The Legend Of Zelda - The Wind Waker HD Review

(WiiU)

by Jez (Bleeding Fingers NZ)

October 11, 2013 at 12:16am

A friend of mine once scorned Nintendo for wrecking his most cherished franchise in 2003 - the game was "The Legend Of Zelda - The Wind Waker" on the Nintendo Gamecube - and the reason was the cel-shaded cartoon-like image the series had now adopted.

I must admit - after the twin strike of "The Ocarina Of Time" and "Majora's Mask" on the Nintendo 64 - coming to grips with this new graphical approach certainly deflated my lofty expectations - but I had faith in Shigeru Miyamoto and, most of all, I had faith in Nintendo (as much as I do today) - and after playing it through to the stunning and brutal finale (go ahead and play it to find out) I felt totally vindicated.

My friend, however, has never forgiven Nintendo nor has he returned to the series - which is his loss really, because there is one thing Nintendo does best, and that's making great playable games.

Now, the newly ported game comes with all the excellent game-play that made this series stand head and shoulders above most games - even in this generation - and now boasts a High Definition makeover that certainly pops on my TV. There is enough spit and polish to turn heads, but not too much to detract from the original cel-shading that made this turn in the series unique. The use of the game-pad is great, but we also have the option of using the classic controller, which is nice for those still coming to grips with the hefty accessory.

Everything is intact and exactly how I remembered it (yes, even the lengthy trips across vast ocean - but I still have fun searching for treasure, pirates and fish gifted in the way of the brush), with a few new twists and turns to make older experienced Zelda fans feel engrossed on familiar turf.

In the end, I am just chuffed to be home in Hyrule, moving Link from one adventure to the next - rekindling fond memories and creating new experiences - this should get me through to the next adventure that awaits me in November on the 3DS. All I can say is - if you have a WiiU and crave adventure - don't wait another moment - get out and purchase this game NOW!

And so Sez Jez!

Yeah - I still shine...