Sailing the high seas with a sheen of HD.

Despite my passionate love for Nintendo and their games, I have never really been a big fan of the famed Zelda franchise. There are many things about the series that annoy me, and even though I have played almost every Zelda game to date, I have only been able to complete a handful of them – though the few that I have hold a special place in my heart. Wind Waker HD is one of those few games that make the list, and while it does retain a few of the same problems I have had with Zelda games in the past – especially in its final few hours – it is still easily one of the Wii U’s best games, and undeniably my favorite 3D Zelda game of all time.

For those who are not in the know, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD is the Wii U remake of the classic GameCube game by the same name, sans the “HD.” The GCN classic was released in 2003 and met with near universal acclaim, despite initial controversy surrounding its cel-shaded, “childlike” art style. I personally had sunk in several hours into the original game back in the day, but like many of the other Zelda games I have tried, other things got in the way and I moved on. In fact, I only returned to Wind Waker HD because Club Nintendo offered it for free under a promotion with Mario Kart 8, and since it promised more refined and streamlined gameplay from the original, I decided that it was time for me to give the game a second chance.

Perhaps the most immediately striking thing about Wind Waker HD is its unique art style. Even though the original game was lauded for being artistically unique, Wind Waker HD completely blows it out of the water (get it?). I have a natural affinity for colorful games, and very few if any match the beautiful vivacity that is Wind Waker HD. The game obviously plays with lighting a lot (some of the shortcomings related to cel-shaded graphics become apparent in the game’s darker areas), which is something that could not have been done so extensively on previous hardware.

As with most Zelda games, Wind Waker HD follows the story of a young boy who must save his world from falling into the hands of evil. The story itself may not be the most interesting, but how it delivers that narrative is rather impressive. One thing that sets this Zelda game apart from others is how cinematic it can be. Whoever led the directing team at Nintendo did an excellent job in conveying Link’s various emotions even though he is a silent character; in many ways, this Link has more personality than any other game in the series, likely influenced by the game’s unique art direction. The game also benefits from a surprisingly strong supporting cast, some of which act as unique agents of gameplay that make for some very interesting new game mechanics later in the game. There are a few missed opportunities here and there however, especially in terms of the character Tetra, who while plays an important role in the game’s story, does not develop into anything much greater.

Most of Wind Waker HD takes place in the middle of the sea. It is an interesting twist on the traditional Zelda formula, as most of them are firmly grounded (I am on fire with these puns) on exploring an expansive land or countryside. Wind Waker instead uses the sea as a means to travel to different areas and dungeons. Over the course of the game’s twenty-five-or-so hour campaign, players will travel to dozens of different islands – most of which are optional, by the way – in order to complete their quest. The game puts a lot of emphasis on exploration, which can be both a good and a bad thing. The best part about this is that the player gets to explore the map at the same time Link does, and so it feels natural to relate to his childlike wonderment as he travels from island to island. The obvious downside of this is that traversal can become tedious; the final half of the game forces players to backtrack across the map multiple times, though this problem can be alleviated if players happen across the necessary shortcuts that can shave hours off of the game. I can understand why Nintendo decided to make this decision – and the HD game actually tries its best to cut down on the notorious Triforce quest of the original – but I feel things could still have been ironed out a little bit better.

Most of the dungeons in the game – a Zelda series staple – are well designed, though the final two are relatively significant low-points (and it makes me wonder if the developers simply ran out of ideas near the end). Anyways, I really appreciated the plethora of new ideas the team at Nintendo put into the game’s various puzzles, especially those that make heavy use of the game’s newer items. Like most Zelda games, players will find one or two new tools in every dungeon and utilize them to their fullest extent until they get out. Admittedly, it is one of those few core mechanics of Zelda that I cannot stand, but Wind Waker manages to do this elegantly for multiple reasons. First is that each item has multiple uses, and so rarely will players see repeated puzzles in the same dungeon. Second is that most items also have some sort of use in combat; for example, the hookshot, which players get very early in the game, allows Link to stun enemies and steal some of their loot drops in the middle of a fight. The game’s combat system itself works quite well, though I am a bit surprised Nintendo did not do much to optimize the franchise’s archaic Z-targeting (read: lock-on) system.

Perhaps the weakest part of Wind Waker HD’s dungeons is their platforming, which continues to be a recurring problem in Zelda games despite the fact that none of them feature a jump button. Instead, Link auto-jumps every time the player runs off an edge. Many a platform have been missed because of this mechanic, and it still does not make any sense to me why the Zelda team continues to place these platforming mechanics in games that are not about platforming at all. Thankfully, these portions are few are far between (though one of the final dungeons places far too much emphasis on it), and the addition of the new Deku Leaf item, which allows Link to paraglide down gently, alleviates some of these problems early on.

As with many Wii U games, one thing that can be easily overlooked is how the GamePad is implemented. In addition to off-TV play, Wind Waker HD allows players to check both their map and their inventory on the GamePad screen without the need to pause the game. This is a godsend feature that will cut back at least an hour of tedious menu navigation and allows players to equip and use items quicker than ever. Another surprisingly useful feature is the addition of motion controls; aiming with most items can now also be controlled by moving the GamePad around in the physical space, which allows for better accuracy and maneuverability. They are, of course, completely optional for those who do not wish to use it, but it is a neat feature that perhaps is not the most apparent when you first start up the game.

Something also should be said about the game’s music, which like many other Zelda games is absolutely beautiful. Because the entire game is themed around the sea, Wind Waker HD’s soundtrack consists of mostly tropical tunes and pirate shanties. Interestingly, Link does not possess any sort of musical instrument in this game, but instead holds the titular Wind Waker (a conductor’s baton) that can control, well, the winds (among other things).

So, how does The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD stack up against other Zelda games in the franchise? Well, even though my experience with Zelda is relatively limited, it is easy to see why many consider this game to be one of the best. Even though Wind Waker HD continues to hold close to itself the traditions of other Zelda titles, it paves its own road in new and unique ways that help ease some of the problems those other games might have. At the end of the day, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD is a wonderful addition to the Zelda franchise, and its colorful graphics and clever new gameplay ideas make it still one of the most unique adventure games to date.