Cover artwork I generate from the game data. I do not use publisher artwork.
Game profile
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD
Across the waves of a flooded Hyrule, Link sails from island to island to save his sister and stop Ganondorf. The 2013 HD version polishes the distinctive cel-shaded look of the 2002 original and noticeably tightens up the sailing.
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What kind of game this is
At its core this is Adventure / Action, set in a fantasy world. Visually it is deliberately stylised rather than photorealistic, and the overall tone stays light and upbeat. The world is open, so wandering off and ignoring the main path is part of the deal. It rewards long uninterrupted stretches more than quick check-ins.
Difficulty stays forgiving, so progress rarely depends on your reflexes. The story matters and gives the mechanics a frame, without taking over. It is a single player experience from start to finish. It is available on one platform. It sits in the mid price bracket.
What stands out
- Cel-shaded visuals
- Sailing between islands
- Charming Zelda adventure
This fits you if
- exploring for its own sake is the point for you
- you want to live through a story, not just play a system
- you can sit down for a proper long stretch without interruptions
- you like getting lost and ignoring the main objective for hours
- you want zero frustration and no difficulty wall
- you play alone and want a complete experience without other people
Look elsewhere if
- you need real difficulty to stay interested
- you only ever get short bursts of play time
- you want to play it side by side with someone
- you want something with real weight to it
What it costs you in time
About 26 hours in total. At three evenings a week and two hours each, you will be busy for roughly 4 weeks, or 13 sessions.
How the rating ranks
Critics settled on 91 out of 100, which puts it above 90 percent of the 1206 games here and at rank 117 overall. That is a strong score, comfortably above what most releases manage.
For comparison, Adventure averages 83 points across the database, so this one sits 8 points above its own genre. The figure rests on 398 collected ratings.
Released in 2013, which makes it 13 years old. A genuine classic, and worth checking how the version you buy holds up today.
The facts
- Release year
- 2013
- Genres
- Adventure, Action, Puzzle
- Playtime
- approx. 26 hrs.
- Difficulty
- Relaxed, forgiving
- Story weight
- Present and relevant
- Play with
- Solo
- Setting
- Fantasy
- Visual style
- Stylised
- Price bracket
- Mid price
- Platforms
- Switch
- Critic rating
- 91 / 100
Direct comparison
| Genres | Release year | Playtime | Critic rating | Price bracket |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD | 2013 | approx. 26 hrs. | 91 | Mid price |
| The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening | 2019 | approx. 12 hrs. | 87 | Mid price |
| The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD | 2016 | approx. 33 hrs. | 86 | Mid price |
| The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild | 2017 | approx. 50 hrs. | 98 | Full price |
If you liked this, try these
- The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening Shared: Adventure, Action, Fantasy, shorter
- The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD Shared: Adventure, Action, Fantasy
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Shared: Adventure, Action, Fantasy, longer
- The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Shared: Adventure, Action, Fantasy
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Shared: Adventure, Action, Fantasy, longer
- Okami HD Shared: Adventure, Action, Fantasy, longer