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| Hidden away in every copy of The Wind
Waker are test rooms that the developers used to test different elements
of the game engine. To access these rooms yourself, you'll need either
an Action Replay, or a copy of "Ultimate Cheats for The Wind Waker".
Action Replays are available worldwide, while Ultimate Cheats (a
game-specific, stripped-down Action Replay) has only been released in
the UK.
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When you start the
game after using one
of these codes, the
title screen of the
game will load the
test map chosen,
rather than show the
sea and Outset
Island. You can run
around and open your
inventory (it'll be
empty), but if you
press any button
you'll be taken to
the file select
screen. When you
load a file, you'll
be sent back to the
test room.
If you enter a door,
or fall off a map,
you'll be placed at
the initial starting
point, only the
music will have
disappeared.
If you save your
game while in a test
room, the game will
hang. Technically,
this should corrupt
your save, or send
you back to this
room whenever you
reload, but there's
no evidence of
either situation -
save files are left
intact. If your game
does hang for any
reason, including
saving, you can
press reset on the
console and the game
will reload the test
room without the
need for a cheat
disc.
In many rooms,
playing the Song of
Passing will cause
the screen to turn
completely black,
with only the top
sprite later
remaining visible.
You'll have to reset
your machine to get
your view back.
All test rooms have
the overworld map
property of the Six
Eyed Reed, and this
seems to be
hard-coded into the
rooms, rather than
relying on your save
file. |
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These rooms were created
to test performance -
draw distance, water
effects, object/texture
deformation, and Link's
abilities - jump
distance, hit detection,
climbing, etc.
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The first thing you
notice about ITest_M is
its sheer size. It has a
real scale, especially
vertically (more on that
later). You start off
facing the skybox, so it
comes as a shock when
you turn around and see
this awesome playground.
The textures in this
room are chequered white
and different colours
depending on the size
(which is written on the
textures). 1m textures
are blue, while 10m
textures are red. In the
game, there are big
textures for things like
the rock face of Rito
Island, and smaller,
more detailed textures
for things like signs.
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You start the room next
to four crystals and a
torch. If you hit all
four crystals, the torch
in the middle lights.
This will have been used
to test object-switch
relation codes. |
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Near your starting point
are these seven
increasingly-tall
towers. Each one can be
accessed via ladders,
but they can also be
jumped between. They're
spaced irregularly, and
the height differences
between them are also
different, so they were
probably created to test
Link's jumping
abilities. Next to this
set is another, with
each tower set wider
apart. To move between
them, you have to use a
Deku Leaf. The textures
here show signs of
texture deformation.
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Next to these two sets
of towers are a series
of shaped-protrusions
from the floor. They're
in different patterns,
and while it isn't
initially clear what
they're meant to do, on
further inspection its
revealed that they're
tunnels used to test
turning while crawling.
The camera isn't very
stable while crawling
within them. |
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Further exploration of
the level unveils a
square of eight statue
holders, though if you
try to walk near them
the whole screen goes
white. All that's
visible are some
graphical glitches and
the skybox. It begins
raining, and as you walk
further the skybox
gradually turns red and
the clouds darken until
you start coming out the
other side of this
"white area". This was
undoubtedly made to test
weather effects and time
of day effects, but its
unclear why everything
polygonal turns white.
I'd imagine it'd be
quite a sight if it were
not for this glitch.
Also within the white
area is a canyon that
gradually gets smaller
in width, to test how
narrow a passage Link
can pass. |
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Back near the start of
the room is what you
first assume to be a
very large wall. It's
not until you enter the
first-person view and
look as far up the wall
as possible that you
realise just how high it
is. Easily the highest
thing I've ever seen in
a video game.
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Well, excellently, you
can actually climb the
tower. When I tried, it
took around three
minutes of pure climbing
to reach the summit.
When you get there,
there's a fantastic view
(though it'd be better
with some real terrain).
This shows off the draw
distance fantastically.
You can get down a
couple of ways - wearing
Iron Boots so you fall
faster than the camera
can move, or perhaps try
jumping off and hitting
the Deku Leaf at the
last minute. |
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A large feature of this
test room is the
semi-transparent water,
showing that while
in-game the water is
opaque, this wasn't an
engine limitation, but a
stylistic choice. The
water itself has a
strong current that
moves Link and the King
of Red Lions in a preset
path through the water.
The only effective way
of moving against the
current is using the
sail on your boat, which
reveals two long polygon
"waves" protruding from
the bottom, something
you can't see on the
normal ocean. It's also
worth mentioning that if
you try to warp out of
the room using the
Ballad of Gales, it
tells you that you need
to be on the Great Sea
to do so (similar to if
you tried the same thing
in the Tower of the
Gods. |
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There's a large,
enclosed area that you
can't access via the
front door. The door
just takes you back to
the start of the room,
and Hookshoting over the
door does the same
thing. However, if you
climb up the huge tower
from before, and use the
Deku Leaf to hover over
the area, you can just
drop in. Inside, there
are a bunch of slopes at
various angles (each
angle denoted by the
number on their
texture). Some slopes
make you slide down them
automatically, even
those at a relatively
flat angle. This
indicates that sliding
is hard-programmed onto
surfaces, rather than it
being a fundamental
property of steeper
angles. |
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Just in front of the
enclosed area is a set
of three doors. The two
end doors display the
following message when
activated:
The forest paths are
closed until suspension
bridge repairs are
complete.
The middle door lets you
walk through it, and
depending on which side
you try to open it, the
screen will white out
(walking outside) or
black out (walking
inside), and you'll end
up at the start of the
level. |
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While its status as a
major test room is
debatable, its hefty and
interactive enough to be
considered one. The area
sees darker than ITest_M
because the skybox is...
non-evident. The layout
consists of a massive
pit that has a couple of
ramps and box staircases
leading out of it. Above
the pit there are
swinging grappling hooks
and lanterns that are
moving in set patterns,
obviously to test rope
physics and Link's
interactivity with them.
There are also random
floating logs that you
can use your own
grappling hook on,
though you can't swing
effectively as they tow
you all the way up, and
for some reason you
can't climb on top of
them either.
Randomly growing from
the walls are
fully-functional bomb
plants. The only other
objects of interest are
the destructible wooden
walls, as found in
Dragoon Roost's Cavern. |
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These rooms are small,
and simple in design.
There's not a lot of
explore, but they
generally test little
set pieces and effects,
so they can be quite
interesting.
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In this room, there is a
central corridor crossed
with a smaller one
through the middle.
There is a smaller room
in each of the corners,
each containing a group
of three pigs. The
corridors are fairly
wide and the decor is
that of a dungeon. At
each end of the longer
corridor there is a
square arrangement of
four crates, next to a
suspended platform. The
room seems to be made to
test the pig's AI, and
how they react when more
than one group is
chasing Link after he
attacks them, how they
react when Link climbs
one of the objects and
how well they follow
Link around objects such
as walls.
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Vr_Test is an island in
the middle of nowhere.
It's set at night, and
there are some seagulls
flying overheard, though
they don't react to Hyoi
Pears. The sea
surrounding the island
is merely an illusion,
and trying to couple
this with the "Swim
Forever" cheat to see if
you can break the game
won't work, because
you'll just fall
through. The King of Red
Lions is beached, but
has the same properties
as he does in the normal
game (you can speak to
him, and he'll look
around at you). If you
play the Song of
Passing, the day/night
cycle does move, but
slowly.
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This is a small fire
cavern, and it's basic
layout is one small
circular room attached
the another larger one
via a concrete door.
Running around the edge
of both rooms is a
lava-filled ditch. The
first room is fairly
non-descript, but in the
second room there is a
main raised section in
the middle of the room
with many narrow paths
leading off it towards
very small raised
sections with small pits
in them (small enough
for Link to get back out
of). One of them leads
off to an open treasure
chest. The main raised
section has 5 crystals
on it, which when turned
on individually have
varying time-delays to
turn off, but if you use
a boomerang and hit them
in the right order they
stay on to no
discernable effect. |
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This is a snow-filled
ice cavern with very
limited visibility.
Encased in blocks of ice
are various enemies and
pots, the ice is
meltable and the enemies
are fully functional,
with full AI. There is a
warp out of the test
room, however it
transports you back
within the room, only
without the ambience
music.
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When I tried to access
this room via the
Ultimate Cheats disc,
the game hung after the
"Dolby Pro Logic" screen
on all three attempts.
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As soon as you enter
this room, a chest
appears as it would
in-game after clearing a
room full of enemies.
Every type of chest is
here to test, though
each one contains just a
single rupee. Bizarrely,
smack in the middle of
the area is a huge
statue of a Hyrulian
Knight.
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This room contains one
seagull (that doesn't
respond to Hyoi Pairs),
Sturgeon (who challenges
you to a duel; accept,
and you'll turn and walk
20ft away), a few
pirates, a Knight's
Crest (which you can't
pick up), and a Korok
dancing around strange
blue smoke. I found that
my start button ceased
to have any effect after
I threw a rock at
Sturgeon's head.
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K_Test4 has some
different enemies - a
couple of Stalfos, a
group of Peahats, and
some floating bubble
skulls. In one quarter
of the room, there is
one of every type of Chu
but as with normal Chu
they don't emerge until
you run towards them.
All the enemies seem to
have a greatly reduced
awareness of your
presence, as you have to
move pretty close for
them to notice you.
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K_Test5 seems to be a
testing grounds for
level objects. There's
everything from totems,
switches, crates,
balance platforms, sun
beams, concrete walls
and even a couple of
butterflies.
Against the wall there
are four ladders, but
they are further up the
wall than Link can
climb. There is a switch
near the foot of each,
and pressing them makes
the ladders fall. If you
climb one of the ladders
and climb to the top,
you will find that you
fall through the wall
and into the skybox.
From the ladder you can
see some nearby fires
and fire distortion
effects, just floating
in mid-air. There are
also some Deku platforms
which rotate when you
blow them with the Deku
Leaf, but you can't get
on them. There are nests
and active holes, some
moving platforms, a
chest and some shootable
signs.
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K_Test8 is pretty crazy.
For a start, you are
attacked by a ReDead if
you walk too close to
its coffin. Then, a
Helmarock, some Fire
Keese and a Lava Gohma,
that you fight all at
once. Stray too far away
from the fight and
you'll see there are
also two Armos statues
in the room. There are
some crystals nearby,
one of which produces a
set of rupees, another
produces a gang of
sleeping Keese and Fire
Keese.
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K_Test9 has some of the
more extreme level
objects. Mainly, there
are a couple of
whirlwinds, flowers,
time sensitive and
weight sensitive
switches. There is also
a large stone head, a
stool, some ice blocks,
ice moving platforms, a
lily-pad, some fairies,
a chest, a sun-switch, a
mirror, a Wind Waker
notes rock and a
tombstone.
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Back in the open air
skybox, there are more
test objects here but
nothing not already
mentioned. There are a
few block puzzles (if
you can call them
puzzles... they have no
real solution or reward)
but they mainly involve
jumping and using the
Deku Leaf.
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Nothing not seen in the
other test rooms. A
black skybox with rows
and rows of characters. |
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The best part of this
map is the line up of
items. While you can't
pick any of them up,
it's just really cool to
be able to see every
kind of rupee, all
spoils items, a heart
piece and a key all
lined up in neat rows.
There is a small tree
with moss at its foot -
I don't believe that
this was ever used in
the final game. Also,
there is a strange box.
From some angles, it is
invisible, but from
others it is as clear as
day. If you try to walk
in from one of the
invisible sides then it
will let you, but try
and walk back out again
and it does not.
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The first thing you
notice about this room
is that a lot of things
are encased in ice.
However what intrigued
me is that in one of the
corners there is a bomb
launcher (like you would
find on the walls of the
various reefs). There
are some rocks placed
around it in a
semi-circle and they
represent the area in
which the launcher
recognises Link. If you
walk in the semi-circle
to get some attention,
you can get it to charge
a shot while you walk to
one of the rocks. Roll
out of the way a the
last minute and the
rock-launcher will shoot
and destroy the rock. |
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This map has the ring of
rain from the last
battle. You start off
standing in the middle
of the waterfall, and
the floor is shiny and
wet (which really looks
cool on the test
textures). The waterfall
is opaque from the
inside, but when you
stand outside it's
completely transparent.
The skybox is just grey
and white, and looking
up reveals floating
parts of the pirate
ship. There are some
semi-working cauldrons;
you can jump into them,
but the game just hangs
on the 'zooming-in'
cut-scene.
On the wall behind these
cauldrons, there are
numerous pictures of the
boy with the snotty nose
from Outset Island, but
divided into nine
squares from the
sliding-tile puzzles.
You can stand at the end
the rows of pots, and
break them all with one
arrow. |
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