The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD |
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European cover art
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| Developer(s) | Nintendo EAD |
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
| Director(s) | Daiki Iwamoto |
| Producer(s) | Eiji Aonuma |
| Programmer(s) | Kenji Higashiyama |
| Artist(s) | Satoru Takizawa |
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| Series | The Legend of Zelda |
| Platform(s) | Wii U |
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| Genre(s) | Action-adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD is an exciting action-adventure game released in 2013 for the Wii U console. It was created by Nintendo. This game is a new and improved version of the classic 2002 game, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, which was originally on the GameCube.
The Wind Waker HD looks much better with its updated graphics, including a super clear 1080p resolution. It also has a new way of showing light and shadows, making the world look even more amazing. Plus, there are some cool changes to how you play the game! This was also the very first Legend of Zelda game to come out on the Wii U.
Contents
How to Play: Gameplay Basics
The way you play The Wind Waker HD is mostly the same as the original Wind Waker on the GameCube. However, this new version has better graphics and some fun new features that weren't in the old game.
Using the Wii U GamePad
The Wii U GamePad is a special controller with a screen. In this game, its screen shows you the map and your inventory (where you keep your items). This means you don't have to stop playing to check your map or switch items, which is super handy!
You can also use the GamePad's motion controls to wave the Wind Waker, a magical baton that controls the wind. For some weapons, like the bow, you can aim by tilting the GamePad, just like in Ocarina of Time 3D. If you want, you can even play the whole game just on the GamePad screen, without needing the TV, thanks to a feature called Off-TV Play. You can also play with a Wii U Pro Controller, which feels similar to the original GameCube controller.
New Items and Social Features
The original Wind Waker had an item called the Tingle Tuner, which connected to a Game Boy Advance. In The Wind Waker HD, this has been replaced with the Tingle Bottle. With the Tingle Bottle, you can send messages to other players in the game's Miiverse community if you need help. Other players can then send you hints back!
You can also use an item called the Picto Box to take pictures in the game, including self-portraits of Link. You can even make Link show happy, sad, or surprised faces in his selfies! After taking pictures, you can share them on Miiverse for other players to see.
Faster Sailing and Quests
The game developers made some parts of the game quicker and more fun. For example, after you finish the Dragon Roost Cavern dungeon, you can buy a special item called the Swift Sail. This sail is only in The Wind Waker HD and makes your boat go 50% faster than the regular sail. The Swift Sail also automatically changes the wind direction for you, so you can always sail at full speed without having to do it yourself. This makes exploring the ocean much more enjoyable!
Other actions are also faster. For instance, when you use the Grappling Hook to pull up treasure, the crane is shorter, so it takes less time.
The Wind Waker HD also makes the Triforce Quest easier. In the original game, you had to find many special maps to locate pieces of the Triforce. In this new version, you can find five pieces of the Triforce of Courage directly in treasure chests. You only need to find three special maps to find the other hidden pieces under the Great Sea. Also, right from the start of the game, you can carry 500 rupees (the game's money) instead of just 200.
Hero Mode: A Challenge for Experts
If you're looking for a bigger challenge, The Wind Waker HD has a Hero Mode. This special difficulty setting first appeared in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword in 2011. In Hero Mode, enemies hit Link twice as hard, and you won't find any hearts in the game world to heal yourself. You can turn Hero Mode on or off whenever you start the game.
How the Game Was Made: Development
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On January 23, 2013, Nintendo announced that a high-definition version of The Wind Waker was coming to the Wii U. This happened because the team was trying out different art styles for the next main Zelda game, which was also being made for the Wii U. They also tried making HD versions of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword. But the team felt that The Wind Waker's cartoon-like visuals looked the best when updated to HD.
The Wind Waker HD was developed in just six months! The music was updated by Kenta Nagata, Hajime Wakai, Asuka Hayazaki, and Atsuko Asahi. Most of the game was made by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development (EAD), but some other companies helped create the high-resolution textures.
Release Information
A special bundle was released on September 20, 2013, in North America. This bundle included a Wii U console and a digital version of the game. The black console had a cool golden Hylian Crest and golden symbols from The Wind Waker on its GamePad. The bundle also came with a code to get a digital copy of The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia, a book about the Zelda series. You could also get a special Ganondorf figurine if you bought a special edition of the game only from GameStop.
The Wind Waker HD first came out digitally on the North American Nintendo eShop on September 20, 2013. Then, the physical game was released in Japan on September 26, 2013. It came out in Europe and North America on October 4, 2013, and in Australia on October 5, 2013.
Images for kids
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European cover art
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Eiji Aonuma, who helped make the original game and produced this new version, at E3 2013.
