Overall, this is a piece of art anyone should try for themselves at some point!
Before going into the game itself I'd like to share briefly my personal views on the Legend of Zelda games I've played. I've played back in the days Ocarina of Time which many people takes as one of the best, if not the best video game ever made. While it is certainly good, I highly desagree. I did everything one could possibily do on it, had fun but though it to be highly overrated and in the end that left me with something of a "hate" for Zelda.
Add to it the fact that the Nintendo 64 was one of my most disappointing consoles I've ever had and this dislike for the N64 was probably incounciously transferred to Ocarina of Time.
I know some people might hate me for saying this but that's just my honest and personal opinion on the subject without extending it too much.
While over the years part of me was not liking the legend of zelda anymore, another part always remembered the good parts, so it kind of became a love/hate relationship with the series.
After over ten years, and after playing through Okami and liking it a lot I knew I could try a new Zelda game again without my previous prejudice. I had already bought Twilight Princess when I bought my Wii but the beginning of the game put me off and instead of pushing it, I decided to give the "cute and controversial" Zelda a shot.
Unlike many people I always liked the artstyle in Wind Waker so even if the beginning wasn't much my cup of tea, at least I would have something pretty to look at. I was in for a treat and little did I knew it…
I don't like to start a review with my final thoughts on something but I can't help it. This game really gave me an impression very few could ever dream of doing.
The Wind Waker is one of those games that starts kind of slow, just with a simple boy in his house and then things slowly build up as Link's sister is kidnapped and you're off to save her. Things are leading to much larger events start happening and soon you find yourself on an epic tale. This is one of those medias, not just games, that really bring you into the world that has been created. Part of that connection I give credited to the amazing scope of the ocean.
The ocean is a big part of Wind Waker and while not everyone was quite a fan of it, I personally found it to be one of the best parts of the game. So much things to do and places to explore. One would think that at first it would be just a huge field but empty and filled with water… They could not be more mistaken. In every area of this huge sea there's a lot to see.
There are also the temples you have to explore and dungeons which are all incredibly fun but for those that want to be challenged all the time, this is not the case as they're quite easy, even more the enemies.
The bosses are all big in scope and loads of fun, especially the last one!
For the technical part I will try to be brief. The graphics are still excelent even in this photo realism age of games because when a game is much more focused on artstyle than the graphics themselves they age pretty well as is the case with Wind Waker.
The music is simply fantastic. Every song in the game feels right, for me particularly the song that plays while you're sailing. I didn't find any to be as memorable as some in Ocarina of Time but as a whole I liked Wind Waker's soundtrack more.
In the end I think this game took me easily more than 50 hours to beat but I must say it was worth every second. Very few games have had this impact to amaze me this much, especially when I decided to play them so much time after they've been released. Overall, this is a piece of art anyone should try for themselves at some point!
If anyone would like to share some though on my review, please leave me a message at my blog: http://mayonakareviews.wordpress.com/2011/09/25/the-legend-of-zelda-wind-waker-review/