Tutorials Need to Be Removed from Zelda

[Dan]

So I (and probably many of you) complain about Zelda's length and pointless tutorials. Longtime Zelda fans know how the controls are going to work for the most part. Honestly what Nintendo should do is either give the option to do the tutorial in game, or better yet have the tutorials outside of the game. By this I mean when you load up the disk into your console, have the option to start your quest or to do tutorials. This will let newcomers to the series understand the controls while at the same time not forcing those who already know what they're doing to redo the tutorials.

This will also make replaying games that much more fun. Instead of having to spend a couple of hours "learning" the controls again, you can get straight into the action like some of the older games. I don't think anyone would mind this. Honestly I think I have more fun replaying the older games, not because they are necessarily better, but because they don't have tutorials. Yes sometimes Nintendo tries to add story elements to the tutorial sections, but they could just as easily show you the story without having the pointless tutorials throughout.

At most the tutorials should be one sentence like, "You got the bombs! Use B to throw them!" simple stuff like that. Also don't feel the need to remind me what an item is when I start the game again. I'm looking at you Skyward Sword and Twilight Princess. Just because I turned off my Wii and came back doesn't mean that I know longer know the value of a blue rupee or know what a collectible item is.

Tutorials are the best part of the game ! You would love the command and Conquer Renegade tutorials it even tells you how to go up down left and right. It informs you that your health even goes down when you are shot !

 

[Meego]

The skip option would definitely be useful, I can't argue with that. But I think if a game was on an entirely new console with a different control style, then there should be a tutorial for sure. For example, you have to be taught how to fly a loftwing in Skyward Sword because it's a new process using newer controls. So I think some of the tutorials should be compulsory. As long as they're simple and short there shouldn't be a problem. For the rest of them, I just reckon there should be an option where you ask Fi or Navi or whoever else may be there with you. If not then just some small indication somewhere on the screen if you don't know what to do. For regular Zelda players, the longer tutorials are not needed though. We should just be able to skip them but I think they should remain in place for the younger players. Seriously, my brother played SS and was completely clueless as to how to jump or anything.

 

[winterbbytumblr]

I don't think the tutorials are that bad, honestly. In skyward sword they were necessary because the motion controls were all new and EVERYONE needed to learn how to use them.

 

[Awesome]

I realize that tutorials shouldn't be removed entirely, but hey shouldn't be ingrained into the plot. There needs to be a room much like Ocarina of Time and Link's Awakening that has all the information you will need. As for the motion controls argument of Skyward Sword...you could easily have that in a separate menu on the inventory screen that let you practice if you so wished. Or simply just have the option, "Do you want me to explain how this works?" If you hit yes it tells you and lets you practice, if not then it doesn't.

I'm a firm believer that the best tutorial is one through trial and error. That's how video games use to be and that's how they still should be.

 

[Ventus]

Kirby is also a platformer, a genre that barely needs instructions, and is much simpler than Zelda. Zelda's enemies are BA compared to Kirby's. They are. It also has very little story involvement. A quick tutorial is understandable and does all but make sense. Doing the "have you played" before thing would be fine, I guess, but having virtually no opening in a Zelda game would severely limit the story, hurting the potential of the game in the process.

Star Ocean 3 is a JRPG, and we have the Skip Event option which lets us skip about 96% of the cutscenes in the game. The enemies in SO3 are FAR more aggressive and worth my time than Zelda's enemies, all with the dignified ability to have an awesome story. My point is, the genre does little to affect whether or not the game should have skippable tutorials. Oh, and for the record JJ, Link's Awakening had little to no opening. We know this Link is on a shipwreck then he's on some island apparently dreaming, thinking, or maybe searching of Zelda. LA was a grandiose game full of amazingness IMO, besides the ending.

 

[Awesome]

Star Ocean 3 is a JRPG, and we have the Skip Event option which lets us skip about 96% of the cutscenes in the game. The enemies in SO3 are FAR more aggressive and worth my time than Zelda's enemies, all with the dignified ability to have an awesome story. My point is, the genre does little to affect whether or not the game should have skippable tutorials. Oh, and for the record JJ, Link's Awakening had little to no opening. We know this Link is on a shipwreck then he's on some island apparently dreaming, thinking, or maybe searching of Zelda. LA was a grandiose game full of amazingness IMO, besides the ending.

I agree about LA. The ending just made me sad, not that it was bad and I didn't expect it (hell the entire game foreshadowed the ending), but I kept hoping that something else would happen.

To JJ....having the ability to skip the tutorials doesn't hurt the game at all. It just makes it that much easier to replay. Don't get me wrong, I loved Skyward Sword's introduction, but they could have just as easily had a great introduction without integrating it with tutorials.

 

[JuicieJ]

Star Ocean 3 is a JRPG, and we have the Skip Event option which lets us skip about 96% of the cutscenes in the game. The enemies in SO3 are FAR more aggressive and worth my time than Zelda's enemies, all with the dignified ability to have an awesome story. My point is, the genre does little to affect whether or not the game should have skippable tutorials. Oh, and for the record JJ, Link's Awakening had little to no opening. We know this Link is on a shipwreck then he's on some island apparently dreaming, thinking, or maybe searching of Zelda. LA was a grandiose game full of amazingness IMO, besides the ending.

Star Ocean 3 is also designed specifically designed for hardcore gamers and assumes everyone playing it has played the series before, whereas Zelda is aimed at everyone, including the n00bs. LA's story is also... skimpy and less than stellar. The gameplay is pretty nice, but there's very little story throughout the entire game. Not a very good example on your part, which is unlike you.

To JJ....having the ability to skip the tutorials doesn't hurt the game at all. It just makes it that much easier to replay. Don't get me wrong, I loved Skyward Sword's introduction, but they could have just as easily had a great introduction without integrating it with tutorials.

I've made it very clear in this thread that I think tutorials should be skippable.

 

[Ventus]

Star Ocean 3 is also designed specifically designed for hardcore gamers and assumes everyone playing it has played the series before, whereas Zelda is aimed at everyone, including the n00bs. LA's story is also... skimpy and less than stellar. The gameplay is pretty nice, but there's very little story throughout the entire game. Not a very good example on your part, which is unlike you.

(Square) Enix gave us Earth mode which, while it restricted the obtaining of Battle Trophies even while in MoT, did make the game hella easier than 4D. SO3 was made for the new players and the pro both gameplay wise (if you aren't "so good", make it to Peterny and call it a day or at the most finish Luther off, if you are "so good", finish Freya in under an hour on 4D without taking damage) and tutorial wise. The battle system is so different from SO1 or SO2, they gave us the Battle Simulator and even Paracelsus' Table which allows for practically infinite experimentation with the battle skills and what not. Plus, if you didn't want the Skip Event option on, you could always turn it off and force yourself to watch the cutscenes. Zelda could do that too!

I thought LA's story wasn't UP THERE with say ALttP, but it definitely wasn't bad. More of an A story than an AAA story.

 

[JuicieJ]

Plus, if you didn't want the Skip Event option on, you could always turn it off and force yourself to watch the cutscenes. Zelda could do that too!

Zelda could do that, sure. I wouldn't mind. Those who want tutorials would have them. Those that don't want them wouldn't. I would love for people whining about something so trivial to finally stop complaining.

I thought LA's story wasn't UP THERE with say ALttP, but it definitely wasn't bad. More of an A story than an AAA story.

ALttP... didn't have much of a story, either. It's, like, barely a B, whereas LA's is more like a C- (partially due to the crappy dialogue). The entire second half consists of the Maidens telling a bit about Ganondorf then goin' all, "kthnxbai" on us. Sure, it's not bad, but it's not stellar by any means. No Zelda story is. Not even SS's, even though it stepped up the storytelling a lot. (That's something that should change, btw. 'Twould make Zelda much better.)