After reading an old interview with Shigeru Miyamoto about The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, I found out that some content had to be cut from the game. Immediately, I started wondering what this cut content could have been, as Wind Waker is already a game with a lot to do. I also thought the reasoning behind cutting this additional content was interesting given the current state of the Zelda franchise.

Although Wind Waker was somewhat contentious at the time of its release, it certainly didn't feel like an underwhelming or deeply incomplete experience. Today, it's often cited as a favorite in the iconic series, with a sense of exploration and discovery that holds a special place in many hearts. As it turns out, that could have been even more extensive, and it might hold up even better for me if it had been.

Wind Waker Was A Huge Game For Its Time

Wind Waker Was A Big Step For Zelda’s Map Size And Openness

In the interview with Tears of the Kingdom’s map, Wind Waker was an impressive feat when it first came out in 2002/2003. Miyamoto’s comments show how that was received at the time, and how it was thought of even four years after release when he discussed it.

Wind Waker’s map felt big at the time of its release for several reasons. Not only was it just simply larger than the maps from Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask, but it was also more contiguous. Previous 3D Zelda games had maps that were sectioned off with plenty of loading screens. In contrast, you could get on the boat in Wind Waker and travel across the entire overworld without a single new instance needing to be loaded. This made the world feel massive because it wasn’t broken up into smaller sections.

In a way, Wind Waker was a precursor to Breath of the Wild. While Twilight Princess had a big map, it still went back to the Ocarina of Time style of overworld that was sectioned off (albeit into pretty large sections). Skyward Sword presented almost linear levels that players had to get to from the sky map, instead of being a truly interconnected world. Wind Waker set the stage for having one giant connected world that the Zelda franchise has leaned heavily into in its last two 3D entries.

Wind Waker’s big world is also why it’s one of my least-replayed Zelda games.

I being extremely excited about this concept at the time because it was so novel for a Zelda game. I’ve also always liked pirate stories, so to have elements of them included in one of my favorite gaming franchises was a real treat. However, Wind Waker’s big world is also why it’s one of my least-replayed Zelda games. Sailing around through empty stretches of ocean before you can fast travel is a bit tedious and frankly boring when compared to contemporary games that feature ocean travel like Sea of Thieves. Still, for its time, Wind Waker was exceptional.

Miyamato Says They Cut 2 Stages From Wind Waker

Miyamoto Doesn’t Go Into Detail About What We Missed

When asked if there was anything he wished could have been included in Wind Waker that he couldn’t, Shigeru Miyamoto commented that there were “two stages” cut from the final game. The subject of the interview quickly switches to looking toward Zelda's future, so Miyamoto doesn’t elaborate on what exactly these cut stages were. That said, if they are something he wished could have been included in the final version of Wind Waker, it’s probably safe to assume that they were fun or interesting enough that he would still want to bring them up four years after its release.

Likely, the cut levels came later in the game, since the early stages of Wind Waker follow a clear Zelda pattern. The game’s earlier dungeons focus on Link getting the three Goddess Pearls that will allow him to wield the Master Sword. The idea of collecting three objects to claim the Master Sword was established alongside the sword's first appearance in A Link to the Past. It was then reiterated in Ocarina of Time, and it seems clear Wind Waker was meant to continue this pattern.

Since the early game was likely always meant to include just three dungeons, these cut stages could have been additional dungeons after Link gets the Master Sword. One possibility is it could have been additional Sage temples, as the current game only had two, and there are typically seven sages. These could also have been fun or optional stages, which would explain why they were the ones to get the axe over anything else. Whatever the cut stages were, it’s a shame that there wasn’t more Wind Waker, though it seems some people might disagree with me there.

Why Wind Waker Had Content Removed

Wind Waker Was Too Big

Wind Waker’s size seems to have been the reason content needed to be cut. After mentioning the cut content, Miyamoto said, “Some people still say the game is too big.” This implies that concerns about the game’s size initially led to the cuts. While the idea of a Zelda game being too big post-Breath of the Wild seems silly, it seems Wind Waker’s relative size at the time was an issue for some people.

It’s possible that the issue wasn’t so much with the literal size of the game’s map as it was the reality of navigating it. As I mentioned before, sailing across the sea — while exhilarating to me as a third-grader — can feel a little tedious. It’s possible that those complaining about the game’s size were doing so more because parts of the world felt empty, and the realities of traversing the overworld made the game feel too big.

Ironically, the game’s cut content might have helped with this. If the stages that were cut were additional islands, this could have meant fewer stretches of open ocean, and more things to do between destinations. Denser game worlds tend to feel smaller, even if they are still technically pretty large. A good example of this is the map in The Witcher 3, which does a good job of including a lot of activities throughout its map so the world doesn’t feel too empty.

I’ve seen speculation that Wind Waker may be getting a remake for the Switch 2 at some point. This wouldn’t surprise me, since the last one was on the Wii U, and not too many people bought that system. If the rumors are true, it would be great to see these cut levels included in an updated version of the game, though that might be a bit of a pipe dream.

Source: BordersDown