The Hero of Time Returns
I've been sailing over rough seas, through bleak fog and a torrential rain all night. I'm soaked an miserable, I can't see land for miles and miles. But wait! What's that I see? The red glow of the dawn is peaking on the horizon! Soon, the water will be bright blue, the sun will be shining, and the seagulls will be flocking towards my ship. As the music rises to a triumphant note, I remind myself that I'm playing a videogame, I'm not actually sailing, looking for treasure, bombarding pirate ships, exploring wind-swept islands, hacking my way through dungeons and I'm certainly not wielding the Master Sword. OK, maybe I am, in a way. "This is but one of the legends of which the people speak..." Ladies and gentlemen, hardcore gamers and mainstream gamers, old schoolers and kids, and even fanboys... I give you... Link.
100 years ago, a kingdom was attacked by a dark power. Just when it seemed that valiant kingdom would fall, a boy clad in green appeared, and sealed away the evil power. He became known as the Hero of Time. The Hero vanished, and many years passed. To the dismay of the kingdom, the dark power returned. But they feared not, since they believed the Hero of Time would return and save them from defeat once more. But the Hero did not come. What happened to that kingdom, not a sole knows. On a distant island, it has become tradition to dress boys in green, hoping to inspire them to set off on an adventure, and cast down evil like the Hero of Time. And it is on this island that our adventure begins.
And what an epic adventure it is. Not in your wildest dreams have you imagined a world so vast. You'll find yourself sailing from island to island, searching for lost artifacts and powerful weapons. There is so much to do in this game, I'm really not sure where to begin. But I think I'll start with the combat, since fighting is one of the biggest aspects of the game. By pressing the 'B' button, Link will draw his sword and raise his shield, and the fight will be on. Now, we have a variety of ways we can approach an enemy. If you just want to get a feel for the enemy before attacking, hold down the 'R' button, and Link will put out his shield, which will deflect most enemy attacks. By pressing the 'L' button, Link will lock onto his nearest opponent. This is usually the easiest way to fight, especially since changing targets is flawless, and let's the player perform some magnificent combo's. You can slice vertically and horizontally, and you can thrust as well. There is also a charge-up move that hits enemies in all directions, but I haven't found very many uses for it yet. You can also parry your opponent, that is to say, you can counter his attacks. Just lock on to him, and when your sword flashes, press the 'A' button and Link will dodge and slash the opponent from behind. This movie is fantastic, and really makes you feel like a swordsman. Sometimes, Link will roll behind the enemy, jump into the air and slash him, then land on a platform above overlooking his foe. It is beautiful and exciting, and when you see yourself pulling off such spectacular looking moves, you won't want to put the game down.
And with dungeons like this game has, you simply won't be able to. They are all very clever, from a dragon-inhabited mountain to a lush forest, the level designs are ingenious. You'll want to keep going just to see what puzzles or challenge the next room has in store for you. The puzzles are usually solved by putting to use your massive arsenal of gadgets. You have your standard bow, your boomerang, and then you have others like a giant hammer and grappling hook. There is not a single useless gadget in the game, in fact, you will be able to come back to previously inaccessible areas, and with your gadget, you can now reap the rewards. Perhaps the most important gadget is the Wind Waker. Given to you relatively early in the game, this instrument allows Link to conduct songs, in fact, he is giving order to wind gods through the Wind Waker. After he learns a few songs, he'll be able to control the direction of the wind, command cyclones and inhabit persons other than himself. Learning the songs is fun, and changing the direction of the wind is a necessity.
Fairly early in the game, you come across a boat, which will be your transportation. That's right, if you want to get from island to island, you'll have to travel through the Great Sea. You'll be using a sail, so it won't do you much good if you're traveling south and the wind is blowing north. This is where the Wind Waker comes in handy. Just change the direction of the wind, and you're on your way. There is plenty to do on the high seas. The ocean is littered with islands, pirate forts, and sunken treasure, and you'll want to explore every bit of it. There's just something thrilling about raiding a pirate fort in broad day light while cannons boom all around you. It's an experience that can't be felt anywhere else. Link navigates the Great Sea using his Sea Chart, which is initially void of any islands. Spread some bait on the surface of the water near an island, however, and the fish will give you the location and information about the surrounding areas. It's fun just to sail around and collect all the information you can. Of course, sailing can be dangerous, especially in this world. Pirate ships will bombard you, giant squids will try to knock you from your boat, and some creatures will pursue you for miles and miles across open sea. There won't be second where you're bored.
The graphics are astounding. When I first saw the cel-shading, I scoffed at it. It looked extremely kiddy, but this is far from the case. The game really looks like a cartoon. It will feel and look like you're playing a Disney movie. The highlights of these graphics usually come at sea. The ocean will swell and rise, the sky changes from night to day, and when you rains you can see lightning flash on the horizon. It does a great job of putting you into the world that Link lives in. The characters are well done, and have some of the best and funniest facial expressions I've ever seen. Shock, confusion, determination, they have it all. My favorite is when Link tries to pick something up that is too heavy. His eyes seem to bug out and the result is hilarious. The battle effects are gorgeous, as each swing of your sword is accompanied with a big flash. The colors are bright and vivid, even when you're sailing through a torrential downpour. This is perhaps, in many respects, the best looking available out of all three consoles.
When I first heard the music, I fell into a trance. As you read of Link's past conquests, classic tunes float over you, and it really puts you in the mood to start the game, and start a new legend. The music in the game is really good as well, especially when you're sailing. Can you tell that I like sailing? Every time you hit an enemy, the music will leap, and go back to normal when the enemy is defeated. It's a really cool touch that make the fights that much more exciting. It's kind of disappointing, however, that there are no voices. Sure, it's fun to imagine the voices on your own, but it would have made the adventure seem much more epic.
You probably won't do all the sidequests the first time, through, so you'll probably want to take at least one or two more trips once you beat the game. Some of the sidequests are long, and even tedious, but they do add to the replay. Personally, I think it's fun to sail all over the world and discover new things, no matter how long it takes. It leaves for very open-ended gameplay, so many gamers will be busy with this one for a long time.
I can tell you right now, this game is a classic. Link has returned in all his cel-shaded glory to do battle with Ganondorf once more. It's an epic adventure that everyone should experience.
Final Score: 10/10