I Just Discovered They Cut Content From Wind Waker, & More Zelda Fans Should Know About It

screenrant.com:

After reading an old interview with Shigeru Miyamoto about , 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 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 franchise.

Although 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.

In the interview with BordersDown (at the time known as NTSC-UK), Shigeru Miyamoto points to the size of when discussing the cut content. This makes some sense given the relative size of the game compared to previous entries in the series. While nowhere near as big as or ’s map, 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.

Examining the events of the Zelda timeline shows there is a major unexplained detail that has never been explained in any of the games affected.

’s map felt big at the time of its release for several reasons. Not only was it just simply larger than the maps from and Majora’s Mask, but it was also more contiguous. Previous 3D games had maps that were sectioned off with plenty of loading screens. In contrast, you could get on the boat in 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, was a precursor to . While had a big map, it still went back to the style of overworld that was sectioned off (albeit into pretty large