Summary
BothThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the KingdomandBreath of the Wildpushed the envelope for what an open-world game could be as the first truly open-world games in the series. However, prior to these entries, Nintendo dabbled in open-world game design for theZeldaseries withThe Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. While not as much of a true open world asThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the KingdomorBreath of the Wild,Wind Wakerhelped shape what those games would become, and now has the chance to come full circle with aWind Wakerremake.
Originally released on the GameCube in 2003,Wind Wakerwas a somewhat controversial entryin the series as it was the firstZeldatitle to adopt a cel-shaded art style, leading many fans of the series to dismiss the game as too cartoony compared to past entries. Despite this initial criticism,Wind Wakerhas become a beloved entry in the franchise due to its emphasis on exploration, giving players the first real taste of open-world freedom in aZeldagame. With how far the series has come in this regard with titles likeBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdom, aWind Wakerremake could further flesh out the game’s original vision.
RELATED:Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s Ending Leaves the Door Open For a Key Feature to Return
Wind Waker Deserves a True Open-World Remake After Tears of the Kingdom
After receiving a remaster on the Wii U in the form ofThe Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD, many fans assumed Nintendo would port it and theremaster ofTwilight Princessto the Switch. While that has yet to happen, an even better outcome would be a full-blown remake ofWind Wakerthat utilizes the design elements that madeTears of the KingdomandBreath of the Wildso popular. There are some aspects ofWind Wakerthat can be seen as prototypes for more fully realized features inBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdomthat a remake could expand on.
The main draw ofWind Wakeris the ability to explore the Great Sea while riding on theKing of Red Lionswith minimal restrictions on where the player can and can’t go. Although the main quest dungeons have to be completed in somewhat of a defined order, the Great Sea boasts many side areas and hidden secrets that player can discover just by sailing around the map.Tears of the Kingdomups the ante with an even bigger map and tons of hidden activities that utilize the game’s main mechanics, and aWind Wakerremake could similarly expand its map and rework some of its puzzles accordingly.
One of the main criticisms of the originalWind Wakeraside from its visual design was its Triforce Shard collection quest that forced players to collect and decipher maps that pointed to the pieces of the Triforce hidden through the Great Sea. While this mission was improved in the Wii U remaster of the game, an even better approach to the quest could be to treat it like a main quest fromTears of the Kingdomwhere the player can acquire it early on and naturally discover pieces simply by exploring and utilizing hints given throughout the environment. This approach would remove some of the pacing issues of the original game by leaning on asuccessful design fromTears of the Kingdom.
While the original andremastered versions ofWind Wakerhold up surprisingly well, a remake that incorporates design elements from the series' recent open-world outings would take it to the next level. Going this route would help iron out some of the flaws in originalWind Wakerwhile also giving fans a new way to play. Given the ways in whichWind Wakerset the stage forBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdomto shine, it only seems natural that a remake like this would bring the series full-circle.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomis available for Nintendo Switch.
MORE:Why Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s Spirit Temple Quest May Be the Future of Zelda Dungeons
