The Wind Waker

Release Dates

USA JAP EUR AUS
Gamecube 3/24/2003 12/13/2003 5/3/2003 5/7/2003
Wii U (Wind Waker HD) 9/20/2013 (eShop) 10/4/2013 (Retail) 9/26/2013 10/4/2013 10/5/2013

Overview

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (Japanese: ゼルダの伝説 風のタクト Zeruda no Densetsu Kaze no Takuto) is the tenth installment in the series. It was released on the Nintendo GameCube in 2002 in Japan, and 2003 in North America, Europe and Australia. The title is an indirect sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time set hundreds of years after its events.

The Wind Waker stands out from the rest of the series due to its cel-shaded graphics, a point of both praise and criticism by critics and fans alike: some considered it a welcome change and artistically ingenious, while others pan it for creating the assumption that the series is focusing more on a younger audience. This stems from a five-second GameCube graphical demonstration shown at Nintendo SpaceWorld 2001, showing Ganondorf and Link battling, artistically reminiscent of Ocarina of Time, rendered in real-time. The dislike of the cel-chaded graphics is the source of the portmanteau "Celda", combining 'Zelda' and 'cel-shaded' graphics.

The game received one of the largest pre-release promotions for any Zelda game. including pre-ordered bundles including The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Master Quest which was a remake of the original with significantly increased enemy artificial intelligence and redone dungeons. Others included The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition, which included the original Legend of Zelda, Adventure of Link, Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, a 20-minute demo of The Wind Waker, and two short movies.

The Wind Waker was universally acclaimed despite the controversy over its graphics. It is the second game in the series and fourth ever to receive a perfect score from Japanese gaming giant Famitsu, making the series the only in Famitsu's history to receive two games with a perfect score (the first being Ocarina of Time). It sold over 3 million copies worldwide, making it the tenth best selling game in the series

Prologue

This is but one of the legends of which the people speak… Long ago, there existed a kingdom where a golden power lay hidden. It was a prosperous land, blessed with green forests, tall mountains, and peace.

But one day a man of great evil found the golden power and took it for himself… With its strength at his command, he spread darkness across the kingdom. But then, when all hope had died, and the hour of doom seemed at hand…

…A young boy clothed in green appeared as if from nowhere. Wielding the sword of evil's bane, he sealed the dark one away and gave the land light.

This boy, who traveled through time to save the land, was called the Hero of Time. The boy's tale was passed down through generations until it became legend.

But then… a day came when a fell wind began to blow across the kingdom. The great evil that all thought had been forever sealed away by the hero… Once again crept forth from the depths of the earth, eager to resume its dark designs.

The people believed that the Hero of Time would again come to save them …But the Hero did not appear. Faced by an onslaught of evil, the people could do nothing but appeal to the Gods. In their last hour, as doom drew nigh, they left their future in the hands of fate.

What became of that kingdom…? None remain who know. The memory of the kingdom vanished, but its legend survived on the wind's breath. On a certain island, it became customary to garb young boys in green when they came of age. Clothed in the green of fields, they aspired to find heroic blades and cast down evil. The elders wished only for the youths to know courage like the hero of legend…

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