The introduction of 3D titles happened long enough ago, that many younger readers might not be aware of how clunky games could feel. There was a great deal of experimentation and a rather harsh feedback loop for game developers as a result. One such example is that of Navi, the fairy companion in The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time.
Navi is a rather contentious character in the franchise and apparently, it’s not just the fans that felt/feel this way. As reported by Games Radar, Shigeru Miyamoto was also aware of the limitations of Navi, and her potential for frustration. As found in an interview for a 1999 strategy guide recently translated by Shumpulations.
Navi’s role in the game was to help guide the player through any obstacles they encountered. However, she could be very intrusive and often stated the obvious or provided information multiple times. She’d call attention to herself by saying “Hey listen!”. At which point players could interact with her. Miyamoto expressed his disappointment with this system and stated that he felt it was quite invasive. However, it seems that a suitable alternative would’ve been very tricky and time-consuming to produce. That has been a consistent trend in many games, not just the Zelda franchise. While approaches differ, it always seems to be a delicate balancing act between helping new players, and not frustrating more advanced individuals. Miyamoto stated that he’d even wanted to scrap the system entirely but that some guidance was necessary for new players.
In this author’s opinion, the least intrusive approach was the Minish Cap in The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap. Players had the option to interact with this companion whenever they needed help. He would also offer advice whenever the player entered a new area. But beyond that players were left on their own to explore.
Regardless of different approaches, this is not an easy problem to solve. Having a worthwhile virtual assistant is a task that developers have only recently started to make headway with. I’m sure many of us remember the Paperclip assistant from Microsoft. It’s all about finding a balance between offering the players useful information while not being overbearing. Miyamoto stated as much in his interview.
If you’d like to read the full interview you can do so here. If you’d like to read more on The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time then click here. Ocarina of Time is available to play on Nintendo Switch Online, but there is also an HD port for the 3DS.
