10 Ways The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker Is Secretly A Masterpiece

3. A Doomed Land

In its 35 year life, the Zelda formula has yet to deviate too far from what made it great. Even 2017's Breath of the Wild revolutionised the genre by simply revisiting the non-linear approach of the NES original.

There are expectations when beginning one of Link's many adventures: a collection of dungeons to navigate, pots to break and heart containers to locate. The story is always a quest to relinquish evil, and in that regard, The Wind Waker is no different. Where it does deviate, however, is the foundation in which the story is built.

As documented in the intro cutscene, the Hyrule we are presented with has suffered a great hardship, so the overwhelming feeling of defeat is apparent from the very beginning. Ganon has the kingdom on its knees, and although the demon king's power has been stifled somewhat, the citizens retreat to to the top of the highest peaks in a last-ditch effort to stop him are a sign that the desperation amongst Hylians is crippling.

The adventure we embark upon is undoubtedly lighter in tone than the intro, but the victory over Ganondorf never feels inevitable, quite the opposite.