The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

If I don't count Majora's Mask (since I never beat it as a kid, which means I clearly wasn't paying attention to the back-in-time mechanic that's clearly spelled out for you), then Wind Waker is my first proper Zelda game, and I always hold it as such. And despite the skepticism it received back when it first came out, I loved the cel-shaded, cartoony look that the game had going for it.

When I first got this game, it was part of a "Zelda Bundle" that was being advertised by Nintendo Power at the time. If I subscribed to Nintendo Power with the card that I had, I would also receive the following as well: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, the strategy guide for the game, and the Ocarina of Time GameCube disc, which also included Master Quest and was my first exposure to Ocarina of Time, as I hadn't even heard of it during the Nintendo 64 days, strangely.

I always have fun when I come back to this game. It's typically the same formula for me, just going through the game as normal, grabbing the Pictobox as soon as I can, getting the Deluxe version as soon as I can, and working on figurines as I play through the game. Once I complete the Forsaken Fortress, I take the time to start exploring everywhere I can possibly go to with what tools I have. If I can't do anything else, I'll come back after obtaining the items from the Earth and Wind Temples.

Honestly I can spend hours just sailing the sea from island to island, mapping out my sea chart with the help of Fishman and always having a ton of bait, hunting for Heart Pieces and Rupees as I travel the sea. This game has a nice place in my heart for just how memorable it is and how much fun I have just playing it.

Here's a fun little thing that happened once. Do you remember the theme that plays while you're out sailing the Great Sea? One year, in high school, for 9/11, at the end of the morning announcements, they had one of those "Never forget" pictures for 9/11 (It was a minimalistic image of the towers, with "9/11, Never Forget" under it) and the music that started playing was the Great Sea music! I'm serious, I could recognize that tune anywhere! I thought that was pretty silly, but also cool.

But anyways, that's enough for now, I could go on for a while. But I love this game, a lot. I love Zelda as a whole but this game gets a pretty high spot, honestly. Thanks so much for reading, and I will see you again soon with another Zelda game.

Have a nice day!~