You’ve resisted preordering and getting that tasty free special disk, because you weren’t sure about Wind Waker. You’ve waited patiently and you still aren’t sure if Miyamoto (the Zelda series’ creator) has finally lost it or if he has developed a masterpiece. And you definitely aren’t going to trust those nutballs on the message boards telling you that Wind Waker is the best thing since toast. You’ve probably been holding out, wondering if the change in the graphics style has ruined the game, or it’s a sign that Nintendo really has gone off the deep end, and they are just trying to get sales from the little ones. Either way, hopefully you can make a decision upon reading this.

    For those that have little knowledge of this game or its story, let’s go over some basics. Link (or whomever you name your character), lives on Outset Island with his Granny and sister, named Aryll. The day you start out is Link’s birthday, the birthday in which all boys his age celebrate the triumph of the original hero that banished Ganon (he’s the big, bad guy of the series). Reluctantly, Link dawns the traditional dress of the hero (green cap, pants, and a shirt). To make a long story short, Link goes to save a pirate girl that was dropped onto his island by a gigantic bird. While our hero is doing such a good deed, he witnesses his sister being carried off by the bird and his adventure begins.

    First off, Miyamoto is not a lunatic, and in fact, he should be thanked for giving the best joke in gaming history. Breathe a sigh of relief, because this IS a traditional Zelda game. Before going on about the new visual style (cell-shading), let’s look at one of the things that wasn’t as much of a topic: the gameplay.

    The new control scheme is masterful. Link’s primary weapon is set to the smaller B button, while the action button is on the larger A button (basically, the same as in the last game). Everything else is reminiscent of Ocarina of Time. Three secondary items can be set to the Z, Y, or X buttons. The R button works as your shield and makes your boat jump while sailing as high speeds (Ok, so jumping your boat really seems like it serves no purpose, but it’s great fun when you hit a large wave), and L acts as the “lock-on.” This time, however, the lock-on feature’s default is “hold” instead of “switch” (ie – hold L to stay locked onto the closest enemy). Now, here’s the good stuff. The Wind Waker (which is a composing stick) works, in a large way, differently than the Ocarina in OoT. Holding the normal joystick to the left or right (or just leaving it alone) gives Link three, four, or six slots to fill with different “notes”. Then, a somewhat speedy counter bounces back and forth between a series of dots, and every time it runs across the very middle, the game recognizes whatever position (using the C-stick) your Wind Waker is in. If you fill them up or move the normal joystick, the song resets. Yes, it sounds complicated at first, but makes a lot more sense than attempting to use the C-stick and registering your “song” accidentally. After a few test runs with it, there should be no problem. Another added bonus to your controller and the combat areas are counterattacks. If an enemy is about to attack, the controller gives you a nice jolt, the on-screen A-button glows and if hit at the right time, Link does an awesome somersault-jump, ending in a powerful attack on the enemy’s back (sometimes this technique is required to defeat your foe).

    Now, the Zelda series has been known for its in-game storylines and NPCs (non-player characters), but the overall storyline is a bit confusing (Miyamoto has said that he never intended on focusing on the story, just the gameplay). One pleasant surprise is that Wind Waker spins a tale that actually connects with the previous games (primarily, Ocarina of Time). The game would be spoiled if anything more than that was mentioned. So, to leave you with the cliffhanger, Wind Waker also boasts the most character and emotions from Link and the townspeople than any other Zelda game. Townsfolk yell at you for breaking their jars and frightening them. Link looks at points of interest and his eyes spin while he is dazed. He will peek to the left and get on his tiptoes as his shuffles along a thin cliff’s edge and shiver with fear at zombies. Our hero even expresses his sadness when he sees his sister being taken off by a giant bird and leaps for joy when he finds her (don’t worry, that’s not the end, and did you expect him NOT to find her?). The list goes on and on and thankfully makes the game that more personal. Along this rhythm are the cut scenes, and most importantly, humor. Yes, the Zelda games have always had humor, but Wind Waker is just slathered with it. It may be abnormal, but at some points, especially early on, these scenes will keep you chuckling upon remembering back. Like good literature, the foreboding scenes need a little humor to break up the seriousness.

    The few drawbacks (which, are mostly, trivial matters) of the game are in the gameplay itself. If you have played Ocarina of Time, some very similar items appear, including the boomerang and “hammer” (Megaton Hammer in OoT). That isn’t as much of a problem, considering many of these repeat items are used in new and innovative ways, giving them new life. Like they say, if isn’t broken, don’t fix it. But there are some areas (and temples) that seem to borrow heavily from OoT, although not so much that you feel like you are playing the same game with updated graphics. It also seems like the game is much more linear and fast-paced than it’s predecessors. Some things are gained just by finding the respective island and popping, although some other parts of the game are so difficult that they more than make up for these “easy” parts. Ok, one final gripe. The world that you travel in is huge, and that is sometimes a problem. Until you gain the ability to use “portals” to hop from one part of the map to another, you are going to be sailing a LONG time, especially if you end up going in the wrong direction and have to backtrack.

    Wind Waker sports some of the finest music on the ‘Cube, so don’t turn down those speakers. Each area has appropriate beautiful themed music. While riding the waves on your talking boat, the music pipes up and gives the sense that you truly ARE on an adventure, and as the day turns to night, the music fades away to the lapping and swirling ocean. The tone of the tunes even change to warn Link that there are enemies in the vicinity and that sword better be drawn to seriously lay the smack down on them. Another surprise: there are some parts where you can actually hear some small sound bit of “Thank you” and “Welcome” from the NPCs. Although ninety-nine percent of the rest of the story is through text, it’s still surprising to see these little bonuses. Perhaps Miyamoto is planning on giving the gamer a taste now for full dialogue in the next game. Hey, a gamer can dream, can’t he?

    Finally, we come upon the “Celda” visual style of the game. Everyone was shocked upon seeing the new look of the game, and most were unhappy and lost their belief in the Zelda series. Well, a word to those that didn’t like the new style: you were wrong. Yes, some still hate it, and that’s probably because they do not appreciate it or they played it for ten minutes at the local K-Mart. The “cartoon” graphics are absolutely stunning, from the swirling purple-black dust that appears after a baddy dies to the glistening armor of an enemy knight. The style IS different, but it’s not ugly. In fact, it is reminiscent to the older games on the Super Nintendo and the Gameboy. Imagine just playing a realistic version of Wind Waker, it just doesn’t fit the style. But why should I be defending it? The only way to truly know how beautiful this game is, is to play it. The sunny island themes and dark, dank dungeons are translated excellently, creating a world of vibrant colors and splendid eye candy.

    So, now you’ve read it, and gotten the whole story. No, it’s not perfect, and no, the graphics won’t appeal to all gamers. There is one thing for sure though: this game should make you want to go out and buy a GameCube if you don’t own one. It’s that good. Don’t listen to the panicked cries of X-box fanboys, because you know they are crying inside, wishing that such a game was on their system. One last note to Mr. Shigeru Miyamoto: Thank you for restoring the gamers’ faith in the series, because this one is a winner.