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The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD improves upon the original game in many ways. But one
of the less talked about aspects is how the game's controlled, and more specifically,
how it supports two different controllers: The GamePad and the Pro Controller, which
you can swap between at anytime on the options screen
Now for the most part, the controls are very similar between the two. After all, they have
the exact same control stick and button-layout, so it wouldn't make sense for those to change.
But where things begin to differ are with the Gamepad's touchscreen and motion controls,
and the Pro Controller's lack thereof
So I thought we'd take a quick look at how both of these controller options work and
what the exact differences are between the two.
So let's start off with the GamePad as it's probably how most people will play the game
So the biggest addition, without question, is that everything that you accessed via the
pause screen in the original game is now accessible at all times on the GamePad.
So you have instant access to your inventory, Map, and Tingle Bottles--all at any time without
having to pause the game and go to a seperate screen.
Now this is awesome for a couple of reasons. Because you have constant access to your inventory
without having to stop the game, it makes things like swapping weapons mid-battle completely
seamless. It also greatly enhances sailing, allowing you to consult your map and adjust
your course while en route to your next destination--all without stopping
You really will save a ton of time simply by not having to pause the game every time
you want to check your map or equip a different weapon.
And on top of that, the touchscreen makes the selection process itself much faster too
thanks to its drag-and-drop interface. As you can see, you simply drag the desired item
to any of the 3-item buttons for easy access. In fact, you can even do this without looking
at the touchscreen as the moment you select an item, it appears on the TV, along with
the three item slots.
Furthermore, you don't even have to fully drag-and drop it, as you can actually just
flick the item toward the desired item slot and momentum will take care of the rest. Hell,
you can even make it into a game and try to bounce it off the border of the screen for
a trick shot!
And speaking of weapons, the GamePad also allows you to use motion-controls to look
around or aim any of the first-person weapons, such as the Bow & Arrow or Hookshot, simply
by moving the Gamepad around, allowing for faster and more precise movements.
Now while you can't use motion controls when conducting music with the Wind Waker, you
can simply slide your finger on the touchscreen for the desired direction
Finally, you can, of course, you can activate off-screen play at any time by pressing the
Minus-button
Okay, so that covers it for the GamePad, but what about the Pro Controller, which offers
a control-experience nearly identical the original game
So in this case, you now access your inventory and map on the pause screen--just like the
original game. So that means you'll have to pause the game anytime you want to swap out
a weapon or consult your map, which can take a considerable amount of time.
And of course, you'll no longer have the luxury of using motion control for aiming weapons
either, instead limiting you to using the right-stick only
So why would anyone use the Pro Controller? Well, there are a few potential benefits.
For one, some people may find it more comfortable. Also, it's the only way to actually see the
map and inventory screen on your TV--and in high-definition. Yeah, it's not much, but
it's a small perk.
But perhaps the coolest thing about playing with the Pro Controller is that you can actually
still use the Gamepad at the same time too, giving you full touchscreen access to the
map and inventory at any time anyway. It's just a little less convienent since handling
two controllers at once isn't exactly the least cumbersome task.
And no, you can't use it to aim weapons, nor can you use its touchscreen to control the
Wind Waker. But it does still display the available melodies, which you can also display
on the TV with the Pause Button.
And finally, Off-Screen play is not supported in this mode, so sorry you Pro Controller
fans, you're stuck playing on the TV if you want you want to use it
Alright, and that wraps our look at the differences between the Gamepad and the Pro Controller
Thanks for watching and keep an eye on GameXplain.com for more on Wind Waker HD and other things
gaming too!