The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker is a wonderful addition to the Zelda franchise. While many fans were initially skeptical of its “cartoonish” style (the product of the cel-shading technique), this game quickly got critical acclaim for its smooth gameplay, incredible story, extensive world, and beautiful graphics that have likely aged the best of all the Zelda games.
This game has everything a Zelda game needs: humor, adventure, intense battles, interesting characters, and a very intriguing story. It’s an incredibly fun game for people of all ages to enjoy.
Part of what made Wind Waker rather fun was the exploration element of it. This game had Link sailing to different islands, discovering new secrets, and fighting a large roster of enemies. There were several fairly extensive side quests that Link could go on to get interesting items and make wonderful connections with the people of this world.
Along with all of the great adventures and exploration comes fun little references and secrets that the game has hidden. Wind Waker has many interesting references to previous Zelda games, other video games, and even to the real world. Even the story itself is steeped in secrets and the knowledge that there’s quite a bit more going on than we may have initially realized. So we’re going to take a look at some of the references in Wind Waker that you might have missed.
Do you think I missed any? Have you found some interesting secrets and references in Wind Waker? Let me know in the comments below!
15 Broken Signs Can Be Healed Again
If you’ve played Ocarina of Time, you may have discovered that while practicing your sword fighting skills, you could chop up signs. You likely also found out that after you cut a sign with your sword, if you play Zelda’s lullaby, the sign will magically heal itself. It was a great trick introduced in the gameplay.
The cool thing is you can do that again in Wind Waker. If you cut the sign with your sword, then play the Wind God’s Aria on the Wind Waker, the sign will magically heal itself. This may be a reference to Ocarina of Time, or just a continuation of a fun little trick. Either way, while it has little to no bearing on the story, this trick makes gameplay that much more interesting.
14 There's More Character Crossover Than You Think
Valoo, Jabun, and the Deku Tree, are all great mystical beings that you interact with in order to get the Goddess Pearls. If you look at these three great beings though, you may notice something familiar about them.
This is a popular theory that states that Valoo, Jabun, and the Deku Tree are all descendants of beings from Ocarina of Time. Valoo is a descendant of the great dragon Volvagia, Jabun is a descendant of Lord Jabu Jabu, and the Deku Tree is either a descendant or the adult form of the Deku Tree Sprout. It makes sense, since the events in Wind Waker take place in the Adult Timeline in Ocarina of Time, so for these great beings to be descendants of those in Ocarina of Time falls perfectly within the timeline.
13 Hopefully These Don't Fall Into The Wrong Hands
Throughout playing Wind Waker, you have likely have discovered Nintendo Gallery, an island on Forest Haven where a sculptor can create beautiful figurines of the creatures and people throughout the game. This is a fun side quest that has you using the Pictograph box liberally. And yet, there’s more to this gallery than what it seems. For example, did you know that there’s a reference to Majora’s Mask in this gallery?
If you go up to the front desk and look around behind it, you’ll notice some interesting decorations. On the wall to your left, you’ll see four masks, which resemble masks from Majora’s Mask, namely the Goron Mask, the Bunny Hood, the All-Night Mask, and the Keaton Mask. It makes you wonder what the sculptor was doing with those masks.
12 This Map Hides A Secret
Did you know that the map itself in Wind Waker has a hidden design in it? This one requires a little bit of work, but it’s pretty cool. You can actually draw the Triforce on the map, using the islands. To do so, you must draw lines between these two sets of islands:
- Eastern Triangle Island, Northern Triangle Island, Southern Triangle Island, Eastern Triangle Island,
- Dragon Roost Island, Forest Haven, Greatfish Isle, Dragon Roost Island
This will create a Triforce on the map with the Tower of the Gods placed directly in the center. This is a great reference especially since the Triangle Islands are connected to the other islands where you originally got the Goddess Pearls. Having the Tower of the Gods in the center is also very fitting since that is where you go to receive the Master Sword.
11 Even His Swords Have A Connection
Ganondorf is known well for his distinct fighting style with twin swords. In Wind Waker, we see his abilities with those swords first hand. But have you ever looked closely at the swords themselves? If you take a closer look, you’ll find some Hylian script on them. Makes sense, but what does the script actually say?
According to the world’s leading Hylian cryptographer, the script spells out the names Zabora and Gamora. Those names sound familiar? Zabora and Gamora are the blacksmiths from Majora’s Mask. It’s through them you would get the Razor Sword and the Gilded Sword. While this is a great shout out to the game, it also makes you wonder at the implications. If Ganondorf got his blades from Zabora and Gamora, what does that mean for our lovely blacksmiths?
10 Wind’s Requiem And Epona’s Song Are Connected
This is another reference to Ocarina of Time. In that game, in order to summon Epona, your horse, you had to play a song on the ocarina. In Wind Waker, instead of an ocarina, you have a baton called the Wind Waker. One of the most common songs to play was the Wind’s Requiem, a song that allowed you to control the wind and change the direction of it.
Here’s the cool part, both songs require the same movement! For Epona’s song, you had to press the up, left, and right buttons. For the Wind’s Requiem, you had to move the joystick up, left, and right. Granted, this doesn’t mean the songs sound the same, but the fact that they both require the same direction mechanics is pretty cool.
9 The Stars Are More Real Than You Think
Some games will have references to the real world in them. This can be interesting, especially if the game is a fantasy one that doesn’t have much in common with the real world, like the Zelda games. One such reference is in Wind Waker.
When you’re sailing around on the ocean at night, be sure to take a look up at the night sky. If you look closely, you’ll see some real-world constellations like Orion and the Big Dipper. Their positions are even accurate. Also, the moon will change phases with the subsequent nights. So, if that means that the world in Wind Waker has the same constellations as the real world, it could be argued that Zelda games are connected to the real world. Either way, it’s fun to see what constellations you can find in the game.
8 This Would Make For A Fun Crossover Game
Towards the beginning of the game, you are tasked with finding the Pearls of the Goddesses. Once you’ve found them, you then must place them on three specific statues on what are known as the Triangle Islands. But if you take a closer look at these three statues, you may find something familiar about them.
The designs of the Goddess Statues are a reference to Pikmin. Each statue reflects one of the types of pikmin; Din’s statue has a pointed noise like the red pikmin, Farore’s statue has long pointed ears like the yellow pikmin, and Nayru’s statue has a mouth like the blue pikmin. It’s a great detail that you don’t notice at first, but once discovered is pretty obvious. Now I’m just curious to see what a crossover of Zelda and Pikmin would look like.
7 Manny Has An Old-School Design
When you go to the Nintendo Gallery, you’ll find that you’re not the only person who has discovered it. A guy named Manny is also seen walking around the gallery, admiring the portraits and figurines. I suspect that the creators of the game made Manny as a reference to us Zelda fans.
A great little reference though can be found on Manny’s bag. On the bag is the design of an 8-bit Octorok, one of the original enemies in the first Zelda game. This is a wonderful nod to The Legend of Zelda, the classic game that started it all. My only question is how on earth did Manny manage to get to the Nintendo Gallery island in the first place?
6 The Six Sages Appear Again
When you find the old Hyrule and enter Hyrule Castle, there are a lot of interesting elements of this previous age. One interesting little reference is in the room where you find the Master Sword. It’s a round room where the pedestal is surrounded by a half circle of stained glass windows. If you look at the the windows you may notice something interesting.
7 of the windows are portraits of the Six Sages from Ocarina of Time. From the left to the right, you’ll see Rauru, Saria, Darunia, Ruta, Impa, and Nabooru. Each sage is also portrayed with the symbol that is associated with them in Ocarina of Time. It makes sense to have portrayals of them in the Master Sword room since they are the protectors of the Sacred Realm.
5 The Wind Waker HD Website Is Hiding Something
It’s not just the game where you can find interesting references. While this Easter egg, isn’t found directly in the game, it’s still a fun nod to the franchise. If you go to the website for Wind Waker HD, be sure to look up the source code for the site. If you scroll down the source code, you may notice something a little unusual.
Within the source code, there’s a section of code that’s shaped like the Triforce. The code itself is in green as well. This is a great little reference to the game itself hidden in a place where you wouldn’t normally think about. It also creates this fun idea that the Triforce is everywhere in Zelda and that everything revolves around it. I also wonder how someone found it.
4 Channeling Their Inner Cucco
Starting in A Link to the Past, the Cuccos have been a common occurrence in the Zelda games. There has also been the running gag where if you attack a Cucco enough times, it will then summon other Cuccos to attack you until you either die or leave the area.
Unfortunately, Wind Waker did not have any Cuccos. But it does have pigs. These pigs will do a similar thing in that if you attack them enough times, they will then start attacking you until you either run out of hearts, go into the water, or leave the area. The huge pig on Outset Island does the most damage, taking out three hearts in one hit. This is a direct reference to the Cuccos and their attacks. It’s a great way to incorporate a familiar set up with some different creatures.
3 Tetra’s Pirate Crew Are More Royal Than It Seems
Tetra and her band of pirates interact with you fairly often throughout the game. Whether or not they’re your allies or your friends depends on the situation, but most of the time you can count on them to help. What you may not know is that this whole crew is descended from the royal court of Old Hyrule.
The proof behind this is found in the castle of Hyrule. If you go near one of the entrances, you’ll see a portrait of Princess Zelda surrounded by several members of the court. These members all look very similar to members of Tetra’s crew. Now, it’s revealed later that Tetra is the descendant of Princess Zelda, but we can also assume that her pirate crew are descendants of the royal court that accompanied Zelda. It’s a great reference that hints at the big plot twist before it happens.
2 Ganondorf And Donkey Kong Are Connected
At first glance, you’d think that Donkey Kong and Ganondorf have practically nothing in common. One is a giant monkey that has a coconut gun, the other is a man known as the King of Evil, bent on taking over Hyrule. The only other common element they share is that they are both villains in various games, but even then, Donkey Kong is only a villain in a few games compared to Ganondorf’s track record. You would think that there is no connection between these two.
But Donkey Kong and Ganondorf do share one thing: they’re both voiced by the same person. Takashi Nagasako is a voice actor who has provided voices for many video game characters, including Donkey Kong, Cranky Kong, and Ganondorf from Wind Waker.
1 The Tingle Tuner Has A Real-World Connection
It’s not very common for the Zelda games to make a reference to something in the real world, usually because the two worlds are vastly different. However, every now and, a smaller reference to real world technology can be seen. This is the case in Wind Waker.
In the Gamecube version of Wind Waker, when you rescue Tingle from his cell, he rewards you with the Tingle Tuner. This little device allowed you to connect your Game Boy Advance to the GameCube and have some adventures with Tingle. It was a fun way to incorporate other Nintendo consoles into the game. But if you look closely at the Tingle tuner, you may notice that it actually looks a lot like the Game Boy Advance. Tingle basically gave Link a Game Boy Advance. This is a great reference to past Nintendo consoles and it was made within the confines of the world of Zelda.