People were a bit surprised to see that Zelda's official debut on the Nintendo Wii U was to be but an HD upgrade to a cult classic in the franchise. Wind Waker, while controversial at first when it was released on the Gamecube due to it's cartoon style and cell shading, quickly became a memorable adventure in the franchise. For me specifically it was the very first Zelda game I cleared and I loved every minute of it. This was actually the first game I obtained for the system which came packed in the Limited Edition Zelda Bundle.
While taking notes for this review, I ended up with not that much seeing as I've played this before so I ended up noting the changes brought about by this remake. The obvious difference is the update to the graphics. Cell Shading never looked so good in HD and I was absolutely captivated by the visuals, the water on the Great Sea is engaging and the islands never looked better (looking at you Windfall Island)! There are other additions in regards to Link's set of items.
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| HD Zelda! |
Nintendo took some of the complaints that gamers had with the original one of which was how long and dreadful sailing was from place to place even with the Ballad of Gales you receive to warp on the map. To remedy this, a new item known as the Swift Sail was introduced which increases speed by a considerable amount and can be obtained right away after you meet the King of Red Lions. Also the Tingle Tuner has replaced with the Tingle Bottle. This item gives integration with MiiVerse on the Wii U and allows you to post pictures taken with the Picto Box (now with a Selfie option!), and post updates on your progress.
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| Sailing is now much less boring and slow with the Swift Sail! |
Items like the Hookshot and Bow make use of the Gamepad's Gyroscopic movement for more precise targeting. Controller options are between the Gamepad and the Wii U Pro Controller. The buttons on the Gamepad work well and the change between items using the touchpad is seamless and effective! This is definitely how a Zelda game will function in the near future. Also a big change is the Triforce Quest that you are required to do before the end of the game. Rather than having to go after the charts first then the actual pieces itself, Nintendo has shortened by removing 5 and replacing them with the actual piece location. Therefore only needing 3 charts to decipher.
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| The boss battles are just as epic as you would remember. |
That pretty much covers the changes made to Wind Waker so what's left to say about it? Yes it is short but it has one of the most memorable stories to ever grace a Zelda title. The characters are enjoyable from the start and the combat is sharp as ever! You should do yourself a favor and pick this up eventually should you come across a Wii U system. Oh and the added bonus of a digital version to the Hyrule Hystoria in the bundle was very cool!
Should you Play this game?
Yes! This is somewhat of a definitive version of the Wind Waker and is an absolute blast to play. While some have been on hold in purchasing a Wii U, this at least for me is a good reason to own one!
