Remembering The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

With The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild now on store shelves, a lot of people are reminiscing about their experiences with Zelda games of the past. You’ll hear folks fondly remembering their past journeys through Hyrule, whether it’s the spartan plains of Ocarina of Time or the pixelated wonderland of A Link to the Past.

Personally, I’ve been thinking about The Wind Waker a lot, as I can see some similarities between that and Breath of the Wild. Most notably is the art style, which has a cel-shaded, cartoony look to it. This lends both games a lighthearted feel, which makes the incredibly dark stories feel more palatable for players of all ages.

But there’s also some rafting in Breath of the Wild, which constantly reminds me of The Wind Waker‘s boating sequences (though, from a mechanical standpoint, they couldn’t be more different from one another). Breath of the Wild also brings back the Koroks, which will always remind me how much I loved those little guys in The Wind Waker.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

It’s hard to pick a favorite Zelda game. This is partially because they’re all so good, but more importantly, I think, they’re all good in such different ways. It’s astonishing how Nintendo can constantly return to so many of the same basic patterns and mechanics, yet offer new takes that feel fresh every time.

That said, I tend to jump between Twilight Princess and The Wind Waker as my favorite. And it’s possible that this has more to do with where I was at in my life when I was playing through each one than the quality of the games themselves, though I would argue that both are masterpieces underappreciated in their time.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

But, of course, this is not my first time waxing nostalgic over the beauty of The Wind Waker. In fact, I wrote a pretty extensive essay on this for retro gaming site Retrovolve a while back. Check it out, and join me in remembering a game that will always mean a lot to me.

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