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[#Phonepunk#]

I am playing Zelda: Wind Waker for the first time! It is awesome! I love the art style. The only 3D Zelda I have completed has been BOTW, and this feels like a direct descendant of that game. In many ways!

Playing this on original hardware. Right now I'm in the first dungeon, on the island where I had to flood the entrance, and there are flower bombs growing everywhere. Really cool! I am enjoying these dungeons I've heard so much about. LOL

The art design is really stunning and holds up. I feel like BOTW is that style taken to the next step and in HD. Interesting how the first costume you wear is blue kind of like the BOTW one. The stealth area intro was very cool and had lots of neat lighting to it. So far I am loving the game.

Really looking forward to playing through this!

Are there any recommended tips? Admit I've turned to a walkthrough already a few times but in general I'm trying to go through this blind...

 

[Birdo]

I have great memories of playing this back in the day.

You will need a guide later in the game. You'll know the part when you get to it (They made it easier in the HD remake).

 

[EverythingsOverrated]

You will need a guide later in the game. You'll know the part when you get to it (They made it easier in the HD remake).

I second this. It's by far the worst part of the game, but a whole lot more bearable with a guide.

Also, unless you really love exploration, I wouldn't put too much effort in going off the beaten path.

 

[Touch fuzZy. get BizZay]

Love the game deeply but my recommended tip would be get the WiiU version which is HD and negates the tedium of having to constantly play a tune every time you need to change the direction of the wind to sail your ship. Back in the gamecube days I would sometimes deliberately go to my destination slower because I was just fed up changing the wind over and over again.

Putting that aside, the game has a lot of charm and heart. Since they are porting everything to the switch, would be nice if they would just port this as well. I would triple dip.

 

[#Phonepunk#]

The stuff w lighting the torches in that first dungeon - it really reminds me of the early area of Dark Souls 2!

All the unlockable shortcuts as well. I know it’s cliche to say a game is Soulslike but here they are doing these things almost a decade before.

Souls is Zeldalike

 

[#Phonepunk#]

The combat rules. I just killed a bad guy and he flew backwards into a bunch of pots, shattering several, it was so cool. This is game design!

 

[Touch fuzZy. get BizZay]

The stuff w lighting the torches in that first dungeon - it really reminds me of the early area of Dark Souls 2!

All the unlockable shortcuts as well. I know it’s cliche to say a game is Soulslike but here they are doing these things almost a decade before.

Souls is Zeldalike

Agreed, Souls is a darker more adult themed take on Zelda style mechanics. Z-targeting, lock on, even parrying is in earlier zelda games like windwaker. Souls obviously adds a lot of its own amazing gameplay contributions but the core underneath it is 3D Zelda combat.

 

[#Phonepunk#]

I was fighting a guy on a bridge and one of the cords broke. It was this rope bridge that started sagging to one side. The animation looked really good but I got off it ASAP. Then I saw the land underneath and tried to pull an Indiana Jones and cut down the whole bridge and it worked! Very cool dungeon design.

I didn’t ever get stuck or lost, never had to look up where to go. Every room is laid out w thought and care. What you need to do is telegraphed elegantly and artfully time and time again.

I beat the boss and it was again very easy to figure out but a lot of fun and looks really cool. Good game!!

 

[ExpandKong]

Recommended tip: feed those fish dudes that fill out your chart. Don’t skimp on that.

 

[ROMhack]

I actually loved hunting the triforce as a kid. Probably would see it as a waste of time now but it felt like a grand old adventure back then.

 

[TheContact]

I bought the remaster on the Wii U but I don't turn that thing on anymore. Hoping it comes to the Switch eventually.

 

[Ragnarok]

I think it's good you're playing the original on GameCube. In my opinion the copious use of bloom lighting in the HD remaster kinda ruins the aesthetic. It still looks nice but the original felt like you were playing a hand drawn cartoon and that is lost with all the bloom in the remaster.

Enjoy a great game!

 

[deriks]

Nice that you're playing in the original hardware

This game holds up really well. Shame that the marketing was wrong from the start.

 

[Weilthain]

I was 19 and travelling Australia at the time of release.

I was so hyped for this game I had a portable screen for my GameCube and was ready for that son of a bitch along with the preorder ocarina + majoras disk.

wind waker is fantastic. It is let down by a lack of physical space to walk around and explore more than anything else.

 

[SantaC]

Wind waker is much better than BotW.

 

[amigastar]

I remember playing it for hours and hours at my friends house when it came out. It was really something special (especially with some Glaucoma medicine )

 

[Kamina]

Now thats what i call Lttp

Great game. Wished i could experience it from scratch

 

[Romulus]

The character art immediately turned me off, while interesting and unique, I hated Link's look especially.

 

[data_jack]

Beware whirlwinds and typhoons on the open sea....
Also, a neat trick for speeding through filling in your map is to assign the fish bait button and target the fish once you see him. When you're within a few feet of him, Link will toss out the food and stop regardless of fast you were sailing. It makes the tedium of slowing down a lot less of a hassle.

 

[data_jack]

I have great memories of playing this back in the day.

You will need a guide later in the game. You'll know the part when you get to it (They made it easier in the HD remake).

It's probably every bit as annoying as I remember. Don't worry, OP. The internet guides have your back.

 

[DonF]

Great game! I played it at release and loved it! I was so confused years later when all over the internet it caught hate cause of the graphics, or the pacing or the sailing. I loved everything about it, played it like 3 times, never considered it a chore or slow or anything. In fact I loved the sailing...it was so zen.

The great art style makes it really easy to stand the test of time.

 

[Benjamin_MFF]

It was the first game I picked up for the Wii U, it looks magnificent in HD. It is a gold standard for remastered games.

 

[#Phonepunk#]

Made it to the Deku tree. Wow Koroks are just about 1:1 the same as in BOTW!

 

[TLZ]

Should've played the Wii u HD version better.

 

[mcjmetroid]

It's a brilliant game. Don't get me wrong it has its annoying moments but it's a game that will stay with you forever. Some very magical moments in it.

 

[JimiNutz]

Weirdly enough I'm currently playing BotW for the first time and the only Zelda game I had ever played previously was Wind Waker which I finished in a few sittings with a housemate over 15 years ago.

I remember really liking the art style and found the gameplay fun enough (although we used a guide for some of the sailing bits later on in the game as they seemed pretty tedious).

Although I liked the game I never played another Zelda again until BotW.

 

[#Phonepunk#]

so im in the Forbidden Woods dungeon and im in a room at the top where i have to sail past all these pineapples on vines or whatever, except i always hit them and get knocked way down into the water.

i tried boomeranging them but it didn't work. how do you deal w this?

EDIT: after googling, yah cut down the vines themselves. doh!

 

[dan76]

I'm replaying this at the moment too and also just finished the forbidden woods dungeon. I have a very basic guide, but what I'm doing is going where I think I should go, do the dungeon and when I'm about to leave I read the guide for what I've just done to see if I've missed anything important. Hasn't happened yet as I like to explore as much as possible. I haven't got stuck yet either.

Played it when it came out, still great.

 

[Majukun]

worst zelda 3d, but still a decent game

 

[Quasicat]

I have great memories of playing this back in the day.

You will need a guide later in the game. You'll know the part when you get to it (They made it easier in the HD remake).

I still need a guide for that part in the HD version. The one that moves around the map just drives me crazy. Like Birdo says, you’ll know it when you get there.

 

[Bryank75]

Never played it, Switch remaster?

 

[bigDdestruction]

Played it on Wii U and absolutely loved it. I did play it back on Gamecube back in the day and even had the cable to have the Tingle map helper thing on the GBA screen. Good times.

 

[iconmaster]

Love the game deeply but my recommended tip would be get the WiiU version which is HD and negates the tedium of having to constantly play a tune every time you need to change the direction of the wind to sail your ship. Back in the gamecube days I would sometimes deliberately go to my destination slower because I was just fed up changing the wind over and over again.

It’s supposed to feel like sailing! Turning the King of Red Lions into a motorboat is an unfortunate “fix.”

In fact I loved the sailing...it was so zen.

Same.

 

[Touch fuzZy. get BizZay]

It’s supposed to feel like sailing! Turning the King of Red Lions into a motorboat is an unfortunate “fix.”

Well, I'm certainly not gonna try to stop you playing the way you prefer to play. I was happy enough at first but after the millionth time of stopping everything and getting the windwaker out to play that song again so I could change direction again, I guess you could say I "changed my tune." (sunglasses descend onto face)

 

[#Phonepunk#]

do i need to do anything to find fish men? or will they pop up? i have bait but i don't want to waste it. guessing i will see them if they are in the area. I’m just not seeing them around

 

[-Arcadia-]

do i need to do anything to find fish men? or will they pop up? i have bait but i don't want to waste it. guessing i will see them if they are in the area. I’m just not seeing them around

There’s one in every quadrant of the map, and they’re usually pretty easy to spot from a distance with all the splashing. I don’t even think you’ll need to look for them, versus just bumping into them on your travels.

 

[jts]

It’s supposed to feel like sailing! Turning the King of Red Lions into a motorboat is an unfortunate “fix.”



Same.

Having a baton on hand and playing a tune over and over to change direction feels like sailing? It’s an adventure videogame, not a sailing sim. Sailing and particularly the wind mechanics feel boring and an obstacle between the player and the fun of the game. The solution might not be the most elegant but it’s what was possible to patch over a bad design decision.

 

[cireza]

Wind waker is much better than BotW.

I agree with this.

Also, I will never play the GC version again. Wii U version has a fast boat that changes the direction of the wind automatically. Having to play the wind melody every 30 seconds is not possible anymore.

 

[iconmaster]

not a sailing sim

Why can’t Zelda be a sailing sim? It’s been a shooting game, a rhythm game, an online multiplayer game, and a breakfast cereal. Someone at Nintendo thought it could be about sailing too, and agree. I’ve never been on a sailboat, and in some small way Wind Walker taught me to think like a sailor.

 

[GAMETA]

I envy you. WW is my favorite Zelda.

I'd say the WiiU version is better, but hey, the original is still great.

The best tip I can give you is to feed the blue fish every new segment of the map. Do it from early on and it will be no problem.

There are certain parts that would be better had you played Ocarina of Time before, but coming directly form BotW may be very interesting as well, specially if you were into BotW's lore.

Keep this tread updated with your progress, I'll be glad to discuss WW's lore with you if you're interested

 

[-Arcadia-]

For what it’s worth, it took patience, but I don’t think there’s been anything like being out alone on the entire grand sea, on your little boat, in Zelda up until maybe BotW. Even then, the oceanic themes feel larger, even if the game area is smaller.

The scale was immense, and it felt epic and truly special, especially pulling into port at Windfall after a long journey, or seeing the sun rise out on the seas.

It will always be a controversial decision to pull gamers out of a game loop, and make them really experience the feeling of travel, the world, and distance,, but it’s one I’m so glad they made.

 

[Mr Hyde]

This is the best Zelda without a doubt. Loved every minute of it back in the day and I hope I get the change to play it again.