Taste-Test: The Legend of Zelda: Kaze no Takuto (import)

Rated: E for Everyone Developer: Nintendo Publisher: Nintendo Players: 1 Saving: 12 Blocks for 3 Files Taste-test by Carl DeNovio

People are getting so excited over being able to play Ocarina of Time on GameCube. But let me tell you this, Kaze no Takuto IS Ocarina of Time on GameCube. It’s the quintessential Zelda in every sense of the word, and it is a worthy successor to what is widely regarded as the greatest game ever made. The story will move you, the graphics will stun you, and the gameplay will amaze you. Chalk this one up as THE must-have GameCube game, period. It’s that good.

I’m going to try to keep this relatively spoiler-free, but I am going to include a few spoilers, which some may consider major. The story goes as we’ve all been told it will go, for the most part. Link is living a quiet, peaceful life on his little island with his sister and grandmother. When a large bird kidnaps a pirate captain, Link takes it upon himself to rescue her. Not long after, Link’s own sister, Arill, is captured and taken to a far-off island. To repay Link for saving her, the captain offers to take him to the island to rescue his sister. This next part is quite possibly a MAJOR spoiler, so highlight it to read: After Link finds Arill on the island, he himself is taken by the large bird and brought to a man, presumably the villain. We see the man only from the back, but it is almost undeniable based on his clothes, build, and skin tone that we are looking at the Great Evil King of the Gerudos.

And that’s where we get into the real meat of the game: the extremely non-linear, adventure-exploration game. For all you cel-shading nay-sayers our there, and don’t pretend you’re not, because we all know you are, this is a game that will make you say, “Did I really complain about this?” The gameplay not only holds its own if you don’t like the graphics, but the graphics themselves will hold their own if you don’t like them. We’ve all seen the screens and videos, but it’s really an experience that cannot be fully understood until you see it for yourself and play the game. There are parts that will make you just sit there with your mouth open and marvel at the beauty of the game; it’s that pretty.

Now, I know some of you want to know what the Takuto is. And if you don’t, skip to the next paragraph. The idea of the Takuto can be summed up pretty simply: it’s more or less the Ocarina of Wind. You play songs on it to help you determine the course of the wind. While I’ve only learned one song on it as of now, I’m sure there are others to learn, just as there were with the Ocarina. So, basically, it’s another musical instrument that lets you manipulate the world around you.

So, what’s the verdict so far? Ocarina, you’d better strap in and prepare to lose your title as the best game of all time. It’s that damn good. Go out and get this game as soon as it comes out in your region, or if you don’t mind not being able to understand parts of the story or instructions given to you by other characters, import it right now.

Carl DeNovio