The Legend of Zelda finally comes to the Wii U. Is it worth its weight in rupees?
Before I go into the review for the Wind Waker, I feel that a minor history lesson is needed. As a history major I’m allowed to do this but trust me it pertains to the review. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker was released for the Game Cube about ten years ago and it was met with strong criticism about the graphic design. In most cases, since it was a Zelda game, the Wind Waker was given the benefit of the doubt. After the Wind Waker “Link” had a role in Smash Brothers and the DS Wind Waker “sequels,” The game that took the Zelda franchise in a different, unexpected direction is getting a re-release on the Wii U. The question that comes to everyone’s mind is “is the game worth it?” That’s what I’m here for; to answer that question so you don’t have to.
Let me just start out by saying that the eShop version of the game will be available on September 20th. The physical version of the game won’t be released until October 4th but the wait will be worth it. The physical version will have a collector’s edition, complete with Ganon statue, at Gamestop but early reports have this set practically sold out. I can remember that I too was one of the people that didn’t like the direction that The Wind Waker took graphically on the Game Cube. However, I am also one of those people who gave Nintendo the benefit of the doubt, seeing as though there have been so many Zelda hits that they (Ninty) knew what they were doing.
Long story short, girls that have long ears (like Hylian/Zelda) begin to go missing and your sister is eventually abducted in a case of mistaken identity and you have to find a way to get her back. Without spoilers, that is the basic premise to the Wind Waker and to find out the whole story, you’ll just have to go and play it. The game looks great in HD and was the perfect choice for a Zelda HD game. The cartoonish-like animation translates very well onto an HD TV. The different colors come to life in the game, like in the first dungeon boss fight (Dragon Roost) where large balls of fire/lava come flying at you. If this is your first Zelda game, that battle will leave a lasting impression on you!
Control schemes are usually a hot button topic for reviews and The Wind Waker is no exception. The game offers two options to play, either with the Game Pad or the Wii U Pro Controller. The Pro Controller gives the feel of playing the Game Cube version (control-wise) in HD. The Game Pad adds something that wasn’t in the Game Cube version, touch ability. What I mean by that is certain things, like the map and inventory screen, are touch pad sensitive, where you can just touch and grab where/what button you want them assigned to. You’ll fit right in if you’re familiar with the handheld Zelda games as they have similar menus/inventory screens.
