Are the Zelda games approachable?

[GrouchoGlasses]

I'm currently playing my way through Wind Waker for the first time on the Wii U. Of course, it is great, but I'm noticing a few hang-ups.

I keep finding myself not knowing where to go next.

My most recent moment of un-clarity came with the Wind/Earth temples. I had no idea where to find the two sages. The only hint I had was the instruments they played (harp and violin). Thats it... Go find someone who plays an instrument... Thanks for the help. I ended up traveling to every main island until I heard the harp music, but this was an arduous task that took away from my enjoyment of the game. This is only my most recent occurrence of this frustration. Even worse, to enjoy the game, I have to consult a guide! I hate guides. Using a guide in a video game causes me to stop playing a game and only follow instructions. There must be a way to approach these games without a guide! It seems little bits like this pop up in every Zelda game.

What am I missing in these games to know where to progress next?

I want to love Zelda, and I love it when I'm making progress or diving into a dungeon, but so many "lost" moments take away from the experience.

[TSTR]

[darsparx]

@OP usually from my experience guides are really helpful but sometimes these games just make you think to no end(which explains why it took me from my childhood until my teen years to finally beat OOT with a guide on my phone eventually I'll go back and try to beat it without a guide except on heart pieces and such because those are freaking hard to find sometimes and a pain....). Which isn't a bad thing...there's probably just a key part of dialog or some random npc that might help...(of course from my experience it's the last thing or place you think to look in these games...)

[ZeroAX]

I think the entire original point of the Zelda series was to explore. It's later entries which watered it down so much.

[darsparx]

Well the part of the series where it turns to the windwaker side of things seems to return to that but I always felt like exploring on OoT and some of the other games I own in the series(I'm only technically missing minish cap, awakening, windwaker, LttP, and LBW )....even now I still find that world gorgeous....I never did really get lost thanks to the NPCs though...(I just hate being out at night in that game >_>)...heck even the new game coming out on Wii U is supposed to be a major return back to the old way of doing the game...we'll just have to see how it turns out when it finally gets here...

[Exhuminator]

What am I missing in these games to know where to progress next?

First off you're playing the worst Zelda game. Wind Waker sucks. I don't care who disagrees. The game is trash. This is coming from someone who has been playing Zelda since the very first game on NES and has played every Zelda game since then.

If you want to play a 3D Zelda, then Twilight Princess or Skyward Sword is a much better bet. If you have a 3DS get the Ocarina remake.

There must be a way to approach these games without a guide!

Yes. I have beaten many, many Zelda games, all without a guide. You have the ability to do so as well. You just need more patience and a willingness to explore every nook and cranny of the world. These games are all about exploration, that's the point. If they streamlined you everywhere you were supposed to go and constantly held your hand, then it wouldn't be a Zelda game.

[Kkasino]

The great thing about Zelda games is that you can play them with guide for the first time and then come back few months after and forgot absolutely everything about the game
(So the second time you can enjoy it the real way - without guide)

[darsparx]

But at least in the newer games they do make it a little easier by giving you a true map unlike in the original(that game can be a pain and I haven't beaten it because a in-game map would've helped me so much to find where to go since I got lost so many times and died so many times I'm going to have to give it another go soon though since I think I'm having withdrawal and need something different )

[MrPopo]

The original game did come with a map; it was printed on this old technology called "paper".

[darsparx]

The original game did come with a map; it was printed on this old technology called "paper".

Yeah but i'm freaking horrible at drawing and I like the convience of in game maps ah well I guess i'll have to attempt it later ha ha