[Wii U] The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD ROM Download

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD ROM Screenshots

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD ROM Description

In terms of gameplay, The Wind Waker HD is a significant step up from the original in many ways. The biggest gameplay change in The Wind Waker HD is the use of the Wii U Gamepad to control the map and inventory. Initially, this feature didn’t seem too useful, but as the game progresses and Link accumulates more items, having a dedicated screen to switch between them is really convenient, saving a lot of time and making the gameplay experience much smoother. The Gamepad completely eliminates the need to pause the game to change gear, items can be switched on the go as Link moves to the next destination.

The final dungeon especially benefits from this feature as the player needs to utilize many items like arrows, iron boots, bow, bombs, hookshot, ocarina when performing different tasks within it. I personally enjoy using the hookshot and boomerang in combat and I found juggling up to 8 of these items very easy with just the gamepad.

The gamepad alone made a huge impact in terms of streamlining the game, and this was clearly the biggest goal for the developers in implementing this feature. Many complaints I had in my previous review video were also addressed.

The Swift Sail is also a useful addition, significantly cutting down on travel time. It was a good idea to implement this as an upgrade rather than fundamentally changing the speed of the boat. It feels more rewarding unlocking this feature rather than being handed it from the beginning, while also providing a better sense of progression for the sailing system, although simple the Swift Sail has a big impact on the game’s pace.

Hero mode functions similarly to how it did in Skyward Sword, enemy damage is doubled but a better change is the removal of heart drops from enemies or found in the grass. This makes each hit of health lost more impactful and encourages the player to play more carefully.

The Wind Waker was already very easy so this isn’t enough to provide a challenge, but combined with a self-imposed three heart limit, you’ll have quite a difficult game.

That’s most of the major differences. I won’t go through every minor change, but suffice to say there are many other convenient and significant tweaks. For example, Triforce pieces are now found directly in 5 out of the 8 chests instead of having to decipher maps.

The wallet now holds 500 rupees from the start. The photo taking speed has also been dramatically increased. There are many other changes, most welcomed, some unnecessary but not too detrimental – e.g. forest water now only lasts 30 minutes instead of 20 minutes.