The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker was a controversial release for its time, though it seems that the passage of time has softened fan perception. The cel-shaded, cartoon style wasn't widely embraced, with many fans feeling betrayed after that promising Spaceworld demo. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess did a good job of satisfying fans that wanted a more traditional and realistic Zelda game, but a recent interview with Eiji Aonuma revealed that there could've very easily been a Wind Waker 2.
The Legend of Zelda: Art and Artifacts – something of a follow up to Hyrule Histoia, and due out in the West next year – recently launched in Japan and contains a discussion between Aonuma and artist Satoru Takizawa. It seems Twilight Princess began as Wind Waker 2, which would've been more land based and featured Toon Link riding a horse. However, the team abandoned the concept when they ran into problems with Toon Link being too short to ride on horseback and an adult Link being too bizarre a choice for the cel-shaded style. This, combined with an increased demand for an Ocarina of Time-like Zelda, made them change course. Here's the excerpt, courtesy of Nintendo Everything:
Takizawa: Wind Waker 2 would have taken place in a more land-based setting, rather than on the sea, so that we could have Link gallop across the land on a horse. But Link's proportions in Wind Waker weren't very well suited for riding on horseback, he was too short, and an adult version of Toon Link did not seem appropriate either. So, while we were stuck on those problems, we became aware of the greater demand for a more realistic, taller Link. High-budget live-action fantasy movies were also huge at the time, so with all things considered, we decided to have at it. I was on board with the project as art director, and started off by bringing [Yusuke] Nakano on to do the design for Link.
Of course, Wind Waker did eventually receive a sequel with The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, but it would've been interesting to have seen a full fledged console release.
What do you think? Would you like to have seen a full fledged Wind Waker sequel? Do you think Breath of the Wild has the potential to fulfill that? Drop us a comment in the section below.
[source nintendoeverything.com]
Comments 45
I'll choose Wind Waker over Twilight Princess or any other Zelda game.
"Toon Link being too short to ride on horseback"
They could of made Toon Link ride a Shetland Pony named Epony.
Don't get too self-righteous, Wind Waker fans — Breath of the Wild is already The Wind Waker 2. And I'm not talking about the timeline.
I cannot understand how anyone would have looked at Wind Waker and not be completely amazed at how good it looked back when it was announced. I remember seeing that first trailer, it was the definition of mind blowing to me.
@nab1 obviously Splinter Cell and GTA 3 looked better back then because, you know, they were grown up and looked 'realistic'. And had guns. Just look at how well they've aged. Oh, wait a sec......
@nab1 The problem a lot of people had at the time was it wasn't a realistic looking Zelda game like the Space World teaser showed and the N64 games were. Of course many would agree now that Windwaker stills looks amazing on the GameCube and after seeing games like Twilight Princess age quite a bit in less anounts of time in the end shows the power of Windwaker's art style.
Wind Waker was my favorite Zelda, I'm really hoping Breath of the Wild echoes some of its sentiments. From what I played, it definitely has that element of open ended freedom to it that the later console games dialed back.
When I first saw Wind Waker I was disappointed by the cartoon look since I was expecting something else due to the tech demo. However when I finally bought it I kind of forgave the graphics. The major problem with the game was that it was simply boring with long sail segments, easy dungeons and bad story.
"...but a recent interview with Eiji Aonuma revealed that there could've very easily been a Wind Waker 2"
=
I'm crying on the floor right now... I think I would have preferred not reading that, as I would have loved a WW2 so much... And now even more !
But I agree that BotW seems to have inherited some of WW spirit... Even if IMO it's closer to SS in terms of graphical rendering.
This will give people an excuse to damn Nintendo for not making Wind Waker 2...
Pretty sure I read about this years ago... probably in an interview about TP around the time it came out.
Personally, I think a Wind Waker sequel would still need ocean travel... but building a major game around that again would be kind of stale, so a minor game was probably the right choice at the time with Phantom Hourglass (although it was let down a bit by having to repeatedly re-visit the main dungeon). Spirit Tracks didn't seem as much like a sequel to me because it was purely on land... but I think there is space in between for them to add a proper Wind Waker sequel that could bridge the gap.
Perhaps one set in a coastal area of New Hyrule when they're still establishing settlements there, so that you could both go out to sea to explore islands, and go inland on horseback... including both in one game probably wasn't an option before due to the various limitations of technology, but they could probably do it now without too much trouble.
@nab1 Are u old enough to remember the original announcement and what the gaming industry was going through at the time? In retrospect, no big deal. But when I think back on what was going on back then, I can understand Zelda fans disappointment, although I was never against the release of the game. I thought it was stunning from the get go.
I could see toon link on a horse, just make it a small one. I think some of the ideas ended up in phantom hourglass (technically WW 2).
Link was too short to ride a horse? I though it looked okay in Majora's Mask, but I digres...
I love Wind Waker, it's my favorite Zelda title.
I was about to say I wish this game was made, but Breath of the Wild is pretty much this and more, I think.
Wind Waker really did a good job filling me with a sense of wonder as I set sail on the open seas. Who knew what the next island would contain? Phantom Hourglass was a fantastic handheld sequel, with some of the best use of the DS's extra functions contained in any game. If you haven't played it. Go get it.
Losing out on a console sequel to it in favor of Twilight Princess pains me. I have been playing this series from the very first game, and TP is the only Zelda I don't really like.
@nab1 The spaceworld demo spoiled hype for a lot of people. Plus you have to look a the mentality of kids at the time. Gritty, "realistic" games are still in for a reason. I say this as I chastise my younger self who boycotted windwaker originally because it didn't look like the spaceworld demo. I eventually got the game but I will say that windwaker broke me of my graphics obsession. Which is why I am pretty meh about graphics now. "Is it fun? Is it well designed? Is the story coherent?" Those are the questions I ask now.
@chiefeagle02 oot kid link and ww kid link have different proportions. I'm not saying they couldn't make it work, but I get why they were concerned about it.
They could go back and finish Wind Waker 1 first. Such a shame the HD update never added a directors cut with the missing dungeons. They could have even made them amiibo DLC, Like the AC update.
I liked the WW art style, but I don't think they should use it again for quite a while. Maybe in a few years, but I think if they used it now, it would be too soon.
I don't think they made the wrong decision in going for Twilight Princess (apart from the fact it would have been quicker to re-use the WW assets). For me, the real shame is that the chance for Wind Waker 2 was "wasted" in the form of Phantom Hourglass - a decent game, but not one that in any way lives up to the potential of a Wind Waker sequel.
Personally, I still think they should continue the Wind Waker series. Until then, Breath of the Wild looks like a brilliant way to fill the gap.
I think it would be really cool if they showed snippets or concept art (depending on how far the game made it into development) of WW2. Phantom Hourglass wasn't a bad sequel, but I wonder what a full-fledged TV console version would have looked like.
Apparently I'm one of the few who DIDN'T mind the train in Spirit Tracks.
@Rontanamo_Bay I don;t know. I think it was more than a vocal minority. I remember many being, if not mad or disappointed, confused at least. That Space World demo had everyone's hopes up and for good reason. It seemed like the next step from OoT/MM and then Wind Waker. I was more amazed that Nintendo had the cajones to just buck expectations.
I was honestly never bothered by Wind Waker's art style. When I saw the first reveal trailer I was excited by what looked like an attempt to take the 2D graphics of A Link to the Past and translate them into 3D. Plus I love Jet Set Radio, so more cel shaded games was alright in my book.
Of course where Wind Waker really let things down was in the lack of content/dungeons in the game. When the HD version was released on the Wii U, I was also playing Ocarina of Time's Master Quest on the 3DS and it couldn't have been more clear playing them contemporaneously that Wind Waker just had fewer dungeons, fewer hub areas and fewer side quests.
Wind Waker started off really strongly, it's just a shame it seemed to have only half the content of Ocarina of Time. So many GC games from that era were compromised by Nintendo rushing them...
On the issue of Wind Waker's graphics when it came out, I think it was easier to be unimpressed from screenshots. I found the visuals very impressive when the game was in motion on my TV.
Well I wouldn't have endured another sea-sailing-torture anyway.
Yeah, "WW2" was doomed from the beginning after the backlash on WW, so TP had no choice but to be a return to the much beloved, adult, landlubber-ing, OoT form to make the masses happy, yet, a lot of people I knew seemed to be "meh" toward TP when it came out... Shrugs. That was then. Nowadays, it seems everyone grew to appreciate both games for their own merits which is good. What was also good is that Wind Waker follow ups still continued, they just jumped platform and scale for both Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks.
@Ryu_Niiyama Fair enough, but for me at the time the animation quality and the graphics as a whole in Wind Waker always looked way better to me than the spaceworld "demo" (really, it was just a pre-rendered video). It was like watching a cartoon, like The Secret of the NIMH. It was soo good. Yet it seemed nobody liked it at the time. Same thing with the Gamecube itself. I always thought it was one of Nintendo's better looking consoles, I think the Apple cube was released at around the same time, and to me that's what the GCN resembled, yet people complained it looked like a fisher price toy. I've felt like an gaming-outcast ever since
@BulkSlash Totally agree, my only disappointment with Wind Waker is that it's clearly missing 3 dungeons (1 for the 3rd pearl, 2 elemental/east/west). It's distracting even. Ever since I much rather preferred to get a delayed better game, than a sooner rushed one, and that holds true for me for BotW.
@outsider83 Sadly, yes, I am old enough I even remember making a Link sculpture in high school for an art class, around the time Ocarina of Time was released
In all fairness, wind waker, as we've come to expect now, was already seriously delayed. So no wonder a lot of content didn't make the cut.
I remember thinking pictures in magazines looked meh. But then I got a DVD with a magazine showing off the early footage of it. (Had to watch on my mates PS2 cos we didn't have a player haha). I was amazed just watching the video. And the game itself has aged so well that I could hardly see the point of an HD remake.
P.S. loved the train in spirit tracks so much! That was the true sequel I think.
Wind Waker is a fantastic game, but...
Twilight Princess for life!
Who's with me?!
@nab1
You mean the Power Mac G4 Cube?
I still think that thing looks great. What a good design, as well. I mean look at it.
Flawless systems... Absolutely flawless... What a damn shame they ended as failed machines... What a damn shame...
@iGen YES!! I'll still have it in my bucket list to buy one of those g4 Cubes, for no other reason than to look at it
@nab1
That sounds like a great idea! I might actually buy a gutted one to maybe use as a tissue dispenser or something, it would be really cool to have that piece of Apple in my room. It would be great.
Anyway, go for it!
@nab1 Oh I agree that the game is beautiful (and it aged wonderfully) but I remember both the backlash of "Celda" and how I felt at the time. People had a lot of knee jerk reactions.
Personally, I feel like in its tone, WW is one of the darker zelda games, but you don't notice it quite so much because the world is so bright and colorful.
I always looked at SKYWARD SWORD as a successor to WINDWAKER. The painted art style, the sky being like an ocean you had to traverse, and eve your mount looked very similar to your ship in WINDWAKER...
I'm going to burn the sacred cow here, but I'm so glad they did away with Toon Link. I love the game's design, setting, and the amazing story; but Toon Link? He's an abomination. Such short, stubby legs and arms; and those oversized eyes!! WTF!?!? And don't get me started on the Darknuts, a dog??? Really!?!? Looks like they grabbed Jonny Bravo's body and changed his head for a Doberman.
Eiji Aonuma is obsessed with cartoon art (Wind Waker, Skyward Sword, Breath of the Wild). The only reason why we got TP is because a lot of people, including myself, felt disappointed by WW after being shown the GCN's tech demo. I remember reading that Aonuma said that he was so surprised by the crowd's reaction of the unveiling of TP. He couldn't understand why people liked it better than WW. Duh!!!
@KiWiiU_Freek Take a bow.
@Baker1000
Thank-you
I try.
That could have been soooo cool! In my opinion they should still do a land-based Windwaker sequel someday. Maybe on Switch?
@KiWiiU_Freek pony for what? The game is almost only water! If you mean a seahorse then it's a different story
@Alucard83
I was commenting on what the article actually said:
"It seems Twilight Princess began as Wind Waker 2, which would've been more land based and featured Toon Link riding a horse."
So yes Epony, or if you like Aqua Epony.
I'm pretty sure that Breath of the wild IS wind waker 2. By my investigation, (judging by and working off of what we know from Hyrule hystoria), this game should come sometime after wind waker, whether it comes after wind waker or if it comes after spirit tracks are two different matters, though I believe it comes after spirit tracks, some time after malladus.
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