The Zelda game that introduced Toon Link almost got a sequel on Wii. Its artist talks about the Wind Waker sequel that never was...
These days, The Wind Wakeris generally regarded as one of the finest entries in the Zelda franchise - not bad going, given that its cel-shaded, cutesy design provoked something of a backlash before its release in 2002. As well as a corking adventure in its own right, The Wind Waker was also the game that introduced the world to Toon Link, the stumpy, wide-eyed version of the hero who's since appeared in such games as The Phantom Hourglass andSpirit Tracks on DS.
To date, however, Toon Link has never had another major adventure game on a home console. With Twilight Princess, released on the GameCube and then the Wii in 2006, Nintendo took the series off on a much darker, more serious-looking route, and the cel-shaded Link has remained largely on the confines of Nintendo's handhelds. But according to a new book - Zelda: Art & Artifacts, just released in Japan - Nintendo did come close to bringing us a Wind Waker 2. According to its artist, Satoru Takizawa, the game would have switched up the ocean-faring setting to one on dry land:
"Wind Waker 2 would have taken place in a more land-based setting, rather than on the sea, so that we could have Link gallop across the land on a horse," Takizawa explains, according to a translation over on Nintendo Everything.
The problem, according to the artist, was that Nintendo couldn't find a means of making Link ride his steed, Epona, in a way that looked convincing:
"Link's proportions in Wind Waker weren't very well suited for riding on horseback," Takizawa continues. "He was too short, and an adult version of Toon Link didn't seem appropriate either."
With the aforementioned fan backlash against the cel-shaded Wind Waker style, Nintendo therefore cancelled Wind Waker 2 and embarked on Twilight Princess in its place.
"While we were stuck on those problems, we became aware of the greater demand for a more realistic, taller Link," Takizawa said. "High-budget live-action fantasy movies were also huge at the time, so with all things considered, we decided to have at it. I was on board with the project as art director, and started off by bringing [Yusuke] Nakano on to do the design for Link."
Twilight Princess was a decent game in its own right, but we can't help wishing that another adventure in the style of Wind Wakerhad emerged for the GameCube and Wii. In our mind's eye, at least, Toon Link riding a tiny, tiny version of Epona - you know, so his feet can fit in the stirrups - seems like a captivating idea.
The translated edition of Zelda: Art & Artifactsis out in the U.S. in February.
