Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (Preview)
Link reconnects with the latest Zelda adventure.
By Suzie Vee

When you’ve got a track record as long and successful as the Zelda franchise, any new installment is bound to be carefully scrutinized. This is especially the case when the series takes on a whole new look--as happened when the new cartoon-style characters in Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker were revealed last year.

Long-time fans were afraid that the increasingly mature gameplay of N64 titles like Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask would be lost, now that the art direction had taken a distinctly Disney-esque turn.

But Link-heads should have no fear--the adventure game looks and plays nicely, judging from the small snippets we’ve sampled. The stylized graphics look smooth and colorful, just one more example of GameCube games pushing the console's hardware to new realms of creativity.

If you’re new to the world of Zelda, don’t worry – Wind Waker isn’t a direct sequel. Instead of taking on the role of the original Link, you’re a young member of a tribe who becomes the “new Link” by virtue of your adventures. As to where the mysterious Princess Zelda herself fits into all of this, we’ll have to wait and see.

The gameplay centers on a mix of exploration, puzzle solving and combat. The world is large and non-linear enough to encourage exploration but the game promises a strong enough plot to keep you moving along at a good clip.

Wind Waker also adds a new eclectic cast of characters to the game, giving you plenty of opportunities to find quests and missions to complete. You’ll travel from island to island on your boat (a nice addition to the series) and venture through dungeons while battling huge bosses to collect items and make your way through the over-arching plot.

One of the cooler aspects that we have yet to try for ourselves, is the Game Boy Advance hookup. When you connect your GBA to the GameCube, a second player will be able to use the GBA to control Tingle, a fairy character introduced in Majora's Mask.

We’re not sure how useful the second character will be in the actual game, but it certainly adds another layer to the increasingly interesting fusion of GameCube and GBA elements.

In the meantime, enjoy these screens of the Wind Waker. The game is set for release on March 24, 2003.