So yes, I have had the name for five years. I have always talked about Wind Waker and it being my favorite game ever. And I have talked about it endlessly and why I loved it so much. And even with all the games I have ever played, with all of the games I have experienced and loved, they still never compare. I am aware that they are all better games, technically. Dark Souls has better combat, Resident Evil 4 has more polish, and Metal Gear Solid 3 has a better story. But Wind Waker is different, cause it was the game that came at the right time.
Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker follows Link a young cartoon style island boy as he is thrust into an adventure in the hopes of saving the world, not just Hyrule, from Ganondorf who wants to claim the power of the Triforce. Having played Wind Waker before any other Zelda, the whole thing never super shocked me until later on. Hyrule, this majestic kingdom that was saved time and time again by the Hero, was gone. Destroyed. All so Ganondorf couldn’t get his hands on the Triforce. That is… kinda grim for this cute looking game. The cel-shading of Wind Waker looks so beautiful. It’s so much fun to look at and it’s so much more stunning to look at today than say Ocarina of Time or Majora’s Mask. Yeah, they were nice at the time, but, ugh. Link’s got some serious polygon face going on. And I don’t like Polygon. That’s not a good thing to be. But the cel-shaded graphics of Wind Waker still looks beautiful almost twenty years later. And man, Wind Waker is almost twenty years old. That is actually incredible. But how’s the rest of the game. Wind Waker, being an open world sailing game, has you sail from island to island by boat, and while I can see people finding this part of the game boring, I find it to be relaxing. I love sailing the seas and listening to the music, until it gets threatening after you get the second item needed and it’s suddenly all creepy and I am kicked out of my comfort zone and I think, “What?!”. The game also has more combat in it aside from the original block and strike. I mean, that’s there too, but now there is the added bonus of waiting for the enemy to strike first, allowing you to roll and deliver a surprise attack, taking them off guard. And the new items you get in this game are pretty neat to. There’s the usual Bow and Arrow, Boomerang, and Bombs, but there is now the Deku Leaf, which allows you to glide for miles, and the Hammer, which while not new, has a way cooler design in my opinion, and can be used as a heavy weapon to flatten enemies. And I mean actually flatten them. It’s a neat touch that I love. Another item I like is the Grappling Hook, which, sure, it can be seen as just the Hookshot, but I actually really like swinging around, changing your direction, and moving about. And yes, I am aware of the Double Clawshot from Twilight Princess, but that was just laughable to me. The gimmick of Wind Waker, in case you couldn’t tell by the title, is being able to control wind. And compared to travelling through time or going to different worlds, that may seem lame, and… a little. But you can do more with the Wind Waker baton rather than change the direction of winds. You can change day to night, given inanimate objects life, create cyclones to carry you, and other stuff that’s more story oriented. And of course, when we are talking about Zelda, we gotta talk about the music. Wind Waker has my favorite score in the franchise, even more than the iconic Ocarina of Time. I know Wind Waker’s music, for the most part, is just remixed Ocarina of Time music, but I just love the tunes here, and not just for the sake of nostalgia. It sounds nicer, more calming, and works for the settings you are in. Outset Island feels familiar, very welcoming, like a place you live in and gives it the charming feel. Dragon Roost Island has this very new feel, a place that is warm and welcoming, yet still unfamiliar to you through its people. And the characters you meet are interesting as well. I love Medli and Makar and Tetra is the best Zelda in the franchise and anyone can fight me on that fact! And the island you visit that have no theme, just the quiet sound of the ocean and the winds blowing as you can see out for miles at islands in the distant gave me a very calming feel. I love just going onto a single island and looking out to sea in this game. It’s so relaxing to me and puts my mind at ease. Like, man. I just love this game, alright. I love all the small details and the bigger picture stuff. It’s just good, okay?
Wind Waker, like I said, is not a game that beats pretty much anything today on a technical level. It doesn’t have the epic story that changes things, it doesn’t have grand mechanics, and it doesn’t have an expansive world or a huge player base or all that stuff. But I don’t care about that, because Wind Waker is a game that came at the right time in my life, when I was just getting into games, and it was the game that got me into them. A game doesn’t need to be 100% perfect for it to be your favorite. It just needs to be good, and it needs to be something you hold near and dear, even if you accept its flaws and its problems. Wind Waker is that game for me. Nothing for the passed five years has taken Wind Waker’s spot from my heart. I don’t think anything ever will. It’s just a timeless game to me. And with that, the Top 100 finally comes to a close. It’s been a busy two months, let me tell you, but hey, it’s been a busy five years. And I am ready to see what another five years has in store. And you know, I think now is the right time. I think it’s time for some changes, you know? What do I mean by that? Well...