The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

 GameCube
User Score
9.0

Universal acclaim- based on 1644 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,460 out of 1644
  2. Mixed: 110 out of 1644
  3. Negative: 74 out of 1644
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  1. cynicalshade
    Aug 30, 2018
    4
    Not a single moment where I actually enjoyed this game, it's genuinely tedious to playthrough, with the game rarely telling you where you should go and what you should do.
  2. IanR.
    Jun 27, 2007
    3
    The sailing is awful in this game. There's barely anything in the ocean to interact with, so you're mostly sailing across a big, blue oblivion trying to get to an island so hopefully you can do something interesting. The whole wind baton thing is tedious and not at all interesting or intuitive. Design-wise, it's extremely inconsistant and gameplay-wise is not very much The sailing is awful in this game. There's barely anything in the ocean to interact with, so you're mostly sailing across a big, blue oblivion trying to get to an island so hopefully you can do something interesting. The whole wind baton thing is tedious and not at all interesting or intuitive. Design-wise, it's extremely inconsistant and gameplay-wise is not very much improved over Ocarina of Time. I was just massively disappointed by this game, it's generally amazinly lackluster and doesn't deserve the praise it recieves. If you haven't checked it out yet, just give it a pass. Try Okami on the PS2 instead, it's very similar but doesn't share the majority of Wind Waker's flaws.… Expand
  3. ChrisM.
    Jan 1, 2004
    4
    After the exciting epic that was Ocarina of Time (OOT) and the fun filled Majora's Mask this game was a big dissapointment. It just failed to capture my attention like OOT did.
  4. BrianK.
    Jan 6, 2004
    3
    I really hated this game!! I gave it a 3 because of the pretty good graphics but thats it. Too Kiddy like!!
  5. SeanO
    Jul 27, 2009
    0
    The only Zelda game I haven't finished. The graphics were to cutesy for my taste, but if the gameplay and world detail were even half what they were in OOT it would have made up for it. A boring point A to point B railroading fest.
  6. BennettR.
    Aug 4, 2003
    0
    Find yourself some images of the Spaceworld 2000 preview graphics. Only THEN will you be able to see what a horror this game is.
  7. Anonymousguy
    Mar 21, 2003
    0
    Nintendo did the one thing I never thought they would do. They turned Zelda (previously a great series) into a cash-in. Nintendo has really got to get its act together before it loses all of its fans. Unless you are under the age of 7 or very immature for your age you will probably not enjoy this game.
  8. LaraL.
    Feb 20, 2003
    0
    I LOVE Zelda games, but this one had me ticked. Seeing a cartoonish version of Link was abosolute AGONY for me. This isn't Zelda! Oh, and look, the game got a *cough* *cough* 97. WHY???
  9. JohnW.
    Aug 4, 2003
    2
    If only link looked like he does in Soul Calibur II...
  10. LinkFan
    Aug 6, 2003
    4
    The gameplay is simplistic and easy. The story is poor and contradicts itself and the other Zelda games, it seems to be written by someone who read up on Zelda for 2 minutes before making the story, the graphics are horrible. It's not just the graphics, this game SUCKS. maybe a 5 year old would like it.
  11. RyanH.
    Mar 7, 2003
    3
    I played this on demo at a local game store. The sounds were annoying, as every time Link moved he made a stupid grunting sound. The graphics were too cartoony and a big turn-off. The gameplay was counter-intuitive. I will not purchase this game. The original Zelda games were not children's games. Sure, they were appropriate for Everyone, but they were not designed specifically to I played this on demo at a local game store. The sounds were annoying, as every time Link moved he made a stupid grunting sound. The graphics were too cartoony and a big turn-off. The gameplay was counter-intuitive. I will not purchase this game. The original Zelda games were not children's games. Sure, they were appropriate for Everyone, but they were not designed specifically to appeal to 8 year olds and exclude adults. This is the worst Zelda game ever, and I think its sales will reflect that. Nintendo has really lost touch.… Expand
  12. AdamS.
    Aug 4, 2003
    1
    Poor.
  13. JamesK.
    May 25, 2005
    0
    This game failed on every level. It was tedious and not fun. It made and my friends want to fast forward our lives inorder to get to the next fun part. the bottom line is the game is not worthy of the Zelda title. Zelda has never been such a dorky child. a child wouldn't be fighting anything except his little puppy. this little fella would be sitting sucking on his thumb if his baby This game failed on every level. It was tedious and not fun. It made and my friends want to fast forward our lives inorder to get to the next fun part. the bottom line is the game is not worthy of the Zelda title. Zelda has never been such a dorky child. a child wouldn't be fighting anything except his little puppy. this little fella would be sitting sucking on his thumb if his baby sis was captured not learning to fight, not that young at least. I have supported Nintendo for a long time, I even continued to like them after the gorrible crystal chronicles. This game was not convincing enough for me to readily suspend my disbelief. for this aggregious insult it deserves no higher than a 0.… Expand
  14. Mr.Metacritic
    Jul 25, 2005
    0
    Wins worst game ever easily!
  15. MichaelB.
    Jul 9, 2005
    4
    While the story of this game shows promise, there are simply too many problems to be captivated. Control issues due to overly-context-sensitive buttons inhibit play and in some cases completely frustrate any logical problem-solving nature of the game. The cel-shading engine is mediocre at best, and is a large departure from Nintendo's While the story of this game shows promise, there are simply too many problems to be captivated. Control issues due to overly-context-sensitive buttons inhibit play and in some cases completely frustrate any logical problem-solving nature of the game. The cel-shading engine is mediocre at best, and is a large departure from Nintendo's "not-pushing-the-envelope-but-perfect-for-the-game" reputation. The lack of a dedicated jump button and difficulties in both camera and targeting seriously diminish the fun of this game. If you can look past the camera, graphics, and controls, this is a fun platformer-rpg. But that's a mighty big if.… Expand
  16. Jason
    Jul 11, 2003
    4
    Didnt really appeal to me at all in the way previous ones have. the plot was typical, and the movie sequences and the ending was very childish. I didn't think it was all that difficult like previous ones we're. My suggestion is if your looking for a game that has a more grown up feel look elseware. That E for everyone all ages is exactly what it stands for...
  17. JayB.
    Sep 28, 2003
    0
    Even if this game had the best graphics in the world, this would probably be one of the most overrated, poorly designed games I have ever bought in my life, being made only as a result of the publicity and money made from Ocarina of Time. Stop giving this sorry game pity votes!
  18. DanielK.
    Aug 18, 2004
    0
    This game sucks compared to Ocarina of time. OOT is like a classic and this just sucks.
  19. ShaneS.
    May 12, 2006
    0
    This game is highly overrated. It's got six dungeons, a teeny tiny little gameworld made to look big thanks to the ocean, and half the quests of OOT. The music is good, the graphics are good, but the game is short, and merely a half done clone of Oot.
  20. JackB.
    Aug 22, 2007
    1
    What is wrong with everybody? These reviews are terrible! This has got to be the worst game I've ever played. I find myself getting addicted to video games, but this is the first time a game caused more impatience and stress than a day job! Constant sailing, ridiculously easy bosses and dungeons, beyond stupid story. I might be biased because of my expectations from Ocarina of Time, What is wrong with everybody? These reviews are terrible! This has got to be the worst game I've ever played. I find myself getting addicted to video games, but this is the first time a game caused more impatience and stress than a day job! Constant sailing, ridiculously easy bosses and dungeons, beyond stupid story. I might be biased because of my expectations from Ocarina of Time, but I have every right to have high hopes for a game with a label of Zelda on it. Seriously, how much did Nintendo pay off these game reviewers to suck up to Miyamoto?… Expand
  21. JaiDave
    Dec 3, 2003
    4
    [***SPOILER***] This game was a big disappointment to me. I am a very big Zelda fan from way back and have closely followed the story from nearly of all the games until now. The graphics were terrible considering they were planning to originally make the game with graphics like "Ocarina of Time". Instead, they decided to make the game very cartoonish and child-like, which is reflected in[***SPOILER***] This game was a big disappointment to me. I am a very big Zelda fan from way back and have closely followed the story from nearly of all the games until now. The graphics were terrible considering they were planning to originally make the game with graphics like "Ocarina of Time". Instead, they decided to make the game very cartoonish and child-like, which is reflected in the graphics of the game. Imagine how great it would be if they actually made the game with Gamecube graphics similar to the "Ocarina of Time". If you want a comparison, just look for "Zelda 128" and compare the graphics in the demo with the actually graphics of the finished product. Very disappointing indeed. Secondly, the plot of the game was horrific and seemed highly unrealistic and nearly impossible. I mean come on, do you really believe that Link would not show up to challenge Gannon? Of course Link would show up! Even at the very end of the game, the story does not make any sense. GAME ENDING SPOILER: Why would the King of Hyrule want to wish that his kingdom remain at the bottom of the ocean? He got to the Triforce first, and he could have wished for anything in the universe, but no, he had to wish for hyrule to remain submerged under the ocean instead of wishing for Gannon to be destroyed and Hyrule to live on forever. He could even wish for Gannon to be sealed away with a special power emitted from seven magical objects and then have them scattered all around the world so that Nintendo could make another game. END OF SPOILER: Third, the gameplay was VERY monotonous. Having to hit your weapon's teacher 500 times with your sword to gain a measly Heart Piece is not my idea of a fun time. If that wasn't bad enough, you have to put up with the countless hours sailing around the world, because 99% of the world is water and the other 1% is composed of scattered islands on the world map. Fourth, the music was mediocre. There was little variety in the various musical themes of the game. There wasn't the same amount of emotional intensity in the music as there was in previous games like "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time" or "The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past". Lastly, the fun factor of the game dropped like a lead weight in water compared to the previous Zelda games. It was a refreshing relief when I played "A Link to the Past" after this game because "A Link to the Past" was so much more fun than this poorly made game. And this game became Game of the Year? Something is definitely not right here. If you are a true Zelda fan and have been playing Zelda games for as long as I have, you will feel cheated after you purchase this game. I feel like I have just spent $50 for nothing. Shiguru Miamoto definitely needs to wake up and see what has become of one of the best video game characters of all time (the best is Chrono from "Chrono Trigger") and make serious ammends for this awful game before this gamer will touch another Zelda game.… Expand
  22. OmegaB.
    Feb 22, 2003
    2
    I can't believe this......... they could have made this game look so awsome! i mean...........wtf is nintendo thinking!? It looks like they designed the game for 6 year old kids......... NINTENDO, you guys better get your act together or i forsee gamecube not making it to gamecube 2. Thank God i bought a Ps2 instead! I mean i was gonna get a GC (just for Zelda)...... i'm glad i I can't believe this......... they could have made this game look so awsome! i mean...........wtf is nintendo thinking!? It looks like they designed the game for 6 year old kids......... NINTENDO, you guys better get your act together or i forsee gamecube not making it to gamecube 2. Thank God i bought a Ps2 instead! I mean i was gonna get a GC (just for Zelda)...... i'm glad i didn't!… Expand
  23. BryanM.
    May 16, 2007
    1
    Crap, just crap. this game is a rip off. first the cartoon link stinks.lf i was you i would save my $20 and buy a 64 and get Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time.
  24. gLoMeR
    Mar 11, 2017
    0
    Otro Zelda que no esta a la altura de la saga, demasiado infantil, no por los gráficos, sino por las mecánicas de combate, pulsar "A" cuando se te indica en pantalla para realizar un contraataque.
  25. AnzMore
    Mar 15, 2017
    0
    il miglior zelda di sempre sotto tutti gli aspetti e è quello che è invecchiato e continuerà ad invecchiare meglio è davvero un capolavoro senza tempo
  26. RonRocker777
    Mar 5, 2020
    3
    En ningún momento me emocionó, se hacía tedioso navegar por tantos minutos al comienzo, jefes muy fáciles de vencer, etc. Un Zelda sobrevalorado como TP /

    A game that never touched me, it became tedious to navigate for so many minutes at the beginning, bosses very easy to beat. An overrated Zelda as TP.
  27. Raknner44
    Mar 16, 2021
    0
    Que hayan puesto un combate contra 3 armaduras ya era mal diseño e injusto. Pero después pusieron un combate contra 4 armaduras, no entiendo como se supone que uno tenga que enfrentarse y ganar, es absolutamente ridículo. Eso sumado al mal diseño de VARIAS de sus partes hace que el viaje ya no sea muy agradable que digamos, el peor legend of Zelda de todos con muchísima diferencia
  28. Sweatymother
    May 9, 2021
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Okay. So, you might be here, looking for another gem to adorn your Gamecube console with. And from all the 9's and 10's you have been scrolling past, you may be expecting the creme of crop, the pinnacle of the Legend of Zelda series. I would recommend going into the game blind, but it's too late for that now. Your expectations could not be higher right now, and that's a bad thing. This game has a big nostalgia factor and if you are under the age of ten, it may become your favorite game. But for me that is not the case.  I got into Zelda games as an adult so I have zero nostalgia for the series. If you are already an avid Zelda fanatic then you are going to buy the game anyway. If you're not, save you're money. A get Luigi's Mansion or Paper Mario: The The Thousand Year Door. Those games are worth your time If you are a Mario fan. Anyway, anything past this sentence will be spoiler material so proceed with caution. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker [WW], is an average adventure game. You got the vague evil forces, the kidnapped relatives, the dungeons, the bosses, the final boss, then happily ever after. The first part of the game follows the classic Zelda formula: collect three mystical gems then get the master sword. For that it what it is, it's okay. It stays true to the formula. The complaints I have for this section of the game are that the game actively discourages you from straying off the beaten path. It may seem like a nit pick, but it's Zelda. These games expect you to discover essential plot points out of natural curiosity. And if you don't explore, the game doesn't tell you what you need to do in order to advance. For example: there is a point in the game you find a rather large island called the Mother and Child Isle's. The island is shaped like the top of a dormant volcano. The problem is that the volcano walls completely surround the interior area that you want to explore with no apparent way to get in. So, like any fan of Zelda games, I assumed I was missing the item necessary to gain access. As it turns out, you need to WARP to that island to get inside. This would be fine, of course, if the game gave you a hint at what you need to do. I made sure to talk to every npc I ran across and every fish in the ocean so I would be well prepared for the adventure. But I came across this by blind luck. The Mother and Child isle happened to be the close to my destination so I warped there. If I wasn't lucky I would've been very frustrated. Keep in mind this isn't a minor issue. You HAVE to do this in order to advance at all. The other complaint I have for this early section of the game, is that the dungeons are really easy the are only 2 of them. 2 dungeons for three mystical objects. I was glad I didn't have to do another throwaway dungeon but that's just lazy game design. Other than that the game has been tolerable up until this point. Alright, now you have finally got the master sword it's time to dungeon crawl until you fight Ganon. No more f***ing around. At least that's what you would expect. It is Zelda after all. Don't you think this would be the best part of the game? The buildup to the climactic clash with Ganon? Right? Well f*** you and your high hopes! You do 1 more decent dungeon and 1 crappy one. Both tedious as all he'll. Remember the water temple from the n64 OOT? Well it's that bad. You have to play the same, insanely tedious song every 20 seconds. I'm not even exaggerating. And if you have poor rhythm, you are f***ed. Oh yeah I didn't mention you have to not only play the notes in order, but in time too. The dungeons aren't even the worst part. Buts it's the lack of them. You can't model a game after oot and only include 4 dungeons. Next is the infamous triforce shard quest. Here's how I remember it. You need to find 8 triforce shards. First you have to find a treasure map called Tingle's chart (which you won't have if you followed the in game prompts). Tingle's chart shows you where to find these other maps called the triforce charts. Sounds simple enough. The only thing is, you CANT READ THE THE TRIFORCE CHARTS!!! You have to take them to a specific location and get them deciphered. Whatever I guess I'll go get them deciphered. The only thing is. It costs 398 rupees for EACH TRIFORCE CHART to be deciphered. And rupees aren't super abundant unless you know where to look. It was around this time I called it off. I deleted my save file and watched the final events of the game play out on YouTube to satisfy any lingering curiosity I had for the end of the game. I focused mainly on the bad things about the game but there are good things to say. Gameplay is pretty solid. Camera control is nice. The music is great. It just just doesn't have that usual Nintendo polish. It feels like it was developed by a third party. If you want to experience to game. Watch a playthrough on YouTube. It will save you time and frustration. Thanks for reading and I hope you can find a better game to play :)… Expand
  29. GDsReviews
    May 27, 2022
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Wind Waker is the record low point in Zelda for me with a flat cartoon art style that looks far more primitive than N64 Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask that were on a significantly less powerful system then the Game Cube, and a featureless ocean to travel over.

    Now looking back, this game goes from just being plain bad to flat out deplorable. What happened? The most fundamental reason is the story. The more you grasp and think about it, the more sickening it feels. In the intro, we find that the Hyrulian leaders flood the entire land to contain the evil in Ganondorf, with only a few hilltops remaining above water. In Ocarina of Time, we see Ganondorf reek a seven year long reign of terror, but the land remains intact, and he did not completely decimate it. In Wind Waker, his goal is actually to see the kingdom of Hyrule drained of this ocean.

    So who do you feel is the real villain here? A Ganondorf that despite unleashing of dark reign of terror wants to see everyone back in their own lands again, or the Hyrulian leaders who basically drowned and displaced everyone just for one man in the end? I would go with the Hyrulian leaders here despite Ganondorf being certainly a truly evil and cunning tyrant in Ocarina of Time. He feels less evil here, and yet you are forced to preserve this ocean’s legacy of mass genocide and displacement in Wind Waker.

    Because of this, I felt like I was playing the villain, and that completely crossed the line for me. I find it morally reprehensible when you have no choice but to play a villain in a video game. Wind Waker’s deplorable factor also gets bumped up a notch when Tetra is revealed as a total brown faced Zelda that sinks this game even further. (Zelda’s disguise in Ocarina of Time in Sheik by sharp contrast has just a slight tan that could easily have come from being on the run outside for 7 years.)

    The only good parts are the soundtrack, and one scene where Tetra puts Link in a barrel, and catapults him into Forsaken Fortress to a spectacular failure and barrel of laughs.    … Expand
  30. someone11111222
    Dec 15, 2022
    4
    The whole "everything is on an island" idea quite literally gets in the way of the game. It doesn't do anything except waste time. You have to change the wind direction every time you want to go somewhere, because hurr durr you're in a boat. Gets old fast, they should have just made it something in the menu you select quickly, or better yet, eff the wind and the sail works in anyThe whole "everything is on an island" idea quite literally gets in the way of the game. It doesn't do anything except waste time. You have to change the wind direction every time you want to go somewhere, because hurr durr you're in a boat. Gets old fast, they should have just made it something in the menu you select quickly, or better yet, eff the wind and the sail works in any direction you want.

    The whole part with the triforce SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN IN THE GAME AT ALL. You have to find a MAP that lets you find OTHER MAPS that FINALLY have a location of the piece of the triforce, and you need like 15 of them. Every step of the way it costs 500 rupees to have a map translated, so you need to collect 5,000+ rupees to beat the game. If you didn't know that you have a problem by the time the end of the game comes with the map business, have fun grinding for a few days before you can move further. You're "supposed" to treat it as a side-quest that you do bits and pieces of here and there throughout the game, but it's just SO boring that most players put it off, hoping there will be something at the end of the game that does it for them, but that doesn't happen.

    They screwed up the spin attack. HOW could you do that? You have to unlock it which is the first problem, but it makes you think it's good. It takes too long to charge up so most of the time you will get hit and not be able to use it. If you manage to charge it up, you spin for 10 seconds while Link screams, which is stupid but most importantly HE THEN STOPS AND IS DIZZY. Oh my god how could you screw that up? That would be like putting his pogo move in the game but making it damage you or something.

    The sneaking part of the game is forced and stupid, but at least it doesn't last long. It's at the beginning of the game before you have any items.

    The hookshot is not in the game, they use a stupid rope and claw thing. It's so bad because you can only use it in "approved" places, ie where there is a pole sticking out to latch onto. The hookshot was so good in OOT because it made you think about what was wood or vines or not and what you could or could not hook into. Also with the claw rope you have to swing across and time it, which just wastes time. That should have been automatic.

    The guy on the boat who baits you in to grind and get his bracelets or whatever is a complete waste of time, all he does at the end is says thank you. So you wasted your time. WHY IS THIS IN THE GAME!

    The cartoon style is fine, that doesn't really make a big difference. A lot of characters look stupid with their gorilla style arms, but it's fine overall it's a stylistic choice. It's dumb but it doesn't ruin the game.

    It's definitely trying to be a Zelda game and the main part of the game is great. The dungeons are great and the story is great. Nintendo at least learned from their mistakes, but they were definitely mistakes, because when they made an HD remaster of this game, several of the problems I've mentioned were removed. The only things they really kept from Wind Waker was the leaf item, where you use it as a little parachute to float across gaps, and also this was the first game where they started a huge deep dungeon that is very challenging and just a fun slaughterfest.

    Nobody plays this game after their first time for a reason. It's not a completely terrible game but for being a Zelda... nobody remembers this or pines to play for it after their first time. You don't see people being nostalgic for it but you do for Zelda games both before and after. Things in other Zelda games were kept for the next one but this is definitely the dark horse of the series because it's all just a bunch of experiments that didn't work. Gamecube games exploded in value and it looks like the HD remake are both expensive. Both of them are a waste of money but if for some stupid reason you think you want to play this, the HD version on the Wii U is cheaper and also better in every way because they removed a lot of completely pointless things that are in the game. If this was your first Zelda game, you probably liked it but I feel really bad for you.    … Expand
  31. Bokoblin
    Jun 15, 2023
    0
    worst zelda games ever to exist worse than the cdi pnes I would rather play twilight princess the artstyle for windwaker makes me wanna die and the story is crap

    all the negative reviews are realistic and I couldn't even have a single bit of joy. don't listen to the positive reviews they are all wrong soundtrack is awful I give it a 1 artstyle gets a -10 story:0 characters:-1 controls:2    worst zelda games ever to exist worse than the cdi pnes I would rather play twilight princess the artstyle for windwaker makes me wanna die and the story is crap

    all the negative reviews are realistic and I couldn't even have a single bit of joy. don't listen to the positive reviews they are all wrong soundtrack is awful I give it a 1
    artstyle gets a -10
    story:0
    characters:-1
    controls:2
    the single most overrated game in existence
    ocarina of time is better if you're looking for old games then twilight princess is the best traditional Zelda game and finally breath of the wild is the best game in existence    … Expand
  32. Xunkar
    Oct 8, 2022
    4
    While the game has interesting visuals, everything else quickly falls apart. The mechanics are far more tedious than in any other entry in the series, especially at sea and in dungeons that rely on the awfully slow character-switching song. The seemingly open-world is massive but also quite empty, full of invisible walls and required equipment that deter the player from exploring until theWhile the game has interesting visuals, everything else quickly falls apart. The mechanics are far more tedious than in any other entry in the series, especially at sea and in dungeons that rely on the awfully slow character-switching song. The seemingly open-world is massive but also quite empty, full of invisible walls and required equipment that deter the player from exploring until the very end of the game.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Best GameCube Game of 2003
1
#1 Most Discussed GameCube Game of 2003
4
#4 Most Shared GameCube Game of 2003

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
96

Universal acclaim - based on 80 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 80 out of 80
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 80
  3. Negative: 0 out of 80
  1. Weekly Famitsu
    100
    10 / 10 / 10/ 10 - 40 platinum
  2. NTSC-uk
    100
    When one picks up the controller, the ability to step into that time and place (never more hauntingly beautiful than in this latest instalment) never loses its allure. Even the most hardened of cynics would have to admit that this title is something else entirely. It's the stuff of dreams. [JPN Import]
    Read full review
  3. Eurogamer
    100
    Simply a stunning, magical game.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »