With the release of “The Legend Zelda: The Wind Waker HD,” I have been struck with endless fantasies sailing the ocean, feeling the salty wind in my face and eager to discover my next challenge. The “Zelda” franchise was a staple in my childhood, and the “Wind Waker 4” was the second “Zelda” game I actually completed besides Ocarina of Time (One of the first games I ever had). Seeing the stories and hype surrounding the game heavily reignited my desire to travel Hyrule, battle the forces of evil and embark on an epic quest to save the princess. I took a moment the other day to reflect on why I felt so passionately about the series and wanted to understand why “Zelda” games are so well designed. I aim to discover what parts of “The Wind Waker” resonate with me and hopefully to everyone else that has played the series.
The most critical aspect is how incredible the game’s art style is. It only recently came to my understanding recently that “Zelda” fans criticized and still do, the cartoonish aesthetic this game embodies. While I can sympathize with how the older fans at the time (this was the tenth installment to the franchise back in 2003) felt that Link was taking a step back, appearing as a cartoony child versus the adolescent man battling the forces of evil in a battle to the death. But at the time Nintendo wanted to target a new demographic, I was just 10 years old at the time and I remember playing the demo at my local Target being absolutely captivated by the game. Thinking back, I remember feeling like I was a character in one of my older storybooks and the bright setting really helped me put myself in the moment and immerse me in the experience. The art style was not intended for fans at the time, but to inspire a younger generation of fans to help propel the franchise to where it is today. Without this new direction, it is quite possible the game would not has done as well commercially if Nintendo did not make an attempt to appeal to the younger generation of gamers.
Being young, I never was one to really want an engrossing story to satisfy me, but the story in “Wind Waker” was easy enough for me to understand and motivate me to complete the game. I genuinely cared for the characters in the story and they helped flesh out the game with their charm. I also enjoyed how the story was representative of many stories now. This is a coming of age story for the Hero of Time. As he uncovers the mystery behind the Great Flood and the ancient kingdom of Hyrule, Link discovers who he is. Gamers watch as Link transforms from the boy on the island to the hero of legends and in turn makes the gamer feel like they themselves have become the hero.
Strong, responsive and balanced gameplay mechanics are paramount for any successful game.
The “Wind Waker” evolves the combat from previous installments and in my opinion places the foundation for where the franchise stands today. I remember feeling powerful fighting smaller minions as I dodged, rolled and effortlessly countered with a swift swing of my sword. Then to be challenged by the boss at the end of the dungeon, rewarding me for understands the tactics being demonstrated to progress to that moment. This is what makes the game so satisfying, spending time to master and understand core mechanics and fleshing them out through your eventually then testing them in an environment designed to challenge the player. Puzzles are in the exact same boat, each dungeon has a theme present that gamers must understand to try and understand and game developers also attach a new item with that dungeon to help navigate but also teach the player the importance of the item so that way in the final hour of the game you have had time to master all these mechanics and items and really feel like the hero you have been told you are.
Strangely enough the silent protagonist is often criticized now as an ancient relic and voice acting becoming the norm in modern gaming, What the silent protagonist does so well is that it allows gamers to imprint themselves unto it. Voice acted characters are still immersive in their own way and are designed to put the player in the moment. Link is a vessel where gamers are allowed to use him as a vessel to explore his environment. Since he does not actively speak in the game, this serves for an opportunity for the player to be his voice because Link is the gamer. Link is there to be our representative digitally and we experience what he experience. This theory is also why I believe Microsoft will not ever show Master Chief’s face in the Halo franchise. Master chief is the gamer there, while he does have a voice the player never sees his face. This gives the player the opportunity to again imprint himself or herself into Chief’s power armor and become the savior to humanity. The silent protagonist is the icing to the cake, it ties all the previously mentioned aspects together to make the player believe they are the hero, that’s the reason why I personally fantasize about sailing the Great Sea and why I don’t fantasize about Link sailing the sea…
Let me know what you like or dislike about the “Zelda” franchise, do you feel the same or are there other aspects that make the game for you? What other games do you feel that tie these points together. Let me know in the comment and thanks for reading.