The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

2002 video game

Original description from the source, not translated.

YEAR 2002

GENRE Action-Adventure

PLATFORM Nintendo GameCube

ABOUT THE GAME

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is a 2002 action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. An installment in The Legend of Zelda series, it was released in Japan on December 13, 2002, in North America on March 23, 2003, and in Europe on May 2, 2003. The game is set on a group of islands in the Great Sea, a departure for the series. The player controls the series' main protagonist Link as he attempts to save his younger sister Aryll from the evil Ganondorf and becomes embroiled in a struggle for the Triforce, a sacred golden wish-granting relic. Aided by allies including pirate captain Tetra – an incarnation of Princess Zelda – and a talking sailboat named the King of Red Lions, Link sails the ocean, explores islands, and traverses dungeons to acquire the power necessary to defeat Ganondorf. Wind, which facilitates sailing, plays a prominent role and can be controlled with a magic conductor's baton called the Wind Waker. The Wind Waker was directed by Eiji Aonuma and produced by Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. Development began in 2000. It retains the basic 3D gameplay of its predecessors, Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, but the team chose to avoid the realistic graphics of previous games. Instead, they implemented a distinctive cartoon-like art style created through cel shading. At its release, The Wind Waker received critical acclaim for its visuals, gameplay, level design, music, and story. The art direction proved divisive among players and contributed to comparatively weak sales; the game sold 4.6 million copies, far below the 7.6 million sold by Ocarina of Time. As a result, Nintendo changed directions with the next major Zelda installment, the more realistically styled Twilight Princess. The Wind Waker's reputation improved over time; with retrospective analyses, it is now considered one of the greatest video games ever made.

Source: Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0 — The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker · retrieved October 19, 2026

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PROVENANCE

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