Daily Debate: What Do You Think About The Wind Waker’s Difficulty Level?
Posted on August 23 2023 by Chakell Herbert
When I first played through The Wind Waker as a tween, I thought it was beyond hard. However, as I’ve traversed the Great Sea on multiple occasions as an adult, I don’t have much trouble navigating the islands, the temples, or the enemies anymore. But for newcomers to the series, I can see this game being a bit challenging! Having to navigate the Great Sea is pretty different from navigating the overworlds of other games in the series. There are also hints that aren’t always clear, especially in the original version on the Nintendo GameCube.
I remember wandering for hours trying to figure out what to do next after completing the Wind Temple, unsure of where I could find the Triforce Shards. Little did I know that the key was Tingle, who was easily missed in the jail of Windfall Island. The way the Triforce Shard quest was altered for The Wind Waker HD release was a vast improvement over the original game in my book though. In the original, the quest was so long that it became tedious for my tweenage brain.
For such a cartoony game, I still found it to be quite the challenge on my first round! In fact, it took me a few years to finally complete it, and it felt so good when I finally hit Ganondorf with that final blow (it’s still one of the coolest endings to a final boss, in my opinion).
What about you? What were your thoughts about The Wind Waker‘s difficulty level? Let us know in the comments!
Featured Artwork: Sand Ambush by Orioto
Chakell (pronounced shuh-kell) is an associate editor for Zelda Dungeon! She has loved The Legend of Zelda series since she was a little girl because of its equal mix of princesses, besting bad guys, and heartfelt stories. Chakell lives in the overall tame state of Utah, but holds onto her childhood hopes to find an adventure in her backyard one day. She has a degree in English and is a full-time editor for a magazine. You can usually find her gaming (obviously), laughing with her husband, taking a long time to tell stories because she keeps getting distracted; getting sucked into books and podcasts; or snuggling her cute Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
