Here I thought we would make it through Gamescom without anything noteworthy besides a few glimpses of demo footage we’ve already seen. Boy, was I wrong. We now have a treasure trove of new information that may just make you a believer if you were still on the fence in regards to getting The Wind Waker HD. I know what you’re thinking: there is absolutely no new content, so why would you even consider it?

Fair point, but then again that’s not technically true either. In fact, a new part has been added to the main quest! On top of that we just learned about a kick ass FPS mode that may have just showed why the GamePad is better than standard Dual Stick controllers for shooting games, the exact details on the changes for the Triforce quest, and of course all the information you could possibly want about the Hero Mode. Step inside if you dare!

The definitive version of The Wind Waker

5 Triforce Shards grabbed directly (no charts required)

Remaining 3 Triforce Shards will require translated charts

Sepia tint added to Hyrule Castle

In Hero Mode, enemies hit harder

In Hero Mode, health is only regained through potions

Hero Mode can be selected right away, no completion of the game required

Picto Box can take pictures of villagers and be posted on Miiverse

Picto Box now saves up to twelve photos

Link can take self-photos

You can change Link’s facial expression in the photos from happy, sad, and surprised

Swift Sail can be attained at the auction house after the first dungeon

No alerts will be given that the sail exists; players must “read this post” or discover it for themselves!

Can’t skip Tingle’s Island – it has been added into the main quest

You can go into a full First-Person mode and shoot arrows like in an FPS

Yes, you can move while in First-Person mode

You can’t, however, swing a sword or throw bombs in FP mode. This isn’t “Skyrim”, folks

GamePad is apparently a beautiful tool for first person gun/arrow play

GamePad in FP mode uses relative center – so the center of the combat becomes where you were holding the pad at that time

You can adjust his view point by moving Link with the left stick and using the right stick and GamePad

This increased versatility makes standard dual-stick FPS controls feel clumsy

This information comes directly from Nintendo reps and hands on experience. Needless to say, this a truck load of important information. I am relieved the Swift Sail is so optional the game doesn’t even tell you it exists. Hero Mode? Sounds fantastic. The First-Person mode sounds extremely intriguing and I can’t wait to give it a try myself. Curios what Sepia Tint means? Here you go:

That’s not the only new screenshot either. Check out Link in action:

The Wind Waker HD comes out in October. Thoughts?