User Summary:
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is an action-adventure game and the tenth installment in The Legend of Zelda series.
Noted for its use of cel shading, 'The Wind Waker' was something of a departure for Nintendo from the roots of its beloved series. For instance, though the hero of the game is named Link, it later devolves that the young boy you control throughout the game is NOT the same Link who was the protagonist for all prior games in the series (up through The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask). Instead, this young boy is the inhabitant of a realm separated from Hyrule by "generations". The "Hero of Time" (the original Link) has become the stuff of legend, and local tradition has it that boys are clothed in green after his fashion when they come of age.
Through a series of events in which Link's sister Aryll is kidnapped by a giant bird searching for girls with a certain look, Link takes to the "Great Sea" (at Grandma's behest) to rescue her.
This marks the second large departure for The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker; instead of taking place on a sprawling, open map in which all the areas are connected, 'The Wind Waker' takes place primarily on a series of sparsely inhabited islands strewn about the Great Sea. In consequence, boat travel and exploration (as well as marine salvage) take center stage for much of the game.
What follows is an adventure that is every bit as grand as the Zelda name has come to represent. The familiar sword-and-item action is ever present, and the series' famous puzzles (focusing on the environmental type, in this installment) are everywhere, challenging players to overcome the odds and the obstacles if they wish to win through to the final fight...against a familiar foe.