No more guide characters

I'm getting sick and tired of the guides in the Zelda series. I keep thinking about all the recent Zelda games I played, and the one thing that annoyed me most of all were the annoying guides. They usually serve no purpose other then bugging you constantly and telling you where to go. Some are worse then others.
Let's go back to the beginning starting with Zelda 1.

In Zelda 1, no one told you where to go, and no one bugged you. All you had were some old men giving you advice. Then there was Zelda 2. Again, you could go where you want without someone telling you what to do. In Zelda 3, except for Zelda telling you a few times where to go, you were still free. In LA you had an annoying owl bugging you every now and then, but you were basically free.
Then everything changed, you had some stupid annoying fairy bugging you and telling you where to go, even though you could ignore her. Even so, OOT was kind of ruined because of this annoying fairy. In Majora's Mask you had a quieter partner, so not much complaints there.

Now with each passing game except for the oracle games, FS, and FSA, you always had some kind of partner you where you should go.
Shut up and leave me alone! I'll go where I want to go.
Fi, I don't care if my batteries and/or health is low, so telling me what to do.

I would love to just roam around freely once again.

I don't think they need to do away with a guide/partner for all time, but it would be a nice change of pace.

Having a guide has become one of those "conventions" in Zelda that needs to be reexamined to keep the series fresh. Is having a guide a truly fundamental part of a Zelda game? I'd say definitely not since the first four games did not have one.

^ having a guide is not something fundamental to the games, I'll agree to that, but remember tatl? Or Midna for that matter? Link doesn't talk! Well, he does, but you never see the text of what he says. I want them around if they are going to have some character like Tatl and Midna. I sometimes want to hear a response to what the NPCs are saying. The idea of having someone helping you out with hints is not bad as long as they only give you the advice when you ask for it!

I still remember that part in MC where Ezlo complains and begins to wonder what part of his body is hurting. " I think I just hurt my... whatever it is I have for a spine now. My brim? Whatever." That part ALWAYS makes me laugh.

Also, it makes the journey feel less lonely. But some people may actually like that feeling of loneliness. Thats just me though.

Tatl and Ezlo had remarks which were actually quite fun. Many guides underwent character development, down to where both Link and the guide respect each other.

But yeah, bring back annoying BS like Navi who barely does anything the whole game and is annoying as hell doesn't work.

I never really agreed with everyone who say that all guides are useless. OoT Link for example probably cant even Z/L-target enemies without having a fairy or something doing the targeting for him. While the King of Red Lions, Linebeck and Ezlo helped you out in getting to certain places. ST Zelda, Midna, Ciela and I think Fi as well sort of helped you in combat and puzzles. But that's just my opinion. :/

Btw Grok. Didn't he have that owl as a guide in Link's Awakening? Sort of... And Ulrira too? :/

Eitherway, I don't mind having Guides tagging along with me. Especially those quirky ones like Ezlo and ST Zelda. I don't mind having another game without any guides though, it might start to feel a little lonely then. Then again. I loved the independand feel I had playing A Link to the Past.

I like the fairies and the boat guides because they felt like they are actually part of the adventure. I don't like Fi because she constantly talks, and sounds like a robot and that makes me feel like she's not even part of the journey.

I liked Midna and Tatl, don't care about Navi but I really dislike FI.

Maybe it'd be cool if you could just carry a gossip stone with you and an "elder" type figure (like Sahasrahla) could communicate with you telepathically. But they'd only bother you if you summoned them.

Originally Posted by Shaendo

I liked Midna and Tatl, don't care about Navi but I really dislike FI.

Agreed. In short, I like partners when they are characters. I don't like partners when they are full-game tutorials.

I dont mind guides as long as what they say is actually helpful and you dont have to be taught everything you may already know. I say keep guides but make them better, dont make them bother me all the time, I love to see a guide that had the character anmd backstory equel to midna's but give info as helpful as Fi when you needed it and only when you needed it. I dont need someone to hold my hand, Its not like I havent played a Zelda game before I know the ropes.

Originally Posted by Skull_Kid

I like the fairies and the boat guides because they felt like they are actually part of the adventure. I don't like Fi because she constantly talks, and sounds like a robot and that makes me feel like she's not even part of the journey.

She's the sword...... The sword felt like quite a big part of the journey to me. But, that's just me. And I liked her lack of personality. Ok she did talk too much, but at least she didn't completely steal the spotlight like Midna. Though I like Midna too.

I won't mind sidekicks in future games, as long as they remain sidekicks. As in, aren't suddenly the main character and aren't a pushy tutorial you can't turn off. It's nice to have a hint system, but it should give hints only when asked. Navi was actually very nice, she rarely stopped you without you hitting the Navi button. Tatl too, very much like Navi but with some added personality. The King was ok too.

I also won't mind a future game without a sidekick. I'm sure that would work out just as well. At least you'd get the feeling of really being alone against really bad odds. Sure it's comforting to have someone by your side, but being scared and alone isn't always bad. I think I'd like to go alone for once.

Give me a break for that Ztarget excuse.
The OOT 4player hack disables navi but you can still Ztarget.
WW Link has no partner following him everywhere but he can still Ztarget.

Just give Link a guide book to take with. That way you can still Ztarget an enemy and learn about it.
Actually that's the best partner concept. A guide book should be Link's partner
Not a magical talking book. Just something Link can open and read important information. Link can even add some notes himself as well.

They have to have guide characters for the new players to the series. Soooo, you can poll this all you want, they will never leave.

It's good for Link to have a little someone to talk to here and there. But sometimes they talk too much, or when they talk, they say obvious things that new players could easily figure out. The guide execution is occasionally lacking, but I have a hard time imaging him without one now. There

i loved Midna she wasnt as useless as fi or navi

at least she had sum kind of fast travel

-Fi ruined a few puzzles. Sometimes I like to figure things out completely on my own with zero hints.
-Fi told me to look up and pointed out something. Another time she hinted on how I need to turn the object. Stop telling me things.

Shut up Fi!

-Oh Navi, stop telling me to listen every 5 min. I'm ignoring you for a reason.
-Minda, why won't you let me out of the forest? The gate is wide open but you won't let me out.
-You give me no control as a wolf. Why can I only do these super long jumps where you tell me to jump?
-Redlions why do I have to go where you want me to go?
-Your a boat but you won't let me even use you at certain times. I'm stuck on Dragon Root island because you won't let me sail anywhere!
(Spirit Tracks)
-Zelda can you please walk faster. Your so slow!
-I'm surrounded by these scary enemies, and your afraid of the rats? What kind of partner are you?


These partners are so useless and annoying!
However, I don't remember being annoyed by Elzo(the hat) but he might of been. Tatl doesn't bother me either. So maybe there is some hope for these guides.

I like the partners that they have included so far. They are all wonderfully implemented into the storyline of their games (well, except for Navi) as well as in the gameplay.

I'll go through the list as well:
Navi: He was our first introduction to a companion. I didn't really think he was annoying as most others do. He reminded me what I was supposed to be doing and that was it. I also really liked how he gave information about enemies when you Z-targeted. Another thing I liked was having a little glowing ball following Link. The NPC's would instantly recognize Link as a "fairy boy" because of him.

KoRL: Very different from Navi. He was bossy and demanding like a King should be but he was also very knowledgable and the wisest of Link's companions. He also served his purpose as a boat quite well Plus his reveal was very cool as was his final moments.

Midna: I think my favorite of Link's helpers. Very sassy and funny. Amazing character development through the game and also liked the fact that SHE was the one that rode on wolf Link (unlike in WW where link rode on the KoRL). I liked her vocalizations and her design overall as well (especially her final design).

Fi: I believe Fi's charm came from being very robotic and loyal to her Master. Some of her dialogue was funny considering she herself was most likely not trying to be funny. Her inclusion in the story of the game was also very unique as she was Link's sword. Link was basically powering Fi up through the game. Oh, and, like Navi, she also gave info on the enemies in Skyward Sword (I wish Midna had done this).

I basically think they should keep the companions because they are so well done. I have not seen any other companion characters in other games that are as well handled and unique as those in Zelda games.

Having a partner is great. It makes me feel less lonely. I just want at least one that isn't annoying.

If they're like Ezlo or Midna I have no problem. I've had enough of Fi, never make a guide like it again

I personally like sidekicks. And Fi is my all time favourite. I love ballet.
Ok maybe I'm in the wrong thread.

I doubt they could get rid of sidekicks because most of the times they're the ones who tell the story of the game and interact with NPCs. Remember Link is virtually mute, and since MM the sidekick spoke in his place in various occasions. The dialog between Link and his companion is also essential to tell the story. While it's true that NES/SNES/GB Zeldas didn't have a sidekick, I simply don't see how could this work in a deeper, 3D game.

- Navi was redundant, ok, but gave hints on where to go and what to do gameplay-wise. And trust me, you need her (we're all talking like videogame pros, but back when OOT came out it was a new, mindblowing experience, the deepest ever made, and I was 9 yo and couldn't figure out what I was supposed to do).
-Tatl was a very nice character, and much less bothering that Navi.
-You need an intelligent boat to find your way in the Great Sea and to travel to Atlantis-Hyrule.
-I hate Ezlo, but he was also a gameplay element (foreshadowing the sailcloth somehow)
-Midna stole the scene to Link, and I don't like her character at all... but still, the whole plot of the game is built around her, this wouldn't have been possible if she was a simple NPC. She needed to stay with Link to pull the story.
-Ciela was discrete enough and a gameplay element too.
-Zelda was funny, and a clever way to implement the phanthom gameplay, which would have been dull otherwise.
-Fi is delicious. A little redundant in some occasions (like when you're low on hearts; you can see the hearts on your screen, you can hear the beep sound they make when they're low...no need to tell me I'm dying), but overall I found her to be a nice companion and again a character that simply wouldn't do as a regular NPC.