The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD Review

It’s been a whole decade since Nintendo released The Wind Waker. Now, a little over ten years later, they’ve brought it back on the Wii U in full HD, and it looks even better than before.

Once again players are thrust into the world of our clad in green hero, Link, and as you might expect, Ganon is back. The story is the same as many will remember it from a decade ago, and it’s still just as enjoyable today as it was so long ago.

While those who played the original may be familiar with the story, it’s really the newcomers who should be checking out this title. The game may look cutesy and adorable to some; however, the story is anything but. The story, characters, and the breathtaking visuals make The Wind Waker something truly beautiful to behold.

While the story is kept largely the same, the developers have made a few small adjustments to the game’s overall story, such as Tingle now being a mandatory character much earlier in the game. While it’s only a minor tweak, it might end up leaving old-timers wanting for more shifts in the story… But why potentially ruin such a great story?

The biggest difference players will notice is the visual upgrade that’s been given to The Wind Waker and just how much more gorgeous the game looks with it. Bloom, stronger lighting, and cast shadows have been added nearly everywhere to make areas pop out.

While many might be off-put by the game’s bloom when compared to the original, you’ll be happy to know that it really only applies to the game’s outer regions. Dungeons, houses, and night are largely unaffected by the bloom, keeping them looking similar to their GameCube counterparts.

But that’s not all that’s been changed to the game’s visuals — it’s called The Wind Waker HD for a reason, and boy does it look amazing. Everything in the game looks sharp and crisp and thanks to higher resolution textures, and the environments are packed with insanely high detail that at times makes them look like completely different areas.

The only thing left unaffected by the HD upgrade are the game’s models and gameplay, excluding the Tingle Bottle of course. While it’s clear the game was made for an older platform sometimes, most of the time you’ll be blown away by just how beautiful the game looks. It’s easy to sometimes just sail to an island at sunset and take the view in.

But it wouldn’t be Zelda without Zelda gameplay. While combat is a blast to play, what sets The Wind Waker apart from other Zelda games is just how unique it was in how it played. Players can not only parry enemy attacks to give Link an extra dose of badassery, Link can often use his enemy’s weapons against them with size being of no consequence. Mixing it up can make fights with the same groups of enemies feel different, fresh, and more rewarding than the last as a result.

While these moves are mainly exclusive to The Wind Waker, they have been seen again in future Zelda titles but only in brief instances. It’s part of the reason why, even going back to it after ten years, The Wind Waker feels like such a fresh and exhilarating experience even by today’s standards.

Thanks to the Wii U GamePad almost every key item has been given its own special upgrade. Whether they’re finely crafted gyroscopic controls or the ability to use the touch-screen to conduct, they feel better to use all around. And for those who do choose to use the GamePad, the need to pause is virtually removed, as items can now be swapped on the fly.

But of course, the original did have its fair share of quirks that put off plenty of people. The Triforce Quest and Sailing have been slightly altered for those without too much time on their hands. Not only have five of the Triforce Charts been removed from The Wind Waker, their corresponding Triforce Shards are now obtained directly in their place. It’s not a big improvement, but it saves both time and rupees.

By far the biggest addition to The Wind Waker is the Swift Sail. Not only is it obtainable early in the game, it helps Link sail 150% faster than normal and gives off a great sense of speed. I myself have never found sailing in the original game tedious…until I picked up the Swift Sail, that is. It speeds up the game a great deal and is just exhilarating to use when you first get it.

And just because you beat the game once doesn’t mean you’re done with it! With dozens of hours of side-quests for gamers to play through and experience, it means you’re going to want to take your time with this game.

Even after all these years, The Wind Waker HD still manages to stay fresh and enjoyable, making it well worth revisiting. If you’re one of the veterans who has played it before but is still on edge about the upgrade, trust me — you don’t know what you’re missing. Thanks to shorter animations, a new and more challenging difficulty, improved controls, new items, altered components, and even better visuals, The Wind Waker HD is well worth your money.

Nintendo truly took their time with this HD remake, and it shows, as it’s even better than before. Not only does The Wind Waker look better than ever, it’s been improved upon for both a more enjoyable experience and a harder one as well.

Of course that doesn’t mean The Wind Waker HD still isn’t without its faults. While it might be improved, the GamePad layout makes aiming with weapons not assigned to the R button a bit odd at times, especially with arrows. While the Gyro controls help reconcile this and make it something you can overlook, the lack of Gyro controls on the Pro Controller make it a problem at times. Also, despite the upgrades, old graphics are noticeable on rare occasions. But those are few and far between.

I’ve played The Wind Waker on the GameCube so many times, but never before have any of my subsequent playthroughs felt this fresh and new. If you missed it the first time around then you should definitely pick it up now.