The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

Review - Nothing to do with the local Tandoori.

While playing through the latest Zelda offering from Nintendo I couldn't shake the Carlsberg advert slogan from my mind. If Nintendo made an Indiana Jones game 'it would probably be' the best Indiana Jones game in the world. I reference Indiana Jones deliberately as it is not only a great adventure film, but it can be pretty much enjoyed by all ages. The trouble is Nintendo do not make games like Indiana Jones. They make games like Zelda. It is a game that combines technical brilliance with artistic flair but I'm afraid because of its childlike story telling I found it somewhat un-engaging.

Before I start talking about the bad let me first tell you about the good, because there is an awful lot to admire in this game. Obviously the first element that leaps to mind is the graphics on offer, namely Nintendo's use of cell shading. Screen shots can't really do justice to the effect; it is in the lighting and animation that this technique truly shines. Subtle touches like the heat distortion from torches give the game a very rich and vibrant look. Even the theme of the title, wind, is rendered to good effect. Think about it, how do you render wind? Well Nintendo have managed it. I found many of the designs reminiscent of Disney's Hercules, whose style resulted from collaborating with a British artist called Gerald Scarfe. While I don't care for the look of Link, the rest of the cast is interesting and diverse. From strange little tree people to an impressively large dragon, you will love the characters on show.

You'll meet these different characters as you journey from island to island amidst a 'waterworld' that comprises this adventure. Initially you start off on your own small home island, meeting and greeting the inhabitants. Each person there will have a little piece of advice for you regarding different parts of the game. It's a well thought out introduction and superbly implemented, allowing you to spend as much or as little time as you like learning the controls. At the outset you'll have no items to contend with but very soon you are given a sword and also trained in its use. As in the last Zelda offering, sword fighting forms the backbone of most of the combat and it is also very enjoyable, with a number of thrusts and parries at your disposal. Once you've got the hang of things you are drawn into a story that deals with the legend of Hyrule, Tri Force pieces, and all the other trappings of a Zelda game. You're not alone on this journey. You are given a boat to get from A to B, a boat that also happens to talk. From this point onward you sail across the ocean journeying to different islands, each of which will normally yield another item/weapon and another chapter in the story.