Wind Waker is peak gamecube

[Trench_Man]

Been playing The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker this past week, I forgot how fun the gamecube original can be.

There's some minor annoyances like traversal in dragon's roost is always a chore cuz of the lava but that's probably more cuz I suck at aiming my jumps lmao.

Game still looks great even being over 20 years old, I guess that's partly because of the stylized graphics. I never got to play the Gamecube growing up so I don't have nostalgia for the games on that system so playing GC games without the nostalgia bias has really opened my eyes on how awesome some of these games are (Wind Waker included).

I think Gamecube Zelda might be my favorite era of Zelda.

[Dan Q]

Wind Waker doesn't get enough love. It gets slated for being "different" from most of the Zelda games, or for being "cartooney". But I find it beautiful! I spent so many hours just sailing around and exploring; so cool.

[ThunderPerfectWitchcraft]

Wind Waker was a game I wanted to play when I ways young; I loved the N64 Zeldas. Played it few years ago on an emulator.
There are some good parts: The graphics, and especially the animations are cool, and the nautical theme with the little isles is promising - unfortunately, the execution remains shallow, as many of the small isles are mostly empty. I'd hoped for a submerged world that could be brought up (and I believe it likely that this was what was planned when development began) - but nothing of the kind happened. Another major gripe I have is the difficulty: I died only a single time in the whole game, and this was in the "bonus area" where you are staged against countless enemies - I can enjoy easy games, but a bit more friction would have increased the fun.

[Zero Kirby]

Wind Waker's one of my favourite Zeldas, in large part because of the story. I like that the Link this time around is just Some Guy(tm) who seems kinda lazy, but then the giant bird kidnaps his sister and he decides right then and there that no matter what he has to do or how long it takes he is going to have a giant bird skull to mount on his wall

I'm generally not a big fan of "the chosen one" or "fate and destiny" as plot devices - I feel like they take away a lot of agency from the protagonists. It's just not as interesting for the final boss to be fought "because it is your destiny" compared to "it's because he pissed you off." It's why my other favourite Zeldas are Link's Awakening and Majora's Mask. The quests in those games are also largely undertook by Link moreso of his own volition than any grand predetermined plan from the gods. And it's why I really like the Link in Wind Waker. He has to earn everything throughout the story, so his big confrontation at the end doesn't feel as much like "the big final battle that destiny has set aside for you" and more like an actual culmination of everything up to that point. And even after his own personal quest is finished, he still works to fight the good fight not because he was born to do it but because it's the right thing to do. I just like that.

I do kinda admit I wish the actual gameplay world had a bit more depth to it - the game had a lot of content cut and it suffers a little bit for it. But sailing across the ocean, hunting treasure, finding secrets, it's pretty fun. And the visuals are out-of-this-world, they still hold up today. I wouldn't mind if Nintendo revisited this concept again in a more modern title, and gave it the time it needs to truly shine.

[mini]

It's super underrated and one of my favourite Zeldas for sure!!! The cel shading made it age REALLY well, the characters are super memorable, it has one of the coolest Ganon fights and the combat system is super satisfying (all the different ways you can attack, how "musical everything feels")

I just wish the Triforce quest wasn't such a bore ;w; kinda ruined the pacing of the game at the end