The Legend of Zelda Wind Waker Wii U: Next-Gen Console's HD Graphics Make Game 'More Appealing'
The Legend of Zelda Wind Waker HD for the Wii U was produced in six months, an interview with the game's producer revealed.
Eiji Aonuma told 4Gamer that the remake of the Gamecube classic had a quick turn around time, but still had its unique challenges.
"You had to consider the difference in hardware at the time. Additionally, there is a technique known as toon shading, which gives the game a very animated look," he said. "At that time, the technique was established but had not been used before by our staff. Everyone had to do everything by hand."
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Aonuma said he had the opportunity to remake Zelda games: Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword, or Wind Waker in HD, but ultimately chose Wind Waker because it made the biggest difference.
"An HD version of Wind Waker, on the other hand, felt completely different. With the original, we aimed to create something you can almost touch. With the HD version, we are able to make it even more appealing," he revealed.
He said in the interview that every time Nintendo releases a new console they look back to see if an update of older games would be a good fit for the new hardware.
"When we released the Wii U, when we decided that we would work on a new Zelda game, we looked back on the old games and wanted to verify what a remake would be like," he explained. "In fact, I do this every time new hardware is release. Using pre-existing models and textures, we wondered, 'How would it display using the Wii U's HD features?'"
The game looks sort of like a cartoon or comic book because of the cel-shaded graphics. Many people wrote the game off because of this, but critics rated it as a genuinely classic and great game.
Mechanically there were a few flaws throughout the game, but the new updated version corrects virtually everything and makes this game even better than the original version.
Visually the already stunning game now has beefed up colors, lighting, and shading.
Wind Waker is also playable on the Gamepad alone, although the TV version with the gamepad is best because the controller acts as the map and menu instead of pausing the game to sort through different options.
Other features include Hero Mode, which is basically a higher difficulty mode, and the very cool Tingle Bottles.
Tingle Bottles allow the gamer to ask for help from the Miiverse while within the game. Link then throws the bottle in the ocean and people can answer your problems without ever even leaving the game.
Wind Waker HD is helping the Wii U push out more copies by enticing people with an enticing bundle and game.
For people who never experienced the game before, it will be their "first time that they'll discover Wind Waker and we're treating the game as a triple-A new release," product manager Roger Langford told MCV.
The Wind Waker bundle is retailing for $299.99, and includes: a decorated Legend of Zelda inspired Gamepad featuring designs and lettering from the game, a digital download code for The Legend of Zelda Hyrule Historia, a digital download code for the game in the eShop, and a collective Legend of Zelda-themed box.
