10 Last Minutes Changes Made In The Legend Of Zelda Series

Nintendo has a reputation for delaying their games. Shigeru Miyamoto has a simple philosophy to justify this: “A delayed game is eventually good. A bad game is bad forever."

One of the few Zelda games that wasn't delayed was Wind Waker. However, a delay would have been in the game's best interest. In the first half of Wind Waker, Link receives a pearl each time he defeats a dungeon boss. After receiving two pearls, the player heads to The Greatfish Isle, assuming this is the entry point for the third dungeon. Upon arriving, a whale gives the third pearl to Link without the player entering a dungeon or facing a boss.

So, what happened? Well, Wind Waker came out in December 2002. Months before this release date, developers realised they would need more time to complete three dungeons. Unfortunately, Nintendo couldn't delay the game since it had to come out before Christmas to maximise sales. Since the corresponding console, the Gamecube, wasn't selling well at the time, Nintendo panicked and cut three dungeons including the one where Link would have received the third pearl. Elements for two of these cut dungeons were used for future games in the series.