Lord_Brand

My brother and I are designing characters for a spiritual sequel to Smash that are all meant to be expies of existing game characters, but we're not sure as to how similar a character design or concept can be within the realm of copyright. We aren't trying to be lazy, we just want to be able to capture the essence of the original character while still having the rights to "our version" so to speak. For example, we have a pair of dwarf brothers whose default costumes are red and green respectively, and who have goblin rivals, one short and stout, the other tall and lanky, that wear yellow and purple respectively. The main question of this topic is: How similar can we make a character expy before they become too similar? How different do they need to be? We also know that the movesets can't be too similar, so we're looking at how we can make our "expy fighters" stand out with their own moves and mechanics while still keeping true to the spirit of their bases. The dwarf brothers, obviously expies of Mario and Luigi, use axes and/or hammers in their moveset. Their specials reference powerups from the Super Mario franchise, but with their own dwarfy twist, like a helmet with dragon wings or a piece of armor that allows the wearer to turn into a statue temporarily. Their primary specials use magic wands to shoot fireballs; in this case, the Mario expy's fireballs are the ones that shoot forward while the Luigi expy's fireballs are the ones that bounce. The Mario expy is generally the cooler, more serious of the two, while the Luigi expy is the sillier one. Their nature as the "Player 1" and "Player 2" characters is emphasized by their helmets and beards; the Mario expy's helmet has a single horn and his beard a single tip, while his brother's helmet has two horns and his beard is split into two tips. Our Wario expy, one of the aforementioned goblin rivals to the dwarf brothers, is greedy and focuses on gold in his moveset. He acquires gold by beating the stuffing out of his opponents, which fills up his moneysack. The more gold he has, the heavier the moneysack becomes, and the more damage it deals when he attacks with it. However, he'll also become slower while carrying it. You can spend gold on items like bombs or giant coins to lighten the load. And yes, he has a shoulder tackle move. Our Link expy has an Inventory of items he can access and assign to his Neutral Special, with the Bow being his default choice. His Side Special has him perform a Dash attack inspired by the Pegasus Boots from the Zelda series, while his Up Special has him leap upward and glide a short distance using a cape, a nod to the Roc's Cape from the same. Our Pikachu expy has an electric charge mechanic where it builds up electricity as it moves and attacks, which it can then discharge by using a Special (similar to the Plasma ability from the Kirby series). Whenever "Expykachu" uses a Special, it discharges all electricity it's stored up. This gives it a distinct feel from the actual Pikachu while still feeling like you're playing a speedy, electric rodent. We also have plans for expies of characters who aren't currently playable fighters in Smash, many of them characters we'd personally like to play like Krystal and Shantae. A few of our expies draw inspiration from outside of video gaming as well, like a Captain Falcon expy who draws inspiration from All Might, and is more of a straight-up superhero as opposed to a bounty hunter. In case anyone's curious, this is the current list of characters we plan on making expies of (prone to update over time): We probably won't have them all in the base game, in order to cut down on development time before release, but we'll start with a reasonable core roster (somewhere between 20 and 30 fighters, maybe?) and add more over time via DLC. We're thinking of making this a Kickstarter project and including some of the DLC as stretch goals, that or having subsequent Kickstarter funds for DLC we'd like to make for the game. We'll also probably have an open beta trial version, to help with playtesting.

Machamp

I don't like abrasive, abusive characters. That's a major reason why I can't stand stereotypical "loud, bossy, violent anime girls" like Bulma. My family and I have been watching the classic Dragon Ball series and are in the tail-end of the General Blue arc. After seeing how Bulma treated Yamcha during the Hasky mini-arc, I lost all sympathy for her, and am glad Yamcha didn't wind up with her. (Doesn't help that the show sends extremely mixed messages about the fact she's currently an underage teenager yet insists on sexualizing her and playing her for fanservice anyway.) On a similar note, I really don't like characters like Bakugo of My Hero Academia. I've been beaten up and bullied in real life, so characters like him really set me off. The less we see of him, the better (barring times he's getting his ass rightfully kicked, especially by Midoriya). I also hate most Double Standard tropes, particularly those which entail women abusing men and portraying it as something humorous when it would be anything but the other way around (see: anytime Bad!Launch beats up on guys in Dragon Ball, barring members of the Red Ribbon Army of course since those guys are creeps who absolutely deserve it). This is why I stick to writing pleasant relationships between men and women in fiction, particularly heroes or non-villainous protagonists. This is also a reason why the Shantae series is starting to lose my respect, as it's becoming a thinly-veiled outlet for toxic feminism with the one guy of the group constantly being mocked, beaten up, and threatened by the girls, despite the fact he's usually just trying to help and likes most girls himself (and in Seven Sirens, he's more help than Sky, one of the girls most guilty of mistreating him!). Just try inverting that gender dynamic, with a bunch of guys constantly humiliating, beating up, and threatening the one girl of the group who happens to be a bit dim-witted yet tries to be helpful and likes men. The very thought makes you cringe, doesn't it? I still like Shantae the character, but I'm starting to grow tired of Shantae the series. I hope the next game does something to change my mind, or else I might give up on it altogether (and maybe go create my own series about a genie girl). I'm working on my own video game IP with a mostly female cast (it's heavily inspired by magical girl shows like Sailor Moon), and I'm determined to avoid that kind of toxic double standard mentality. In my series' case, there are at least two notable guys, one of whom is nice and the heroine's closest friend, the other a self-absorbed jackass who invites upon himself the humiliation and "amusing injuries" he incurs. The nice guy is actually treated with respect by the heroine and her friends, and is presented as more sympathetic due to not being able to help much with the heroics despite how much he wishes he could. He's not made out to be a loser or an idiot except by jerks like the jackass. That said, I'm also thinking of including a female character who isn't particularly pleasant towards him either and eventually gets called out for it, making her an example of "bad feminism" in a series that's meant to convey positive messages about women and things like love and friendship.

This topic is for discussing "the girl in a black dress" that inspired the creation of Leaf (in Pokemon Fire Red & Leaf Green) and Green/Blue (in Pokemon Let's Go! Pikachu and Eevee) and what the games could have been like had she been included as a character from the get-go. Background Shanty Pete's 1st Mate and I were discussing at length what her role in the games could have been like, along with what her Pokemon teams would be like and such, in this topic about Misty's absence from the anime. It all started when I mentioned the possibility that Misty's role as the original lead girl of the series could have gone to Green had she been an established part of the games from the get-go, which lead to us derailing the topic with our enthusiastic back-and-forth about what could have been, so I've created this topic in the hopes of asking a mod to move all of our posts relating to the subject from that topic to this one. So yeah, this topic is all about discussing what we would have liked to see come of the girl in a black dress (henceforth referred to as "Green") being a part of Gen 1 and beyond. Storyline role, interactions with Red and other characters, her Pokemon team, etc. Note that discussion about creating actual mods to realize these ideas should be brought to the Fan Projects board. I'll add my own ideas to this post over time in the following spoilered section. Discuss away! Storyline Gameplay

Apologies. Yes, our conversation is getting off topic. I'll start a new topic for it and ask a mod to move our posts relevant to the subject there. EDIT: And there we go! Any further discussion about "the girl in a black dress" being in the games should be directed to this topic: EDIT 2: Thanks, mods!

For what it's worth, depending on what kind of situation the damsel is in, there may not be much she can do except wait for rescue. (incoming ramble) Though she does wink at Link during the battle with Ganondorf, just like she did as Tetra, and takes it upon herself to shoot him with Light Arrows while you go all Errol Flynn on him, so she's not completely helpless. Her more demure personality might be a result of her acquiring some knowledge that causes her to adjust her behavior on the spot. Or it could even be a dual personalities kind of deal (though Phantom Hourglass seems to contradict that). Where they really wasted her was the sequel, where she plays the helpless damsel even in her Tetra form. That one is more of a cute, sweet friendship, but yes, Spirit Tracks has the most openly affectionate relationship between Link and Zelda. I just chose BotW because that one has open confirmation of romantic interest on Zelda's part. It's just a pity we don't get to see Link return her affections. I'm hoping BotW2 will rectify that, but with the likelihood that Link and Zelda end up separated again, I'm not holding my breath.

I actually meant to include a link to that video. ^ ^; Thank you!

I really hope I don't regret this, but...here goes. Damsels in Distress For me, a well-written Damsel in Distress is one of the most interesting characters of all. I never get tired of the D.I.D. trope, it's my favorite story trope of all time. As for my second-favorite... Romantic Dynamics

Golem is a strong contender, to be sure. If we don't want Green repeating any of Blue's Team, then it's pretty much the best candidate she's got. Though since Blue doesn't bother to include all Gym Leader Types - and indeed the only way Green can do so at this point is if she has Starmie - I'm thinking she could simply have both Wigglytuff and Clefable on her team. Then all five of her non-Starter Pokemon are Stone Evolutions, one each for Fire, Water, Thunder, and Leaf, and two for Moon. However, looking at the two side-by-side, Clefable is clearly the superior Pokemon, with a better average stat build, a higher stat total, and a TM movepool that ever-so-slightly edges Wigglytuff out. So Wigglytuff might not be a worthwhile addition to her team. Perhaps Green could have both Clefable and Nidoqueen? My reasoning being that Nidoqueen would add some physical might to a team that is otherwise very special-focused. Failing that, Tauros is an absolute house in Gen I. Speaking of moves, that's another aspect to consider: what would her final team's movesets end up being? I think it'd be cool if the Grass, Fire, Water, and Electric members all had their type's strongest Gen I attack - Solar Beam, Fire Blast, Hydro Pump, and Thunder. Ice Beam and Thunderbolt are also must-haves. Really, I think it'd be appropriate if Green used all the Gym Leader TMs save for Fissure (I'll explain why in a minute). Bubble Beam goes to Blastoise/Vaporeon/Starmie, Thunderbolt to Jolteon/Raichu, Mega Drain and Toxic to Venusaur/Vileplume, Psywave to Clefable, and Fire Blast to Charizard/Flareon/Ninetales. Bide can go to her sixth Pokemon, be that Golem, Nidoqueen, Tauros, or otherwise. I wrote out a list of moves that I think Green's final team could have, taking into account her team's levels will probably be in the 60s. Though I'm jumping ahead a little here, for Green's endgame story, I'm thinking she misses out on getting the Earth Badge from Giovanni since he retires after you defeat him, keeping her from battling the Elite Four and thus, the Champion. However, she still gets to come with you thanks to Oak (who presumably is a member of the League himself since he shows up after defeating Blue) giving her a Guest Pass, allowing her to accompany you through Victory Road and spectate your matches against the Elite Four and the Champion. After you become Champion, Green leaves to investigate the three legendary Birds (assuming you haven't already caught or fainted them) and the Cerulean Cave where you find Mewtwo. After fighting Mewtwo, Green returns home, which happens to be in Viridian City. I would consider the possibility that she becomes the Viridian City Gym Leader by the time of Gen II, though it would be an even cooler twist if she ended up becoming the Champion, since Blue and Red already had their time to shine (they can remove Koga or Will from the E4 to make room for Lance). That said, I could also see her deciding to travel the world, setting up appearances in future generations. Since Red and Blue appeared as adults in Gen V and VII, it stands to reason Green would as well. Depending on the writers' prerogative, she and Red could end up having a kid who serves either as a protagonist or as a rival. Perhaps even a pair of kids, a son and a daughter, who thus would be the male and female protagonist options for a future game. I'd be keen on seeing a mod or fan remake of the Gen 1 games that adds Green and some story scenes, as well as fixes some bugs and other design flaws.

I have a fun idea for Smash 6's Adventure Map. Where Subspace Emissary and World of Light were both static images with little personality, the Adventure Map is 3D and has lots of unique set pieces, like a castle overflowing with gold coins or a temple where Krystal can be seen trapped in a crystal like she is for most of Star Fox Adventures. The Map is divided into numerous regions, the entrances to most of which are guarded by powerful bosses. Your active fighter walks around the Adventure Map, following paths to nodes that serve as markers for stages. You'll find a variety of Adventure Stages: Battles pit you against one or more opponents. Generally these will be common enemies, but sometimes you'll face playable fighters as well. Courses are platforming stages full of enemies and hazards. Oftentimes secret items are hidden in these stages. Events are minigame-esque challenges like destroying a certain number of objects or racing to a goal. The majority of these are side stages found on paths that branch from the main path. Fighter Challenges are special battles against unlockable fighters. Winning the battle means unlocking the fighter. Many Fighter Challenges require meeting some extra conditions before you can take them on, like gathering enough gold to satisfy Wario or completing six Krazoa Tests to free Krystal from her prison. Boss Battles pit you against powerful bosses. Defeating these are often required to access new regions of the map. NPCs are friendly nonplayable characters you can speak to for sidequests and such. Some NPCs run Shops where you can buy items. Many of the game's unlockables would be tied to the Adventure Map, though I would also have an Arcade Mode that serves the role played by Classic Mode in past titles. Each fighter gets their own Arcade Route. Upon completing all fighter Arcades, a Final Arcade becomes available, which tests you against a gauntlet of every fighter in the game (many of whom get riders such as Team, Giant, or Metal) plus bosses. Given that Final Arcade would likely be a daunting challenge to try to clear in one sitting, you can stop midway through and resume at a later time.

Games with silent protagonists often end up putting words into your mouth anyway, and modern games now give even silent protagonists some kind of voice in the form of grunts and whatnot, so it feels like a mostly pointless trope. Considering the protagonist is the character we see the most of, making them a boring non-character seems like a bad idea. That said, BotW handled it in an interesting way. Link is confirmed to talk off-screen, he just tends to be quiet. And to be fair, there are people even in real life who tend not to speak all that much. So his being a mostly silent protagonist is at least justified. Dragon Quest XI, on the other hand, absolutely botched the trope. The Luminary is barely a character most of the time, but more egregiously, his younger child self talks during flashbacks. It'd be one thing if they committed to the silent protagonist bit for the whole game, but they themselves break from that convention specifically for his kid self, making the trope even more egregious than it usually is. Silent protagonists (or at least, protagonists with no fixed dialogue) work for something like Skyrim where you get to choose your character's race, gender, etc. and where your dialogue choices can actually matter, or when the game itself is light on dialogue or story, or prefers to focus on atmosphere, or when the protagonist is an animal or other creature that isn't expected to talk human language anyway, but Dragon Quest XI's Luminary has a fixed design, a fixed gender, a fixed race, is human, and has fixed dialogue that he spoke in the past. There was absolutely no reason for him to be a silent protagonist other than "JRPG", and even that is a flimsy excuse since there are plenty of JRPGs with protagonists that talk.

Even when they add Banjo-Kazooie to the expansion, I don't think I'm going to pay for it until they lower the price and/or offer a trimmed package that's just the N64 games. Not even Banjo-Kazooie is worth $50-$80 yearly. Just let me buy the damn game.

A pity you don't have the SNES Classis, as ALttP is among the titles included on that system. If you can find one, I highly suggest you pick it up. To help sweeten the deal, SNESC has a technically new game, Star Fox 2, which was never officially released before (Fay and Miyu are now valid requests for Smash!). Yeah, the thieves are annoying. The Village of Outcasts in the Dark World has its own equivalents, but thankfully you have a lot more room to move there. The Master Sword's blue blade always brought to my mind Luke's lightsaber from Star Wars Episode IV and V. Probably contributed to my fond memories of the game. As an aside, the idea that you're supposed to turn Ganondorf's attacks against him is the basis for how I think he should work in Smash; he'd be strong, fast, heavy, and have good range, but his attacks would all have some kind of flaw that you can exploit, like his projectiles being easy to reflect just by attacking them or his melee attacks leaving him open to counterattack if you're careless due to end lag or momentary immobility. Thus, though he'd seem overpowered and broken at first glance, you'd realize that he's very much a double-edged sword once you know how to counter his moves. As a second aside, if they were ever to make a sequel to the original Hyrule Warriors, I thought it'd be cool if Ganon's essence were split among, say, eight artifacts that, upon being awakened, each manifest their portion of his essence in a different form. One of those would be a Pendant of Darkness that manifests its essence as Agahnim, making him playable for the very first time. Another could be a Phantom Mask that manifests Phantom Ganon from OoT, and a third could be the Sword of Demise that manifests Demise from SS, or at least a Demise-like being (maybe Ganondorf but with the fiery hair and body scales?). Maybe a Ring that manifests the Dark Oracle, a form based on Ganondorf's unused design for the Oracle games? Anyway, back to the game at hand. Yeah, I hated that they had "false cracks", and notably no future games used them. Honestly, I prefer ALttP's degree of water level manipulation to how OoT and OoA handled it. I don't remember much of how ALBW handled it, but it can't have been as annoying as in OoT or OoA, as I don't have vivid memories of loathing it in ALBW like I do in those. And yeah, it would have been nice if the connection between the Light and Dark Worlds was explored more than once. Oracle of Ages has a similar concept to ALttP in that you travel between two similar worlds - in this case, different eras - but does a lot more with it; you'll frequently travel to the past and influence the present by your actions, like saving a city in danger of being destroyed by a volcano or curing the ill monarch of the Zoras.

The biggest pointer I can offer is to start with a general macro plan of your game. That makes it easy to plan out how many levels, bosses, enemies, etc. that you want your game to have. From there, you want to figure out major plot points if your game features a story, as well as major and minor characters. You also want to sort characters by function and purpose: playable protagonists, supporting NPCs, antagonists, etc., keeping in mind your game's themes and messages if it has any. The Spyro games are one of my favorite examples of this principle, Spyro 2 in particular. Last year, one of the Spyro 2 devs found long-lost design documents for that game that shone a big light on its development process. We saw how the number of levels were figured out, what their working names were, what each stage's purpose was, and even the fact that there were going to be four additional Talismans in the Winter Tundra worlds that Spyro would get after Ripto apparently stole the other 14 Talismans. It's all quite fascinating and helped refine my own game design paradigms. I'm aiming at a digital release to start with, probably through Steam. I would love to offer physical releases at some point, but if the Big Three lose my support completely, I'll be looking for alternatives. I can't provide many details yet, but I currently have concrete ideas for two IPs that I've been developing using my paradigms: A 3D action adventure series starring anthro characters, with a heavy emphasis on pirates and treasure hunting. This series features a core crew of six protagonists who each serve a different role both as part of the crew and as playable characters. Mechanically and thematically, it draws inspiration from Donkey Kong Country, Crash Bandicoot, Banjo-Kazooie, and Sly Cooper, while aesthetically it's inspired by Western animation, particularly Disney animation. I'm thinking of making this one episodic in nature, allowing for parts of the game to be developed and released at a time. A 2D platformer series heavily inspired by Mega Man and magical girl series like Sailor Moon that focuses on a mostly-female cast of characters. In contrast to Mega Man's sci-fi trappings, this series is geared towards fantasy, a decision I made to give it a more distinct identity.

Nidoqueen would fit the Ground-type parameter, and be a decently-strong Pokemon in its own right - not quite the powerhouse that Nidoking is, but good enough to hold its own. Clefable is also a good consideration for the Moon Stone slot. Dragonite is an interesting idea, but my concern is that Green would have caught one awfully late in the game and have had to raise it offscreen (but to be fair, the same is true of Starmie, however that one at least can evolve earlier using Water Stone). I feel like a team that she could have built up and raised over the course of the game would be more meaningful. A thought occurs to me - between her Starter, her Eeveelution, and her substitutes, Green would have Water, Electric, Grass, Poison, and Fire all covered, and if she uses Starmie then she also has Psychic. That covers all but two of the Gym Leader types, leaving room for two more Pokemon to cover Rock and Ground (and maybe Psychic). Or maybe the last two slots also vary based on what else she has?

I think Symphony of the Night has an optional event where if Sorin lays in a particular bed, he has a nightmare of his mother's execution, and it turns out a succubus was disguising herself as his mother in the nightmare. By the way, how did your ALttP playthrough go?

If Iwata were in charge, we'd still have a Virtual Console. I bet you Furukawa from accounting stepping up to fill Iwata's shoes is a major factor in why Nintendo's pulling this BS now. We got a bean counter instead of a game designer at the helm now, so I have a bad feeling Nintendo's about to take a steep nosedive - and seeing as I'm not interested in supporting Microsoft (directly) or Sony at this point, if that happens I'm just going to give up on the established video game IPs altogether and focus on my own. A bummer really, I'd hoped I might be able to bring at least one of my creations to the Switch during its lifetime, but if Nintendo's going to become just another soulless cash factory, then count me out. I'll stick to Steam and digital distribution platforms. Hell, if need be I'll even brainstorm my own video game console and become a competitor. Figure out a marketing plan that'll undercut the giants and give the people an alternative that's affordable and pro-consumer. Iwata was the kind of man who could marry artistic and business interests. I strive to be that kind of man.

Lopunny

But much like Sora in SSBU, they'd have to negotiate with the actual owner, in this case J.K. Rowling, to make that happen. Film rights =/= rights to use the character in a video game. It recently occurred to me that a Disney Smash game could also in theory make use of Marvel and Star Wars. Imagine Goofy, Spider-Man, and Darth Vader throwing down in a 2D platform brawler.

A Warner Bros. Smash-style game certainly sounds interesting. You've got Looney Tunes, DC, Hanna-Barbera, and Cartoon Network to pull from for fighters. And any game that lets us pit badasses like Batman and Samurai Jack against each other would be worth at least a cursory glance. Just thinking about it has me brainstorming a roster: Though Activision-Blizzard may be in some hot water, it's hard to deny a Smash game featuring their expansive suite of series and characters - Crash, Spyro, Skylanders, The Lost Vikings, Warcraft, Pitfall, Diablo, Overwatch - would also be worth checking out. For those of us disappointed by no Crash in Smash, this would be the next best thing.

Fair enough. At the very least, a sort of "New Legend of Zelda" that combines aspects of TLOZ and ALttP together. The idea of Zelda providing guidance to Link due to her connection to the Triforce of Wisdom would be brilliant. Like, she could sense when they're close to one of the pieces' hiding places, and whenever you obtain a piece, she receives a vision hinting to the location of another one, though you're free to pursue them in a different order than what the game suggests. I was also picturing a scenario where a minion of Ganon injures/poisons Link and tries to recapture Zelda, forcing the Princess to defend herself and help Link. This would probably happen later in the game, after Zelda herself has acquired more skill, magic, etc. as a way of showing how far she's come since Link rescued her at the start of the game, not to mention show how close they've become since they met. That said, I also like the idea of Zelda taking a little time out from the adventure to watch or join Link in more leisurely activities like fishing. Say, she could watch Link fish and clap happily whenever he catches one, or they could work together to cook a meal, and once the meal is complete, they both taste their handiwork, kinda like when making curry in Pokemon SwSh. Lots of cute stuff like that to help sell the idea of them having a more personal relationship. At the very least, it'd be neat to see Zelda get her own side of the story. I've suggested in the past that she might explore the underworld while Link explores the overworld, staying out of Ganoncorpse's reach while helping Link by, say, activating new Shrines or Towers or something. Eventually, they find a way to contact each other, which helps ease Zelda's nerves a bit as she no longer feels completely alone down there in the dark. Eventually, Link finds a way down into the underworld where he can reunite with Zelda, possibly at the cost of Ganoncorpse escaping the underworld and wreaking havoc on the surface above, perhaps restoring himself to life in the process and maybe taking over most of Hyrule a la OoT. From then on, Link and Zelda's goal is to cleanse the surface of Ganondorf's taint/liberate the surface from his control and ultimately take him down. Yeah, PH is nothing like the kind of sequel I'd hoped TWW would get. I was picturing a story where Link, Tetra, and the crew travel from island to island helping them deal with whatever problems they face, be it monsters, pirates, ghosts, blight, etc. while searching for a land to call their own. Tetra and her crew would have been more involved in the plot, not less. Tetra herself at the very least could have joined Link as the playable co-star. Though PH had some neat ideas, a direct sequel to TWW was not the ideal time to use them. This all said, I have a couple ideas for sequels to Spirit Tracks. One focuses on planes and introduces a new partner and friend for Link named Pella, who dreams of becoming a royal engineer and eventually gets her wish when she and Link are recruited by the royal family to join the ranks of Hyrule's elite air squadron. This title would evolve the ideas of PH and ST, with the plane being customizable and used to travel between islands. Naturally, there'd be lots of dogfights with enemy pilots and even bosses. The other idea features Zelda and Tetra as sisters with a very "yin-yang" relationship. Zelda is the dutiful older sister who follows tradition and takes her princess training and education seriously. Tetra is the younger sister who wants to strike out and follow her own path rather than waste her life learning rules and protocols she thinks she'll never get a chance to use anyway. Basically, Tetra's treated by most of the castle staff as the "backup" princess, which she finds totally demeaning. Thus, she tends to sneak out through secret passageways in the dungeons and garden. In the game's opening act, Link, a knight in training under the Captain himself, is tasked with following Tetra discreetly to make sure no harm comes to her, and discovers a hidden cave near the sea where Tetra and some friends of hers have been building a ship. Tetra asks Link to keep the whole operation a secret to everyone; if Zelda or the castle staff find out, they'll have the ship confiscated and Tetra's friends locked in the dungeon, or so she fears. Poor Link thus finds himself torn between his duties to Zelda and his friendship with Tetra (though he's also friends with Zelda, which makes getting caught in their conflicts all the more difficult for him). And naturally, later in the story Zelda is abducted by bad guys, forcing Tetra to take charge and put her "backup princess" training to work. Also naturally, her ship and friends come into play as part of the mission to rescue Zelda.

Yeah, I always liked that part. Much as I enjoy rescuing the damsel, I also enjoy getting to bring her with me on adventures as it lets me see more of her and gives my character a chance to interact with her, making any relationship they have feel more meaningful in turn. As a sort of "soft reboot" or remake of the original Zelda, I thought it'd be neat if Link saves Zelda at the beginning of the game, then she spends most of the rest of the game traveling with Link to help him find the pieces of the Triforce of Wisdom. She could carry a rapier with her for self-defense and maybe change into an outfit similar to what she wears in the old cartoon and Valiant comics. For that matter, back before BotW debuted, I'd hoped Zelda would join Link as a companion, and likewise I'd hoped as much for BotW2 before trailers showed that they'll likely end up separated again. Heck, I'd even proposed that Zelda could be the main protagonist in the sequel with Link as her companion, since she'd have more room to grow than he would (in so far as gathering Heart Containers, gaining new abilities, and such). There's so much potential for a game where Link and Zelda are active companions, and it's a shame they've barely tapped into that.

I don't get why adding SEGA Genesis was so important when they could have added more of their own library and justified the price tag a bit more - or better yet, charged a lower price tag since they don't have as many royalties to pay. Really, this has got to be the dumbest move Nintendo's made since Paper Mario: Sticker Star for 3DS.

Ooh! Another childhood favorite! I assume you'll be using an item guide to find everything? If so, my advice probably won't be as useful as it would be otherwise, but I'll say this: Soon as you can get to the west side of the Dark World and thus the Village of Outcasts, do so. The Thieves' Town has an item you need in order to complete a side quest to get the Tempered Sword, and you can leave the dungeon midway once you have the item to find the lost blacksmith and bring him to his partner in the Light World. Then you can give them your sword and get the Tempered Sword. Using glitches, you can get to the Village of Outcasts as soon as you have the Magic Hammer from the Palace of Darkness, but I don't know if you use exploits like that.

I have a laundry list of characters I'd have loved to see join the roster, but these are the ones I think were most likely: Krystal Shantae Crash Bandicoot Spyro the Dragon Mega Man X Zero Dr. Eggman