Take me home…country oceans
In this issue of “I can’t believe it’s in Zelda,” folks are coming to terms with the fact that Outset Island has been re-created in Zelda: Breath of the Wild. What’s old is new again on multiple tiers, as Breath of the Wild is over two years old at this point and this concept was briefly discussed in the past, and Wind Waker is…considerably older.
As popularized by Twitter user Jon Cartwright, who recently tweeted “…how am I only now realising this is Outset Island,” with the above image, folks have been rushing to visit the little hamlet. The classic crow’s nest ladder climb is in, as are the NPCs and even the boat vendor. In case you’re curious, the location is Lurelin Village, which is location on the southeast corner of the map, slightly northwest of the Gogobi Shores.
My mind immediately zipped through every single Legend of Zelda starting location, and I think Wind Waker is definitely in my top five. Although it drags a bit the actual area is mesmerizingly beautiful in its simplicity. Mechanically Breath of the Wild kind of rules given how freeing the Great Plateau is, even if it has that “tutorial” vibe rather than the provincial one from so many other Zelda intros.
Other contenders for best Zelda intros: the music alone that communicates the harrowing urgency of the Link to the Past sequence, and the off-the-wall Majora’s Mask craziness that’s unlike any Zelda game before it.
Jon Cartwright [Twitter]
