What do you want from future NPCs in Zelda

[Spirit]

NPCs can be veeeery interesting. They can give memorable sidequests, have some really important role that you'll remember forever or just be damn cool.


As much as i hated SS i did like Levias. I'd love going to the Thunderhead just to marvel at him and fly around him.

Likewise i loved the dragons in BotW, things so obviously divine just chilling and going about their day.

Im a sucker for giant and mysterious NPCs and would really like to see more in the future of Zelda.

What kind of NPCs would you like to see in future games?

 

[Dio]

Well Zelda has a load of likeable and quirky NPC's as it is. The issue I take is that besides a very select few most of these NPC's have no depth to them. What I want to see (Not what I expect to see. This is Nintendo after all) is for future NPC's to actually have a real back story to them and for them to have a real place in the world they inhabit. We are no longer in 2006 where it is acceptable to just plonk a bunch of characters in for padding and to make the world look full. We now have games out there similar to Zelda that go much further with their side characters. This makes it more noticeable to me when other developers don't do the same.

 

[funnier6]

MM NPCs were best NPCs, you had your side quests, background, story, it felt like you really got to know them all and have a real impact on their lives.

If we could see that level of depth again that would be great.

 

[YIGAhim]

I agree with Funnier. Majora's Mask got as close as it's gotten to meaningful NPCs.

I'd like to see more ages than just 20+ and a few 6 year olds

 

[SinkingBadges]

A skip dialogue button.

 

[YIGAhim]

Actually, yes, a skip dialogue button is something I'd be very ok with

 

[Castle]

I wouldn't mind if Zelda NPCs remained exactly as they are. These games don't require some intricate AI simulation like Oblivion or Skyrim. The numerous one-off "background" NPCs should remain to populate the world while remaining individually distinct. But I would like to see more involved NPCs developed more in the story. Like Agatha in TP. She's a really fun, really interesting side character who's presented with a lot of expression and personality. I'd also love to see side-story NPCs feature more prominently. Like Prince Ralis or Colin from TP. I really love the way TP brought its NPCs to life. One of the things I want TP to elaborate on more is the relationship between Renado and Telma.

Given Link's traditionally silent nature, I don't think there needs to be advanced ways to interact with NPCs such as conversation trees or reaction scores or any sort of social mechanic common to RPGs. A Zelda game with its own unique social mechanics might be interesting, such as the kinstone trading metagame from Minish Cap. Something Link can do to influence NPC behavior outside of communication or some manner of social simulation. The ability to trade items with any NPC in the game, for instance; and receive gifts or assistance in return.