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. MegaBassMan13
    Jan 30, 2013
    10
    First off, this is my favorite game of all time. This game has an amazing nostalgia factor and the graphics style is my favorite of all Zelda games. I love the sailing mechanics, it felt open when sailing. It is kind of like Far Cry of Elder Scrolls, you want to walk everywhere because the world is beautiful and there are things you can do when not completing dungeons. The story isFirst off, this is my favorite game of all time. This game has an amazing nostalgia factor and the graphics style is my favorite of all Zelda games. I love the sailing mechanics, it felt open when sailing. It is kind of like Far Cry of Elder Scrolls, you want to walk everywhere because the world is beautiful and there are things you can do when not completing dungeons. The story is great, and with the official timeline out, it fits in. I love the characters and they are interesting. I want to delve into the lore of this game because the Zelda lore is terrific. The gameplay is terrific and the dungeons are great. The one I did not like as much was the final dungeon, it felt too short. The final dungeon of OoT was great, it was the perfect size. But other than that, I love everything about the game. The items are great (the telescope is the only exception), which is one thing Zelda does right. The items are always creative. The quests are great, using the advantage of the Great Sea and boat travel. The Wind Waker was great playing the different songs on, it felt easy to use but a bit more complex than other Zelda games. I love almost everything about this game. If I could give it a 9.9, I would. This game is a must-own for any gamer. Get OoT, MM, and this game. You will have enough Zelda games for quite some times.… Expand
  2. shprea
    Jun 21, 2013
    10
    Simply put, this game is a masterpiece. It takes the solid structure of OoT and the creativity of MM and perfects them both. It's not without flaw, but the faults are easy to overlook. One of the best Zelda games around.
    9.6/10
  3. JoshBresser
    Mar 23, 2013
    9
    This game is a beautifully crafted masterpiece. The graphics are not only colorful and vibrant, they really are timeless. This game doesn't look like a game from 2003 by any means.

    The game itself is rather easy, but offers hours upon hours of a fun gaming experience. The sailing gets a bit tedious after awhile and requires the right mindset to be in for a proper experience. However,    This game is a beautifully crafted masterpiece. The graphics are not only colorful and vibrant, they really are timeless. This game doesn't look like a game from 2003 by any means.

    The game itself is rather easy, but offers hours upon hours of a fun gaming experience. The sailing gets a bit tedious after awhile and requires the right mindset to be in for a proper experience. However, this is fitting for a game like this as it sets an adventurous tone. The middle part of the game drags a little bit, with the whole triforce fetch quest (to avoid spoilers, I won't go into here.) Let's just say that it takes a lot of time and is pretty repetitive.

    Overall, this game is one of the stronger Legend of Zelda titles out there. If you haven't picked it up yet, what are you waiting for?     … Expand
  4. JohnWitten
    Aug 12, 2013
    10
    Honestly, if I had to choose one of the Zelda titles to be my first and foremost favorite LoZ title of all time, I wouldn't choose Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess, A Link to the Past, or any other game- I would choose Wind Waker. Everything from the reinvented art style to the awesome assortment of gadgets and gizmos you collect over your high flying high seas adventure just screams outHonestly, if I had to choose one of the Zelda titles to be my first and foremost favorite LoZ title of all time, I wouldn't choose Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess, A Link to the Past, or any other game- I would choose Wind Waker. Everything from the reinvented art style to the awesome assortment of gadgets and gizmos you collect over your high flying high seas adventure just screams out 'epic!' to me for some reason. The boss fights were almost always phenomenal and invigorating. The areas of the world opened up to you after defeating bosses, collecting new items, or learning new tricks were always fun to explore and awesome to experience firsthand. Interacting with the awesome NPCs from Beetle to Pearl or Tetra was always exciting and even humorous or scary at times. Gannon's reimagined form was terrifying and powerful, the twist with Zelda comes at the perfect time, and tying all of that in to the original, driving story line behind nearly ever Zelda game- with Hyrule meeting some odd end or being trapped elsewhere, was epic if there ever was a true sense of the word. All in all, I loved the way the GC used the controls, even how it tied in your GB or GBA with the Tingle Tuner and other funny gizmos. The open world was one of the largest yet, and is still almost as big as others such as Twilight Princess. The experience was just...beyond true words for me. And for that reason, Wind Waker is the only perfect ten that I've ever given out in the years I've been reviewing games, and it is completely deserving of the hundreds of hours I've spent playing and replaying excellent dungeons such as Tower of the Gods and Earth Temple. You go Nintendo, and all because of what you did with this game, which is easily my favorite one out of all the others you've ever crafted. This is my love letter for Zelda essentially, and I implore you to at least give it a try if you haven't yet.… Expand
  5. BillzHere
    Jul 22, 2014
    10
    What can be said about this game other than that it truly defines Ethereal. I grew up with this game as a kid, it was certainly gaming at it's finest.

    Where do we begin? This game presents a great story, a very immersive one at that. The game controls and runs as smooth as butter. Combat is exciting and is as smooth as the rest of the gameplay. One of my favorite features of this game    What can be said about this game other than that it truly defines Ethereal. I grew up with this game as a kid, it was certainly gaming at it's finest.

    Where do we begin? This game presents a great story, a very immersive one at that. The game controls and runs as smooth as butter. Combat is exciting and is as smooth as the rest of the gameplay. One of my favorite features of this game is that enemies react to getting hit, losing armor, or not even having a weapon; it provides a good laugh or chuckle seeing them react to it. Level design is fantastic, dungeons are fun but can also be puzzling and difficult at some points (as to expect from a Legend of Zelda game). The game's style is great and is very attractive, but a major positive about this game is it's soundtrack. This game has one of the most memorable soundtracks I've ever played in a video game. I remember just about every boss theme, and area tune that plays every now and then.

    Out of all the Legend of Zelda games, I have to say that this game is probably the best. I recommend it to anyone.    … Expand
  6. Ridikulus
    Jun 22, 2013
    10
    Wind Waker is a very fun and epic game. Many have complained about the game being too short and sailing being boring, but in my opinion sailing was relaxing and, maybe I was just stupid or did a lot of sidequests, but the game felt really long to me. The dungeons are fun and diverse, there is a lot to see and do on the Great Sea, combat was fun (although too easy for the most part),Wind Waker is a very fun and epic game. Many have complained about the game being too short and sailing being boring, but in my opinion sailing was relaxing and, maybe I was just stupid or did a lot of sidequests, but the game felt really long to me. The dungeons are fun and diverse, there is a lot to see and do on the Great Sea, combat was fun (although too easy for the most part), characters are mostly great and unforgettable and the story was good too. There are a few flaws, like the easiness, but I enjoyed it so much, that I'm giving it a perfect ten.… Expand
  7. noel94
    Aug 20, 2013
    10
    I quite literally adore this game, forget that it is even part of a series, this is my favorite game ever.

    Are you looking for a game that you can sit down and play casually for half an hour before work? Are you looking for one that you could spend hours on without getting bored? Well you can do either with this game. The player friendly attitude of this game welcomes any type of gamer,    I quite literally adore this game, forget that it is even part of a series, this is my favorite game ever.

    Are you looking for a game that you can sit down and play casually for half an hour before work? Are you looking for one that you could spend hours on without getting bored? Well you can do either with this game. The player friendly attitude of this game welcomes any type of gamer, and I found myself sucked into the story for hours at a time. Its easy to say to yourself 'I'll complete this dungeon and go to bed' but then you find yourself curious as to where the adventure goes next and if it isn't your first play through of the game it's just as easy to find yourself remembering the next brilliant part of the story and playing for a bit longer.

    The one thing that will strike you about the game is the graphics, which are a lot more cartoony than some fans may appreciate but I think they work perfectly. They are a constant reminder of how you should be feeling whilst playing this game, calm and relaxed. Whether you like the graphics or not there is no denying that Link's facial expressions are hilarious and more importantly informative, you can always tell how our young hero is feeling. If he is angry you can tell, if he is frightened he will look scared and if he is happy then you will see this expression etched across his face.

    The gameplay is flawless and everything works how you feel it should, combat is fun and item usage easy. The gameplay in this game does everything it should, and because it is so easy to grasp you can put your focus into enjoying the well told story.

    Though this is quite a short game (for Zelda standards) this to just adds to the relaxed and light hearted atmosphere, it doesn't take long to get to the next part of the story and keeps momentum going for the most part.

    The main theme of this game is the sailing which is good fun and is a great way to add exploration to the game. It is easy to pick up and is an interesting way to travel around the huge world. There is one part of the story where the sailing did become a bit of a chore but I am not going to give away spoilers and people who have already played this will know what I am referring to anyway, but this is the only part of the game I didn't enjoy.

    The fairly low difficulty of the game does not make the experience at all unenjoyable but again fits with the atmosphere of the game. Everything just feels right.

    If you have already played this game, then go and play it again, if you have not then get yourself a copy! Either on GameCube or wait until the Wii U HD release. You will not regret it.    … Expand
  8. Shigeru
    Sep 7, 2013
    7
    It brought an easy to control camera, fluent animation and a feeling of continuity to the franchise. The game feels rushed during the second half of the plot, though, and spending so much time just getting from one island to another gets tedious pretty soon.
  9. LairdEJM
    Sep 11, 2013
    9
    Very engaging, with a new take on the Zelda universe with the addition of the great sea, and cell shaded graphics. Although starts off a little sluggishly the game delivers an excellent plot where Link finds a new world on each island. The islands themselves are always exciting to stumble across, however I feel that they are a bit small and don't give the sense of habitability and realism.Very engaging, with a new take on the Zelda universe with the addition of the great sea, and cell shaded graphics. Although starts off a little sluggishly the game delivers an excellent plot where Link finds a new world on each island. The islands themselves are always exciting to stumble across, however I feel that they are a bit small and don't give the sense of habitability and realism.
    Nonetheless the game is rightly considered a classic, with many brilliant moments, my favourite being the construction of the Triforce during a difficult and challenging but thoroughly rewarding hunt.

    Well worth a purchase as it is a true legend, no pun intended.    … Expand
  10. DragooDJ
    Sep 18, 2013
    10
    The Best Game In The Whole UNIVERSE!!!! I loved it! So amazing,so...AWESOME!!!! Better than the other zelda games(Expect from Ocarina Of Time and Majora's Mask)
  11. Mangekeyo
    Sep 17, 2013
    10
    While most people say Ocarina of Time is the greatest game of all time (and it certainly is a true masterpiece) there is one Zelda which is even better: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. The game is possibly the greatest game ever created or if not, atleast the best on the gamecube. The game's visuals (which are unfairly criticized) are gorgeous even 10 years later. While the gameplayWhile most people say Ocarina of Time is the greatest game of all time (and it certainly is a true masterpiece) there is one Zelda which is even better: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. The game is possibly the greatest game ever created or if not, atleast the best on the gamecube. The game's visuals (which are unfairly criticized) are gorgeous even 10 years later. While the gameplay is mostly the same as Ocarina, the few slight tweaks and adjustments mix it, the games only poor section the the infamous Triforce Quest, however the rest of the game is incredible enough to overshadow that portion. Very few games can even come close to the amazing experience of The Wind Waker.… Expand
  12. YellowMan64
    Sep 18, 2013
    9
    It's better than Ocarina of Time in my opinion, but the sailing and Triforce quest is annoying. Using the Wind Waker for changing direction of the wind and the command melody gets extremely annoying.
    Advice for people that haven't played the game: Buy lots of bait from Beedle's, and put them out for a fish as you play the game, not all at the last minute. It helps a bunch.
  13. Klingozu
    Oct 23, 2013
    10
    Holy this IS the best game Ever EVERYBODY who dont like are brain****ted the time where I played this was the BEST time in my hole entire life I THANK YOU NINTENDO shame on me for playing this I don't deserve it.
  14. AugustusCB
    Dec 1, 2013
    9
    The Wind Waker is as good and as magical as any Zelda game can get. There is yet to be game that gives such an amazing sense of adventure as its being played. The combat feels refined, the characters and story are memorable, and the presentation with its stunning visuals, charming art style, and marvelous soundtrack fits perfectly with the experience. It's something great to experience toThe Wind Waker is as good and as magical as any Zelda game can get. There is yet to be game that gives such an amazing sense of adventure as its being played. The combat feels refined, the characters and story are memorable, and the presentation with its stunning visuals, charming art style, and marvelous soundtrack fits perfectly with the experience. It's something great to experience to this day. This is the series at its finest.… Expand
  15. MisterButter
    Dec 12, 2013
    10
    The best part about this game, is the big giant open world to explore, you can just sail for hours and never get bored. Sure some people may complain about the different style of graphics but that is what makes this game unique.
  16. OrochiSlayer
    Dec 20, 2013
    9
    The only reason I'm not giving this a ten is because sailing is kind of boring but that's what the Cyclone Song is for!!! The graphics look amazing, the music was great, and it had the only camera in a 3D Zelda game that I DIDN'T HATE!
  17. scarypancake
    Dec 20, 2013
    9
    This game is one of the best games I've played for GameCube! The graphics are awesome and shiny. The gameplay is very good when you actually know what you are doing. I used to play this game when I was 4 years old.
  18. poyumaps
    Dec 27, 2014
    10
    I review my games truthfully, and I have to be honest with you, the person reading this review... this game is AMAZING. I am not even a fan of the Zelda games, but the vast and colourful world was a huge step from the depressing world that was Majora's Mask (It was still a great game, just not a favourite of mine).

    The creativity put into this game was incredible! With jars that    I review my games truthfully, and I have to be honest with you, the person reading this review... this game is AMAZING. I am not even a fan of the Zelda games, but the vast and colourful world was a huge step from the depressing world that was Majora's Mask (It was still a great game, just not a favourite of mine).

    The creativity put into this game was incredible! With jars that teleport you back to the beginning, midway and to the boss door so you won't have to slog back to the beginning if you need supplies was pretty awesome. The follow up Zelda (Twilight Princess) just didn't feel as warm and cheerful as this game. Because when you sister gets abducted you just have that feeling to go rescue her as when you played Twilight Princess you just didn't know what was happening.

    The art style really captivated me, the cel-shaded look really brought the beauty of the game out and the amount of blue in this game almost blinds you it looks incredible!

    A great feature they added in this game was sailing from destination to destination. Sometimes you got interrupted with an enemy that you needed to kill or you find some goodies that you need to fetch makes it very interesting to see what else is in the ocean.

    The one truly thing about this game that was the icing on the cake was the soundtrack. With the catchy tunes when you first arrive on an island (Dragon Roost FTW!) from when you go into a boss battle and that intense music that gets you motivated to kick some butt!

    Lastly, not much to say about gameplay as its the same with every other Zelda game. Fluent controllers, perfect camera angle, and its easy to slice someone up without missing. The puzzles can be tedious at points but when you finally solve it, it feels like you just became God for about 5 seconds.

    I recommend this game to anyone who owns a Gamecube (or a Wii U and grab the HD version). Its a 10 for me, the one game that felt almost near perfection because nothing is perfect so it deserves a 10.    … Expand
  19. Snescube
    Jan 29, 2014
    6
    I would like say this is my opinion so if this bothers you its not my fault but i thought about half of this game was tedious mainly the triforce shards. If I wanted a collectathon game id play banjo kazooie. which was a great game but the sailing and the collecting is dumb,one last thing making tingle apart of this game was so stupid or is that just my i give this a 6/10
  20. thegamermaimer
    May 11, 2014
    10
    I remember all the hate this game got when it first came out. I was just a kid and had no preconceived notions, so I gave it a chance and bought it new. Nostalgia aside, this game is truly one of those experiences that only Nintendo can provide. Its just magical, and if you doubt me, just give it a try.
  21. Togepix
    Jun 3, 2014
    10
    Cool artstyle, great gameplay, flawless story and an amazing soundtrack. What more can you ask for?

    I can understand how some wouldn't take the game seriously because of the artstyle, but this **** is not to be underestimated. I felt sorry for the game, at the time, as many fans were disappointed in the way it looked, but I believe so many were really suprised when it came out. The    Cool artstyle, great gameplay, flawless story and an amazing soundtrack. What more can you ask for?

    I can understand how some wouldn't take the game seriously because of the artstyle, but this **** is not to be underestimated. I felt sorry for the game, at the time, as many fans were disappointed in the way it looked, but I believe so many were really suprised when it came out. The story, as I said, is the unique part about this game, along with the beautiful music. One of my faves. Thank you, Nintendo.    … Expand
  22. Shireke
    Dec 9, 2015
    7
    A great game for its time, maybe even the best game of that decade. Ocarina of the Time set a "before" and an "after" for 3d videogames, and its gameplay has remained in every adventure game after it.

    But right now, it is only the oldest 3D Zelda game out there, and it shows. The gameplay gets clunky and the story and characters can't compete with newer games on the saga.
  23. cc742a
    Aug 17, 2014
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Wind waker is a game I see in a bit of an awkward spot. It is never easy to follow up 2 of the best games of all time, and because of that everyone who saw the original trailer was skeptical. Now about 10 years later lets have a look back on this game. Well for one, the graphic still look fine, better than the re release in fact with those awful amounts of bloom. Problems begin with the sailing. I know some people love it, but i just saw it as unbearable, too little stretched over too much. changing the winds was also a tedious process that deserves mentioning. Anyway, the game controls alright in all other aspects, but heres my main gripe. WW represents the fact that the legend of zelda has no idea what to do after being the best game ever. Its like the boston red sox, unable to follow a succesful year and instead just saying hey remember that. I hate how (SPOILER... is the one person who hasent plaid this gone? good) you visit hyrule, because it shows a game that wants to associate with oot. its the 2nd fiddle trying to hand out with first chair, following him around taking notes. Mabey the one other "problem" ww fixed was it gave link a personality, but why does he need that? He was fine as a blank hero forced into a role, there was no problem with that. In every zelda game the enemies had been more interesting than the hero, and theres no problem with that. Finaly, lets discuss gameplay. Its zelda, it hasent changed. its good, reliable, but my problem with windwaker it lacks variety. MM added the masks and an interesting attack pattern, oot set the foundation. ww goes back to square one on this. dungeon design is interesting, but without any great items (besides the deku leaf) it lacks a fun way to explore. So all in all, i cant say ww was bad, but it refused to be the leap loz needed to stay with the times. It almost represents nintendo entirely, saying hey remember when we made (every nintendo series ever) lets make it again. sequels are only good if they add somthing nintendo. all in all ww needed to do more, but was never bad to play, just boring… Expand
  24. hon777
    Sep 20, 2014
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game gave me the opposite reaction of Twilight Princess. When I saw they had decided to make a cartoonish Zelda, it was a massive turn-off for me, so much that I hesitated to play it (the complete opposite of Twilight Princess where I was excited to play it). Then when I got the game, it exceeded my expectations (once again opposite of Twilight Princess where it failed my expectations), the overworld is beautiful and the exploration is just magical. The characters were vibrant and memorable, and the gameplay was well done (though it did not bring much gameplay to the series). The one qualm I have with this game is that the sailing takes too long, even when warp points start to appear in the game. The Triforce quest was also boring and took away from the excitement I had in this time so that when I got to Ganondorf I had to hype myself up again. However, overall that does not take away from how good this game was. 9.3/10… Expand
  25. Steeldude
    Oct 13, 2014
    7
    Easy bosses, very few dungeons and an unimaginative world with islands that serve little purpose. My least favorite 3D Zelda game. If all islands were expanded upon and contained interesting and unique locations, the score would be much higher.
  26. Sephiroth_X
    Oct 25, 2014
    9
    After a link to the past, this is my favorite zelda, may be not as challenging as ocarina but the nice world in which happens this tale won me over, love the visuals, they are stunning.

    Only bad thing i can say about this game is the boat travel, gets tedious quickly and thanks to it i never played it again. Ive read that in the WiiU remake they fixed this so im getting it for sure!
  27. Courageismight
    Nov 28, 2014
    10
    Windwaker fantastic game lacks some sophistication on some levels and has some lack of replay value but the characters in the game are incredible and so are the controls not a whiff of the wretched WII MOTE GARBAGE great puzzles a fascinating ocean great storyline enemies and a great plot with seriousness and humor both in it its a game that everyone should like.
    If you don't like this    Windwaker fantastic game lacks some sophistication on some levels and has some lack of replay value but the characters in the game are incredible and so are the controls not a whiff of the wretched WII MOTE GARBAGE great puzzles a fascinating ocean great storyline enemies and a great plot with seriousness and humor both in it its a game that everyone should like.
    If you don't like this game you should try Ocarina of Time a game SO good I have NOTHING to say bad about it because its completely sophisticated and it has almost everything that you liked about Windwaker except the ocean and some of the humor.
    Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword are also good as for Hyrule Warriors its good but has problems
    Windwaker definitely worth playing and getting but thats just my opinion I am impartial to giving it a high rating    … Expand
  28. WheelzFourReelz
    Dec 30, 2014
    8
    This game does have some frustrating moments and the controls take some getting used to, but The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is a very fun and charming game that everyone needs to play.
  29. LuisAntonio
    Dec 6, 2015
    9
    A lot of red numbers again. Jesus. Anyway, this is one of the best zelda´s. The graphics are excelent, the music gives you a feel of liberty, the gameplay is very good. One of the best games of 2003. In the other side I would like more islands hehe. At the beginning I was not comfortable with the design of the characters, but now I think that was a good move from nintendo because it gaveA lot of red numbers again. Jesus. Anyway, this is one of the best zelda´s. The graphics are excelent, the music gives you a feel of liberty, the gameplay is very good. One of the best games of 2003. In the other side I would like more islands hehe. At the beginning I was not comfortable with the design of the characters, but now I think that was a good move from nintendo because it gave to zelda´s franchise a new perspective. If you have the game keep it. If you dont have it, get it now !!… Expand
  30. Ross115
    Aug 11, 2015
    10
    Even though I'm not a Legend of Zelda fan (I'm mostly a Playstation gamer) this is easily one of my favourite games of all time and the best game on the GameCube hands down (followed closely by Super Smash Bros Melee). The beautiful for it's time graphics, the memorable characters, the great level design in the dungeons, the brilliant combat along with plenty of interesting items and theEven though I'm not a Legend of Zelda fan (I'm mostly a Playstation gamer) this is easily one of my favourite games of all time and the best game on the GameCube hands down (followed closely by Super Smash Bros Melee). The beautiful for it's time graphics, the memorable characters, the great level design in the dungeons, the brilliant combat along with plenty of interesting items and the interesting islands waiting for you to explore are some of the many reasons why this entry in the series is up there with Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask.… Expand
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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

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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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