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What? No new items?Sorry folks, no hidden items found in Wind Waker. Actually, that's not exactly true. We did run across this one item. By hacking the game's code we were able to send this ... thing ... into our inventory. Take a look.
We aren't certain what the translation of the japanese characters, but we'll go ahead and hypothesize anyway because that's what we do around here. In all probability it says "worthless a#% garbage." Because that's what it is. [EDIT: Thanks to forum member Mêlée, the item description translates into "Water Boots." We now know Nintendo was at least in the early stages of creating another pair of boots other than the Iron Boots.] Clicking on the item from the menu to reveal more information yielded this screen:
Hmmm. We've seen this text before. In fact, in the very beginning of the game when Link's grandmother gives him his green clothes for his birthday, that exact same message appears. Hmmm. It's almost as if Nintendo may had been planning to have an option to dress and undress Link's (get your mind out of the gutter).
So what does it do when you use it, you ask? After equipping it and returning to the game, we pressed the button assigned to the item.
Link hopped. Yep, you heard right — Link hopped.
It's the same animation we see when Link equips his iron boots. Ugh, boring. We dub this item the "Link shuffle." Just watch the movie already if you don't know what I mean...
Fun with Link
Not all hacks are meant to discover truth. In fact, most hacks are just funny to witness even if they hardly reveal the deepest secrets of a game. We wanted to know what it'd be like to make Link the size of the Jolly Green Giant and adversely, the size of a pea. What we discovered was a greater respect for Wind Waker's programmers.
Size does matter
After blowing up and shrinking down Link's size we observed that every character that interacted with him acknowledged the size difference. For example, when walking past a villager, the eye contact was still there, whether Link was 15 feet or 15 inches tall. You may not think that's saying much, but it's just another testament to the detail Zelda's programmers put into their programming.
However, the size differential doesn't affect the way Link operates in the world. You won't see fee-fie-fo-Link slashing any longer than he normally does when at his usual size, nor will you see Keebler-Elf-Link scurrying his way into tiny crevices. In other words, tiny Link will appear as if he's running like the wind and colossal Link will appear as if he's moving like a fat offensive lineman, despite the fact they're really moving at the same speed.
One thing is for sure though — it makes for some comical cut scenes and interesting looking battles.
