In 2004, I was five years old and could be considered someone who simply played games because my friends encouraged me to. However, that year ended up being an influential part of my childhood that ultimately shaped me into the gaming fanatic I am today. The Wind Waker was my first experience with a Zelda title and remains a personal favorite of mine to this day. Although I have many stories to tell regarding my love for that game, the story of where I first played it is the one that immediately comes to mind.
The first of my experiences traveling abroad for holiday, of which there have been few overall, involved a trip to Corfu, Greece. A lot of things happened during my two-week vacation (some less enjoyable than others), but I was able to find comfort in the hotel lobby, where I discovered a GameCube gaming area with various games to play. I found myself gravitating towards The Wind Waker, as the art style immediately captured my attention.
The Wind Waker is obviously known for its expansive world that’s been completely flooded, so it was fitting that I would play it while surrounded by a similar landscape during my holiday; the sandy beach environment in particular added an extra layer of immersion. But unfortunately, the GameCube demo station was limited to 20 minutes of playtime and required me to insert some money each time I wanted to carry on playing. In short, I then spent the rest of my holiday bugging my parents to give me more money to play The Wind Waker in the evenings.
I’m not 100% sure which section of the game I played, but I’m quite certain that the demo allowed me to explore Windfall Island and travel to Dragon Roost Island. That is why I have a lot of nostalgia for the Windfall and Dragon Roost Island themes, since they transport me back to a much simpler time in my life. And it turns out I wasn’t the only one interested in playing the game, as I met someone who was in the same age group as me, and we bonded over our fascination with the game’s aesthetic.
Fast-forward a week or two, and I’m on a three-hour flight home to the U.K. where I won’t stop talking about the game. At that moment, I think my parents knew that desperately wanted the game, so my father surprised me with a copy of The Wind Waker when we arrived back in my hometown. Since then, I have played The Wind Waker several times and continue to hum various musical tracks on a daily basis.
The Wind Waker is 20 years old on December 13, 2022! We’re celebrating with dedicated articles throughout the first two weeks of December!
