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. yitus
    Sep 18, 2018
    10
    This The Legend of the Zelda is my favorite by far. I have been lucky to have played all the Zelda's that have come to the market and this marked me a before and after in the saga (on a personal level). It's aesthetic cartoon, gameplay, characters, music, scenarios, open world, dialogues, history ... is a cluster of things that make it become today in my favorite Zelda. With this I do notThis The Legend of the Zelda is my favorite by far. I have been lucky to have played all the Zelda's that have come to the market and this marked me a before and after in the saga (on a personal level). It's aesthetic cartoon, gameplay, characters, music, scenarios, open world, dialogues, history ... is a cluster of things that make it become today in my favorite Zelda. With this I do not mean that the other The Legend of Zelda are not good, on the contrary, they are all fantastic, but personally The Wind Waker is my favorite.… Expand
  2. Jawey
    Jul 21, 2018
    10
    This game is one of the best games ever made. It has an amazing story, the combat is fun, the animation is beautiful and the soundtrack is breathtaking. While the triforce quest was a little tedious it's not as bad as some people have said and other great franchises like Halo and GTA had similar parts that were tedious. The ending for this game is one of the best endings in video games andThis game is one of the best games ever made. It has an amazing story, the combat is fun, the animation is beautiful and the soundtrack is breathtaking. While the triforce quest was a little tedious it's not as bad as some people have said and other great franchises like Halo and GTA had similar parts that were tedious. The ending for this game is one of the best endings in video games and disproves the myth that nintendo makes childish games. This game is unfortunately criminally underrated due to it being released on two unsuccessful consoles, the gamecube and wii u and the sequel getting cancelled was sad since the wind waker needs a proper sequel that takes place right after the game ends.… Expand
  3. Bitbat
    Apr 28, 2019
    10
    For anyone who has owned a GameCube, this is a must play. They do have a remastered version of this game which is available on the wii u. I spent hours on this game, however I never got to finish it. The cel shaded art style is really great as it provides a unique feel that the other games do not have.

    In addition the Wind Waker is really fun to use and the bosses provide a satisfying fight.
  4. Llauses
    May 12, 2019
    10
    Arguably the best 3D Zelda game, improving almost every aspect from Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. It has everything you expect from a Zelda game: a very good story, great music and fun dungeons; but now with amazing visuals and a brand new gameplay on the sea that works really well. Nintendo putt out another masterpiece.
  5. Bottlecaps
    May 8, 2021
    10
    The legend of zelda wind waker is timeless im playing this game in 2021 on my game cube and it feels like a breath of fresh air , im so use to games not working on launch , Samey game design , cover shooters and souls like action rpgs mired with micro transactions , most games that have come out recently will be forgotten about within the year. this never happens to any of the legend ofThe legend of zelda wind waker is timeless im playing this game in 2021 on my game cube and it feels like a breath of fresh air , im so use to games not working on launch , Samey game design , cover shooters and souls like action rpgs mired with micro transactions , most games that have come out recently will be forgotten about within the year. this never happens to any of the legend of zelda games , especially wind waker being just about 20 years old

    Story: you are a young man whos just aged a year ? YEAh its your birthday and it doesn't tell you how old link is but thats ok , you are gifted the hero of times tunic or at least a replica turns out you are actually a bit player in a historic battle for good an evil fought over the ancient and sunken land of hyrule witch you sail the seas in search mystical powers , BUT first you have to save your sister from that evil. the story is both personal and grand at the same time link starts off just trying to save his sister but ends up in the middle of an ancient war between 2 ghosts , with one of the most violent endings to a legend of zelda game , i can still remember vividly how hard my heart was pounding fighting Gannon for the first time
    Story: 10/10

    World building: now when I was a kid a lot of this **** went over my head and I didn't realize most of what I was seeing or reading , alot of the zelda games are their own thing but this game feels like a sequel to oot not just in story but in world , hyrule is covered by sea the hyrule you knew is covered by sea creating the ocean and island landscapes , this was done by the gods to seal gannons power away witch worked for a while . dragon roost island is likely the top of death mountain , the forbidden forest is the shell of the deku tree from oot with the seedling being the new deku tree , and there are lots of little details like this, links village is obviously descendants of of kokoriko forest seeing as its the closest settlement to the deku tree , windfall must be descendant from hyrule based on teh cloths and culture of the island. i could go on about this game for hours and how much detail there is in the world and its story
    World building: 10/10

    Graphics: wind waker at the time of its release was controversial because it looked like a cartoon , to a 10 year old boy thats nothing it looks like my cartoons , but this stylistic choice has saved the game from ever looking old EVER like i said this is 2021 and this game feels and looks like it hasn't aged a day its really hard to belive this is a 20 year old game , they say the best designs are timeless , the wheel , sliced bread and now wind waker
    Graphics:10/10

    Gameplay: the game play is silky smooth , every bad guy has a weakness to exploit and a strategy to beat them , every dungeon and item are designed wonderfully , its exciting getting new gear in this game because you know you will use it , unlike i the modern day looter shooters where replacing your gear is every 3 minutes , but wind waker everything has a purpose , it will be used , weather its the chu jelly or the pendants , the sword play is silky smooth SILKY SMOOTH you make a mistake its your fault , I'm already pretty decent at this game so i managed to not even die once this whole playthrough , but I didn't feel like the game was too easy it always felt "just right" because id still take hits , id still screw up but i knew how to recover . my only gripe with this game is the triforce hunt , I some how managed to find them all without the internet back in the day and this playthrough I used my past knowledge with a little bit of luck , also SO MUCH SAILING it slows the game right down , i know the triforce hunts streamlined in the hd version but this is the game cube version
    Gameplay: 9.8/10

    Sound design: music is fantastic , sound effects fantastic but also annoying at times , doing the outset gauntlet for the triforce shard all i heard was link go " AHHHHHHHHHH" for like 10 times in a row going down hole after hole. but those are nit picks to say the least , i don't want to give this game a perfect score but its going to be close. this game is just an allrounder , its the gordie Howe of video games
    sound design 9.9/10
    10+10+10+9.8+ 9.9= 49.7
    49.7/5= 9.94/10
    Legend of zelda wind waker is a timeless game , it will always be good because if how its made and the love put into it , even 20 years later it dose not show its age    … Expand
  6. Kakadu
    Oct 5, 2020
    10
    Definitely an absolute masterpiece and still one of the best games in the franchise and genre. One of my favorite childhood games.
  7. Evenstar1985
    May 8, 2023
    10
    I'll be honest, I was ready to hate on this game when I first saw the cell shaded graphics, the only reason I bought it, was for the limited edition that had a second disk for Zelda Ocarina of Time included because my brother sold the N64 and the GC was the first ever console I bought with my own money.

    After beating OoT I decided to give this game a try just to confirm my hate, man was    I'll be honest, I was ready to hate on this game when I first saw the cell shaded graphics, the only reason I bought it, was for the limited edition that had a second disk for Zelda Ocarina of Time included because my brother sold the N64 and the GC was the first ever console I bought with my own money.

    After beating OoT I decided to give this game a try just to confirm my hate, man was I 1000% wrong by judging a game by it's graphics, the amazing open sea exploration, oh my god the music! The great story like all Zelda games, the gameplay.

    This game was also a wake up call to me to never judge a game again by it's graphics.    … Expand
  8. joash
    Sep 9, 2021
    10
    The most beautiful, charming, and funny game I have ever played, this game is way underrated!
  9. Bcshiguemichi
    Aug 6, 2023
    10
    Best Zelda ever. From the action dynamics to the history. One thing that I really liked about this game is that you don’t get lost trying to understand what you need to do and at the same time is still challenging.
  10. gandoulf
    Jan 18, 2020
    10
    This is the best zelda ever. The donjon, the OST, the graphics.... All is perfect !
  11. tukumalu
    Mar 17, 2020
    10
    A timeless classic with ahead of its time open world design and gameplay. There are tedious sections that got made up by a satisfying ending
  12. tcost
    Apr 12, 2020
    10
    Big legend among the other Zelda legends... Favourite game of all time. Gameplay, visual style, most impressive zelda story so far, and best ending ever: very unexpected and satisfying. 10/10 for this legend. Will never be forgotten, thank you zelda team.
  13. Nikg92
    Jun 2, 2020
    10
    This was one of my favorite childhood games. The cell-shaded graphics came as a surprise to some, but Zelda fans know that Nintendo likes to be creative and switch up the art style for this franchise; it was a welcome surprise to me. I also really enjoyed the cartoon-like aesthetic and sounds. I say if you're too 'grown' for the cartoon-aesthetic then maybe you're too 'grown' for videoThis was one of my favorite childhood games. The cell-shaded graphics came as a surprise to some, but Zelda fans know that Nintendo likes to be creative and switch up the art style for this franchise; it was a welcome surprise to me. I also really enjoyed the cartoon-like aesthetic and sounds. I say if you're too 'grown' for the cartoon-aesthetic then maybe you're too 'grown' for video games, saying cartoons are only for kids is ironically childish.
    They stayed true to the spirit of Zelda games and its lore. The storytelling was phenomenal and the music was beautiful. They came a long way in terms of working out a fluid controller and camera system compared to their N64 titles, though it was finicky at times, particularly in dungeons and while sailing. The sailing sometimes seemed monotonous but on the other hand, it was a good time to take a breather and reflect on my progress. Like most other popular Zelda titles, the replay potential is great and the story is long allowing 100+ hours of enjoyable gameplay for completionists like myself. My main complaints for this title is that there is a considerable amount of backtracking in some dungeons and the beginning of the game contains a lot of unskippable dialog and cutscenes; forcing repeat players to navigate through an intro that is over an hour to start a new game.    … Expand
  14. Jessicaw
    Jun 22, 2020
    10
    Everything about this game is fun and loveable. The soundtrack was amazing, the characters were interesting and the world felt bigger than it truly was. It had fun twists, even if they were expected and a good story line.
  15. aaasss555
    Jul 17, 2020
    10
    This game changed my life! Great memories with this master piece, played 15 times.
  16. manugd22
    Jul 20, 2020
    10
    Mi videojuego de Zelda favorito, mi infancia, simplemente eso. Cada vez que juego me transmite unos recuerdos muy bonitos del pasado.
  17. chochin
    Aug 22, 2020
    10
    good game has an incredible soundtrack, a very good story and a great gameplay. Sometimes it can be a bit frustrating or difficult but that to my liking gives it a touch of challenge, you have to use creativity and logic it is a very good game my only negative point is that it takes a little while for the red mask to go from one point to point another but everything else for me is perfectgood game has an incredible soundtrack, a very good story and a great gameplay. Sometimes it can be a bit frustrating or difficult but that to my liking gives it a touch of challenge, you have to use creativity and logic it is a very good game my only negative point is that it takes a little while for the red mask to go from one point to point another but everything else for me is perfect great game, great soundtrack and great gameplay without a doubt a 10/10… Expand
  18. AbeFiletti
    Nov 12, 2020
    10
    My first Legend of Zelda game is still one of the best. The Wind Waker is probably the most likeable game ever. How can you say this is a bad game. Everyone complained about the graphics when it came out, but now it is praised for it's beautiful cell shaded look. Every thing clicks in this game. The characters are so good. Tetra, Link, and Ganondorf are the standouts. Tetra is so cool. IMy first Legend of Zelda game is still one of the best. The Wind Waker is probably the most likeable game ever. How can you say this is a bad game. Everyone complained about the graphics when it came out, but now it is praised for it's beautiful cell shaded look. Every thing clicks in this game. The characters are so good. Tetra, Link, and Ganondorf are the standouts. Tetra is so cool. I mean she is the leader of a pirate gang, how can she not be cool. Link is like only 12 in this game and he has some of the best I'm awesome moments. Finally, unlike any other version in the series, the villain is actually a character. I don't want to spoil the game but Ganondorf actually has morals, and an actual reason for the things he's doing. The dungeons (although lacking of many) are really good. There isn't a bad dungeon, and everyone of them feel original. The story is super engaging, and immersive. From beginning to end you are wondering what will happen next. But you can't talk about Wind Waker without talking about what makes it special. I am of course talking about the sailing. It is so fun to just get distracted by the great sea. The thing that makes it fun is that every island is unique and has it's own special thing about it. When you see in island in the distance you are always obligated to go towards it. Wind Waker might have my favorite videogame score of all time. I think it's is at least the best in the series. It has bangers like the title theme, Molgera, Outset Island, The Great Sea, Windfall Island, the credits music, and I could keep going. I only give my top 5 games a 10/10, and Wind Waker, being my 2nd favorite game, deserves a 10/10.… Expand
  19. Dom007
    Jan 20, 2021
    10
    With an excellent storyline, charming graphic style and memorable soundtrack. This game is no doubt great and massively enjoyable. The game has some downsides such as some weak dungeons, the confusing triforce quest and the frustrating minigames, bringing the experience to more or less a 9.7/10 but it's certianly worthy of that score.
  20. mofal
    Jan 12, 2021
    10
    This is the best game of all time. It is pleasant and challenging and great for gaming for long hours. It's positive and pleasant tone allows for the gamer to be relaxed and happy for the entire gave me experience rather than stressed out and sweating like many other games. It's puzzles are very challenging it's bosses are rather easy but memorable nonetheless. 10 out of 10
  21. Revali
    Apr 8, 2021
    10
    Wind maker é um dos Zelda mais diferenciados na minha opinião, isso deixa o jogo bem único, no começo eu não gostei muito, mas depois de 2 horas jogando eu comecei a amar esse jogo! A jogabilidade é ótima, o combate é INCRÍVEL, as aventuras são bem divertidas, os gráficos são bem feitos, a história é cativante, nunca imaginei que Zelda iria combinar com "piratas" e eu me enganei MUITO.Wind maker é um dos Zelda mais diferenciados na minha opinião, isso deixa o jogo bem único, no começo eu não gostei muito, mas depois de 2 horas jogando eu comecei a amar esse jogo! A jogabilidade é ótima, o combate é INCRÍVEL, as aventuras são bem divertidas, os gráficos são bem feitos, a história é cativante, nunca imaginei que Zelda iria combinar com "piratas" e eu me enganei MUITO.
  22. grimreapersims
    Sep 26, 2021
    10
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  23. MadEagle
    Sep 17, 2021
    10
    Great game for the time it was released and still holds up. Have replayed it again and it’s still so good. Graphics are charming and the story is amazing.
  24. JoeyPL5
    Nov 16, 2021
    10
    This is the best 3D Zelda pre-Breath of the Wild. What you do in between dungeons is actually fun (@Twilight Princess) and the world and music are gorgeous.
  25. Mirza57
    Jan 26, 2022
    10
    I think there is a problem in the brain of those who find the visual, art design and graphics of this game bad.
  26. Marwans
    Feb 24, 2022
    10
    An amazing piece of work! I love this game. It is very entertaining. The bad thing is the water the ocean is quite extensive but this doesn't mean it's bad it has an amazing soundtrack as well as its design.
  27. Kadaz
    Mar 29, 2022
    10
    This game is amazing. Probably my favorite 3d Zelda. The ship was a nice addition.
  28. Mr_Fish
    Apr 11, 2022
    10
    This game confirms that Tingle is a serial murderer and link aids him in his escape from prison
  29. Brainfrez99122
    Apr 14, 2022
    10
    From start to finish this game is a joy to play with so much charm I'm smiling throughout the adventure. The characters are weird yet lovable the sailing is relaxing yet adventurous and that soundtrack is easily one of the best in the series. Combine all of that with an overworld with secrets to uncover tight controls and solid story this an easy game to recommend. Visually this holds upFrom start to finish this game is a joy to play with so much charm I'm smiling throughout the adventure. The characters are weird yet lovable the sailing is relaxing yet adventurous and that soundtrack is easily one of the best in the series. Combine all of that with an overworld with secrets to uncover tight controls and solid story this an easy game to recommend. Visually this holds up extremely well it still looks good even to this day and has truly stood the test of time. Items are far more versatile in this entry compared to most of the games in series in and out of combat every item you'll be using throughout the entire game while still feeling fluid and organic to play. I wish their were more dungeons in the game and it was a harder but unless your 5 most entry's in the series are pretty easy anyways and with general feel good atmosphere that the game is going for it does fit the whole experience. I don't think the triforce hunt is that bad at all and asking the player to explore the overworld in a game about exploring works here. Another criticism against the game is its use of space with people counting up the squares and breaking it down to which islands are story relevant and which one are not and while I do think it can utilize it space better every 3d entry in this series has the same issue arguably worse (except  botw) and if they decreased the size of the world too much it'd feel more like the great puddle rather then the great ocean. The ending is incredibly climactic and satisfying and ends right when it should this game holds up and deserves a perfect score by modern standards 5/5… Expand
  30. Yaacgold24
    May 10, 2022
    10
    It is the best game i have ever played in my life. Really playable even 19 years after the release.
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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
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