History Videogame / TheLegendofZeldaTheWindwaker

** The Helmaroc King wears a metal mask that Link must shatter with the [[DropTheHammer Skull Hammer]] before he can damage him properly.

* DropTheHammer: The Skull Hammer, the flagship item of the Forsaken Fortress. Not only can it press rusty switches, but also deal high damage to enemies (and, in the case of Miniblins, squash them flat). Using the hammer on an enemy frozen with the Ice Arrows will kill it instantly.

** After obtaining the Fire and Ice Arrows, Link is given the option of using the latter arrows to freeze enemies solid and then smash them to pieces by either throwing their frozen body or using the Skull Hammer, which works even on ''Darknuts'' if you're quick enough.

The tenth game in ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' series would be the first UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube release: ''The Wind Waker.''

''The Wind Waker'' is explicitly set some time after ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]'' (over a hundred years, according to [[https://web.archive.org/web/20100728123041/http://www.gamepro.com/article/news/27362/interview-with-nintendos-shigeru-miyamoto-and-eiji-aonuma/ its developers]] and some dialogue), showing off [[CelShading cel-shading]] techniques combined with slightly realistic shading to produce a game visually reminiscent of animated films. Its major gameplay concept is the titular conductor's baton, the Wind Waker, which among other things, allowed Link to control the wind. Following from the first true multiplayer ''Legend of Zelda'' game, ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaFourSwords Four Swords]]'', it also included a limited two-player AsymmetricMultiplayer mode using the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance cable, allowing a second player to control Tingle and assist ([[{{Griefer}} or hinder]]) the player.

An HD-remastered version, ''The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD'' was released for the UsefulNotes/WiiU in 2013 for two specific reasons: 1) to be a stop-gap game to satiate fans while waiting for the [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild new entry developed on the same console]], and 2) to serve as an outlet for the developers to test out what they can do with the new hardware. The gameplay itself has been slightly streamlined, particularly the sailing mechanics and a key late-game FetchQuest. The Tingle Tuner has been replaced with the Tingle Bottle, used to send messages to the game's Website/{{Miiverse}} community (although this item no longer functions following the service's shutdown in November 2017). The game also includes the more challenging Hero Mode introduced in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword Skyward Sword]]'', but in this game, you can start a new file with it activated rather than needing to beat Normal Mode first to unlock the toggle for it.

** The GhostShip, a {{one time|dungeon}} mini-dungeon, where Link needs to find one of the Triforce Charts[[note]][[UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube GameCube]] version[[/note]]/Shards[[note]][[UsefulNotes/WiiU WiiU]] version[[/note]] (after determining its location through its own chart found on Diamond Steppe Island) is a HailfirePeaks hybrid of this and GangplankGalleon. The ship is inhabited by two Poes and a Wizzrobe that can summon [=ReDeads and Stalfos=]. After all the enemies are defeated, Link can get the Chart/Shard. Afterwards, the ship vanishes, never to be seen again.

* DynamicLoading: Islands load while you are sailing towards them. In fact, the developers set the sailing speed as seen in the Gamecube version in order to ensure the islands do get loaded. If you somehow manage to beat out the dynamic loading, the game [[IrisOut irises-out]] and resets you in your boat in the loaded quadrant without a word. With the improved hardware of the UsefulNotes/WiiU, loading has improved to the point of being able to load the entire Great Sea at once, and there is a new [[SprintShoes Swift Sail]] for the boat obtainable in the game.

* EnemyScan: Tingle provides this function, though, unlike the other 3D games, he can only be summoned [[CoOpMultiplayer by an assistant player]] from a [[UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance GBA]] connected to the [[UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube GameCube]]. He doesn't actually offer much in the way of concrete ''help'', but it's better than nothing. There's also the figurine gallery, which shows background information on characters (also available in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheMinishCap'') and the Hero's Charm, a mask that displays a LifeMeter for enemies.

** After getting the Deluxe Pictobox, there's an elaborate {{Sidequest}} that involves taking pictures of nearly every character, enemy, boss, etc. in the game and delivering them to the Nintendo Gallery to complete a figurine collection (notably, one character only appears if you have a UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance and a cable to link it to your UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube, allowing you to complete ''another'' sidequest that spans five of the game's dungeons, though this character isn't a requirement for completing the gallery). The ''HD'' remake alleviates most of the tedium which comes this sidequest, thanks to the Deluxe Pictobox holding more photos (12 as opposed to 3), the addition of a small icon indicating whether a pictograph is eligible into becoming a figurine and Carlov being able to create multiple figurines per day (as opposed to 1 per day). Thanks to the Tingle Bottle, users could also post pictographs to Miiverse, helping to eliminate the risk of [[PermanentlyMissableContent permanently losing the chance to take pictographs of characters or bosses who make limited appearances]] (after the shutdown of Miiverse in late 2017, the risk is present once again). However, despite the omission of the system link requirements for the other sidequest which makes a certain character appear, [[GuideDangIt there is no indication on how and where to complete this sidequest]], and this once optional character is now 'required' to complete the gallery.

** The figurines to complete the Nintendo Gallery. You have to take pictures of every character, enemy (with some exceptions), and boss in the game, for a total of 134. [[PermanentlyMissableContent And some of them have limited appearances, so beware]]. It was easier to complete in the HD remake, as one could even find the formerly missable pictures via Miiverse...until Miiverse was shut down, of course. Knuckle is especially infamous; the only way to make him appear is to collect all five of the Tingle Statues, which are hidden in five of the game's dungeons. In the original version, the only way to find them is with the Tingle Tuner, which will react when you get close. But you need a UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance to use that. Then you have to place a Tingle Bomb at each appropriate spot, and only once you've found all five will Knuckle appear for you to take his picture on Outset Island. And that's not the worst part, which is twofold: in the original game, it was possible to permanently miss one of the statues, meaning you needed to wait for the NewGamePlus to complete the quest. And in the remake, the Tingle Tuner doesn't exist. So, what did the devs put in to help you find the statues instead? '''Nothing,''' meaning that unless you have the incentive to bomb every slightly suspicious location in every dungeon, you can only find the Tingle Statues [[GuideDangIt if you look up where they are]]. Though at least that also means that there's no trick to finding him afterwards; instead of finding him on Outset and 'proving yourself' through a few odd tasks, he simply appears on Tingle Island.

* GuestStarPartyMember: Medli and Makar, who are actually playable for one dungeon each. If a UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance is connected to the [[UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube GameCube]] while you play, Tingle can join in too anytime. Lastly, though not playable, [[spoiler:Princess Zelda helps Link during the final battle against Ganondorf]].

** The Ghost Ship will permanently disappear the moment Link collects the treasure that's inside.[[note]]A Triforce Chart in the [[UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube GameCube]] version, replaced with a Triforce Shard in the [[UsefulNotes/WiiU Wii U]] version.[[/note]] Upon receiving the treasure, the screen will fade to black, and Link will reappear back on the open sea upon the King of Red Lions.

** In the original, he gives you the Tingle Tuner. If you don't have a UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance and a Link Cable to hook it up to the [=GameCube=] with, you'll get absolutely no utility from it. If you ''do'', though, then this item is actually ''very'' useful, boasting services such as ranged bombs, walking on air, temporary shields, and potions on the go.

* TronLines: The Tower of the Gods has these on just about everything.

* BookEnds: During the prologue, Link leaves his hometown with the pirates. In the last scene of the game... Link leaves his hometown with the pirates. The tone of the latter scene is much more positive, though. Especially notable is that the first departing-scene had Link waving his grandma and neighbours goodbye with one hand, stoping for a few seconds, suddenly running foreward a few steps and then starting to wave at them again, but this time with both hands. The second departing has his sister Aryll (who stays behind on Outset) doing this just the same way.

** The Purple Chu Chus. They're invulnerable to any kind of attack, but once light touches them, they turn to stone (for a short while anyway) in which state you can either crush them to death with the Skull Hammer or pick them up and throw them before they recover (or throw them [[GrievousHarmWithABody into one another!]]), or use them as a weight on a switch.

* TakeThatAudience: Link's New Clothes given to him by his grandmother in NewGamePlus are said to be only visible to those who are honest...which doesn't include you, the player.

** The GhostShip, a {{one time|dungeon}} mini-dungeon, where Link needs to find one of the Triforce Charts[[note]][[UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube GameCube]] version[[/note]]/Shards[[note]][[UsefulNotes/WiiU WiiU]] version[[/note]] (after determining its location through its own chart found on Diamond Steppe Island) is a HailfirePeaks hybrid of this and GangplankGalleon. The ship is inhabited by two Poes and a Wizzrobe that can summon [=ReDeads and Stalfos=], and after all the enemies are defeated, Link can get the Chart/Shard. Afterwards, the ship vanishes, never to be seen again.

** The GhostShip, a {{one time|dungeon}} mini-dungeon, where Link needs to find one of the Triforce Charts/Shards (after determining its location through its own chart found on Diamond Steppe Island) is a HailfirePeaks hybrid of this and GangplankGalleon. The ship is inhabited by two Poes and a Wizzrobe that can summon [=ReDeads and Stalfos=], and after all the enemies are defeated, Link can get the Chart/Shard. Afterwards, the ship vanishes, never to be seen again.

** Ganondorf's first line in the game: "It's been a while, boy..." In those five words, players are immediately told that this Ganondorf isn't a reincarnation, as had been the case in every game he or Ganon had appeared in up until this point--he's the same Great King of Evil from ''Ocarina of Time''. And what's worse, ''he remembers Link.'' It's also a sign that he's become more philosophical and pensive during his long imprisonment, as the words have a reminiscent, almost bittersweet tone as opposed to the EvilGloating of the Ganondorf of the past.

''The Wind Waker'' is explicitly set some time after ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]'' (over a hundred years, according to [[https://web.archive.org/web/20100728123041/http://www.gamepro.com/article/news/27362/interview-with-nintendos-shigeru-miyamoto-and-eiji-aonuma/ its developers]]), showing off [[CelShading cel-shading]] techniques combined with slightly realistic shading to produce a game visually reminiscent of animated films. Its major gameplay concept is the titular conductor's baton, the Wind Waker, which among other things, allowed Link to control the wind. Following from the first true multiplayer ''Legend of Zelda'' game, ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaFourSwords Four Swords]]'', it also included a limited two-player AsymmetricMultiplayer mode using the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance cable, allowing a second player to control Tingle and assist ([[{{Griefer}} or hinder]]) the player.

* MiniDungeon: The Savage Labyrinth and the Ghost Ship, and both are required to explore in order to get charts that lead to the Triforce fragments to enter TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon. The former is a gigantic underground gauntlet located beneath Outset Island comprising of 50 floors, and this chart is located on the 30 floor (the remaining 20 are much more difficult but also optional, thus becoming a collective Bonus Dungeon instead). The latter is, well, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin a ghost ship]] that appears in certain islands depending on the phase of the moon, which are determined through its own chart found on Diamond Steppe Island and is inhabited by two Poes and a Wizzrobe that summons [=ReDeads and Stalfos=]. The game also has Fire Mountain and Ice Ring Isle, which are short but contain items (the Power Bracelets and the Iron Boots, respectively) necessary to access through main dungeons (Earth Temple and Wind Temple, again respectively).

* MiniDungeon: The Savage Labyrinth and the Ghost Ship, and both are required to explore in order to get charts that lead to the Triforce fragments to enter TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon. The former is a gigantic underground gauntlet located beneath Outset Island comprising of 50 floors, and this chart is located on the 30 floor (the remaining 20 are much more difficult but also optional, thus becoming a collective Bonus Dungeon instead). The latter is, well, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin a ghost ship]] that appears in certain islands depending on the phase of the moon, which are determined through its own chart found on Diamond Steppe Island and is inhabited by two Poes and a Wizzrobe that summons ReDeads and Stalfos. The game also has Fire Mountain and Ice Ring Isle, which are short but contain items (the Power Bracelets and the Iron Boots, respectively) necessary to access through main dungeons (Earth Temple and Wind Temple, again respectively).

* MiniDungeon: The Savage Labyrinth, whose first 30 floors are required to get the chart that leads to one of the Triforce fragments to enter the VeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon. The game also has [[LethalLavaLand Fire Mountain]] and [[SlippySlideyIceWorld Ice Ring Isle]], which are short but contain items (the Power Bracelets and the Iron Boots, respectively) necessary to access through main dungeons ([[UndergroundLevel Earth Temple]] and [[GustyGlade Wind Temple]], again respectively).

*** Dragon Roost Cavern, the first official dungeon Link explores meets at the intersection of DeathMountain and LethalLavaLand, since the dungeon takes place inside a dormant volcano where a dragon calls its home on the very top.

** The boss fights in Tower of the Gods and the Earth Temple are the same as Andross in ''VideoGame/StarFox64'' and Boolossus in ''VideoGame/LuigisMansion'', respectively.

* GustyGlade: True to its name, the Wind Temple has wind as a major theme, and thus there are several rooms with fans that continuously expel wind for Link to fly higher with his Deku Leaf.

* TheLostWoods: Well, they're called the Forbidden Woods here, but that's not fooling anyone. They make up the second major dungeon, featuring a large number of branch platforms that move from one side to another, Baba Buds that launch Link onto high spots, and enemies like Peahats and Mothulas (with their winged leader serving as the MiniBoss). It's a separate part of the Forest Haven, which is inhabited by the descendant of the Great Deku Tree and the Korok race. Much later in the game, Link reaches the sixth dungeon, the Wind Temple, which [[HailfirePeaks combines this trope]] with GustyGlade (it is overrun by grass and Makar can plant trees in certain spots, but the bigger focus lies on wind currents).

* LethalLavaLand: Dragon Roost Cavern is set inside the volcanic heart of Dragon Roost Island, and features lava geysers that can be mounted on by cooling the top temporarily with water. The game also features the MiniDungeon of Fire Mountain, which has to be completed under a time limit after it's cooled with the Ice Arrows (it was planned to be a mainline dungeon, but couldn't be due to [[{{Irony}} time constraints]] during development). There's also Bomb Island, which is optional.

** {{Subverted|trope}} with the Forsaken Fortress, which sits completely abandoned after Link rescues Aryll and defeats the Helmaroc King, save for a few Keese, Rats and the lone Floormaster that will put Link in the prison from when he lost his sword during the first visit. Link can still revisit the fortress, especially through the portal activated in Ganon's Tower, but the chambers for the Helmaroc King (consisting of the prison where Aryll was locked up along with Maggie and Mila and the top of the tower) and Ganon (the old pirate ship, also at the top of the tower) cannot be accessed again due to the old ship being burned up by Valoo just after Link and Tetra ([[spoiler:later revealed to be Princess Zelda]]) escape with Komali and Quill. Moreover, if Link forgets to collect the Heart Container dropped by the Helmaroc King, he can still retrieve it in the exact same place where his sword was dropped after being launched in.

* BigBoosHaunt: The Earth Temple is a HailfirePeaks hybrid between this setting and UndergroundLevel. For one thing, it's where the [=ReDeads=] and Poes first show up, and there are also huge hallways filled with mist that renders you unable to use weapons, typically filled with Floormasters.

* HailfirePeaks: The resident TempleOfDoom dungeons are dual: the Earth Temple mixes UndergroundLevel with BigBoosHaunt, while the Wind Temple merges GustyGlade with TheLostWoods.

** {{Subverted|trope}} with the Forsaken Fortress, which sits completely abandoned after Link rescues Aryll and defeats the Helmaroc King, save for a few Keese and Rats. Link can still revisit the fortress, especially through the portal activated in Ganon's Tower, but the Helmaroc King's (consisting of the prison where Aryll was locked up along with Maggie and Mila and the top of the tower) and Ganon's chambers (the old pirate ship, also at the top of the tower) cannot be accessed again due to the old ship being burned up by Valoo just after Link and Tetra [[spoiler:later revealed to be Princess Zelda]] escape with Komali and Quill. Moreover, if Link forgets to collect the Heart Container dropped by the Helmaroc King, he can still retrieve it in the exact same place where his sword was dropped during the first visit.

** Downplayed with the Forsaken Fortress, which sits completely abandoned after Link rescues Aryll and defeats the Helmaroc King, save for a few Keese and Rats. Link can still revisit the fortress, especially through the portal activated in Ganon's Tower, but the Helmaroc King's and Ganon's chambers (consisting of the prison where Aryll was locked up along with Maggie and Mila and the top of the tower) cannot be accessed again due to the old pirate ship serving as Ganon's lair being burned up by Valoo. Moreover, if Link forgets to collect the Heart Container dropped by the Helmaroc King, he can still retrieve it in the exact same place where his sword was dropped during the first visit.