Wavetale is one of those games that you don’t remember when you put it in your wishlist, but you sure as hell know why. It’s the game you forget about until you get a notification that it’s on sale, then you don’t buy it and forget about it all over again. Then it goes back on sale, and the cycle continues. Until one day it’s $3 and you just can’t resist that. Finally, this enigmatic game, the one that kept you interested even when you forget how it seduced you in the first place, is finally in your library. And you don’t play it for months. And months. And months. And… you see where this is going. The column is called Backlog Busting; I should hope that you do.

As much as it almost defeats the purpose of this column. I couldn’t tell you how long it was on my backlog. I don’t remember when I wishlisted it. I don’t remember when I bought it. I don’t remember when or even how I first heard about it. Does this pose a problem for a column that’s just as much about the story of my backlog as it is about the game I finally played? Perhaps. One of the reasons I started this column in the first place is because I wanted an angle to talk about these games that wasn’t just a straight-up review. But I really got nothing with Wavetale.

All I can tell you is this. I may not know where I heard about it, or when I wishlisted it, or when I bought it. I may not be able to tell you an interesting story about its time on my backlog. In fact, there isn’t even an interesting story of what finally spurred me to play it. But what I do know, and what I can tell you, is the reason it stayed on my backlog.

Despite not remembering the origin of it going on my backlog, I’ll tell you exactly why I never second-guessed its position. Look at that screenshot at the top of this post. Look at the screenshot below this paragraph. I have no idea how I heard of Wavetale, but I know exactly why I was interested. Look at that art style, look at that completely flooded world. You bet your ass this reminded me of Wind Waker.

So we’ve established that I put this on my backlog because whenever I first heard about it, it reminded me of Wind Waker. I kept it on my backlog because each time Steam sent me one of those dastardly “Items on your wishlist are on sale” notifications, it reminded me of Wind Waker. Once it was only $3, I bought it because I’m absolutely not gonna pass up the opportunity to buy something reminiscent of Wind Waker for less than five dollars. I don’t remember how long I owned it before I finally played it, but I finally played it because the wheel I use to determine which games I stream chose it. So I streamed it and…

It is nothing like Wind Waker. And you know what. Good. If it turned out to actually be like Wind Waker, it would likely have just made me want to play Wind Waker. Nothing can really capture the feeling of Wind Waker, not even other Zelda games. Wavetale is actually a 3D platformer, reminiscent of the ones from the 6th gen of gaming. And it’s a good one.

Wavetale has a gloriously fluid movement system. The player character, Sigrid, can walk on water thanks to the help of a shadow creature that lives beneath the ocean. So to traverse across the vast flooded world, she skims across the water's surface like she’s surfing behind a jet ski. Now, when I say “skims,” I really mean glide. Arthur Curry himself would be jealous of the speed and grace with which Sigrid moves across the ocean. There are also structures peppered throughout the vast waterworld that you can grapple onto to boost through the air and slide down. Chaining these together with your wave riding not only gets you to each island quicker; it feels good. If the whole game was just skimming across the water, I’d still like it.

The game is much more than that, though. It may not be like Wind Waker (outside of the cel-shaded flooded world), but it certainly is like something from the GameCube era. It’s a 3D platformer. A simple one. There are enemies to fight, but combat is relegated to one button. None of the platforming is going to challenge you, but it’s all set up to make you feel good. Each platforming challenge is laid out to chain together your movement options. You tie together grapples, slides, boosts, and bounces to reach where you're going. It’s not hard, but it’s fun as hell.

What brings the whole thing together is the story. Like the gameplay itself, the story is a simple one, but it gets its point across in an efficient and affable way. The world is flooded, and everyone lives on little separated islands. There’s an evil black goop entity called Gloom that is overwhelming everything and spawning little monsters. It’s Sigrid’s job to help push it back and stop the forces that have allowed it to run amok. This is a short game, about 4 hours (which I love btw.), so to reveal anything more is to delve into spoilers. But suffice to say this is a charming, well-told story not just about climate change but also about how older generations have completely screwed over younger generations and should just shut up and get out of the way. Hell yeah.

It may not be Wind Waker, but I still really like the kinds of games Wavetale evokes. There was a time when that kind of game was plentiful because the industry was not yet focusing on achieving ever-slimmer margins of photorealism and copying Hollywood. It was just focused on good vibes and fun times. We need games like Wavetale to exist because these are the games that really show why gaming is great. Wavetale knows exactly what kind of game it is and just focuses on that to maximize its mission statement. I don’t remember how I ever first found out about it, but I’m glad I did.