Summary
- A new mod for The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is removing the Great Sea from the game.
- The mod re-imagines the world of The Wind Waker without the vast open waters of the Great Sea, taking inspirations from fan maps of the Hyrule beneath its waters.
- The Great Sea and the cartoon-style graphics of Wind Waker were divisive among fans on launch, but the game is now considered one of the franchise's best entries.
A new mod for The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is removing one of the game's most iconic features, draining the Great Sea and removing the game's water. The initial launch of the GameCube's first Zelda game saw a significantly different version of the beloved franchise than fans were expecting. Replacing the iconic kingdom of Hyrule was the vast openness of the Great Sea, tasking players with traversing the oceans of a flooded kingdom of Hyrule. Now, one fan creation is looking to reverse the flooding process within the game.
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker's Great Sea serves as one of the biggest factors that sets the game apart from its Zelda counterparts. Whereas most games in the Zelda franchise feature players travelling throughout the kingdom of Hyrule, the story of The Wind Waker takes place a century after Ocarina of Time, featuring a flooded Hyrule. Players are now tasked with navigating the Great Sea, riding atop the talking King of Red Lions boat, visiting the various islands and helping their inhabitants along the way. Now, however, the Great Sea is being drained in a new Wind Waker mod.
The project, referred to as Wind Waker: Unflooded, re-imagines the world of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker without the sprawling ocean of the Great Sea. The massive undertaking looks to re-create the world lost beneath The Wind Waker's Great Sea, taking inspiration from fan maps of The Wind Waker's version of Hyrule. The base game of The Wind Waker only briefly features the underwater version of Hyrule, visiting Hyrule Castle and Ganon's Tower. The project's team also confirms the 3D modeling to be roughly 45% finished.
Zelda: The Wind Waker Mod Removing The Great Sea
Wind Waker: Unflooded's new take on the world of The Wind Waker comes as the game served as one of the franchise's most divisive entries on launch. Many fans were critical of the game for its cel-shaded cartoony style, serving as a stark contrast from the more realistic artstyles of Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. The Great Sea was also a point of conflict for some fans, with many feeling the game's world contained too much unfilled open space.
The Zelda franchise has a long history of creative mods with fans expressing their love for the series through fantastic creations. The series has often seen mods looking to change core gameplay mechanics, including putting Tears of the Kingdom into a first-person perspective and adding multiplayer to Breath of the Wild. Fans have even brought over elements from other franchises, like adding Pokemon's Miraidon to Breath of the Wild. Wind Waker: Unflooded serves as another tribute to one of gaming's most beloved franchises.
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
- Released
- March 24, 2003
WHERE TO PLAY
This epic Legend of Zelda adventure begins with our hero in the midst of a family crisis. Link's peaceful life on a tiny island is shattered one fateful day when his beloved sister is snatched by a huge, menacing bird. Naturally, the sword and shield-wielding hero follows in hot pursuit. His search sets in motion an epic adventure across strange lands and high seas, as Link searches for clues to his sister's whereabouts. Featuring a unique animation style, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker expands on the revolutionary gameplay seen in Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask for Nintendo 64, offering a distinctive Legend of Zelda experience. You'll see characters' expressions change as they laugh, cry, or show anger and surprise, with a variety of lively actions bringing them to life. Plus, Link's world has never seemed so atmospheric. Amazing effects like flickering fire, shadows and smoke make you feel even closer to the action. Naturally, the great Zelda gameplay is at The Wind Waker's core. Link can slash with his sword (including a mighty spin attack), deflect blows with his shield, swing across gaps, and pick up weapons that his enemies have dropped. Additionally, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker features the incredibly intuitive control system that Zelda gamers have come to expect from the beloved series.
- ESRB
- E For Everyone
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo EAD
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo
- Franchise
- The Legend of Zelda
- Platform(s)
- GameCube
