Wind Waker, in all its item-y splendor

Ah Wind Waker, one of my favorite Legend of Zelda games and probably my favorite GameCube game. I am a diehard Zelda junky, and I really do have this game to thank for it. When I was a wee little noob, I got my first real gaming console, the GameCube. The first game I ever took seriously was Wind Waker, which lead me to fall in love with the series. I had just missed the N64 wave, but thankfully Nintendo re-released both Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask. Giving me an opportunity to play the games that really planted the seed for the franchise, and further reinforcing my love for the series. 

Now I know Wind Waker was not the most liked in the series, but this is because it came after Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask. These two games set a really high bar, and though Wind Waker was an amazing game, it was still a notch below its N64 brothers. Why? Well it’s really just the fans. Even after playing all three games I still enjoyed Wind Waker over both Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask. But the majority of the fan base would say otherwise. But that’s another story for a later date, for now let’s talk about one of the things that make the Zelda series great, its items.

Items are a key staple for the Zelda franchise, and it wouldn’t be a Zelda game without them.  Though we all had our favorite items, we also had items we absolutely despise *cough-Deku Leaf-cough*. Wind Waker did a good job at selecting which items to bring back and an even better job at improving them. But as in all games, some did have their flaws and could have been done better. 

This entry will break down most of the Wind Waker items and how I would like to see them improved in the future. It would be cool to see some new creative items instead of the same thing we’ve seen before. This is not to say that all items need to be changed, some never will and that’s ok. (ex. Bow and arrows, boomerang, etc.) I judge items by two criteria: utility/puzzle usefulness and whether it can be used in combat effectively. I would love to see a sequel to Wind Waker, though I highly doubt it will happen. So, I shall blog about it like all good fans do. 

  

       How to Make the Best Items Better

• The Telescope

So let’s start with the telescope, the first item you get in Wind Waker. The telescope has always been pretty fucking useless. Plain and simple.  I swear, the only time I used it was when the story told you to at the beginning of the game, but other than that it’s never needed. No puzzles utilized it, and good luck using it in combat.

 Its purpose is obvious, to see farther, but why would you need this in a Zelda game? You don’t. It was put there because if you’re going to have a game revolving around sailing the seas you need a telescope, but I rather them not have it then have it and do it poorly. I might have used it to see far off islands, but even then at max zoom islands were still black structures. So here is my solution:

• Tinker Lens

Besides the fact that it looks freaking epic, these can be extremely useful in a variety of ways. Using concepts from various Zelda games in the past, this item can roll a couple of ideas into one: The telescope and the pictograph. By combining these two into one you free up a slot for new items, and this also provides a chance to bring back an old concept, The Lens of Truth.

 By pressing whatever button you assign the lenses too, you cycle threw different Lens.  You can shuffle between zoom-lens, picto-lens, or lens of truth. The best part, you can make it upgradable. So you start with what seems like just a telescope aspect and pleasantly surprise players with a reboot of old concepts. Hell, you don’t even have to make finding the upgrades mandatory. (well, maybe the Lens of Truth, but that’s up to Nintendo.)

One big problem with the telescope was that you had to ADJUST the telescope, so you sacrifice defending yourself over better viewing range. Just plain stupid. The Tinker Lens gives the telescope not only a chance to be used in puzzles like then lens of truth did, but combat usefulness. Picking off enemies with the Tinker Len and arrows would be awesome. Not to mention Twilight Princess did something similar to this with the Hawk Mask. Over all, this would be a big improvement to the item, and sure to become a fan favorite.

 

• The Wind Waker

Not much to improve here. The Wind Waker was pretty important to the story, and plenty useful. One cool concept, (but I doubt would ever be used) is giving it an opportunity to be used offensively. How do you ask? Summoning huge blasts of wind.  We be FUS-RO-DAH-ing all over the place. Have it use a full bar of magic (before the magic upgrade, you call pull two blasts with a full bar of magic and upgrade). Though it’s a cool idea, the Wind Waker is an already useful and powerful tool, so chances of something like this happening are very minimal and not really needed. But a man can dream can’t he?

• The Grappling Hook and Hook Shot 

Ah the Grappling Hook…what to say? It’s just that, *sigh* it’s not a bad item. It was a useful utility in the game, and stealing enemy items wasn’t too shabby either. But the main problem with the Grappling Hook, the Hook Shot. Once you got it, the grappling hook was useless, which sucks because I did enjoy swing around with it. The old school adventure feel of it was great, but then you got the hook shot, and now you felt like spider-man.  I don’t really understand why the game had two items that practically did the same thing.

                My recommendation would be to start with the grappling hook, and have it be upgraded to the hook shot. That way, you enjoy both and free up an open slot in the menu for another cool item. Oh, and instead of calling it the Hook Shot call it the claw shot, bring the old up-to-date. It should look more like a claw anyway if it is going to be a Grapple upgrade. But other than that, both items were perfect in my opinion. They were both useful in puzzles and combat, which is pretty much the standard for a good Zelda item.    

• Bombs

SO! Let’s talk explosives. Puzzle wise, you need bombs. End of story. They are a must have in any Zelda game. But, they fucking suck. Why? Because any puzzle with a bomb is not only glaringly obvious, but a pain to use and deal with. It’s too clumsy to make effective use of it. On another point, I love it when a Zelda game lets you use items in combat, and I know that bombs (in Zelda game anyway) are rarely used in this manner (not counting bomb-chus, which was still rather difficult.) Which is stupid because it’s FREAKING BOMBS!! How do you have explosives in a game, and have it be the least effective killing tool? Seriously? I did, however, like the whole cannon aspect when you used bombs on a boat. That was cool. Still a pain to use though, but cool nevertheless, which brings me to the solution to the bomb problem:

• Blunder Buster

 Yes it’s a blunderbuss, but that name isn’t toony enough, so Blunder Buster it is. Get over it. Moving on, this solves all of the bombs flaws, and still functions like the bombs do. Here’s how it would work. Breakable wall? Point, Fire. Gone. I want there to be some sort of reload time, that way you can’t really abuse it in combat, but still a viable option.

 For example, you start a fight with it by blowing a hole in a cluster of small enemies, giving you space to take them on one-on-one with your sword. Or, let’s say you’re fighting something like a Darknut (armored dog knight things), the gun can break off a piece of their armor, giving you a weak point to aim for. This makes the Blunder Buster a valuable tool both in combat and puzzle-bility (new word, puzzle-bility). The best part is you can still have the bombs we know and love and have the gun be a bonus item that uses bombs as ammunition.Yet another opportunity for a fun and useful side quest. Win-win. I have yet to mention how freaking epic the Blunder Buster looks. I mean, come on, IT’S A  PIRATE GUN! How was this not in the first one?

Now the biggest problem with this new item is the fans. This would scare them, and some would argue that this isn’t Zelda-esk. But I say nay, this is the new direction for Zelda games. If you look at recent games: Spirit Tracks, Phantom Hourglass, and even Skyward Sword are taking a turn towards a new steam punkish feel.

 Incorporating new Gizmos and gadgets, not to mention steam powered vehicles. Though this may seem intimidating, so far, I think Nintendo is going a great job in moving in this direction while still keeping it Zelda. This concept is something I try to keep in mind while coming up with new items and item improvement. I’ll go more in depth later, but for now let’s move on.

• Deku Leaf

So I’m not a big fan of the Deku Leaf, for one reason. It’s a Leaf. Who thought this was a good idea? I can just imagine the poor schmuck who tried pitching this item.

Schmuck: “So listen guys, how’s this for an item that lets you fly, a giant (dramatic pause) LEAF!” 

It just wasn’t cool enough for a Zelda game. For Dins sake it was a damn leaf! I also didn’t like the fact that it eats magic while flying. Having it eat magic was annoying, and although I can see the puzzle value in it, flying obstacles could have made for much more interesting challenge/puzzle than a time limit while flying. Offensively, it was useless, but that’s understandable because this item was strictly utility. This is not to say it wasn’t useful, when I got the Deku Leaf, I did enjoy using it. Any item (in practically any game) that gave you the power of flight is awesome. But there are so many Zelda items that we have seen in the past that could have done this job not only better, but in a cooler fashion. 

One item that comes to mind is the hover boots (or Pegasus boots depending on the game). Those not only looked epic, but were extremely easy to use while still being a fun item. The boots didn’t waste magic, and though the distance is minimal, if you were to remake the item in Wind Waker you could adjust accordingly. Another item that should have defiantly made a comeback is Roc’s Feather, and I know a variation of this came out later, Roc’s Cape. But that only proves my point that Nintendo is capable of doing such a thing. You could have had this item accomplish the same as the Deku Leaf, and maybe even tie it in with the whole Rito Tribe bird-people aspect. Which brings me to my solution:

• Rito Cloak

 

This item would practically be a clone of the Roc’s Cape. When used on the ground, the cloak turns into giant Rito wings that flap once lifting you off the ground.The height of the jump wouldn't have to be that great, just enough to give you two or three seconds of hang time off a base jump. The player is then taken straight up, and the wings remain open as you gently glide down at an angle. The initial jump would cost some magic, but the glide wouldn’t.

 When in the air, it functions exactly like the Deku Leaf, still giving you the option to use similar puzzles.  In combat, if you are locked onto a target and press the Rito Cloak, instead of flapping up, the wings flap at the enemy. Pushing Link away , and sending a small gust the enemy, just as  Deku Leaf did. By also pushing Link away, it gives Link a chance to put some space between him and his target, which would be extremely useful in a fight with big waves of enemies.

The only drawback would be dealing with flying enemies. I personally would have the wings close on contact with enemies leaving the player to start free falling until he or she opens it again. This would make flying more challenging, having the player dodging enemies that come close at all cost. It is MUCH cooler than a stupid leaf and just as effective. 

• Boomerang

So the boomerang is one of those items that can’t really be touched. It’s like sacred ground in all Zelda games. You need to have it, and you can’t change much without throwing off the delicate balance. Which is fine, because there isn’t really much to change anyway. There’s a reason it has become sacred over the years, and that’s because the formula works. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The only recommendation I have for it is have it upgrade. 

 

If you look at previous Zelda games (and the games succeeding Wind Waker) you see that Link starts with a normal boomerang, then later upgrades to an awesome magic one. I like this process better because when you get the upgrade, the player feels like they really deserve it and worked for it. Plus, it helps pace the game better. Players can expect an upgrade, and really have an idea of how far they’ve gone in the game. But other than that, this is a Zelda item at its best.

• Skull Hammer and Iron Boots 

 

Let me start by saying that I hate these items no matter what Zelda game we’re playing, they were cumbersome and just weren’t useful. Skull Hammer, oh Joy. And I mean that with the up most sarcasm. Let’s take a look at this shall we? First let’s look at when it was used. You used it against that one boss, and a very few puzzles. I give it credit in that it looks cool, but other than that, it was stupidly useless. 

The puzzles that used it could have been made to be solved with practically every other item, Bombs especially. They literally added the Nail-thingies (the things that can only be hit with the hammer) in the just to have the skull hammer be useful (example, Forsaken Fortress round 2). The only other time people ever used this was to challenge themselves when fighting enemies.

 This item was put in for that one douche bag who wants to kill shit with a hammer. In other words, the Skull Hammer was put in for strictly combat and not utility. Which is fine, but if you’re going to do that, then the weapon needs to be less cumbersome. The Iron Boots were the same thing but in reverse. All utility (well, puzzle solving anyway) and zero combat use. Not to mention that the Iron Boots puzzle were all pretty lame. What is even more amazing, both these items have seen a lot of use throughout the Zelda franchise. Which I don’t understand why seeing as nobody likes them (if you do like them, please comment as to why. I would genuinely like to know). So! My solution combines three classic concepts and items into one:

• The Goron Gauntlets

So this item rolls a couple of things into one. Firstly the hammer, instead of being the one douche bag that hammers people to death you can now be the douche bag who punches people to death. Infinitely better. What’s more, this concept isn’t new. Majora's Mask did this with The Goron Mask, and it was AWESOME! You can use it in combat, brake boulders, or pick them up. This also incorporates the concept of power bracelets, except in a much more bad-ass fashion. (psh, bracelets. Laaaame.) The third and final concept is the iron boots effect, having them weigh you down so you can still have the boot puzzles. Having the player be weighed down is also an effective handicap as to not make them too powerful in combat. Three-in-one. Epic Win. 

Going back to combat, you would have it exactly like Majora’s Mask, but you could also block (shield button) .The block feature would cut most of the damage, but not all of it. This is to make sure the shield is not rendered useless, and keeps the shield as the most effective damage blocker. What I like most about these is the fact that they are new item, but retain the Zelda feel to it. Which is of vital importance to both fans and game creators.

 

• Hero Bow

Yet another one of those sacred items that needs little to no tweaking. It is both useful in puzzles (hitting switches) and in combat. The only concern is how late you get Arrows of Light. It’s like you finally get them and you use them for about five seconds before you end up giving them to Zelda anyway. Other than that I have no qualms with the bow. It is, and always will be a Zelda classic.

Final Thoughts

All in all Wind Waker was a great game, and though I make all these suggestions, the game really doesn’t need them. Though seeing them or their concepts incorporated in a new Wind Waker installment would be pretty cool. I would also love to hear your ideas for Zelda items if you have any! So that about covers things, thanks for reading and be sure to check in next Friday!

Your Diehard Zelda Junky,

Randomthing34