It’s common to have a backlog of games. There’s just so much to play, and there always seems to be something else that needs to be done.
One game has been on my list for over a decade; a game that, every time I tried to beat it, beat me instead. That game was The Wind Waker because I could never get past that stupid stealth section in the Forsaken Fortress at the beginning! But I’m a grown-ass man now; I can do this. So, finally, this game that has been on my to-play list for so long will get completed.
The Legend of Zelda The Wind Waker is a great-looking game even by today’s standards with a wide open world that, while too sparse, is fun to explore and has lots to discover. The game takes too long to set you loose into its world, and while most of the dungeons are fun, a couple fall flat. In all, I enjoyed The Wind Waker, but it’s flaws were enough to get on my nerves.
Remember, this review reflects my experience and therefore everyone else’s as well. If you disagree with any point I bring in this post, then you should reflect on your opinion until you agree with me as I am correct and you are wrong. Thank you for reading!
As a note, I am reviewing the original GameCube version of the game. After all, when I first decided to play it, this was the only version that existed! I know that several of my complaints were remedied in the HD remaster.
Slow Beginning
My least favorite part of this game is the beginning. Obviously, I’m not a fan of the stealth section in the Forsaken Fortress, but my problem goes beyond that.
After finally beating the Forsaken Fortress, you are saved by the King of Red Lions who I refer to lovingly as “Boat”, and given the ability to change the direction of the wind and thus sail in any direction.
Except, if you go too far off track from the primary goal, Boat forces you to stop and continue in the “correct” direction. Unfortunately, you are restricted in this way for the next 3 locations which includes the first 2 dungeons. One of the most appealing factors of this game to me is the wide open ocean that you can explore, and for so long, you are simply not allowed to do just that.
Exploration
After clearing the first 2 dungeons, the game finally opens up, finally giving you the ability to explore the entire ocean to your heart’s content. I really liked finding and mapping all the islands. the naval combat reef islands were a highlight. But, I was also disappointed with how few big islands there were. There are only 4 islands with settlements and you are made to go to all of them before you are given free reign over the ocean, making it feel like you’ve already discovered the most important areas before the game’s really begun.
Some mechanics hurt the experience of exploration as well. I’m sure it’s been said to death, but it is frustrating how slowly Boat goes against the wind. After sailing past an island by accident just by a few feet, it feels necessary to change the wind direction again which is such a hassle.
I was also disappointed by the forced order of the Earth and Wind Temples. If you try to do the Wind Temple first, the game let’s you get the Wind God’s Aria just fine, but when you go to get Makar, he is nowhere to be found. The Deku Tree literally tells you not to look for him! I don’t see a good reason why the Earth Temple has to come before the Wind Temple; it’s just one more dumb restriction of the player in a game that’s supposed to be all about player-driven exploration.
This choice has caused all sorts of confusion. It’s even made people think that they’ve gotten softlocked. Shoutout to Jibbletz at https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/469050-the-legend-of-zelda-the-wind-waker/46966823 who, 15 years ago, got forever stuck in part due to this restriction since everyone assumed he was messing up the order. I was briefly in the same situation as him. You have to go right up to the music rock so it shows the interaction arrow before starting the song! Poor guy.
Dungeons
I think where this game shines the most is its dungeons! I felt Dragon Roost Cavern was an extremely satisfying introduction to the game and the Forbidden Woods had some good puzzles. I also enjoyed revisiting the Forbidden Fortress and being able to actually kill the enemies. It should have been like that the first time, but I digress.
The Earth Temple was a good dungeon in terms of mechanics, but I was a bit dissatisfied with how Medli as a partner worked. After having talked to this character so much and having just heard how she feels bad for leaving her home to help Link, it felt weird for her to be controlled by you just like the robot creatures in the earlier dungeons. Plus, she doesn’t talk at all in the dungeon; she practically is a robot now. I think some short conversations between Link and Medli during the Temple as you got to certain rooms would have gone a long way. I have similar misgivings with Makar and the Wind Temple, but that temple also had the coolest boss.
Spoilers
The final dungeon in the game was the most disappointing to me. Having finally acquired all the items and going through the path outside of Hyrule castle, I was expecting a big interconnected dungeon which tested all of my abilities with puzzles that required multiple items. Instead, the final dungeon is pretty much just a boss rush of the other four bosses. There are small puzzle rooms before each one, and they were fun, but they were short. The layout is so plain; the dungeon is practically one straight line!
Story
The tone of Wind Waker is light-hearted and silly throughout. I wasn’t a big fan of the wacky humor, but it works for the game and isn’t overbearing. Really though, I liked the story. I liked that saving Zelda wasn’t the number one goal; that type of thing gets old. Plus, saving your sister is much better motivation.
Spoilers
I was surprised by not to being able to speak to Aryll after saving her from the Forsaken Fortress. I would have liked to be able to find Tetra’s ship on the open sea and talk to the entire crew along with Aryll. It’s weird that they sort of just disappear halfway through the game when they played such a big role in the beginning. I think having them as a cool thing to find on the ocean was a no-brainer.
Combat
The combat in Wind Waker is simple, but fun. To be honest, I didn’t really know what I was doing a lot of the time. I just spammed B and pulled out an item when an enemy required it. I’m still not sure what triggers the special move that you need to use against the darknuts. There is some strategy to it however especially when facing enemies like the stalfos which will attack at predictable times that you must stop attacking and move out of the way for.
My one complaint with the combat is the implementation of the wizzrobes. Wizzrobes are a bunch of horseshit! There is this one island where you walk into a cave and face 3 wizzrobes at once. But, you can’t focus on one to kill it first because they teleport constantly.
They spawn too high up to see in the normal third person view, so you have to get out your bow when you hear their awful spawn noise and focus on them and hope the auto-lock works.
You can get one shot out if you’re lucky, but then they’ll decide that they are done getting hit and teleport away and now that they are gone, your auto-lock is broken so pressing the bow button
does not shoot another arrow but instead takes you to first person-view which is the last thing you want when
50 thousand bats the wizzrobes have spawned are chasing you!
…But maybe that’s just me
Score
Wind Waker has not become my favorite game overnight. It is a game with ups and downs, but I can see its quality especially considering the time it came out. The dungeons and combat are well-designed and the big open interconnected world is awe-inspiring. It is a worthwhile experience for all Zelda fans.
Personal Score: 10/15
Objective Score: 13/15
…Imma just put this right here
| Wind Waker | Phantom Hourglass | |
| Number of Islands with >1 inhabitant you can talk to | 6 | 7 |
| Number of Dungeons | 7 | 8 |
| Number of ships you can interact with on the open sea | 2 | 5 |
| Has a multiplayer mode | No | Yes |
| Has Linebeck | No | Yes |
| Has Tingle | Yes | No |
I am unbiased and this chart is 110% accurate.