Let's replay LOZ Wind Waker!

I'd like to modify my closed thread but I can't seem to edit the title. Here's a new thread for GCN party people.

This is my fourth time through the game, but my first replay in 5 years. The game has aged terrifically, it looks, sounds, and controls wonderfully. I was a fan of Celda from the start simply for the range of expression it gave Link, and that observation holds. Graphic bells and whistles are nice, but for me GCN-level graphics are about all I need out of a game.

Since the last time I played WW, my perspective on the sailing softened, to the extent that I even became wistful about it in spite of people exclaiming, "OMG SAILING SUX." I've realized on this replay that a lot of that nostalgia had to do with the sailing music -- that tune really goes a long way. I'm glad I'm replaying WW, as it's a reminder that the sailing -- as a means of world exploration/trial and error -- is indeed monotonous. Conduct the wind, set sail, feed fish, explore, maybe grapple for treasure, rinse, repeat. It gets old.

It's fun, though, all the things you can not only see but DO so early into the game. I've only beaten the Dragon Roost dungeon and the Forest dungeon, and I've gone to see the big whale with the pearl (which is a bummer, that's a clear shortcut where a dungeon was most likely originally planned). That's not much IIRC, and even with that little bit of progression through the story, I've had the freedom to do a lot of exploring and expand my wallet/bombs twice over, grab another bottle, and get tons of heart pieces.

That's one of the strengths of this Zelda (IMO), from basically the start you can not only explore areas, you can get some upgrades here and there without constantly finding out you'll have to backtrack to unlock something once you get a new weapon. Sure, there's lots to come back to later on once I've got arrows, hookshot (maybe?), etc., but it's nice not to feel like everything requires that I double back.

I'm still exploring the sea overworld ahead of the dungeon that comes when you put all three pearls in place. I've found a lot of hearts, uncovered a lot of secrets, done a lot of treasure hunting.

Again, it's fun at times, a little repetitive in others. I wonder if it wouldn't have been a good idea to include a larger island in the game that could have been a mini-overworld for exploration. It could have spanned multiple sectors on the sea chart. That way you get to do lots of overworld exploring on foot and in boat. Just an idea.

I'm going to head into the next dungeon now. I think. I've got more than enough hearts, but I'm currently at 3 heart pieces. I always want that fourth, it's impossible to just get heart pieces one at a time. I always wonder, what if that extra heart would save me? before heading into a dungeon. We'll see, I'm sure I left a heart piece on the table somewhere.

So I've reached stagnation. I went back to the Fortress to defeat Shadow Ganon and get me a hammer. I found a few triforce maps after that. It's a combination of not having time to play or choosing to use my time for a half-an-hour of TV rather than sailing sailing sailing.

There really is a lot of sailing in this game.

Oh, I got fire and ice arrows and then used those to get the boots and the power bracelets. There's a definite "shortcut" feel to getting all of those, they should've rightfully been rewarded in a longer dungeon. That's come up before in my playthrough, and I knew it the first time I played the game, they definitely rushed Wind Waker out the door.

I'm still playing this mofo. It's taking forever because of work, but I had a chance to play a few days ago for a couple hours. It's all sailing the seas right now, looking for loots and heart pieces, picking up a triforce shard here and there. I started up the trade chain, though I can't remember what comes out of that. We'll see.

Splish!

I would love to start this game over again - however i'm not sure where my disc and cube are.

I've been working on Twilight Princess on and off for the past four years, but I'm planning to finish it off soon and then start Wind Waker for the first time.