Post by Deleted on Oct 26, 2013 8:31:19 GMT -8
Who here remembers the 2000 Nintendo Space World Conference? Don’t search it up! For those who don’t know what it is, it’s basically a conference showing of Nintendo games and it was made specifically for the GameCube. Nintendo showed off a video showcasing the graphical prowess of the GameCube, a tech demo if you will.
We saw Metroid. We saw Mario. We saw it all! However, one just blew our minds. We saw Ganondorf vs. Link from Ocarina of Time. Back then, it looked amazing! It was everything a Zelda fan wanted: a mature looking Legend of Zelda!
Fast forward to E3 2001, we all were eagerly waiting for the reveal of our mature Zelda. As they announced Zelda… it was not what people expected.
I mean… cartoons?! The Hell was this?! This wasn’t Zelda! Nintendo betrayed us!
Yes, instead of a mature looking Zelda, we got a cell-shaded game that ultimately became known as The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. People despised it! People complained to Nintendo! Yet, no one played it… Then as of 2002 and 2003 of its release, it was given critical acclaim with the game currently having 96% on Metacritic. However with the GameCube selling poorly, it became one of the worst selling Zelda titles.
Now, fast forward (what is this, Fallout 3?) to 2013 and we now got an HD remake of this beautiful looking game! How does it fare?
Plot:
We all know the story for each Zelda game, with the exception of Majora’s Mask, and that is save the princess from Ganondorf, the true villain in the series. However, the way it goes about it is completely different from Ocarina of Time. Yes, you still have to recover some jewels and sages to restore power and all that jazz; however the whole thing is completely different.
For starters, the opening tells us what happened after Link returns to his timeline. After he left, Ganon returned. The people wanted the Hero of Time to come save them again, but he never returned. They then prayed to the Three Golden Goddesses, to which they made the people go to higher ground and flood all of Hyrule.
Pretty dark, huh?
Now, we forward to an island in which boys wear the same outfit as the hero as a coming of age thing. This time it’s our playable character named Link. He has a sister named Aryll and a grandma. However, pirates come due to leader named Tetra got kidnapped by a huge bird. You save her and then watch as your sister gets kidnapped by the same bird.
You then join the Pirates in rescuing your sister. You go to this hideout in which the bird rests, the Forsaken Fortress. As you get catapulted out by the Pirates in a humorous way and reach the very end, you get picked up by the bird just as you were about to save your sister and thrown to one of the four corners of the sea.
You awaken by a talking boat named the King of Red Lions as he tells you your fate. Now you’re off on a quest to not only save your sister, but rid of the evil that is Ganondorf!
The story may be formulaic, but the plot never is. It's always fresh and new with in the series and Wind Waker is the epitome of fresh, even to this day.
Gameplay:
With every 3D Zelda game, the controls are superb. The controls are spot on. What more can I say? The gameplay is fluid to no fault… well that’s not always true, but still.
Remember this is before Skyward Sword so there is no running, just rolling around. The old school way! However, since this is the Wii U HD Remake, there are new mechanics and fixes to problems we ignored with the old version from the GCN.
For starters on the gamepad, you have full access to your items and map. No longer do you need to press Start/+ to interrupt the flow of the game and get an item, only for you to press Start/+ to take it away, and repeat. Fuck you, Ocarina of Time and the damn Water Temple. God damn you.
Anyway! In Wind Waker HD, you can just look down at your gamepad and drag the item you need to one of the 4 buttons: X, Y, L, and R. You can press the – (Minus Button) to actually play the game on your gamepad, so off-tv play is available to you!
Also with 1GB of RAM, the overworld is loaded on the spot unlike in the original which only loaded up as you ventured forward. With this, you’re now able to use the swift sail and enjoy the freedom to fully go fast. However, the swift sail isn’t available until after you finish up the first dungeon that’s not the Forsaken Fortress. It’s only available in Wind Fall Island at night during an auction.
Since this is Nintendo and their love for motion controls, they implemented the gyroscope functionality to allow you to use it on the Boomerang, Bow, Grapple Hook, and even for your Pictobox. Speaking of which, you can take selfies! Huzzah!
Oh! For those who played the original, remember the Triforce quest? Fuck that. Nintendo realized it was boring and tedious, so they reduced the amount! You still will need Tingle's help, but it's not as bad as it once was. It's still tedious, but not as tedious as it was before.
Now onto the titular item: the Wind Waker. With the Wind Waker, you can control the wind! You can learn songs in ¾, 4/4, and 6/4 time. With these songs, you can control the wind, control your partner (only for later), get access to two dungeons, and teleport.
Lastly but not least, would be the Tingle Bottle. If you’re connected to the internet and to Miiverse, you can send bottles of Miiverse posts in the game! You can post the Selfies to Miiverse, ask questions, or help others. It’s a nifty replacement for the Tingle Tuner from the original.
That said the game is incredibly easy. The game can be a cake-walk even if you’re a newcomer. It’s only when you’re in Hero Mode, which can be activated at any time before you play, that it can get tricky. In Hero Mode, similar to Skyward Sword, you don’t get heart droppings from attacking monsters or cutting grass so potions are a must to survive.
Presentation:
This game is beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. While the original game is still beautiful and timeless, it’s still a Standard Definition (480p) game. With the introduction to HD, the game takes a whole new breath of fresh air.
The game comes out with its absolutely beautiful bloom lighting, the characters are more similar to a 3D animated cartoon and it’s a delight. The game brings out the colors, brings out the very nook and cranny of the original game and gives them that HD welcome.
Reaching 1080p and 30fps, this game is what every Zelda game aspires in looks and resources. Nintendo tested every game to HD, from Ocarina to Skyward Sword, and they found Wind Waker to be the most alluring one out of all. They were correct.
The only downfall would be the noticeable low polygon count of each character. You can see rough edges on them as they were simply converted from the original to HD. Nothing big, but still an eye sore once you notice it.
The bloom can be a bit too much at times, which is why Nintendo only does it when it’s daylight within the game. When it’s night, it looks spectacular as well.
Another downfall would be the noticeable frame rate drops that have become more noticeable since its inception to HD. The framerate drops when the action gets too hectic or when bombs just explode out of nowhere. It happens a lot when you fight the Giant Octos.
Music:
The music has been remastered from their SD days. The music is still midi, which is a shame, but it's hardly a big deal when you hear the difference between the two. The music has become more lively due to its dynamic change. Wind Waker still retains the Irish, Angean, and folklore type music that gives it its identity within the series.
Here's the original song of Wind Fall Island:
Here's the remastered:
Difference is clear as crystal, right? Yep!
Now, the music is still amazing and you will come to love the Ocean Overworld music, especially since you'll be in the sea for the most of your journey.
Conclusion:
This is truly the definitive version of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. The game is an absolute blast to play. It shows the original game still holds up, but it comes out on top by improving upon everything the original was about.
The problems lie in the bloom, the lack of difficulty, the framerate issues, and the fact you can still go without the Swift Sail the entire game thus causing you to backtrack at a snail’s pace. However, it’s not enough to kill the game for you.
You will learn to appreciate the original while realizing this game is the better version that came out. Way to go, Nintendo! Welcome to HD! We have long dreamed this day would come and it has.
And they succeeded.
Final Score:
9/10
