Zelda: Wind Waker HD has a lot of changes compared to the GameCube original. Some are quite noticeable, while others are more subtle.
Here’s a handy list outlining the lineup of changes found in Wind Waker HD:
Sailing
- Can now acquire the Swift Sail in the Windfall Auction.
- Swift Sail doubles sailing speed and forces wind to always be at your back.
Pictographs
- Can now take up to 12 Pictographs.
- No longer need the Bug from the Forest Haven to finish the Deluxe Pictobox quest. It is upgraded automatically after you do Lenzo’s three picture requirements.
- Each photo now gets a rating the moment you take it, as opposed to when you arrive to exchange it.
- Pictographs can be submitted multiple times in one visit to be exchanged for figurines.
- Can download/submit Pictographs over Miiverse, getting the tough/missable ones MUCH easier. Also, you get to keep your photos if you send them via Tingle Bottle/Miiverse.
Quest
- Added Hero Mode: Available from the start. Take double damage, no heart drops of any kind. Can only heal via fairies, soup or heart piece pick-ups.
- Five Triforce charts have been replaced by the actual pieces.
- Tingle is now part of the main quest.
- Orca no longer knocks you down if you screw up the sword tutorial once.
- Can no longer snipe Molgera’s tongue out of the air using the Hookshot.
- Tingle Statues are now found by laying down regular bombs instead of the Tingle Bombs (that no longer exist) at their hidden locations. There is no prompt or hints in game at their location anymore, meaning they likely just wanted you to check the internet!
Actions
- Can now alter grapple swing direction while swinging.
- Can now move in first-person view while aiming the Bow, Hookshot, Grappling Hook and Boomerang.
- Addition of gyroscope aiming controls (which can be disabled).
- Enemies have less invincibility after being struck.
- Getting hit while in your boat doesn’t knock you off of it.
- Climbing a block is no longer an alternate command. Think Ocarina of Time where you have to press into a block to get a climb command, except in WWHD it takes longer. :/
UI & Animations
- Pulling items from the sea floor is about 4x faster.
- Grappling cutscene is faster.
- Text speed is much faster.
- Wind Waker songs will no longer repeat themselves after being conducted once.
- Wind Waker’s beat only starts when you conduct the first note, as opposed to being constant.
- Wind direction change option has been moved to the bottom right, as opposed to being a full screen overlay.
- Wind Waker has been moved to a permanent position on the Gamepad’s D-Pad; no need to go into the menu to equip at any time.
- Grappling and cannon options while sailing are permanently on the D-Pad. No need to equip while sailing.
- Cannon firing now has a tracker showing you the trajectory of your bomb and where it will land.
- Can now hotswap items on the GamePad without having to go into a menu (You can still pause to swap).
- Can alter camera controls to be reversed.
- Can remove HUD from the screen entirely save for hearts, magic and quick prompts.
- Can review fish advice from the GamePad map without having to re-feed them bait.
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