Description
Link is a young boy who lives with his grandmother on the Outset Island, one of the many small islands lost amidst the waters of the Great Sea. On his tenth birthday, Link encounters a giant bird carrying a girl. Link rescues the girl, but as a result his own sister is taken away by the bird. The unknown girl is a pirate captain named Tetra, who agrees to help Link find and rescue his sister. During the course of their journey the two realize that a powerful, legendary evil is active again, and must find a way to stop him.
The Wind Waker is the tenth installment in the Zelda series. Like its predecessors, it is an action game with puzzle-solving and light role-playing elements. Basic gameplay mechanics are similar to those found in
Ocarina of Time: Link explored 3D outdoor areas and dungeons, fighting enemies and occasionally solving environmental puzzles. An addition to the combat system is the ability to parry at specific times, which is needed to overcome armored foes. Another new feature is picking up and using some of the weapons wielded by the enemies. Similarly to previous games, Link can use tools such as bow and arrow, boomerang, and bombs.
Link needs to sail through the Great Sea in order to travel to other islands. He uses a baton called the Wind Waker to change wind direction by conducting it and producing melodies. The Wind Waker is also used for teleportation and puzzle-solving purposes. Link can use wind currents to glide and access remote areas.
Visually, the game utilizes cel-shaded graphics to create a cartoon-like appearance. The characters' bodily proportions and facial features are not realistic, complementing the style. Link's big eyes, in particular, also have a gameplay-related function, giving clues to the player by looking at specific items needed to solve puzzles.
Alternate Titles
- "ゼルダの伝説 風のタクト" -- Japanese spelling
- "Zelda no Densetsu: Kaze no Takuto" -- Japanese title
- "TLoZ: TWW" -- Abbreviation
- "LOZ:WW" -- Short abbreviation
Part of the Following Groups
User Reviews
The Press Says
| N-Europe |
May 04, 2003 |
10 out of 10 |
100 |
| Silicon-Fusion.com |
Jun 05, 2003 |
 |
100 |
| Gamezine |
Apr 30, 2003 |
19 out of 20 |
95 |
| IC-Games |
Jul 30, 2003 |
94 out of 100 |
94 |
| GameSpot |
Mar 21, 2003 |
9.3 out of 10 |
93 |
| Boomtown |
Apr 30, 2003 |
9 out of 10 |
90 |
| Digital Entertainment News (den) |
Jul 20, 2003 |
80 out of 100 |
80 |
| GameCola.net |
May, 2003 |
8 out of 10 |
80 |
| RPG Kingdom |
Nov 11, 2004 |
16 out of 20 |
80 |
| Mygamer.com |
Aug 29, 2004 |
8 out of 10 |
80 |
Forums
There are currently no topics for this game.
Trivia
Cut content
The programmers left in some really bizarre levels from the beta stages (and maybe even one from the alpha stages) of testing. You can access these with Action Replay.
Development
At some point a Japanese company released a product called
The Zelda Box. Inside the box was exclusive information, media and figures from
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. Included in were prints of concept art for the game, one of which reveals that the team was considering having an adult Link in the game.
Pigs
You can not drown the pigs of Outset Island by throwing them in the ocean (the first thing I tried when I got the game), but with luck you can trap them behind one of the rocks you're supposed to practice jumping on. The pig(s) will swim back and forth along one side of the rock for an indefinite amount of time, making them much more suited for an archipelagian adventure than the wimpy kid you have to control.
References
Rito
The bird-like Rito are believed to be descendants of the Zoras from
Ocarina of Time. Medli, an important NPC has a symbol similar to the Zora's Sapphire on her clothing. She is also mentioned as being of the bloodline of an important Zora.
The Rito may also be inspired by the Watarara, who are also avians and who only appear in the Legend of Zelda series manga. These people were more like giant birds than humans, but had a similar gaining of wings past a certain age and the same chieftain leadership structure.
Sales
On August 31, 2003 the game has won the Gold-Award from the German VUD (Verband der Unterhaltungssoftware Deutschland - Entertainment Software Association Germany) for selling more then 100,000 (but less then 200,000) units in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Awards
- GamePro (Germany)
- February 13, 2004 - Best GameCube Game in 2003 (Readers' Vote)
- GameSpy
- 2003 – #5 Game of the Year
- 2003 – GameCube Game of the Year
- 2003 – GameCube Game of the Year (Readers' Vote)
- Golden Joystick Awards
Information also contributed by
~~,
Late,
Mark Ennis,
piltdown_man,
Tiago Jaques and
XolerasThis entry to the MobyGames database was contributed by
Kartanym 
(10796) on Mar 24, 2003.
