Many of the people who follow video games for a long time know what happens to video games that tend to create too high expectations, and how it damages the image of the video game for the public, we have seen it recently with Cyberpunk 2077. Although beyond what people say does not show what the video game itself is like, it influences a lot if we speak at the sales level.
The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker was a game that in its time was heavily tortured by the community. The Nintendo and video game community in general held The Legend of Zelda saga very highly at that time, and still, but the point is that with the generational leap from Nintendo 64 and Playstation to Playstation 2 and Gamecube, people I was beginning to desire more realistic experiences in video games. What made Wind Waker so hated, and as superficial as it sounds, was its visual section, for people a game with good graphics was a game with realistic graphics, a GTA for example, I was beginning to like a section quite a bit visual closer to reality, and Nintendo chose another path, and one that worked better in the long run.
Wind Waker was a game that went from being one of the most hated Zelda to one of the most acclaimed, what for people was a visual failure was actually a technical marvel, it's a game that looks great even today , even much more than Twilight Princess and Ocarina of Time, it is another style, a separate theme.
Beyond its visual section and the controversy it caused in its time, Wind Waker is a very complete game in my opinion, it is a game that did not disappoint anyone, and in my opinion it is the last Zelda game that really gave you the feeling of freedom that Nintendo was looking for in the saga, that until Breath of the Wild arrived obviously.
Its gameplay in fact at the combat and puzzle level is basically the same as its predecessors, with some improvements in its controls that although they are not much noticeable if they improve the combat that Majora's Mask and Ocarina of Time had.
Another issue is that the dungeons in this game are as spectacular as is usual in the saga, they make you think about it more than twice and discover every corner of them. The developer excelled in this in my opinion, they have a great design and that makes you want to continue exploring them, a pity that this aspect was neglected a bit in the last main installment of the franchise.
His story is like that of any Zelda. We know that Nintendo does not investigate so much in this aspect with this franchise, that is, some of them are usually interesting, but it is never that it has stood out for having a good story beyond some games like Link's Awakening or Majora's Mask. However, this Zelda can be something interesting in this regard, not as much as would be expected, but it does quite well.
Throughout the adventure we will meet charismatic and endearing characters, as well as revelations, secrets about the characters or exciting scenes. In this sense, Wind Waker is a good game, there are not so many games in the franchise that shine in the story, but those who do a good job, as is the case, know how to handle the plot very well even if it is not by far their strong.
As for the music, there is nothing to discuss, its composers stood out with the memorable pieces that the game has, it is a soundtrack that has managed to transcend and become one of the most iconic of the saga, which is not a small thing to say for a franchise that is quite known for its music even though it may not seem like it.
In short, I think that Wind Waker easily enters the top 5 of the best games in the series, it was a very complete game in everything. Good graphics, good music, some scenes to remember, very ingenious dungeons and puzzles, secrets to discover and an endless number of features that the best games of this franchise have, without a doubt a great game that silenced more than one.