The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
News, coverage and analysis tracking The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker across the outlets.
Latest coverage
Nintendo Direct confirmed for next week, as well as a dedicated Zelda Anniversary stream where Ocarina of Time feels…
Nintendo has announced two upcoming Nintendo Direct presentations. The first, airing on September 8, 2026, will celebrate the 40th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda series and is expected to feature the remake of Ocarina of Time and potentially the Zelda movie. A standard Nintendo Direct will follow on September 9, 2026.
Switch 2 beats the GameCube in lifetime sales as Nintendo's fastest-selling console ever officially shifts 23.68…
The Nintendo Switch has officially surpassed 23.68 million units sold, making it Nintendo's fastest-selling console ever and surpassing the lifetime sales of the GameCube. Despite selling fewer games than the GameCube, the Switch continues to break sales records and is on track to surpass the Nintendo 64.
Nintendo got "a lot of angry calls" from parents who thought Animal Crossing's "skin-colored" gyroid "looked like a wiggling penis"
Former Nintendo Game Counselors recall receiving numerous angry calls from parents in the early 2000s who mistook the skin-colored gyroids in Animal Crossing for phallic objects. Nintendo even had a dedicated policy and hotline page to address these specific complaints, which were frequent enough to warrant special attention.
Zelda Wind Waker 2 was in development but was scrapped for more realistic game
Eiji Aonuma revealed in a 2007 Game Developers Conference talk that a sequel to The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker was in development but ultimately scrapped. The project was canceled due to the reception of the original game, with the team shifting focus to a more realistic game.
Wind Waker 2 was in development before Zelda lead Eiji Aonuma was told Toon Link "alienated" American teenagers, so we got Twilight Princess instead
The development of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess was influenced by concerns that The Wind Waker's cel-shaded art style alienated North American teenagers. Eiji Aonuma revealed that The Wind Waker 2 was transformed into Twilight Princess to appeal to a more mature audience, a decision that also facilitated gameplay innovations like horseback combat. This shift in art direction was also influenced by the popularity of epic fantasy films.
Trying to find a good deal on Saros has made me angrier about PlayStation killing discs – it's anti-consumer and will price gamers out of our hobby
The author expresses frustration over the increasing cost of games and the perceived anti-consumer trend of PlayStation ending physical disc production. This shift, coupled with the decline of physical game deals and the pre-owned market, is seen as pricing gamers out of the hobby and reducing consumer choice.
20 years later, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess still has Zelda's best dungeons
Twenty years after its release, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is still lauded for having the best dungeons in the series. The article highlights how Twilight Princess's detailed, functional environments and immersive motion controls created a tangible sense of place and consequence, contrasting it with the broader scope of newer titles like Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. The unique items and their integration into dungeon puzzles and boss fights are also praised as key elements of its superior design.
5 unpopular opinions about Nintendo and hot takes
This article presents several unpopular opinions about Nintendo games, including that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is good but not great, Mario & Luigi: Brothership has pacing issues, The Wind Waker wastes player time, and that Kirby does have some bad games. It also argues that Paper Mario: Color Splash is not as bad as its public perception suggests.
Nintendo is phasing out the Switch in February 2027, just weeks ahead of the console's 10-year anniversary
Nintendo has confirmed that production of the original Nintendo Switch, Switch Lite, and Switch OLED Model will cease in mid-February 2027, just before the console's 10th anniversary. While sales will continue through 2026, the company will no longer sell hardware to retailers or on its own store after that date. This decision comes as the Switch approaches its decade-long lifespan and faces potential competition from a successor console.
Are these the 100 most influential games of all time?
Kitfox Games CEO Tanya Short discusses a list of the 100 most influential video games of all time, compiled by professional game designers. The list, assembled through the Polaris game design retreat, aims to serve as a tool for designers to improve their craft and create influential games.
Shigeru Miyamoto decided Zelda dungeons aren't "really that much fun" while making Ocarina of Time, but they're what I'm looking forward to in the remake
Shigeru Miyamoto expressed doubts about the fun factor of traditional Zelda dungeons even during the development of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Despite his reservations, the author finds the classic dungeon designs of Ocarina of Time to be memorable and looks forward to experiencing them with modern graphics in an upcoming remake.
Review: Retro Fighters Battle Dock For Switch 2 - Time To Dig Out Those Old GameCube Pads
The Retro Fighters Battle Dock is a new accessory for the Nintendo Switch that allows players to use original GameCube wired controllers. While it effectively replicates the functionality of Nintendo's official adapter, it requires the Switch dock to be connected via USB and lacks dedicated Home and Minus buttons, necessitating a separate controller for menu navigation. Despite these drawbacks, it offers a low-latency gaming experience for $40, making it a solid option for fans of classic GameCube titles.
Evening Reading - June 11, 2026
This edition of Shacknews Evening Reading covers various game news, including speculation about Destiny 3, reviews for titles like The 7th Guest Remake and Alien: Isolation 2, and a discussion on whether Grand Theft Auto 6 or The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake would be played first. It also highlights Famitsu's 40th anniversary and lists all games that have received its perfect 40/40 review score. The article also touches on non-gaming news such as SpaceX, Elon Musk, and the NBA Finals.
Nintendo Fans Don’t Know What They Want
This article discusses the evolving and often contradictory expectations of Nintendo fans regarding game aesthetics. It highlights historical examples like The Wind Waker and Breath of the Wild, where initial fan reactions to stylistic changes eventually turned positive, contrasting with recent divided responses to more realistic remakes of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Star Fox.
Does The Ocarina Of Time Remake Teaser Signal Zelda’s Sanding Down Its Edges?
A teaser for the upcoming remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time has raised concerns about Nintendo potentially 'sanding down' the series' unique artistic edges for broader market appeal, especially in light of the upcoming live-action movie. While the remake's visuals are technically impressive, the author worries it lacks the distinct personality seen in previous Zelda titles and may be overly sanitized for mass consumption.
Aonuma says Zelda Wind Waker was more compact than intended due to deadlines
The Legend of Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma revealed in a 2005 interview that The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker was made more compact than originally intended due to development deadlines. Aonuma expressed regret for this decision, stating his determination to avoid similar issues in future Legend of Zelda titles.
Zelda boss Eiji Aonuma became part of the series because Miyamoto saw him making his own SNES game in the wake of A Link to the Past: "I really wanted to incorporate some essence of Zelda into it"
The Legend of Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma revealed that his directorial debut, Marvelous: Another Treasure Island, which was inspired by A Link to the Past, led to Shigeru Miyamoto recruiting him for the Zelda series. Aonuma has since been a pivotal figure in the franchise, directing Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, and The Wind Waker.
Eiji Aonuma believed it was his "fault" that The Wind Waker wasn't as meaty as other Zelda games
The Legend of Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma expressed that he felt responsible for The Wind Waker's perceived lack of content, attributing it to the need to make the game more compact for its release. He aimed to avoid a similar impression with future titles. The article also briefly mentions Shigeru Miyamoto's desire for horseback combat in Twilight Princess.
Nintendo Music Adds Another Zelda Soundtrack, Here's Every Song Included
The Nintendo Music app has been updated to include the full soundtrack for The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, featuring 105 tracks composed by Ryō Nagamatsu. This addition joins other Zelda soundtracks already available on the service for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers.
Zelda: Twilight Princess did what Ocarina of Time couldn't because Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto really "wanted to see Link fight on horseback"
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess implemented mounted combat, a feature Shigeru Miyamoto had desired since The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. While Ocarina of Time allowed horseback riding, it lacked combat capabilities, a gap Twilight Princess filled with Link fighting on horseback. Director Eiji Aonuma confirmed Miyamoto's long-standing wish for this gameplay element.
