Though it was extremely divisive at the time of its release 15 years ago, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker has since proved to be a standout and a fan favorite in the long lineup of games in this Nintendo franchise. First arriving for the GameCube in Japan in December 2002 before making its way to North America on March 24, 2003, The Wind Waker proved to be far more than just a radical shift in visual style.
The game follows Link, a young boy living on Outset Island, who celebrates his coming of age at the beginning of the story by donning a green tunic similar to the one worn by the legendary Hero of Time. When Link’s sister, Aryll, is abducted by a massive bird called the Helmaroc King, Link teams up with the mischievous pirate girl Tetra to rescue her. However, Link is thrown into the sea by the bird when he attempts to save Aryll.
Link meets a sentient boat, the King of Red Lions, who tells him that the Helmaroc King is being controlled by none other than the evil Ganon, who has returned to the world after supposedly being sealed away. Together, Link and the King of Red Lions set out across the Great Sea in search of the Master Sword and the Triforce of Courage, the keys to defeating Ganon for good. Along the way, Link finds that he must awaken two new sages – the Rito, Medli, and the Korok, Makar – in order to restore the Master Sword to its true power; he also learns of Tetra’s true lineage and of their connection to the lost land of Hyrule.
The Wind Waker was notable for its graphical style, one that relied on a “toon” cel-shaded look. This led to polarizing opinions on the game’s overall look, given that the 2000 Space World exposition had Nintendo previewing a more realistic look for Link and Ganondorf – this preview caused a general belief that the next Zelda title would have that look. Instead, Zelda director Eiji Aonuma decided to go in a totally different direction from that preview, believing that the realistic look had been too derivative of the Nintendo 64 Zelda entries.
The divisiveness over the graphics was likely an attribute to how The Wind Waker’s sales were, initially, lower than expected (4.6 million copies, compared to Ocarina of Time’s 7.6 million). However, the game was critically acclaimed, with fans praising the smooth gameplay (particularly the sea navigation system), level design, and the overall story. Many publications, such as GameSpot and Nintendo Power, named it Game of the Year in 2003.
The Wind Waker received two direct sequels on the Nintendo DS handheld: Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks, both of which continued in the “toon” style. Meanwhile, Zelda fans who craved the realistic look from the 2000 Space World demo got what they wanted when Twilight Princess arrived in 2006 for the GameCube and Wii. The Wind Waker also got a high-definition remaster in 2013 for the Wii U, which featured some graphical upgrades as well as minor gameplay changes; this release sold an additional 2.25 copies worldwide.
