The Legend Of Zelda - Ranking Every Gameplay Gimmick
2. Wind Waker - Cel Shading
The internet went into overdrive when Wind Waker was announced, with fans across the world disgusted by the game’s “childish” cartoon-like cel shaded art style. The title took the vaguely realistic aesthetic of Ocarina of Time and transformed it into a Disney-via-Studio-Ghibli explosion of cuteness and colour.
It’s been over a decade since the game was released, and there has been a real turn around in fan-opinion of the title. Whilst more “mature” looking games from 2002 have aged extremely badly, the joyful world of Wind Waker still looks as fresh and current as the day it was released. It helps as well that the game features some of the series’ best dungeons and character designs.
The cel shading of Wind Waker has undoubtedly become one of gaming’s most recognisable aesthetics. In 2013 the game was remade in HD for Wii U, but, although this version fixed a few of the original game’s flaws (the slow sailing sections and tiresome Triforce shard quest), a new lighting technique meant that certain parts of the game looked more plastic and chunky than intended.
Wind Waker’s unique art style has allowed it to become a timeless game which marked a visual high point for the series.