The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
A cel-shaded Zelda adventure across a vast ocean.
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is an action-adventure game from 2002, developed and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. It is part of The Legend of Zelda series and takes place across a collection of islands scattered throughout a vast ocean, a significant shift for the franchise. Players control Link, the series' main character, as he tries to rescue his sister from the sorcerer Ganon and gets caught up in a conflict over the Triforce, a sacred artifact that grants wishes. The game is known for its unique, cartoon-like visual style, achieved through cel shading. This art direction divided players when the game first came out, but over time it has helped the title gain recognition as one of the greatest video games ever created.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Nintendo EAD
- Publisher
- Nintendo
- Series
- The Legend of Zelda
- Platforms
- GameCube; Wii U
- Genre
- Action-adventure
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
- Director
- Eiji Aonuma
- Producer
- Shigeru Miyamoto, Takashi Tezuka
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker was directed by Eiji Aonuma and produced by Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. Development began in 2000. It retains the basic 3D gameplay of its predecessors, Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, but the team chose to avoid the realistic graphics of previous games, instead implementing a distinctive cartoon-like art style created through cel shading. The game world comprises 49 gridded sections of the 'Great Sea', each containing an island or island chain. Wind, which facilitates sailing, plays a prominent role and can be controlled with a magic conductor's baton called the Wind Waker. The game features a targeting system, the ability to move the camera system around Link, and onscreen meters tracking health and magic. Items such as the grappling hook and the Tingle Tuner (which allows a second player to control the character Tingle via a Game Boy Advance link cable) provide new abilities.
Reader's Guide
At its release, The Wind Waker received critical acclaim for its visuals, gameplay, level design, music, and story. The art direction proved divisive among players and contributed to comparatively weak sales; the game sold 4.6 million copies, far below the 7.6 million sold by Ocarina of Time. As a result, Nintendo changed directions with the next major Zelda installment, the more realistically styled Twilight Princess. The Wind Waker's reputation improved over time; with retrospective analyses, it is now considered one of the greatest video games ever made. The Wind Waker popularized the 'Toon Link' character, and received two direct sequels for the Nintendo DS, Phantom Hourglass (2007) and Spirit Tracks (2009). A high-definition remaster, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD, was released for the Wii U in September 2013. The original version of the game was re-released as a launch title for Nintendo Switch 2 as part of the Nintendo Classics service on June 5, 2025.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who developed The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker?
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker was developed by Nintendo EAD.
Who composed the music for The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker?
The music for The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker was composed by Kenta Nagata, Hajime Wakai, Toru Minegishi and Koji Kondo.
Is The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker single-player or multiplayer?
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker offers single-player and multiplayer play.
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