get from place to place much faster in Skyward Sword. The problem was that there wasn't anything to do besides a few minigames, finding goddess cube chests (which I felt was a mindless activity), and going to the surface. Overall I tremendously prefer Wind Waker's overworld to Skyward Sword's and Twilight Princess'. It was sort of a throwback to the original Zelda in that you could travel from edge to edge of the map fairly early on. The only weird thing was how the King of Red Lions forces you to beat the first two dungeons before you can do what you want.

Not to mention the Triforce quest was a great homage to the original game (IMO it would have been better if the triforce pieces were placed where the charts were to eliminate the fetching portion of the quest). You literally collect 8 pieces of the triforce, and can do so in virtually any order just like in the original game and it unlocks the final dungeon just like in the original game. I was disappointed how the game doesn't let you complete the dungeons in different orders (I've heard some versions of the game let you switch Earth and Wind which seems like a no brainer design decision but I definitely can't in my game), but the nonlinearity of the triforce quest and openness of the overworld made up for it IMO. You can get the triforce pieces in whatever order you want, and you can get a couple ridiculously early on in the game (I got two before Nayru's Pearl once). While Skyward Sword was a good tribute to the original game for the 25th anniversary, Wind Waker is far more faithful to the spirit of the original Legend of Zelda which I greatly appreciated.

Phantom Hourglass started a mechanic that I find almost offensive. Having to unlock parts of the map in order to explore them seems like the exact opposite of what the purpose of the original game was. Miyamoto created Legend of Zelda in contrast to the linear Super Mario Bros and would separate ideas into Zelda ideas and Mario ideas. Having to unlock areas is definitely a Mario/linear idea. Skyward Sword pretty much had to do this in order to tell the story, but for Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks it just felt like a terrible design choice. Having said that I hope the tradition ends with Skyward Sword so we can come back to more ideas that are "Zelda ideas."
 
Joined
Apr 7, 2012
Location
Duck Land
my opinions are both separate on both games.
that is because they are both completely different from each other.
I can't really compare them, so my WW opinion is the same as it's always been.
and SS opinion is different too.
I don't really favor one over the other.
 

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