With my mind still racing about what that wink from Tetra might have meant, I pressed on in my journey through The Wind Waker. Unfortunately, this segment started off with a few gameplay hiccups as I entered the Pirate Ship (by treating a shark “chummily”) and ran into my old bucktoothed friend, Niko. He was all too happy to boss me around and gave me another obstacle course to overcome. I had a feeling that I would be spending a lot of time with him.
Niko was so happy to see me; it honestly made my night to hear him call me his “swabbie” again. For this challenge, I had to press a switch and then swing from lantern to lantern as quickly as possible in order to get the bombs that his pirate pals stole from the shop. These swinging challenges have proven troublesome in the past, so I already felt a headache brewing as I tried to analyze this task. As expected, I had a difficult time changing direction while hanging on to the ropes. After a few dozen tries, I finally blasted through the obstacle course and was granted permission to open the treasure chest, which contained a Bomb Bag that could fit 30 bombs.
Quill had mentioned back on Greatfish Isle that Jabun was hiding in a cave on the island where Link was born, so as soon as I retrieved my prize, I hopped back into my talking boat and headed out. The trip to Outset Island was long and terrifying, with the eerie music and nighttime setting really setting the tone for something scary to happen. I absolutely love it when a video game can incorporate the perfect musical track to compliment a scene, especially an intense one. I was surrounded by cyclones, sharks, and constant flashes of lightning, which heightened the sense of danger and impending doom. I turned off the lights in my room during this part of the game, and it really did feel like I was in a horror movie. Quite an amazing experience, I’ll tell you that. But the creepy atmosphere wasn’t the only thing that made my trip feel so long. Along the way, I came across quite a few Fishmen who were happy to fill in parts of my map in exchange for bait (good thing I had stocked up a bit earlier on).
After what felt like an eternity, I made it back to Outset in one piece. I was glad to have Link’s feet firmly planted on solid ground again. The King of Red Lions suggested that I should say hello to my friends and family members before meeting with Jabun. I ran into Orca first, and the old fool challenged me to a sword fight, demanding that I strike him over 200 times! He clearly had no clue what Niko and the open ocean had just put me through, or else he never would have asked me to do such a thing! To be honest, this particular mini-game seemed like little more than a time waster to me, just a cheap way for the developer to lengthen my playtime and further justify the price of the game. And what was my reward for winning Orca’s duel? I got promoted to knight, which meant I now had to attack him 300 times in order to rank higher. Ugh, shouldn’t this poor old man have been in bed at this late hour? I know I could have used some rest! Though I do have to admit that this endless sparring match did help me perfect my blocking techniques. And winning a Piece of Heart didn’t really hurt either, I guess.
As I approached Grandma’s house, I prayed that I wouldn’t have to mindlessly mash more buttons in order to make her happy. I could have tolerated it for Grandma’s sake, but I really just wanted her to be proud of what I had already accomplished. Thankfully I didn’t have to engage in any long, boring battles, but I did need to use a little fairy magic to snap her out of her stupor. Once I cured her of her illness, she expressed how proud she was of me and filled my bottle with some hearty Elixir Soup.
At this point in my life, I only have one living grandparent left: my Baba, who is turning 89 this year. She always wants to take care of me just as Link’s grandmother does for him, and she gives me fresh food from her garden too. This game is truly special, because I feel like most players would be able to relate to the bond Link shares with his grandmother. Seeing her smile as Link leaves reminds me of my own Baba’s smile, as well as that of my deceased grandma.
After wrapping up the family reunion, I hopped back into the King of Red Lions to resume the search for Jabun. I quickly located the cave where he was hiding, but the entrance was blocked by numerous boulders, so I would need to blow them up by firing bombs from the canon aboard the boat. Should be simple, right? Pfft, don’t be silly! This is The Wind Waker, so clearly I needed another obstacle thrown in to make things needlessly difficult! Trying to aim the canon was bad enough, since I once again found myself struggling with the controls, but doing this while also resisting the pull of a massive whirlpool proved extremely challenging. I got sucked down into the depths quite a few times, but eventually I did manage to break down the walls and enter the cave.
It turns out that Jabun is a very large, scary-looking fish god that will surely be haunting my nightmares at some point. He spoke an odd language that I couldn’t comprehend, but luckily the King of the Red Lions was able to carry on a conversation with him. Apparently I had done well enough up to that point to receive Nayru’s Pearl. I triumphantly held it up to the sky, another step closer to destroying Ganon’s evil plans. But even with all three pearls in my possession, I’m not quite ready to face the evil mastermind yet. Now my next task is to place the pearls in their proper locations.
With the curse of the endless night broken, the scary music and raging storm ceased, so my departure from Outset seemed peaceful and serene. But this feeling didn’t last long, since I soon encountered trouble (big surprise). Scattered throughout the ocean are isolated towers with ladders that reach the surface of the water, and every time I tried to position the camera correctly to climb one of these ladders, I got blasted away by enemy fire and had to start again at the bottom. Yet another simple task complicated by precise controls (and, of course, bombs raining down from above).
All of the frustration and agony that I felt at the beginning of the game are starting to rush back, so I think now is a great time to take a break from the main plot. I need to forget about the more aggravating gameplay mechanics and take time to appreciate the fact that I really do feel like I’m traveling around a flooded Hyrule. Hopefully, the ocean ambience and music will soothe me in my next play session.
Catch up on the previous chapters in this series with the links below!
The Wind Waker is 20 years old on December 13, 2022! We’re celebrating with dedicated articles throughout the first two weeks of December!
