Thoughts on Zelda Guides/Companions

[shabreeze]

Ocarina of Time added the idea of having a guide/companion for Link throughout the game. Navi was the first guide in the series, and received much criticism as a character.

Then we had Tatl in Majora's Mask
Then King of Red Lions in Wind Waker
Then Midna in Twilight Princess
And most recently, Fi in Skyward Sword.

I am wondering what people's opinions are on all the different guides/companions. Sorry, but I excluded the guides from the portable games. I have only played the console ones.

Personally, I find almost all of them somewhat annoying. Navi is annoying and mostly tells you useless information. Tatl is improved in my opinion. He is less annoying and doesn't treat me like I'm 5 years old. I have not played Wind Waker yet. Midna is probably my favorite guide, but she has an annoying laugh, and isn't very helpful. And then there is Fi. I can understand people thinking Fi is cool because of her politeness and her presence, but I hate her. She is the most useless guide I have experienced in a video game. Please die.

Also, this is my first time posting here so sorry if I made some mistakes.

 

[SpartanGibbles]

Well here are my opinions

Navi:I feel as though Navi is the epitome of what a guide should be in a Zelda game. Navi is your companion, aiding you with tips and clues to help you find your way through the vast world of Hyrule. Unlike most of the guides, Navi's sole purpose is to help you become the Hero you are destined to be. I never really found her as annoying as everyone says after the Deku Tree (where she interrupts you to tell you every single mechanic). Outside of the intro she doesn't really bother me as much since you can pretty much ignore her if you want or speed through her text and be done with the conversation (unlike a certain owl). Just as well I felt more connection to Navi then any other guide and was actually upset at her departure during the end of OoT.

Tatl:I found Tatl to be a decent guide but when compared to Navi, she seems inferior personally. She only journey's with Link to find her brother and although she may develop a friendship along the way, it is again a means to an end as she isn't interested in Link as so much as what he can do for her. All in all she feels like a copy/paste with a color swap and less character.

KoRL: I don't know if i characterize The King of Red Lions as a guide per say. To me he always seemed to be like a wise man, giving hints but staying out of the action. In large he reminds me of Sahasrahla from ALttP, giving you insight on the world around and directing you towards an objective. Although helpful, The KoRL ultimately has an ulterior motive in guiding Link, something that I feel that would go against the nature of a guide.

Midna:In my opinion Midna is by far the worst guide we have seen so far. Midna only accompanies Link because she believes that he can help her get what she wants and cares little for his life. She openly mocks Link and it seems that had she found someone else capable of fighting, she would have just as likely clung to them assuming they could find the Fused Shadow. Midna is selfish, self-entitled and very lacking in the skills I believe make a good guide.

Fi:Although Fi can interrupt the you adventure and will do so to a point of annoyance, I feel she is a great guide. Her sole purpose in life is to aid you in whatever way possible. While this may seem overbearing and tedious sometimes, it is literally what she was made to do. Personally as a rule with guides I would prefer more information as opposed to a lack of information. I feel as though Fi is a great concept that they could have tweaked and executed just a little it better.

 

[Rafa1996]

I've never found Navi annoying. Tatl was cool. I've never played WW, so I can't say anything about The King of Red Lions.

I think Midna is the best, she could have been using Link at first, but later she became Link's partner. Her hints were short and useful, and never interrupted your adventure for useless things.

I hate Fi. She has zero emotion. She pops out to say really obvious (and long) things, and the text was REALLY slow. It was cool how she could tell you how much enemies you have defeated, but aside from that, averything else she said I found it pretty much useless. She tells you things you already know, but when I really neede help, she was completely useless.

 

[A Link In Time]

Navi

Advantages: Most nostalgia driven partner in series history. Seriously is there anyone who doesn't remember this female fairy. It's good Nintendo was successful in creating an exceptional first true partner in series history, enemy analysis, most faithful partner (Navi never abandons Link until his quest to save Hyrule is completed. ).
Disadvantages: Annoying as heck!

Tatl

Advantages: More developed and less annoying than Navi. Though Tatl was personally not nearly as dynamic and memorable as Navi, the fairy represented a huge step forward in terms of character development and set the stage for the King of Red Lions and Midna. Also, her name is an extremely nice pun.
Disadvantages: Very loosely connected to rest of series.

The King of Red Lions

Advantages: A helper who has an extremely intimate connection with the story. The King of Hyrule always was an extremely well-developed character whether as ship or boat. It was he and Ganondorf that made the story so moving.
Disadvantages: None.

Ezlo

Advantages: Very useful companion who cuts to the basics of what you need to know on your quest and briefly recaps the scenario each time you return to playing; also extremely hilarious.
Disdvantages: Occasionally annoying.

Midna

Advantages: Very fleshed out character who has strong relationship with villains in game, useful in dispensing information, a beautiful-and I mean beautiful-women at game's end! Midna was a template for all helpers after. Shame Fi disappointed...
Dsiadvantages: Annoying.

Linebeck

Advantages: A sidekick who displays an evil side. The fact that Linebeck can overcome his greed in order to assist you is a testament to his strength as a character. Nintendo should start leaning away from pure helpers more often.
Disadvantages: Cameo in Spirit Tracks is disappointing.

Zelda (Spirit Tracks)

Advantages: Appeals to contemporary teenage culture very much. The player can't help but feel embarrassed for Link when Zelda states at the beginning of the game, "Me...go with him?". Also, it's nice to see the damsel of distress take on a more prominent and center stage role once in awhile. Nintendo was wise once again. Very well played.
Disadvantages: Annoying shrieks when confronted by mice in Phantom form.

Fi

Advantages: Return of enemy analysis! Has arguably the best music theme in Zelda helper history! I can literally listen to Fi's them over and over again for hours! Ingenious, Koji Kondo. Also, Fi appeals to scientific minds and is a foil to Ghirahim but also a direct complement. Fi is to Link as Ghirahim is to Demise. Very well played on Nintendo's part.
Disadvantages: Annoying mechanical voice!

 

[JuicieJ]

Navi: Somewhat annoying, but overall a good friend from the beginning of the journey to the end that I missed after years of not having her.

Tatl: First sense of actual character development in the series, and that was something I really liked about her. Her jerk-ish attitude often came across as annoying, but I thought she was a hilarious character that served her role well.

King of Red Lions: In all honesty, not that great of a helper character. It's not that he didn't give good advice or that he was annoying or any of that, it's just that he pretty much didn't do anything. He didn't really have to, so it's not exactly a major flaw with him, but since he didn't offer much help, I think he's objectively the worst helper character. I don't hate him and I'm not complaining about him. I'm just pointing out the facts.

Midna: Bittersweet. She's a great character and serves her role in the story like a boss, but she doesn't give very helpful info at all. She pretty much just tells us where to go and that's it. No enemy analysis, no hints on the area... no nothin'. I guess TP being an easy game somewhat makes up for this, but her unhelpfulness was pretty bad. Still a great character, though. <3

Fi: Yes, annoying as hell, but she was actually legitimately useful. If you ever needed an analysis of the situation, you could ask for one. If you forgot the current objective, Fi could remind you (not that Midna couldn't). If you needed a hint in a dungeon, she could give you one (and it wasn't a dead giveaway kind of hint, to boot). She could even tell you if you were performing well against a particular type of enemy or not and give you advice to help you get better. She was all-around a very helpful character despite popping out and telling us random things that we already knew. The help options Fi had are ones that should return in the series, simple as that.

She tells you things you already know, but when I really neede help, she was completely useless.

You must not have asked her for anything, then, because she gives the most in-depth and helpful advice in the series when called upon.

 

[Ventus]

Navi: HEY LOOK LISTEN WATCH OUT. Navi had some useful advice here and there, but I find that you could at times get better hints from Saria (speaking of which, text edits). It doesn't help that Navi likes to chime in like...every 10 minutes or maybe even more frequently. She keeps a good company, though. Guide: 6/10 Companion: 8/10 (prolly 10/10 canonically)

Tatl: Now, I don't know all too much about Tatl. When I asked for her advice, all I recall is getting backsass from her sorry fairy little butt, because the game is designed with OoT players in mind specifically. If Tatl has good advice, it is alien to me but I should be replaying MM in a bit since I just got Shadow Temple recorded. I like that Tatl rings like a telephone instead of "HEY". =) She's incredibly rude but I guess she has that preteen girl personality so she's smitten with Link but cannot express it, idk. Guide: 4?/10 Companion: 6/10

KoRL: He's awesome. But, he doesn't help us out much. As a companion, I think I prefer this...er, boat being at my side to any other character, but that's just me. Guide: 5/10 Companion: 10/10

Ezlo: If you press select, you get comic relief AND useful tips. Gotta love me some Ezlo haha, he's about an 8/10 for both guideness and companionship.

Midna: All I recall when asking Midna for help is rudeness in a very extreme manner. She's a jerk by nature, but she honestly didn't help me out when I actually needed the help. As a guide, Midna fails. As a companion, she's FAR worse. First half of the game she orders you around to get Fused Shadows. Second half she orders you around to get mirror shards. Seriously, what kinda guide orders you around? And in the rudest of ways possible? Guide: 0/10 Companion: -9001/10 serious about that companionship rating, she's a huge jerk.

Zelda: I don't recall much help from Zelda, but gameplay wise she's basically a God-send. I won't rate her guideness, because I don't knwo a single thing about it, but as a companion, she's a solid 9/10.

Fi: MASTER, 95% CHANCE THAT THE ITEM YOU PICKED UP IS A SMALL KEY...OH DARN MY ANALYSIS, YOU PICKED UP A DEKU SEED INSTEAD...OH WAIT, THIS ISN'T OOT.

Fi is too robotic for me to like her as a companion. She keeps some of the worst company, although her being there is comforting I guess because she doesn't have many death threats or ordering you to get back to work or whatever. As a guide, Fi does excellent.
Guide: 10/10 Companion: 3/10

 

[Azure Sage]

All right, I'll give my thoughts on this. I'll list the partners along their advantages, disadvantages, and my personal opinion.

Navi:
Advantages: Gives decent advice on enemies and puzzles. Allows Link to target enemies and objects.
Disadvantages: Not much personality or character.
Personal Opinion: I really like Navi. I never found her annoying, and thanks to her advice I was able to solve quite a few puzzles, particularly in the Spirit Temple. However, she didn't have too much personality, although that isn't much of a big deal.

Tatl:
Advantages: Gives decent advice on enemies and puzzles. Allows Link to target enemies and objects. Brimming with personality and character.
Disadvantages: None I can think of.
Personal Opinion: Tatl is my second favorite partner character. I found her attitude to be charming and at the same time amusing. I also really like the way her character was done. Her worries for her brother Tael were very sweet, and she really seemed like a good Big Sister.

King of Red Lions:
Advantages: Doubles as transportation. Serves as a guide for Link through the unfamiliar seas. Marks Link's sea chart so Link knows where to go next. Very knowledgeable.
Disadvantages: Cannot follow you into dungeons, thus kind of losing the "partner" feel that previous Zelda games had. Doesn't offer puzzle advice or enemy advice.
Personal Opinion: I kinda like him. He was kind enough to let Link ride him, and he was also an excellent guide for Link as he traveled. However, he didn't really give you that much advice on puzzles in dungeons, nor monsters, considering he cannot follow you around. This was a bit of a problem for me, considering the lack of enemy information often caused me to struggle in battles. Despite this, I still find him an enjoyable character.

Ezlo:
Advantages: Brimming with character and personality. Occasionally gives Link hints as he travels. Allows Link to become the size of a Minish. Very knowledgeable.
Disadvantages: Does not offer good or helpful advice during battles.
Personal Opinion: Ezlo is hilarious. I sometimes just talk to him for the fun of it. The various things he says make me laugh. However, he isn't too good with advice during battles. In the first boss fight, I called him for advice, and he just said, "Don't just stand there! Do something!" ._. This cost him a lot of points, however his great personality makes it hard to dislike him.

Midna:
Advantages: Can warp Link to different areas. Can transform Link into a wolf at will.
Disadvantages: Rude, selfish, arrogant, obnoxious, cold-hearted, annoying, manipulative. Doesn't give a lot of good advice.
Personal Opinion: I hate her guts. She is one of my most hated characters in the entire series. The way she blackmailed Link into helping her by telling him about his friends was just cruel. She basically used him for her own selfish ends. I don't care how much she changes by the end. I literally cheered when she left at the end. She was also a bad helper. She basically just hid in Link's shadow or rode on his back, cheekily telling him where to go, letting him do all the dirty work. I barely found her advice helpful at all. In my opinion, she's the worst partner in the entire series.

Linebeck / Ciela: (It could be argued that both of them are Link's partner in Phantom Hourglass)
Advantages of Linebeck: Brimming with personality and character. Drives the ship Link uses to travel the seas.
Disadvantages of Linebeck: Does not offer advice on Link's quest.
Advantages of Ciela: Her amnesia creates a wonderful enigma throughout the first half of the game. Decent personality and character. Offers plenty of advice on Link's quest.
Disadvantages: Basically a glorified version of Navi.
Personal Opinion of Both: Linebeck's arrogant and self-centered attitude was amusing, and he wasn't rude to the point that he became an unlikable character like Midna. Ciela was sweet, and her memory loss made for a pretty interesting mystery, even if the concept of amnesia is over-used. Both Linebeck and Ciela together, however, make an excellent balance in the game. Linebeck takes over the role of the King of Red Lions, serving as the transportation and waits for Link at the docks. Ciela then takes over and serves as Link's companion while exploring islands and dungeons, which is something Wind Waker lacked. Not to mention, the constant banter between Linebeck and Ciela was very funny.

Princess Zelda:
Advantages: For once, Zelda has a big roll in the game. Brimming with personality and character. Offers advice on puzzles in dungeons. Assists Link throughout his quest. Fights along side Link and helps him solve puzzles in the Tower of Spirits.
Disadvantages: None I can think of.
Personal Opinion: She's my favorite partner character in the entire series, and personally, I think she's the best partner in the entire series. I really liked that for once, the princess actually did something other than wait around to be rescued or wait for the hero to finish his quest. I also really liked her personality, too. She was really feisty, as well as amusing, and the fact that she was afraid of rats was adorable. My favorite thing about her, though, is that she, while possessing the body of a Phantom, actually helps Link fight monsters and solve puzzles within the Tower of Spirits. Now that's what I call a true partner. The teamwork and involvement makes Zelda my favorite partner character in the whole series.

Fi:
Advantages: Offers very good advice on enemies. Offers Link decent advice throughout his travels. Allows Link to use dowsing. Allows Link to use the Skyward Strike. Very knowledgeable.
Disadvantages: Has a tendency to repeat obvious things. Does not have a lot of character or personality.
Personal opinion: I really like Fi. I never found her annoying, although she can be a bit obvious sometimes. However, that never bothered me. She offers detailed advice on enemies, and this helped me quite often in dungeons. And the way she showed signs of human understanding right at the very end brought a tear to me eye. I also thoroughly enjoyed dowsing, which was a very helpful ability. Fi's encyclopedic knowledge came in handy a lot. All these things make her my third favorite partner character.

Those are my thoughts on the various partner characters in the Zelda series.

 

[TF/HH]

My opinion: all of them suck except for Midna. I only liked Midna because she was cute, but still, just like the rest of the guides, she only told you stuff that you already know or stuff that you would have easily figured out all by yourself.

 

[TheRizardon]

I've only played 2 Zelda games with guides Oot and Tp unless you want to count the maku trees from the oracle games. Anyway out of the 2 Midna is far better than navi and less annoying with more of a back story.

 

[shabreeze]

My opinion: all of them suck except for Midna. I only liked Midna because she was cute, but still, just like the rest of the guides, she only told you stuff that you already know or stuff that you would have easily figured out all by yourself.

I pretty much agree with this. I like the way Midna was integrated into the storyline, and I liked the character, but she, like all the other guides, was mostly useless. In my opinion, Zelda games should be about solving puzzles, and figuring things out by thinking rather than the game telling you. As the series has progressed, it has become easier, and the puzzles take no thought for the most part. I want to be challenged.

 

[ZeldaFan11235]

Favorite Sidekick

Who's your favorite sidekick of these 3? Mine is Fi

 

[CheeseXCrackers]

Your Thoughts on Link's Companions?

Just so we're clear, I don't consider them to be a companion if they don't go inside the dungeons with you (like KoRL).
I'll go first.
Tatl > Navi > Midna > Celia > Princess Zelda (Spirit Tracks) > Fi
I didn't include Ezlo because I haven't played Minish Cap in a really long time and forgot what he was like.

Tatl: I love her personality and she had great character development. I loved her sarcastic and snide comments to Link, but Tatl really does care about him. She's a big sister who has to protect her little brother so she's tough, but she also has a cute side and that's what I love about her.

Navi: There's not much to like about her, but there's not much to hate about her either. She has no personality, she's literally your GPS in the game, and that's what I like about her. She does her job and she does it good. Her "Hey! Listen!" didn't bother me much, I actually think she has a cute voice.

Midna: She's an exact clone of Tatl. Your form has been altered when you meet her, just like Tatl. other, just like Tatl. Then at the end you two have to depart and you never see each other again, just like Tatl. Unfortunately, Midna didn't even have enimy analysis like Navi and Tatl so she's kind of useless. Seriously, what's the point of giving me a helper if she doesn't even have enimy analysis? That was the whole point of giving me a helper in Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask so why doesn't Midna have enimy analysis!?

Celia: Geez, talk about your annoying fairies. Quit bad mouthing Linebeck, Celia! He's my favorite character in the entire series!

Princess Zelda (Spirit Tracks): I just never liked Princess Zelda in any "Zelda" game. It probably had to do with Majora's Mask being my very first "Zelda" game and she doesn't even exist in that game. In Spirit Tracks all she does is complain. "Eek! A rat!" and she stays frozen in fear unti you kill it for her. Yeah, she's great help *sarcasm*.

Fi: She was the ultimate hand holder. She can only point out the obvious, she's a rip off of Midna, she tells me my batteries are about to die even though I could continue with those same batteries for like five more days, she beeps to tell me my hearts are low in addition to the classic Zelda low health beeping so now I have TWO annoying beeps, she must think I'm blind if she feels the need to tell me my shield just broke as if I didn't just see my shield brake right infront of my eyes, and she feels the need to repeat EVERYTHING! When a NPC tells me something , she'll repeat it to me like she thinks a wasn't paying attention. She tells me something in a cut scene, then when the cut scene ends she repeats what she just barely told me because apparently she thinks I'm an idiot. I'm not going to give away any spoilers, but during that one "sad" scene with her at the end of the game I was just happy she was finally going to shut up.

 

[Sydney]

Navi: Liked
Tatl: Liked
KoRL: Liked
Midna: Ew at first, but liked
Celia: Meh, but liked
Zelda: Liked
Fi: Annoying, but liked.

I really don't mind companions, as long as they aren't annoying. Some can actually be very useful, such as Zelda. Without her, Link would have a difficult time maneuvering through the Tower of Spirits. Actually, what's up with all the female characters? Is Nintendo implying something?

 

[The Jade Fist]

King of Red lions was the only male one.
Most fairies are seen as female in modern times for some reason, so thats kinda why all the faries were female.
And i guess they wanted a girl around to make up for Link to appeal to a larger audiance.

 

[Zorth]

I don't even see them as companions, I see them as time sinks..
Never have they actually helped me with their pointless un-avoidable pop ups randomly during the game and only tell me obvious crap.

A real companion would be a character that can actually assist you in battle by dealing extra damage or supporting you in some other way and if he/she talk with you it's not some obvious gameplay mechanic it's something personal about that character, like a little side-storyline for the companion.