AfterMario Kart World,The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Wakerwas one of the Switch 2 launch titles I was most excited to play. Although I have my issues with the Nintendo Switch Online catalog (namely how limited it often feels), I can’t deny that its nostalgia factor has a death grip on me. Seeing the old purple GameCube controller on my screen, and booting upWind Wakerbrings back a lot of memories, including just how controversial the game was when it initially came out.
It might be hard to believe, given how belovedThe Legend of Zelda: The Wind Wakeris now, butit was initially quite a controversy among fans. This largely boiled down to players being unpleasantly surprised by Link’s new look. Although not as big of a disappointment as the infamousWii UZeldatech demoturned out to be, there was still quite the stir about Toon Link when he was first introduced.
Why Was Toon Link So Controversial?
Players Were Expecting A More Realistic Link Based On A Tech Demo
To set the stage for the Toon Link controversy, we have to start with Nintendo Space World’s demo for the GameCube from the year 2000. The demo, which has been uploaded toYouTubeby user Luigicube, showed off a montage of Nintendo’s most iconic characters,including a quick scene of Link clashing with Ganondorf in a dark, moody throne room. The character models looked like updated versions of the characters fromThe Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and were similar to their appearances inSuper Smash Bros. Melee,which released a year after this demo.
This new, and for the time, more-realistic-looking Link had players excited about a newZeldagame using the GameCube’s updated graphics. So, whenit was revealed at E3 2002 that the newLegend of Zeldagame would feature the cartoony version of Linkwe have all come to love, it was actually a huge disappointment for many players. Although this was a big deal for some at the time, it’s hard not to find it somewhat comical in retrospect.
First, there’s the fact thatThe Legend of Zeldagames are intended for players of all ages, soexpecting an overly dark or gritty version of the game was never going to pan out. Looking at the old Space World demo, it’s also clear to see that Nintendo made the right choice when it came to the visual style forThe Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. Having recently playedWind Wakeron Switch 2only highlighted this further.
Replaying Wind Waker Makes This Controversy Even More Silly
Wind Wakers Visuals Hold Up Better Than Many GameCube Games
After booting upWind Wakeron my Switch 2,I was pleasantly surprised to see how well its graphics hold up. It’s by no means perfect, and I would definitely prefer that the Switch 2 got the HD version that was available on the Wii U (especially because it’s one of only two reasons why I still have that console collecting dust in storage). However, the more stylized graphics do make the originalWind Wakermuch more timeless than some of its GameCube contemporaries.
This timeless quality is even more apparent when comparingWind Waker’s Link to the stiff and uncanny version from the Nintendo Space World demothat players at the time would have preferred. I’m glad Toon Link was almost immediately vindicated whenWind Wakercame out and everyone realized how great the game was, because the design never deserved the initial vitriol that it got. As theZeldaseries has progressed, it is clear the Toon Link design was a big success.
The “New” Link Became A Series Staple
Wind Waker’s Toon Link Showed Up Again In Multiple Zelda Games
Following the success ofWind Waker, six subsequentLegend of Zeldagames adopted the Toon Link design. In fact, the Toon Link design appeared as recently as2015’sThe Legend of Zelda: Triforce Heroes.The full list ofZeldagames primarily using the Toon Link style can be seen below:
Although it has been some time since we saw theWind Wakerdesign appear in an originalZeldagame, it was an enduring visual style in the franchise for over a decade. With how often Link gets a new look, it is even arguably one of the most consistent visual styles we’ve seen for the character. It’s clear thatThe Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker’s development team knew what they were doing when they went with Toon Link over the Nintendo Space World demo version.
