A Zelda game without a companion character at Link's side? Hmm...my opinion of this has to be thought about, and said thinking will entail my analyzing four of the 'big shot' companions: Navi, Tatl, Midna and Fi.
Navi: The story of Navi is something like this: she's a guardian fairy without someone to guardian over. Some time passes, and Link is introduced to the Kokiri Forest. More time (years) pass, and evil is brooding over Hyrule because Ganondorf. Finally, the time has come for Link to arise as the Hero of Time (well, this event takes place seven years later if you want to be politically correct), and he has need of a fairy. The Great Deku Tree assigns Navi to Link, and they go on adventuring times together.
A lot of the advice that Navi gives to Link, though, is seemingly irrelevant but TRUTHFULLY useful for a -new- player. People love to rag on her for telling us
Navi said:
You can open a door by standing in front of it and pressing [A]. Pay attention to what the Action Icon says. That's the blue icon at the top of the screen!
. Well, while I can see how the information would be relatively useless to a 'pro1337player' like the SDA runners, to a completely new player this information could save them from quitting the game in a torrential wave of rage and destruction, which is a good thing. In later bits of the game, Navi has been a bit less useful but her usage has still been there. For example, when rounding a corner in Dodongo's Cavern, she'll abruptly stop you from moving and tell you to Z (or L)-Target to look around the room and make sure the Blade Traps don't wipe the floor with you. Again, to a really good player, such news is probably useless since they already have the Cavern down to a science. But, to a new player (like myself when I was younger), this news is not only great but it has impeccable timing as well; with 1/4tth a heart left of health because I was bad at combat, her stopping me and telling me to be more aware of my surroundings literalyl saved me from a most shameful game over.
The points where Navi gets increasingly useless are when you face tougher enemies, and when you get to the latter half of the game (Adult season). All in all, though, I say Navi is really good as a companion for the earlier half of the game, but by the time of the latter half, she really leaves problems to Link and sort of is just there, sort of like Sheva from RE5.
Tatl: チャット(chatto) is a funny story in that her partnership with Link is based on two things: chance and her love for her little brother. While pursing the infamous Skull Kid, Link met with a terrible fate. After said event, Link tried to chase after the SK once more, but Tatl stalled him just because. Funny it was HER stalling him instead of, say, Skull Kid. From there, she approaches Link and pretty much demands his help to keep up the 'tough girl' attitude, then later falters and stylistically switches to begging him for his help so that she can be reunited with her brother, at which point Link is totally like “fairy girls, smh”.
In the earlier halves of the game, Tatl really isn't all too useful to a new player. I cite this quote from her:
Tatl said:
That's a Green Chuchu. It's nothing to be afraid of...It usually has something of use in its stomach.
Okay, that's nice. But, where's the stuff on how to vanquish this intimidating foe? Oh, that's right. Tatl really was designed in a manner that suggested the player had already previously played Ocarina of Time, which is good for those that HAVE, but what about those who have NOT? Tatl has a lot of other sassy quotes, too. I cite this one:
Tatl said:
What?! Don't you know about the Dodongo? It moves slowly, so you can circle around to its backside. Got that?
See, that is a perfect example of the game treating you as if you're a player coming in from OoT. It could also be said that it is a display of Tatl's attitude, which sure enough it is, but speaking of her as a helper character, it's quite inconsiderate to be so...rude. Overall, Tatl as a COMPANION was an oddity in that initially she's a big meanie poopoo face, but later lightens up significantly to the point of
Tatl said:
Well, both of us have gotten what we were after... So this is where you and I part ways, isn't it? You know... it was kind of fun.
.
I don't prefer Tatl, but she has a decent personality either way.
Midna: What can I say about Midna? Oh, I know:
Master Azure said:
Midna was a rude, obnoxious, devious, manipulating, slave-driving, cold-hearted little prick from the moment you met her.
d'aww...she so cute. Too bad she's a *****. All I need to say and actually CAN say about Midna is that she is the biggest jerk ever made. From day one, she cares nothing about Link. She uses and abuses him to reach whatever goals on her end that she so desires, from obtaining the Fused Shadows to grabbing all the Mirror Shards to defeat Zant. No matter what her devilish quotes may say, she doesn't express even a semblance of the gratitude that Link deserves for all that crap she put him through. If it doesn't stop there, she even mocks him whenever he is around his friends. I recall Midna saying something really buttheadish back in the scene after Link discovers Ilia in Telma's Bar. Yeah, that's just screwed up.
In the latter half of the game, Midna supposedly opens up because Zelda did the
dumbest right thing: saving Midna when she was on the verge of death. But guess what? She still has rude comments from time to time, not to mention she is STILL asking Link to grab things for her. All Midna wants is to get back on her high chair, and I can tell from THIS quote:
Midna said:
Am I so beautiful that you have no words left?
Seriously, you jerk? You're gonna put me through all this crap, then flaunt your
ugliness beauty in my face? Come on. Midna is a companion that definitely doesn't need to be repeated in my opinion, and I know I was exaggerating there.
Fi: I AM A ROBOT. (no picture)
So, after all that deep and serious analyzing, I think I came upon a conclusion. Perhaps Link should go solo like he did back in the good ol' days; text boxes could be used explaining things, or maybe signs that give directions a la the Kokiri Training Ground in OoT would be in place of the partner character. It'd be interesting, too, to see Link within a 3D game all by his lonesome. Could be that it makes the progression from zero to hero all that more believable, personally, and it could be used to further his personality and ingrain him deeper into the legend that is Zelda. I am by no means trying to say that partner characters are bad, that isn't necessarily true (except in the cases of Fi and Midna; the former is totally annoying and the latter is useless, IMO). I would just like to see Link by himself. Fi never seemed to me to be all too important, on a gameplay perspective she's so flippin annoying and on a plot perspective, she's really just there. Midna on the other hand, on a gameplay perspective she's useless and on a plot perspective she's the biggest jerk a man could ever have. There is one honorable mention that I haven't grazed, Princess Zelda in Spirit Tracks, but that's a story for another day and perhaps our good buddy Azure Sage could touch upon that more.
So yes, my opinion is: the next Zelda could do without a companion.
but minda had a personality and always had something to say from her view. That is what we need a companion more like that at least IMHO
