Legend of Zelda Wind Waker HD Remake News: Game Features Several Changes, New Difficulty Mode

The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD Remake is one of the most highly anticpated games for Wii U owners when it comes out in October, and IGN has an extensive preview of the game that shows Nintendo has taken steps to improve the Gamecube classic and make it a whole new experience for fans.

Some of the changes are fairly massive. One big alteration comes to the Triforce hunt that happens late in the game. While users previously had to find and translate eight charts and pay the character Tingle 201 rupees for those translations, now, five of the pieces of the Triforce are up for grabs directly, with only three requiring the old method of translation.

Despite rumors of a new Master Quest mode for the Wind Waker remake, that is not the case. However, gamers will be able to experience Hero Mode, a harder difficulty mode that is also found in Skyward Sword. This new difficulty setting is available right from the start of the game, and makes enemies tougher to defeat and only allows Link to regain health from using potions.

Another big change in the game is how the Picto Box is used. Originally used to help complete sidequests, this new Picto Box can be used to take pictures of random events in the game. Players can either choose to take photos of NPC's or enemies found in the game, or they can turn the camera around and have Link take selfies. The player can even change Link's expression, and can take these photos and send them to the Miiverse to share with others.

The final big change comes from the Swift Sail, which is available for purchase after the first dungeon. This new sail allows for faster travel on the game's boat and allows users to turn and sail in any direction regardless of the wind. Smaller improvements to game (besides the obvious graphical touchup) include a fix to make sure players cannot miss Tingle's Island, a new first person camera that allows more movement, and a change to sepia tones for the Mysterious Castle portion of the game.

The HD Remake of this Legend of Zelda classic looks very impressive, and both old and new fans of the series should line up to pick up the game when it becomes available.