Games

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development

2002•Puzzle•PEGI 7•About 33 hours

Taste attributes: actionadventurefantasyanimalsmyth/fairytalevehiclesfastlightimaginarylinearglossybig & variedemotionally undemandingall consuming questfighting evilrescue/escape/jeopardysocial commentaryunderdog triumphs

See which match your taste

Boxlist takeExpect an otherworldly, stylish puzzle game, big and varied rather than confined. Best if you like polish over grit.

Pace: fast · Originality: balanced · Tone: balanced · Weight: very light · Realism: imaginary world · Story: balanced · Structure: linear · Look: very glossy · Scale: big and varied · Emotional punch: balancedHow we score

IGDB rating

89 / 100

1,065 ratings

Your matchTake the taste test to see your match

Based on your film and TV taste: games are matched on the same ten characteristics, with your own match bands.

About This Game

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is the first Zelda game for the Nintendo GameCube and also the first in the series to employ cel-shading, a lighting and texturing technique that results in the game having a cartoon-like appearance. Like its predecessors, The Wind Waker is an action game with puzzle-solving and light role-playing elements. Basic gameplay mechanics are similar to those found in Ocarina of Time, but it differentiates itself with its massive Great Sea which must be explored using a boat named King of Red Lions.

Summary: IGDB

Story

Set hundreds of years after the events of Ocarina of Time, The Wind Waker finds the hero Link living with his grandmother on the Outset Island, one of the many small islands lost amidst the waters of the Great Sea. On his tenth birthday, Link encounters a giant bird carrying a girl. He rescues the girl, but as a result his own sister is taken away by the bird. The girl is a pirate captain named Tetra, who agrees to help Link find and rescue his sister. During the course of their journey, the two of them realize that a powerful, legendary evil is active again, and must find a way to stop him.

Characteristics

Where this game sits on each taste spectrum

SlowPACEFast

FamiliarORIGINALITYOriginal

DarkTONEWholesome

LightWEIGHTINESSHeavy

FantasyREALISMRealistic

SimpleINTRICACYIntricate

Non-LinearLINEARITYLinear

UnderstatedSTYLEStylised

IntimateSCALEEpic

RestrainedEMOTIONIntense

Genres and themes

ActionAdventureFantasyAnimalsMyth/fairytaleVehiclesAll consuming questFighting evilRescue/escape/jeopardySocial commentaryUnderdog triumphs

Keywords

ArcheryAction-adventureFairySailingDay/night cycleSword & sorceryMotion blurAuto-aim

Where to play

Nintendo eShop

Details

Developer: Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development
Publisher: Nintendo
Released: 13 December 2002
Series: The Legend of Zelda
Platforms: Nintendo GameCube
Modes: Single player
Perspective: Third person
Time to beat: 15h rushed, 33h normally, 42h complete
Age rating: PEGI 7
Taste scores: How we score
Source: IGDB

How game matches work

Games are scored on the same ten characteristics as films and matched with the same formula and your own match bands, from your film and TV taste. Game scores are estimates, made by fixed rules from IGDB genres, themes, keywords and descriptions.