If you are a gamer and also have some close friends that are not made out of designed programming phrases and modified circuit boards, you are a very lucky individual indeed. You have the best of two worlds, the abstract and the physical. I just met a new friend who happens to be part of the cybernetic bloodline of a famous series of games. This game that raised my spirits to joyful heights is known as Zelda: Wind Waker, from Nintendo. It truly is a taste of gaming bliss that comes around only once in a great while.
There isn't much elaboration needed in explaining the history of this game. All an individual needs to know is that when the next Zelda was changed from a realistic ''grown-up'' to a toon-shaded adventure, there was an uproar of angry fan boys of the N64 Zelda. Not even the Greek god, Zeus, could silence their woes. There was whining and crying like never before in history (well maybe that is a stretch but not far from it); boohooing was heard from all over the world. Fans would scream like Banshees. Phrases like ''Zelda is meant to be realistic looking'' were shouted, forgetting the roots of the series that was strongly based on a cartoon world. Never before had I seen so many people second-guess the creator of a series as they did with Zelda WW, but luckily, the creator was right, and these particular gamers were wrong. That concludes the history of this ridiculed game. Those that can keep an open mind will find a charming and eloquently designed game in their paws.
Never before has so much character development been integrated into a Zelda game. By the time you have completed your adventure, you will be so attached to the characters that you may actually feel for some, and that includes the villain of the game. Kidnappings, amazing revelations, villainy, love, sadness, laughter, etc., is all here in this enthralling and interesting plot. You will be sucked into the game farther and farther as you dig into the depths of this huge world, which is hampered by only one section of the game.
When you begin your adventure to uncover the above-mentioned events, you will be shocked into silence by the amazing visuals and just how vast the world seems. No Zelda game has had a world this humongous to explore. Even though it is largely oceanic, you will find islands littering the waters like greasy popcorn left by sloppy moviegoers within a theatre. Unlike the popcorn, though, you won't be afraid to touch and feel these islands by exploring them to your heart's content. This is what makes the game so amazing; you can go anywhere and do almost anything as you progress through the game. To be able to complete the game, you will need to explore this great ocean, unless you use a strategy guide, but we all know you wouldn't do that. In addition to being an integral part of the quest, these islands provide distractions that will reward you with heart pieces, rupees, and other items, if you take the time to look around. In case you are concerned, though, you really don't need the latter to finish the game. Just like any side quest, they are just there for your amusement.
To journey to these lands, you need to travel the seas with your ship. Along the way, you will encounter various enemies and hidden items. Some examples include Jaws-esque sharks that send such a shock through your boat from a collision that Link falls out. There are also some very big foes that are waiting for you to accidentally fall into their grasp. In addition to the enemies, there are also treasure chests hidden throughout, which you need to dredge up from the bottom of the sea with an item you receive early on in the game. Now this all may not sound too exciting, and yes, it does get tedious at times, but the sense of what is in the distance will keep you going. In case you are a far cry from Christopher Columbus though and don't like spending hours sailing and exploring the lands, you can be assured that you will be able to warp to sections of the ocean later on in the game.
Traversing these seas would be a tedious job, since you need enthralling gameplay mechanics and extras to keep things interesting. Here is where the game shines like the morning star pushing through the darkness from its blanketing blackness. You will have over six dungeons to explore, and though this small number may seem ridiculous to fans of Ocarina of Time, you can still suck more time out of this game than any other Zelda. The dungeons and related areas are rigged with puzzles that even the Riddler would cringe with frustration at, even though the answer may be so simple, yet still be so far away. When you finally solve one of these challenging puzzles, you will get an aurora of enthusiasm over your body, bringing a smile to your face. No puzzle is too hard, and they all fit into the Zelda universe perfectly.
The dungeons range from a forest that even Tarzan couldn't survive in that is filled with carnivorous plants and multicolored snot balls that your little brother would be proud of. In another dungeon, you'll run into a fiery pit full of devilish creations from burning bats to agitated centipedes that need a good smack in the mouth to calm their nerves.