I coveted that wind, I suppose
One game that I adored growing up, and still revisit every once in a while, is The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker.
When I was little, my uncle gave me and my siblings some secondhand gaming consoles and games. Among them was a GameCube. At the time I wasn't very interested, but when I got a little older, maybe around 10 or so, I decided to give some of the games a try. When I started Wind Waker, my eyes were opened to a whole new world I fell in love with pretty much immediately.
I spent so many hours in Hyrule, sailing the seas in my little red lion boat, visiting islands, pulling up treasure, slaying bokoblins and chuchus, and sneaking around the Forsaken Fortress. I was obsessed with Link, Tetra, and Medli.
Part of what made the game so memorable is the soundtrack. The themes of Dragon Roost island, Outset island, and the Great Fairy Fountains are so ingrained in my brain. My dad will still occasionally whistle the theme from the opening screen.
Wind Waker was my gateway into the world of The Legend of Zelda. I've since played Ocarina of Time, Minish Cap, Twilight Princess, Phantom Hourglass, Spirit Tracks, and Hyrule Warriors. I plan to play Skyward Sword and Breath of the Wild at some point. Currently my only Nintendo consoles are my GameCube, Wii, and Switch, but I want to get a Gameboy as well.
I don't think I would have gotten into video games without Wind Waker. It not only introduced me to all the other Zelda games, but youtubers and cosplay and music and so many other things. I'll always love it for that.