Thinking of giving Zelda another chance.

[BurningDoom]

In Ocarina of Time I played up until this one point where I was in a dungeon which was basically the stomach of a giant fish (Or something aquatic). Then, in order to progress, I would need the boomerang in order to break something that was hanging from the ceiling. But the game doesn't tell you what item you need to break that object, I only found out it was the boomerang from an online walkthrough. And to boot the boomerang was in a completely different area of the game, yet again there was no indication (At least that I saw at any point) of where the boomerang could be found. So I gave up.

...what? The boomerang is located in that dungeon, not "a completely different area of the game." Where'd you get that idea?

You're playing the wrong games.

Get A Link to the Past and Link's Awakening.

You're welcome.

Are those games devoid of the issues I mentioned, or are you just saying that because you like them?

Uh... if you felt lost playing OOT or Wind Waker then ALTTP is really going to give you trouble, especially when you get to the dark world.

General rule of thumb is that the older Zeldas are going to give you fewer hints and "end up leaving the player lost to their own devices without clear direction of what to do and/or where to go next" far more often.

The maps tell you the locations of all the dungeons in ALTTP. Nothing cryptic at all about it. The original is the one where you needs LOTS of time to explore or a guide.

[AppleQueso]

The maps tell you the locations of all the dungeons in ALTTP. Nothing cryptic at all about it. The original is the one where you needs LOTS of time to explore or a guide.

Yes, it tells you where they are, but there's plenty cryptic about the dungeons themselves and how you're expected to access them.

At least, more cryptic than OOT and onward anyway. If OOT is too cryptic for the OP, then ALTTP probably isn't the best place to point him towards.

[BurningDoom]

The maps tell you the locations of all the dungeons in ALTTP. Nothing cryptic at all about it. The original is the one where you needs LOTS of time to explore or a guide.

Yes, it tells you where they are, but there's plenty cryptic about the dungeons themselves and how you're expected to access them.

At least, more cryptic than OOT and onward anyway. If OOT is too cryptic for the OP, then ALTTP probably isn't the best place to point him towards.

I don't see it. The puzzles are obvious in LTTP. I beat the game as a child. OOT was a tougher game.

[AppleQueso]

Yeah I don't see how OOT is harder at all. You even have Navi as a hint system built right in.

[pierrot]

I wouldn't recommend bothering with Skyward Sword, personally. Full disclosure: I hated Skyward Sword with a passion, start to finish. The game makes my skin crawl, and the controls are a major factor, but I would see you getting agonizingly stuck in the Ancient Cistern dungeon, at the very least.

God damned loftwings.

Link's Awakening is a quality game, though, and well worth the challenge. It's far more involved in terms of problems presented to the player that need solving, in comparison to OoT or WW, but it's really one of the best games in the series. A lot of people really like LttP as well; six in one....

[MrEco]

...what? The boomerang is located in that dungeon, not "a completely different area of the game." Where'd you get that idea?

I admit I never found the boomerang myself. But the guide I looked at described it as being in a different area. Perhaps I misread it or the guide was inaccurate.


By the way, as a side question: How extensive are the official Prima guides for the LoZ games?

[AppleQueso]

I wouldn't recommend bothering with Skyward Sword, personally. Full disclosure: I hated Skyward Sword with a passion, start to finish.

Yeah but you also hated Earthbound. How do we know you're not just soulless?

I'm kidding of course.

I really enjoyed Skyward Sword, but I can definitely see the controls being a big problem for someone. I thought the sword stuff worked pretty well all around, but the motion controls outside of that (The aforementioned Loftwings, swimming, and playing the damn harp especially) were pretty wonky to say the least.

[Razzmatazz]

So the big problem I have with the Zelda series is that, at some point or another, all of the Zelda games I've played end up leaving the player lost to their own devices without clear direction of what to do and/or where to go next.

I'm the same. I got through Ocarina of Time up to the Spirit Temple, and just haven't bothered going back. The only other Zelda game I've played is Twilight Princess, which I did sink 65 hours in to, but got to the Sky Temple and found it infuriating. I just don't think I'm a Zelda fan to be honest. The dungeons are awesome, but everything in between feels too much like wasted time - particularly Twilight Princess' fetch quests, although the warp feature was useful. The worlds also felt empty, and I had no desire to explore them.

[Reprise]

Wind Waker is pretty awesome and if you play the HD remake, the Triforce quest (although probably still pretty lame) has been streamlined and re-developed.

I think Link's Awakening is probably one of the best Zelda games to try, particularly if you're new to the series (or find the other games a bit infuriating). It takes place after A Link To the Past, has the same basic gameplay mechanics, but it's a lot of fun and a bit different. I don't remember it ever abandoning me and leaving me to my own devices. It was the first Zelda game I played (I think I was about 10 or 11) and I completed it ok.

[alienjesus]

I wouldn't recommend bothering with Skyward Sword, personally. Full disclosure: I hated Skyward Sword with a passion, start to finish.

Yeah but you also hated Earthbound. How do we know you're not just soulless?

I'm kidding of course.

I really enjoyed Skyward Sword, but I can definitely see the controls being a big problem for someone. I thought the sword stuff worked pretty well all around, but the motion controls outside of that (The aforementioned Loftwings, swimming, and playing the damn harp especially) were pretty wonky to say the least.

I thought Skyward Sword was one of the most enjoyable games I've ever played from start to finish, so each to their own I guess.