The History

Nintendo's Zelda ad from E3 2002.

"The legend is reborn," proclaimed a clever Nintendo E3 2002 advertisement showing a young, heroic Link sailing across turbulent waters. The scene in the ad was somewhat indicative of Shigeru Miyamoto's artistic voyage with this Zelda game, as the veteran developer had to brave a violent sea of criticism during the game's development. Still, it wasn't all rough sailing for Miyamoto.

Space World 2000 gave gamers worldwide their first look at the GameCube, as well as sneak peeks at the system's future games. Among the several titles showcased was a short demo of a mature Link battling archenemy Ganondorf inside a large and beautifully lit castle. The presentation was stunning, and gamers everywhere seemed pleased with Link's appearance and the direction the series appeared to be headed in. One year later, Miyamoto pulled the rug out from under Zelda fans.

Link and Ganondorf lock swords in the Space World 2000 tech demo.

Ganondorf cracks a smile while imagining Link as a cel-shaded tyke.

During a pre-Space World 2001 conference, Miyamoto showed the gaming media a shocking new video of Link's GameCube outing. In the video, a bratty, cel-shaded Link was seen adventuring and battling in a cartoonish world. This video was dramatically different from the one shown at the previous Space World. To some gamers, the new footage was devastating--Link had been transformed into a child, and The Legend of Zelda had become "The Legend of Celda." Many Zelda fanatics were outraged and immediately channeled their anger into online message boards and petitions.

Before.

After.

The game's strong showing at E3 2002 helped quiet some of the naysayers and reassure longtime Zelda fans that Miyamoto had not lost his touch--or his marbles. E3 attendees were treated to the game's playable debut, which featured stylish graphics, rich audio, and solid gameplay. Later in the year, a new subtitle was announced: The Wind Waker. Gamers slowly began to warm up to the new concept for the game, and by the time The Wind Waker was released in March 2003, concern had given way to fevered anticipation, and droves of Zelda fans swooped down upon retail outlets to scoop up their own copy of the game.

Whoa, time to mow the lawn.

Note Link's facial expression as he pushes a heavy crate.

Hey, sailor!

The Wind Waker made good on its promises, giving gamers a newly imagined, cartoonlike vision of Hyrule that they'd never seen before. The gameplay was quite similar to the model developed by Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, but the aesthetic style of the game was entirely unique. The biggest surprise about The Wind Waker was its integration of sailing and other aquatic activities into the core of the gameplay. The Wind Waker was a truly unique game in the Zelda series and one that will be remembered for years to come.

Nintendo also scored serious points with gamers when it distributed a bonus disc to those who preordered the game. Amazingly, this disc contained both the original Ocarina of Time and its aborted Ura version, retitled the Master Quest. This double dose of Zelda put gamers in high spirits and refreshed their memory in the month leading up to The Wind Waker's release.