Well last night surprised me a bit. I booted up my Wii for the first time since I started the Metroid Prime Trilogy and picked up a recent-ish Ocarina of Time save. That didn’t surprise me. I planned to do that. It was the moments after. Now don’t get me wrong, Ocarina didn’t seem like any less of a powerful experience. Nostalgia still filled my veins as I stepped out of the Temple of Time to foreboding silence. And although the Fire Temple was next and it’s probably one of my least favourite dungeons (although I still like it), I still had a strong desire and genuine excitement to play it. However, a very strange feeling crept over me. I wanted to play Wind Waker.
Now – I like Wind Waker. I beat it and had a good time with it. I really only speak ill of it in relation to other Zelda games, and I think the art style is fantastic, but when all is said and done, I don’t often reflect on it fondly. So it’s a little bizarre that I had an overwhelming desire to play it. But – I thought – why not capitalize on this desire? We’ll likely have an Ocarina of Time Week some time or another, so I should save the N64 classic for then. So I popped Wind Waker into my Wii, said “yes” to progressive scan mode, and played all the way up to Windfall Island. It was easily the best time I’ve had with the game. Perhaps it was because I knew what to expect, or perhaps it was because I didn’t anticipate being particularly overwhelmed, but I had a blast romping around the world and progressing through the cute story. I still don’t think it has the thematic weight of Ocarina nor the twisted deep mood of Majora’s Mask, and I still think that Forbidden Fortress bit at the beginning kinda stinks, but the game really is a lot of fun. Also, it still looks great after all this time, even in 4:3. I’m actually excited to go home and play more tonight. But more Impressions 2.0 later. For now, I need to re-instate my epic proverb. No words will change, but there will be a small correction to the legend.
“When life takes away your lemons, play Ocarina of Time.”
(refer to legend below to fully understand)
Tags: Lemons, proverbs, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I enjoyed Wind Waker. Granted, it’s the only Zelda game I’ve ever played, but I had a lot of fun with pretty much everything in the game that wasn’t the excruciatingly long sailing sequences.