The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker was initially met with a mixed response from fans upon its reveal due to the cel-shaded art style, and series creator Shigeru Miyamoto wasn’t too keen on it either.
In a video published yesterday (June 25) by DidYouKnowGaming, which features exclusive information on cut content from Wind Waker, it was stated that Miyamoto “literally cringed” upon first seeing the art style for the critically acclaimed GameCube title.
The story was also kept from Miyamoto for “quite a long time”, with the game’s director Eiji Aonuma describing it as “an adventure across the sea where the main character just happens to be Link.”
Miyamoto was reportedly insistent on a “realistic” Zelda title, but eventually gave in, as “with the team they had, it would’ve taken ten years to make a realistic Zelda,” whilst a game with the now-iconic cel-shaded cartoon art style would’ve taken a fraction of the time.
In 2013, it was initially reported that the team had kept the art style a secret from Miyamoto, with him being shown what a game with an art style more akin to likes of Ocarina Of Time and Majora’s Mask would look like on the (the