23 Years Ago, Wind Waker Changed How Hyrule Works in Legend of Zelda Games

Debuting in North America on March 23, 2003, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker was a huge swing by Nintendo. Rather than follow up Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask with a similarly haunting approach to Hyrule, Wind Waker embraced a vibrant color scheme and an entirely different form of gameplay. Set atop a massive sea rather than in lush fields like previous games, the overworld of Hyrule was completely reinvented for Wind Waker.

Although the game was infamously controversial upon release, time has been kind to Wind Waker — especially in how the series as a whole has embraced the spirit of adventure inherent to the game’s portrayal of Hyrule. More than just codifying how to best approach an open-world adventure for the series, Wind Waker also took the natural story development of heroes trying to make a new home for themselves and ran with it. Hyrule was completely reinvented in Wind Waker — and that single decision laid the groundwork for some of the franchise’s greatest heights.

Wind Waker Created An Entirely New Kind Of Hyrule

Following direct sequels like Majora’s Mask or handheld spin-offs like Oracle of Ages/Oracle of Seasons, the first mainline Legend of Zelda entry to follow up Ocarina of Time was Wind Waker. Rather than revisit that version of Hyrule, however, Nintendo instead introduced a wildly new version of Hyrule no longer known by that name. In the aftermath of Link being sent back in time after defeating Ganon in Ocarina of Time, the Hero of Time technically no longer existed. So, when Ganondorf was restored to power, there was no continuation of the heroic lineage that so often countered the Gerudo King.

With no other options, the people of Hyrule prayed to the three goddesses who crafted this world. Din, Nayrue, and Faroe decided to flood Hyrule, trapping Ganon and his forces underneath the sea. This act also created the Great Sea, which serves as the new stand-in for Hyrule. The sea provides a handful of connections to the world that once was, including notable landmarks like Death Mountain and the Korok Forest, which have become islands peeking out just from under the ocean. Once Wind Waker’s Link discovers the truth about Ganondorf, he is even able to venture to the submerged Hyrule Castle thanks to the King of Red Lions, who was formerly the king of that realm.

How Wind Waker’s Great Sea Set The Stage For Breath Of The Wild

Wind Waker‘s Great Sea serves as the overworld of Wind Waker, providing players with a vast and expansive setting to explore firsthand as Link. The ocean’s somewhat open-ended nature allowed for natural growth as a player, with islands, pirates, and treasure presenting themselves to a Link willing to brave the wider world. This sense of natural exploration benefited the adventurous spirit that is baked into the franchise, harkening back to the earliest days of the franchise. This approach had never felt as effective, though, with the bright visuals and vast sea serving as a great invitation to exploration.

Previous Legend of Zelda games, like Link to the Past and Ocarina of Time, also had large expansive worlds. However, those were more defined by the Metroidvania principle of game design, where new items unlock different parts of the world. While certain aspects of the Great Sea couldn’t be fully accessed or confronted until players earned certain rewards, the actual ocean could largely be explored at the player’s leisure. This was an approach that would be later refined and improved upon in Breath of the Wild, which took that central idea and applied it to an entire world. The “Hyrule” of Wind Waker may not have been a land anymore, but it remained a call to adventure.

Hyrule Isn’t A Place, But A Home

From a gameplay perspective, the Great Sea was an exciting redefinition of what Hyrule could be. Thematically, though, the Great Sea offered something entirely different. The world of Hyrule as players knew it was gone in the world of Wind Waker, with only a handful of legends, relics, and landmarks remaining. The greatest mountaintops of the past were now just islands amidst a vast ocean. The stories were largely lost to the ages, just as the Hero of Time had been. Even though a new Link and Zelda rise up, the game isn’t about restoring the lost world of yesteryear. Instead, the main plot of the game ends with the former King of Hyrule using the Triforce to once again sink his castle.

He tells Link and Zelda that the old Hyrule is gone, but that they can find a new home for their people. In later games, this hope is realized when the two establish the land of New Hyrule. This speaks to an underlying theme of the game, which has gradually proven to be a major factor in the overarching series: the idea that Hyrule is more than just a place. The castle may be ancient, and the legends may be timeless, but the future of Hyrule is not driven by the past. The cycle of reincarnation that allows for new Links and Zeldas highlights how the future is always coming to carry on the mission of the past. It’s not just repeats but new versions of the legend that carry on the legacy of what came before while still being their own story. At its core, Wind Waker is a reflection of the series as a whole.

The series, along with the player, was forced to move on from a single version of Hyrule. Wind Waker proved that in doing so, the legacy could live on even while new paths forward were made. Other games had shown a Hyrule in ruin, but those games often saw the player saving the day and restoring those past glories. Wind Waker instead posited that the past could be moved beyond, that brighter futures could be crafted that stand on their own. This central idea is core to the more recent iterations of the series — with Wind Waker doing a lot of the thematic heavy lifting that made that approach feel natural by the time of Breath of the Wild.