When I logged onto the Game Informer website late last night and saw that Nintendo had announced a HD Remake of The Legend of Zelda the Wind Waker, I shouted with joy at my screen. I had predicted a few months ago that Wind Waker, my favorite game of all time and the one that introduced me to Zelda, would eventually see an HD rerelease on the Wii U. That it ended up being announced so soon into the console's lifespan caught me completely by surprise. As astounding as this announcement was, however, the route Nintendo is taking with the game is perhaps even more so.
When Nintendo announced the Wii U in 2011, they showed the world what an HD Zelda would look like. Their Zelda tech demo gave us a teaser of what a game would like using a HD remastered version of Twilight Princesses' semi-realistic art style. Wind Waker HD seems to be following a similar directive. Instead of simply bumping up the resolution of the game's original graphics, Nintendo has completely remade them.
Nintendo Wii U Version
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Nintendo GameCube Version
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This was not what I had in mind when fantasying my beloved Wind Waker in HD. For years my hope for a HD rerelease had been based on screens of the original graphics enhanced with an HD resolution. Using a Dolphin Emulator, which allows you to play GameCube and Wii games on a PC, Wind Waker's original minimalistic art style truly shines through in 1080p.
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These upscaled screens show how charming and whimsical Wind Waker's original graphics are and how amazing the game would look with only a simple upgrade in resolution. Suddenly I feel torn between what I had hoped for in an HD edition of Wind Waker and the style Nintendo has chosen to pursue.
What I miss the most from the screens of Wind Waker HD released so far are the bright colors. Wind Waker HD's color palette appears to be far more subdued and faded. Perhaps the most striking change is to the water, which has gone from a deep expressive blue to a far lighter shade.
A further difference is the lighting direction. The overly bright sunlight gives the visuals a washed out look. Everything, especially buildings in the distance, is bathed in it, reminiscent of the most recent Zelda title released by Nintendo, Skyward Sword. As much as I enjoyed Skyward Sword, I didn't find its watercolor visuals to be nearly as appealing as Wind Waker's cell shaded style.
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While I feel slightly miffed on the environmental retextures shown so far, I can't fault Nintendo on the upgraded character models. Their smoothly rendered detailing gives them the look of miniature figurines and I'm happy to see that their faces remain expressive and full of personality. Toon Link in particular is even more adorable than he used to be. His appearance, in fact, reminds me of his depiction in Super Smash Bros Brawl.
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I can't think of any other game in existence that I feel more strongly about than Wind Waker. Because of this, it is natural that I'm going to end up critiquing any deviation from the original game that Nintendo makes with this remake. That's just how nostalgia works when mixed with a healthy dose of passion.
I definitely understand why Nintendo decided on a radical art redesign for this rerelease. Having completely new, state-of-the art visuals will create far more excitement and impact than a simple upgrade in resolution would have accomplished. It's heartening see Nintendo devoting such attention and resources to remastering Wind Waker.
Hopefully my initial reaction here ends up being extreme in hindsight and that Wind Waker amazing qualities will be successfully translated to the HD era. All I do know for sure is that I desperately need to start saving up for a Wii U, pronto.
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