The Nintendo Footprint
Although many Zelda titles have been published since1988, the last major title in the series was the Ocarina of Time. It again used all the elements that had made the rest of the series so successful, incorporating them in a game with a 3D graphics engine. Furthermore, if you buy the "limited edition" version of The Wind Waker, you will realize that the Ocarina of Time remains a magnificent game that has some slight affinity with the N64 version, thanks to the superior resolution of GameCube. The new Zelda is designed on the same principle; as they say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
This game represents a radical new development as far as the graphics are concerned, but the gameplay is very similar to that of previous episodes. If, like me, you are not familiar with the earlier titles, you will be surprised by its playability, the way objects are managed, the interaction with the backgrounds, and so on. In short, it doesn't need saying twice, there is a Nintendo footprint, and that's because these people really know how to produce a game! In fact, players who are used to this series will not get that much of a surprise. For some, this new opus does what it promises yet lacks a certain spark of genius.
The Wind Waker is real interactive animation. The graphics artists and developers at Nintendo have used the cel-shading technique to its best advantage. But although the drawings are very Manga-like, the game itself is complex and intense.
Throughout his adventures, Link has to cross seas and visit various islands to help his little sister and save the world. But everything happens very gradually. The first few hours of the game enable you to familiarize yourself progressively, step by step, with all the subtleties of The Wind Waker. In each new chapter, there is a new tool or object to be discovered. At the beginning, for instance, Link is given a sword and shield, and a little later it will be a boat that you and he will use to cross the seas. Subsequently, there is the wind ring, an object that commands the elements. Each time, the way in which the object is used is explained and you need to pass a little test before continuing the adventure, to show that you have definitely understood the explanations. The joystick is used logically but requires a little training, especially for duels and for using certain objects. The camera movements are easy to master. As far as moving around the course is concerned, Link can swim and jump forward, backward, and sideways, but he can also crawl, move sideways suspended by his hands and flatten himself against a wall to negotiate a cornice. He can also hide in a barrel so that he can move around unseen.
