You’re in for a windfall of activities and secrets on this island. (I’m starting this off strong, aren’t I?)
I needed to make multiple mandatory visits to Windfall Island while playing The Wind Waker, but I enjoyed my voluntary trips the most. There was so much to do on the island. It had interesting characters to meet, fun mini-games and sidequests to complete, and an active yet peaceful vibe that separated the island from the contrasting sense of isolation and danger found most elsewhere on the Great Sea.
The island had Castle Town-levels of bustle. The population was the largest of any locale in the game, a fact that was hard to ignore during the daytime. There were busy fishermen, chatty sailors, troublesome youngsters, and many more who formed a strong sense of community.
With all these residents came a plethora of businesses. They added a sense of completion to Windfall Island and gave me reasons to return. The Chu Jelly Juice Shop, Bomb Shop, and Zunari’s Shop were places to obtain items and upgrades. Mrs. Marie’s School of Joy gave my dozens of Joy Pendants purpose. The auction house offered me access to a treasure trove of, well, treasures, as well as the chance to flaunt Link’s deep pockets. Lastly, the lighthouse was home to the Squid-Hunt mini-game, which was run by the true star of The Wind Waker, Salvatore. So much to see, so much to do.
The island also had a dungeon — a dungeon where I made the crucial mistake of setting a certain costumed menace free. His name was Tingle. I shouldn’t be mad, he helped me a lot, but still, his pants were unnecessarily tight. The scene, when he exited the cell and waddled over to Link, is burned into my memory.
My feelings about Tingle aside, there were many fun and quirky personalities to meet on Windfall. I can’t discuss all of them, but a select few characters helped Windfall Island feel like a home away from home for me, so they are worth mentioning.
Mila, my thief friend, was a snob at first, but Link’s compassion helped her mature. Zunari was a pleasant shopkeeper who sought to grow his business and spread kindness to everyone. (He was Tingle’s friend in the game’s HD version, but I do my best to look past that.) My final favorite character was one I already mentioned. He was none other than Salvatore, an entertainer for the ages and the embodiment of enthusiasm.
I have one final thing I want to mention about the island. Windfall was home to the worst evil lurking on the Great Sea: the pigs. The first time I cornered one of the little oinkers, I attacked it for the fun of watching it get mad. Thanks to the pigs on Outset Island, I knew what was going to happen: It would chase me, and I would run away. I wasn’t expecting to tick off all three pigs. Assaulting one pig angered all of them, and before I could react, they had me surrounded. The seas by Windfall Island could have been Gyorg-infested and I still would have jumped into the water the same way I did to avoid those sinister swine.
Windfall Island was (and still is) a delight to explore. It added so much life to The Wind Waker and made its world feel vibrant and real. To me, no town in any other Zelda game has fully matched the charm of this place, so it remains one of my most cherished and nostalgia-inducing destinations.
