Walkthroughs: Does This Do Zelda Games Any Justice?

[MrPowerBadger]

I have to say being a new Zelda fan, and from a younger generation I tend to use guides because we grew up never really playing games that didn't really tell you what to do. So when I started playing older Zelda games they were way more difficult then normal for me, so I resorted to a guide. I think that using a guide does not take away any of the experince, one thing I do want to say though is it does kind of ruin it if you use it through the whole game even if you know what to do. Personally, I only use guides when i'm stuck on a puzzle or simply do not know what to do next. Such events as Tri-force collecting really stumped me! that is a exceptional time to use a guide without feeling guilty. So what do you think about guides, do you use them? Do they add to the game or take away from the game let me know!

 

[Ventus]

For me, using a guide takes away any and all good feeling from the game, even if used just once for a tiny tiny thing. Why? Because you the player didn't figure it out on your own, that's why! Don't get me wrong, I use guides all the time, but they definitely take away from the experience of the game. It's like spoiling the plot or something, just doesn't seem the same.

EDIT EDIT EDIT: If talking about walkthroughs for the OLDER games, meaning from the Oracles all the way BACK to Legend of Zelda, NO, walkthroughs are totally awesome and the experience is pretty much the same. Yeah, it's fulfilling to solve that puzzle in LoZ, but that game is naturally hard so walkthroughs are both justified AND recommended, imo. Same with every game up til the Oracles.

 

[Cel-Shaded Deku]

Knowing what to do and knowing how to do it are completely different things. Walkthroughs prevent unnecessary raging at the hardest parts of a game without necessarily doing it for you. Using them too much is bad, it lacks the reward of figuring it out yourself, but there is a point where it's too frustrating to do it alone.

 

[Fig]

For me, using a guide takes away any and all good feeling from the game, even if used just once for a tiny tiny thing. Why? Because you the player didn't figure it out on your own, that's why! Don't get me wrong, I use guides all the time, but they definitely take away from the experience of the game. It's like spoiling the plot or something, just doesn't seem the same.

^This! That's exactly how I feel! That's why I don't use walkthroughs unless I'm reliving my childhood/the times I played the game!

 

[Mudora]

I actually have a "no using guides during your first play through" rule for myself as I believe that using them does take something away from the game. Although being stuck on a Zelda game may be aggravating (yea, I'm talking about you AOL!) the feeling you get once you beat that tough boss, or figure out that puzzle by yourself is truly amazing. I don't think there's anything wrong with using walkthroughs though, they prevent unnecessary hair pulling and for some, make the game more enjoyable.

 

[The Jade Fist]

I tend to only use the walk throughs if i'm replays, I did have to cheat a few times on phantom hourglass, because well, some of the puzzles were so out of the box i wasn't going to think of it, like closing the DS to transcribe something, or yelling in the mic to make a monster afraid of you so you can hurt it.

 

[JuicieJ]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with using guides. If you need help because you can't figure out something, by all means go look up a guide. I'm frankly pissed by the people that say using a guide is for pansies and that it ruins the experience of the game, because that is in no way true. It's actually more respectable to swallow your pride and ask for help than refuse any help at all and never advance forward. This goes with superguides, as well. They exist for people that are in need of assistance and want to accomplish something they can't do on their own just yet. No one should ever feel guilty because he/she used a guide. Ever. There's no discussion to be had, here. Any arguments against using guides are just not true.

 

[r2d93]

it really depends. Stuck on a puzzle or don't know where to go? I find walkthroughs definitely acceptable if you've already tried and can't continue on. However, they're good occasionally, NOT for throughout the whole game. I always try to beat a Zelda game without ever using a walkthrough because I feel overusing walkthroughs take away from the experience of the game.

Then again it depends also on which game. Nowadays, Zelda games are becoming very easy and linear, so theres never that much question of where do i go next. Nowadays, if I was playing a new Zelda game for the first time, i would try as hard as i could to never ever use a walkthrough unless completely necessary for one part.

Older games are a different case. I could not beat LoZ without a walkthrough. It's just openness with 0 hints and loads of secrets. Also, Majora's mask would be very difficult for me without a walkthrough to guide you in certain portions of the game

 

[DekuTreeSprout]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with using guides. If you need help because you can't figure out something, by all means go look up a guide. I'm frankly pissed by the people that say using a guide is for pansies and that it ruins the experience of the game, because that is in no way true. It's actually more respectable to swallow your pride and ask for help than refuse any help at all and never advance forward. This goes with superguides, as well. They exist for people that are in need of assistance and want to accomplish something they can't do on their own just yet. No one should ever feel guilty because he/she used a guide. Ever. There's no discussion to be had, here. Any arguments against using guides are just not true.

I agree with this.

I love a couple Zelda games, but they're waaaaaaay too confusing for an idiot like me. I used a complete walkthrough for all the zelda games I've played, specifically do get 100%. Do I think it cheating? No. The designers can be complete *******s when it comes to hiding things. Not just with Zelda, but it seems annoying cryptic stuff is most commonly found in the Zelda series, which is what keeps me from specifially liking it very much.

 

[Azure Sage]

Personally, I don't see anything wrong with using guides if you're stuck and you truly can't figure it out no matter how much you wrack your brain. That's perfectly all right. It doesn't take away from the experience. In fact, it sometimes gives you the "Oh! Of course!" feeling, and that's a good feeling to have. However, I do feel that using a guide throughout the entire game is just wasting the game. What's the point of buying the game just to blow through the whole thing? It's better if it takes you longer, because then you can truly appreciate the experience. The same can be said for solving puzzles on your own. It's a certain feeling you get from the accomplishment that using a guide through the whole thing just doesn't give you. Personally, I'd only use a guide as an absolute last resort. That's how I feel about it.

 

[TheFierceDeity]

I do think using a guide will ultimately take away from the experience...especially with a game like Zelda.
That is just my opinion though.

 

[PhantomTriforce]

Vanitas said this really well, and I agree with him. Using a walkthrough to solve the game takes away the satisfaction of beating the game on your own. By using a walkthrough, the game becomes less fun and in some ways, spoiled for you. Using a walkthrough for say a 100% run is fine, though, after you have completed the main plot.

 

[Vaati101]

Theres no shame in using a walkthrough, and the amount of times I've used one, I've never felt I ruined the experience of the game. Like JuicieJ said, if you can't figure something out then feel free to look at a guide, theres nothing stopping you and you won't ruin the experience of the game. Even if you are using the walkthrough throughout the game, that's not a problem. If that's how you want to play the game then fair enough, there's no shame in that at all.

 

[Ouroboros]

I don't think there is any real problem with using walkthroughs, it's a personal preference. I personally Love guides, but I love them for the artwork and to collect. I do try to not use them at all for first play throughs, I used to use them for every game, but after a while I found it less satisfying when I wasn't solving problems on my own. If I cannot progress no matter how hard I try, I will use a guide for that particular section. But, a nice hardcover collector's edition strategy guide for any game is quite nice to have, and they're pretty.

 

[megamariovr9000]

You pretty much need to use a guide to find all the bugs and poes in twilight princess when you've almost beaten the game and you missed some of them, unless you don't mind wasting 10 hours of your life.