Update on June 13:The original version of this article erroneously stated that the Suspend menu in Switch 2 GameCube games is brought up with ZL. This has now been amended to reflect the correct command.
Summary
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Wakercan be made easier to play on the Switch 2 by inverting its default X-axis camera controls. This single settings change brings the overallThe Wind Wakerexperience more in line with modern gameplay sensibilities.
Nintendo’s latest console hit the market on June 5, arriving alongside a new Nintendo Switch Online feature: GameCube classics. Theinitial version of the Switch 2-exclusive GameCube catalogis limited to three titles, includingThe Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.
Players trying the 2003Zeldagame on the Switch 2 might be surprised by its camera controls, which feature an inverted X-axis by default: pushing the right thumbstick left rotates the camera right, and vice versa. Although some studies show thatthere are players who prefer inverted controls, such a setup is not standard in this day and age and can feel unintuitive. However, asNintendo Lifepoints out, the behavior is easy to disable in the Nintendo Switch Online version ofThe Wind Waker.
How to Invert The Wind Waker’s Camera on Nintendo Switch 2
Flipping the game’s X-axis camera controls is as simple as pressing the minus button and navigating to the “Change Controls” section of the Suspend menu. The following screen allows players to manually swap the left and right input assignments for the C-stick or right thumbstick, depending on their gamepad of choice. Doing so will match the camera behavior from theSwitch-era 3DZeldagames.
Inverting The Wind Waker’s Camera Comes with a Trade-off
One drawback to this fix is that it complicatesmusic composition using the Wind Waker. Inverting the X-axis doesn’t update the on-screen prompts during song input, so when the game indicates “right” or “left,” players must push the stick in the opposite direction. An alternative for those struggling with this trade-off is to revert the camera controls to their default settings before each use of the Wind Waker and then change them back afterward. However, the practicality of this approach is questionable, as the magical conductor’s baton is among the game’s most frequently used items, particularly in its first half.
Apart fromThe Wind Waker, the NSO GameCube library currently includesSoulcalibur 2andF-Zero GX. Several other GameCube classics are confirmed to be coming in the near future, includingSuper Mario Sunshine,Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness,Super Mario Strikers,Luigi’s Mansion,Pokemon Colosseum, andFire Emblem: Path of Radiance. Apart from only being available on the Switch 2, the GameCube catalog is exclusive to the higher tier of Nintendo’s subscription service, NSO + Expansion Pack, priced at $49.99 / €39.99 per year.
