Yes, before you spin that mouse wheel like you've just received the hottest tip on 'silly gamer' roulette, you are completely right. I didn't need to spend a wad of cash this big on a Nintendo Switch 2 just to play The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker for the umpteenth time. (To be clear, GamesRadar+ did receive review units for hardware – but I bought my own because, frankly, the places I will play Wind Waker will make my coworkers shudder). It wasn't even the plan. But I'm not sure how I feel about this new console launch and, well, when I'm not sure how to feel… that's when the urge to play one of the best GameCube games of all time manifests.
I'll be honest, I'm iffy at best on Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, and I'm being driven (ahem) up the wall by Mario Kart World's intermission tracks getting in the way of circuit domination. What's there to actually play on this thing? I've gone some rounds in Fast Fusion and it's a blast. I've thrown down blobs and blocks in Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S, which remains a certified puzzle banger. I've installed Deltarune, but I'm too nervous to feel new emotions (real). And then I see it – perfection on a pleasingly block red square – the smooth, rounded purple Nintendo GameCube controller beckons me to retro bliss.
Back to the past
The original Wind Waker is still a banger, it's as simple as that.
That's right, Nintendo Switch Online now has 'Nintendo GameCube – Nintendo Classics' on the Nintendo Switch 2 (I'll give you three guesses as to who publishes all this, and the first two don't count). Plenty of superb games have been promised, including Chibi-Robo!, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, and both of the perennially underrated Pokemon Colosseum games. But for now, there are three: F-Zero GX, SoulCalibur 2, and – my beloved – The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.
Like many, this Zelda was a definitive one in my gaming career. A newcomer to the world of Nintendo once the Dreamcast's reign had turned more nightmarish, I'd only before touched The Legend of Zelda: A Link's Awakening on Game Boy. Attracted to the gleaming golden box, and the promise of a bonus disc containing The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time to catch-up, I scooped it up for a surprisingly low pre-owned price at my local game shop, after simply browsing for random games. It changed my life.
Sure, revisiting Wind Waker via this classic library isn't completely perfect. While it has save states, there's no rewind – meaning this is a pretty straightforward presentation of the original game. It also means it doesn't have any of the additional features from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD for Wii U which – while the slight art style shift was divisive – make it feel more complete (I'd still recommend that version to first-timers). And yeah, having to use the virtual console feature's tools to remap the camera controls to feel more modern is a bit of a pain – with them feeling a bit twitchier than I remember. But the original Wind Waker is still a banger, it's as simple as that.
I know that all seems a bit foolish. I readily have other ways to play Wind Waker. My Wii U is literally still plugged in. Not to mention all the other ways to enjoy Nintendo GameCube games with some enhancements available in this modern age. And in my household I do try to ensure I'm never more than 10 minutes from Wind Waker at any time. But, well, I bought the Nintendo Switch 2, so here we are. I'm pootling around Outset village. I'm looking at Link's wonderfully expressive eyes as he sidles along ledges in the Forsaken Fortress. I'm picking up a pig and dousing its farts all over Windfall Island. I'm home.
So far, Nintendo Switch 2's newest, flashiest features have been a bit disappointing to me. But there's promise in how it can (big ahem) link to the past. Nintendo GameCube has loads of excellent games locked to the system that deserve to be more readily accessible to those who aren't sicko enough like me to jump through hoops to play them otherwise. And, the extra power in the hardware means revisiting original Switch games with performance issues promises to be far slicker. I'm eying up Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. Is it finally time to finish the fight?
Want more adventures? Check out our best Zelda games ranking!
