Over the last couple of months, Nintendo has taken on a greater role in providing the Wii U with quality software. Nintendo have released three key Wii U titles since Aug. – Pikmin 3, New Super Luigi U (retail release), and The Wonderful 101. These titles have given Wii U owner’s new, exciting content to enjoy and provided consumers with more reasons to buy a Wii U. Now as we near the holiday season, Nintendo is bringing out bigger, stronger franchises to lure in new consumers. On Friday, Oct. 4, the Wii U received yet another major title with the release of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD.
Similar to the Ocarina of Time 3D remake, Wind Waker HD introduces new gameplay ideas, overhauled visuals, and a number of refinements that make for a better playing experience. Wind Waker HD is the perfected version of a remarkable Zelda game, and it will leave you wondering what Nintendo has in the making for The Legend of Zelda Wii U.
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker originally saw release in 2003 on GameCube. At the time, the title was the origin of quite a controversy as the cell-shaded visuals were not well-loved – at least not initially. Once the game saw release and people were able to play and experience the visuals themself, gamers came to love the artistic style, the vast ocean setting, and expressive world.
Despite the colorful presentation, Wind Waker tells one of the best and darkest narratives found in the Zelda universe.
Wind Waker remains the same great game it was a decade ago, but new enhancements make it far more entertaining and manageable. Though the game is compatible with the Wii U Pro Controller, it would be an injustice not to use the Wii U GamePad while playing Wind Waker HD. Put to use similarly as the touch-screen in Ocarina of Time 3D, all the menus, maps, and weapon inventory is positioned on the GamePad touch-screen.
This allows for stress-free swapping of weapons and items without having to stop the game. Likewise, you may cycle through maps in an intuitive manner. It is unpretentious and makes sea exploration far less clumsy. While speaking on the topic of sea travel, an addition made to Wind Waker HD is the presence of the new Swift Sail. This advantageous item allows you to sail faster and doesn’t require you to change the direction of the wind. It may sound like a minor add-on, but it allows for more streamlined pacing and exploration.
Acquiring the Swift Sail requires a bit of luck. The easiest method of obtaining the Swift Sail is to visit the Auction House on Windfall Island after completing Dragon Roost Cavern. Walk-in and out of the Auction House until it is available for purchase. Once you have the Swift Sail, you will feel a great sense of freedom in all your future travels.
Other pleasing and efficient changes made in Wind Waker HD are the auto-assigning of key items – the Wind Waker, for example, is permanently assigned to the D-pad for quick access. A lot of people became fans of the gyroscopic controls found in Ocarina of Time 3D and those individuals will be pleased to learn that motion control aiming is fully featured in Wind Waker HD. By moving the GamePad you can adjust the aim of your grappling hook, arrow, boomerang, etc. while moving Link with the analog stick. Using motion controls for aiming is fast and accurate – though it does take a moment to become familiar with the motion controls, at the start.
If you are not a fan of motion control, you can disable the functionality and opt to use the second analog stick. Moreover, if you see fit, players can explore the entire world in first-person perspective. It offers a refreshing view of the game as you explore treacherous dungeons, dank forest, and shadowy fortresses.
Visually, Wind Waker HD is one of the most stunning games on Wii U. Regularly resembling a cartoon, the game often shifts to a clay-style animation presentation under certain lighting conditions – this results in a lovely visual display. Each dungeon and island are gorgeous sights to behold.
The biggest alteration made to Wind Waker’s core design is that the Triforce shard quest towards the latter portion of the game has been greatly reduced and is no longer the time-consuming burden it was in 2003. What once required you to find and translate eight charts has been replaced with a far less laborious task as you only need uncover three charts. You still need to travel to distant isles, but the Swift Sail shortens your travel time considerably.
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD is a remarkable remake of a classic Zelda. There is no better way to play Wind Waker than Wind Waker HD. The minor inconveniences of the original game have been addressed, and Wind Waker HD offers new game mechanics that allow for greater enjoyment.
Set sail with one of the best games for Wii U.
Overall: 9.0/10
(Editor's Note: A download code for Wind Waker HD was provided by Nintendo for review purposes. The game was completed prior to review and played entirely with the Wii U GamePad.)
