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Wind Waker versus Twilight Princess in 2019: Which of these two Zeldas’ artstyle/aesthetics do you prefer and why?
- Thread starter Quinton
- Start date
I prefer TP. I like the gritty fantasy vibe that often borders the ethereal and grotesque, and at the time it seemed like a more modern version of my first Zelda (MM).
As for Wind Waker, it's very cute, but it doesn't quite evoke the same emotions.
As for Wind Waker, it's very cute, but it doesn't quite evoke the same emotions.
The fear of childishness and the desire to appear grown up is in itself a childish act.
Except that Oot was my first Zelda I like your opinion and could't agree more with the bolded.
Have to go with Wind Waker and it didn't require much thought. I love both games, but just looking at the visuals I've got to give it to Wind Waker as my personal favourite. Because of its simplicity the art style has held up really well to this day imo (not the resolution on GCN, though). It's simple, crisp, charming, unique, and Link's never been so expressive and had such personality. Not much of a compliment mind, Link's not exactly the most personality-fueled character around, but it's still a compliment.
You gotta love how the "childish' game had probably the closest thing we've ever gotten to a nuanced version of Ganondorf.
And then in the "mature" game he's back to being a generic evil overlord.
And then in the "mature" game he's back to being a generic evil overlord.
Wind Waker by a mile. I remember playing Twilight Princess back on the Wii and thinking the art style was not very good after loving Wind Waker's style.
Wind Waker, twilight princess is ugly for its own era, much less this one. Wind Waker looks divine all the time
WW, obviously.
TP was pure hype back then but it aged pretty badly while WW aged like a fine wine.
TP was pure hype back then but it aged pretty badly while WW aged like a fine wine.
Lol right? Twilight Princess didn't even look good in 2006 man
Twilight Princess' visuals were nasty even at the time; muddy mess, and have you seen some of those character designs?
One day I hope we see something that lives up to the vision of TP's concept art.
WW is OK, but I dislike how Link looks.
WW is OK, but I dislike how Link looks.
Twilight Princess is ugly as hell.
Wind Waker is damn near my favorite game of all time, 50% because of aesthetics.
I think my answer is clear.
Wind Waker is damn near my favorite game of all time, 50% because of aesthetics.
I think my answer is clear.
Both are meh, but for different reasons.
Wind Waker's style, while beautiful in its own right, is definitely not what I want from the Zelda series in terms of aesthetics, tone and atmosphere.
As for Twilight Princess, despite being a huge fan of the grittier high-fantasy aesthetic, TP is, for the most part, an ugly-looking game with bland
environments, lots of horrible texture work and an inconsistent art-style. I still remember how disappointed I was by it, especially after witnessing the beauty of Shadow of the Colossus.
Despite the archaic graphics, Ocarina of Time is still the king of 3D Zelda aesthetics in my book.
Wind Waker looks way better, and I remember defending that game against my fellow fans at the time. Mainly other kids who didn't like that Zelda had turned into a baby game.
But even I was ALL IN when I downloaded that reveal trailer from Gamespot lol.
But even I was ALL IN when I downloaded that reveal trailer from Gamespot lol.
Wind Waker is vastly superior in every aspect.
Nintendo hardware post-GameCube has always been too underpowered to really do the realistic style they were going for with Twilight Princess justice.
This was the most classic case of the fans not knowing what they want.
Nintendo hardware post-GameCube has always been too underpowered to really do the realistic style they were going for with Twilight Princess justice.
This was the most classic case of the fans not knowing what they want.
The Wind Waker both has better visuals and is the better game by a factor of about five million, and even that might be understating things. That was true when they originally came out, and it's true today.
Opinions and all that, but I'm kinda looking sideways at anyone who earnestly, genuinely believes Twilight Princess looks better visually than The Wind Waker, especially in 2019. Those people are clearly the extreme minority based on the poll results, though.
Opinions and all that, but I'm kinda looking sideways at anyone who earnestly, genuinely believes Twilight Princess looks better visually than The Wind Waker, especially in 2019. Those people are clearly the extreme minority based on the poll results, though.
Everything about the look of this game's characters and environments says "This is a land of spirits, haunted both figuratively and literally by its history. This is a place governed by the dead." It's one of the primary reasons I prefer it to WW. It is even, maybe, the only example of a game where a normally excessive amount of bloom is called for. It dramatically increases the dreamlike, otherworldly feel of the game.
Speaking of the dead, Rutela... :(
The whole game exists in this kinda morose fog, where everyone and everything just looks rundown and lost, and I love it.
That said, the GameCube was clearly not enough to do the style justice, so WW shows its age way, way less. WW looks so good with a simple increase in resolution that I always thought the graphical changes the remaster made were stupid. That's a game where bloom doesn't belong.
I've always thought Twilight Princess gets a bad rap. I really love it on the whole, right up there with Ocarina for most memorable experience of first playing it, and definitely the last time I can recall giving a shit about the story in a Zelda title. But yeah, even though I really like its visual style, it'd be hard to argue that Wind Waker didn't execute on an aesthetic vision much more successfully. That game has a unique visual signature that people still talk about to this day (this thread being a case in point).
Nothing in TP is as grotesque as the ReDead in Windwaker. The contrast to everthing else makes them even more striking.
Also nothing in TP is like in MM. Like, really nothing.
If Twilight Princess had a setting like Breath of the Wild but with even less NPCs, I would like it more. It excels in having detailed interior environments that are pretty to look at. However, NPCs in Twilight Princess - except for Link, Zelda, Ganondorf, Ilia, and Midna - are the ugliest in the series because they took the 'wacky' NPC designs of Ocarina and Majora and simply tacked them onto a more detailed world, which doesn't work.
The Zelda series works well with a variety of art styles, realistic included. The current times fit the old promotional artwork to a T:
Now let's have games that draw on other aesthetics, such as other promotional artwork for the older games:
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Breath of the Wild's sequel looks like it's nearing closer to those mysterious, interior vibes:
But of course, they could step away from a cel-shaded aesthetic completely and aim for a gritter look without compromising the series's tone.
Love those promo artwork comparisons, very cool. Gets me hyped for BotW 2
I like both but prefer Twilight Princess Zelda purely because Zelda and Midna in the game are top-tier designs. Link isn't so bad either incorporating chainmail into his tunic.
Grotesque as in comically exaggerated ugliness that's somewhat unsettling, like you would see in gargoyle statues, not as in "ugly". The poster above who showed a picture of Malo is an example. But let's take the Postman, since he's present in all three games.
MM Postman
TP Postman
WW Postman
You can say, for example, that the overly large head, the lips, the jutted chin, and the super long torso are all present, but because Wind Waker chose the cartoonish aesthetic overall, he gives a rather unremarkable vibe in a setting where everything is joyously cartoonishly proportioned. I bet you didn't even remember he was in the game.
Also, I think you're reaching a bit with the WW Redeads, since I was far from being impressed by them, but to your credit they are better than the TP ones.
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