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General Zelda Having a Companion Be the Villain

Joined
Feb 5, 2011
So, almost a year has passed since A Link Between Worlds. By now, must of us now of the big plot twist involving a certain someone, right? If you don't, stop now and don't continue reading. Go play the game or watch someone's playthrough of it of it and come back. Okay, ready? Here we go.

I've seen an article recently questioning if Link even needs a companion. A Link Between Worlds has Link traveling through Hyrule and Lorule alone, while he does maintain some contact with Hilda, she's doing it telepathically and doesn't leave her castle at all. While it would be interesting as it would be an example of no hand holding as there'd be no one to spell stuff out, I think we can use the companion character in a different way.

How? ... really, you're asking? Did you not read the title?

Some of you might think that it might not work. I'd say it can work, the idea that Link has a friend who turns out to be a bad guy has been done now. Once again, stop now if you haven't played A Link Between Worlds.
So, it turns Hilda, the person who helped Link in Lorule, is the true mastermind behind it all. She orchestrated the events so Yuga would get the Triforce of Power, she'd claim the Triforce of Wisdom and Link would awaken the Triforce of Courage so that she'd have a new Triforce for Lorule. Her plan would have worked had it not been for the fact that Yuga was using her and didn't care about his world's survival at all, only to remake it in his image. Now, Hilda realizes that she's turned into the very kind of person who gave her ancestors a reason to destroy their own Triforce and aims to make amends, but she was the actual villain until Yuga turned on her.
The idea that someone who had been aiding Link turned out to be the bad guy at the end was something I don't think we've seen before.

Some time ago, a friend of mine and I consider writing a fanfiction where Link is aided by a spirit to stop this evil sorceror from taking over Hyrule and marrying Zelda. But after his defeat, it turns out said spirit is Ganon, who wanted to steal the sorceror's power to revive himself and everything Link had done was to help with said revival.

Now, do you all think the idea that making a companion, or at least someone Link is affiliated with, turn out to be the villain is a good idea, or a bad one?
 

Salem

SICK
Joined
May 18, 2013
Actually, I kinda want a bait and switch, you begin with an annoying fairy at the beginning that tells you how to do everything, even the little things, then pretty soon, maybe after the first few dungeons, the fairy is revealed to be evil.

This kind makes sense, the reason the fairy over explains everything because she wants to make sure you survive long enough to be useful for her/him/it.
 

Mask-Salesman

And now.. That imp has it
Joined
Nov 4, 2013
Location
Netherlands
It could be an awesome plot twist! For instance, what if Midna was working with Zant all along just to gather the Fused Shadows? That would have blown my mind. I'd love to see it, as long as the build up is good.
 

Logan

Lorule-gan
Joined
Oct 29, 2014
Great idea! I can just imagine Girahim flying out of your sword and being like "Like my tights? I'll kill you soon. Don't bother heading anywhere but off that cliff over there."
 

Akuhime-sama

What's Life Without Adult Humor?
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Some of you might think that it might not work. I'd say it can work, the idea that Link has a friend who turns out to be a bad guy has been done now. Once again, stop now if you haven't played A Link Between Worlds.
So, it turns Hilda, the person who helped Link in Lorule, is the true mastermind behind it all. She orchestrated the events so Yuga would get the Triforce of Power, she'd claim the Triforce of Wisdom and Link would awaken the Triforce of Courage so that she'd have a new Triforce for Lorule.
Wait a second. They did that already. Twilight Princess.
Midna AT FIRST was only concerned about saving the Twili, and she used Link. ALBW was not the first to do this- where a companion was doing wrong until they realized that what they were doing was wrong.

And if you are meaning a companion that is evil until the end?
I'm not sure that'll work, assuming it would be a game in which you had a companion for the whole game.
Unless, however, they make it so the companion you had leaves, and a new one takes its place. A now, completely good companion.
('now' meaning near the end- when you discover your companion was using/betraying you the whole time)

It could be an awesome plot twist! For instance, what if Midna was working with Zant all along just to gather the Fused Shadows? That would have blown my mind. I'd love to see it, as long as the build up is good.

Problem though: Midna wouldn't be in imp form, and it wouldn't make sense to come up with that as a scheme to convince him she's on his side.

1.) I think Link is somewhat gullible and easy to deceive. Therefore- no reason to convince him.

2.) How would they come to that particular conclusion!? I mean think about it- it would go something like this:
Zant: "hm... If you pretend that you are against me, to convince Link to go after the fused shadows, this might work"
Midna: "hmm.. but what if he suspects me because I'm twili myself?"
Zant: "No, problem! I'll just cast a spell on you and make you shorter!"
......................I don't see the logic in this......
Though, if we go on, we could include:
Midna: "And how will that help?"
Zant: "Good point- we'd have to restrict your powers"
Midna: "Okay... so why do I have to be shorter?"
Zant: ".....DON'T YOU KNOW THAT HEIGHT DICTATES POWER LEVEL!? >:c ...I thought all twili children were learning this in their schools! SHEESH! And us taxpayers fund this $h1T!?"

...No matter of thinking can ever make this make sense. xD
I mean, even if he did have to 'restrict her powers' to prove it to link, and being an imp was the only way to do it it STILL doesn't make sense.
As my next reason will entail.

3.) Regardless of any method "necessary", you can always still convince people by methodically lying. Midna could Lie to Link about her powers being restricted. Even if he didn't believe, she could fake incompetence. Like- only creating a puff or small cluster of twili magic, pretending to fail miserably at it. Good sorcerers and magicians alike know how to use their power, and how to hold it back. They control it. Not a hard task for such a magician.

4.) on top of all of that, she wouldn't need to be in imp form anyway, since Link doesn't know what Twili people normally look like. What he sees at first- regardless of what form it's in, is what he will think twilight people to be. He won't understand that she's not in full form until either- she tells him, or he figures it out on his own after seeing what other twili people look like.

So- all in all, convincing Link she's on his side would be a ridiculous reason to turn her into such.
 
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Doc

BoDoc Horseman
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Nov 24, 2012
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I am very iffy on this idea. I can see how this can work, but on the other hand can see how poor execution can lead to a total train wreck and possibly ruin the game. Right now I'd say that Nintendo should try to avoid a situation where the companion is evil, but if they did it would have to be done very well.

First of all, it would require a few obvious hints. TP made a few obscure allusions that Zant wasn't working alone that were hard to pick up on, thus why people feel Ganondorf was shoehorned into the game. A companion suddenly being evil would make little sense, so it needs to be somewhat predictable that the companion is evil.

I'd also personally like to see it done where you have two companions with you. A pair where one is evil and the other isn't. This way you can still have a companion after one leaves and Nintendo doesn't have to throw a random new character in. I don't know the full details, this is just a few requirements that I'd want if a Zelda game did follow this formula.
 
Joined
Sep 21, 2014
Location
Michigan
Meh. The Turncoat Friend is so played out. I've seen one game do it right, and that was Baten Kaitos. I don't see a Zelda game pulling one of those off, and I'd rather not want to punch Link in the face (though playing as Zelda for a while might be nice).
 

DekuNut

I play my drum for you
Joined
Jan 30, 2011
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Tangent Universe
Hey, Aki? That was an example, not a theory. Just throwing that out there.
Anyways, if they did it right, Itd be a great idea. As the good doctor said, a few hints would be a good thing, maybe with the companion making small mention to one and dismissing it.
Also, I'm not sure we'd for sure need a second replacement companion. At least not a physical one... Some sort of guiding force or friend is always good though, just not something that's always following you.
 

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