Wind Waker takes place in the world of Ocarina of Time, but hundreds of years later, when the sea has risen up and flooded the landscape of Hyrule. The deeds of the Hero of Time as he quashed the King of Evil exist only in legend, half-forgotten by the people who inhabit the islands of the Great Sea. On one remote island, however, it has become custom for boys of a certain age to wear the Hero's ancient green clothes (I keep telling him he should dress better if he wants the ladies to notice), with the hope that they might also inherit his courage. Our story begins on the day our new hero gets his new garb - he has little time to work on his heroics before his sister Aryll is snatched up by an enormous Roc-like bird and vanishes. He joins forces with the pirate crew who had been chasing the bird, and his adventure begins. Before long, our hero (dubbed Link by most, but not me) will find a boat of his own, the extravagantly named and nauseatingly talkative King of Red Lions.

Although this Zelda may initially appear to stray from the roots of its predecessors, like another Majora's Mask, series aficionados need not worry. While the new art concept as well as the quest to save Aryll and the time spent sailing the Great Sea are new directions for the franchise, Wind Waker harkens back to its Hyrulian heritage in many ways, some of which aren't apparent at the outset of the game. More immediately, you'll find that classic Zelda foes are out in force, ranging from the familiar Keeses and Octos to the tougher Moblins and Armos and the advanced Darknuts (hit them from behind) and Wizzrobes (yes, they still teleport obnoxiously). You'll find the classic Hyrule accoutrements scattered through the Great Sea, including a boomerang, a hookshot, bombs and a magical musical instrument - this time, it's an eponymous conductor's wand, the Wind Waker. Moreover, the general structure of the game is basically unchanged from past iterations – you explore the overworld, you find equipment that grants access to dungeons, and you clear dungeons, picking up still more equipment that expands your overworld access. It's still the same Zelda you know and love - it's just really wet this time.

Earn your water wings

Since Link can't swim all over the sea (bathing time is limited, even above the surface), sailing becomes a necessity as soon as he meets his boat and finds a sail. The seafaring fortunately involves a happy medium of complexity - it's not as simple as pressing the direction in which you wish to go, but it remains intuitive and doesn't require mastery of oceanic navigation. Sailing is as simple as equipping the sail to an item button and deploying it, and the King will catch the breeze. (If you want to make haste, you'll find yourself realigning the wind with “that damn wind song” frequently.)

Link can attack aquatic and naval foes with his distance-ranged weapons while on board (did you expect the sea to be empty?), while other items take on new capabilities at sea. Bombs, for example, can be fired from an onboard cannon at enemy navies, while the grappling hook (not to be confused with the hookshot) pulls up treasure from the ocean floor. Of course, you can't go scouring the sea blindly, so you'll frequently be cross-referencing treasure charts you find in your travels with sea maps drawn by friendly, hungry fish-men you'll encounter. Exploring the wide open sea (and I mean wide open - it's at least a ten-minute trip from corner to corner) is both a new experience for Zelda fans and a tribute to the original's sense of the unknown.

On dry land, Wind Waker borrows much of its gameplay system from Ocarina of Time. Link can still lock on to a nearby enemy (not always the one he wants, however) with a press of a button - the L button, this time. He attacks with his sword with a touch of B, and whips out one of his present secondary items with X, Y, or the ever-awkward Z. Both A and R are context-sensitive, which occasionally presents some difficulty to Ocarina of Time vets. While A is used to both climb onto and grab large boxes, for example, the grabbing action has now been split off to R, and the nuance takes a bit of time to get used to. One notable context-sensitive action occurs when Link approaches a weapon dropped by a fallen foe: he can wield a Moblin's oversized spear, for example, and strike down other enemies or barriers. This Link has picked up a few new sword techniques, including a QTE-like (Quick Time Event) timed parry strike that is near-mandatory when fighting certain armed enemies. The camera is freely controlled with the C stick - it's basically the same system everyone either loved or hated in Super Mario Sunshine without the cool behind-the-wall silhouettes but also without the insane platforming. In other words, the camera frustrates occasionally, but is usually competent, if not optimal.

On the other hand, lock-on and camera frustration are almost welcome, as they provide just about the only combat-related challenge throughout the entire game. The most serious knock against Wind Waker from the veteran's point of view is its glaring lack of difficulty. Quick enemies may attack in numbers, but they'll only damage Link for a scant quarter of a heart. Stronger foes hit harder, but they're generally so slow that hits are easy to avoid. Factor in the abundance of hearts from enemies (many drop orbs with multiple hearts) and the environment (especially around bosses), extra heart containers, and bottled fairies (the Hyrule equivalent of extra lives), and Link essentially becomes immortal with little effort on the part of the player. I found two bosses somewhat difficult, principally due to lock-on confusion - I didn't die, but at least it was a possibility - and died once early on, before I mastered the camera in close quarters. Even the final battle, while cool beyond description, is a cinch. I won't deny that I thoroughly enjoyed taking down rooms full of foes, I just never felt like they stood a chance. Fortunately, the dungeon-crawling remains as intricate as ever, with two temples revolving on cooperative play reminiscent of Ico. I just don't see how the novice player to whom the combat seems geared will get through them.