Top 5 Tips for Enjoying Zelda Triforce Heroes (and why it isn't like a threesome)

I've been enjoying The Legend of Zelda: Triforce Heroes on the Nintendo 3DS for about a week. I've mostly been playing online with strangers, since between running my Kickstarter for Full-Cast Audio Drama based on Chaos Reborn and looking after my daughter, one or two quick dungeon raids every couple of hours is the best I can fit in.

The Legend of Zelda: Triforce Heroes is a game which takes some of the basic puzzles from The Legend of Zelda series and splits the tools for completion between three players. A co-op game, it requires teams to work together by combining skills, picking up each others' avatars to for a totem and communication using only 8 simple emoticons.

The Legend of Zelda: Triforce Heroes - Communication Panel

I've had some good games and I've had some bad games. It strikes me that the best way to make Triforce Heroes a great experience starts with looking at your own behaviour. What should we called this Zelda etiquette? I wanted something snappy, like "Tri-fiquette", but that's terrible. I thought maybe Etiqulink", but I'm not sure it's even pronounceable. I'm settling with "Zeldiquette." Zeldiquette, as a phrase describing good behaviour in Triforce Heroes is only irksome to me for the same reason as my irritation at this game being called "The Legend of Zelda." ZELDA IS NOT EVEN IN IT!

That aside, here are my 5 tips for good Zeldiquette.

Good Zeldiquette

5. Veiled Communication is Actually Part of the Game

I've read a lot of reviews of The Legend of Zelda: Triforce Heroes which completely miss the point. Take this quote from Arcade Sushi

Really this game is only held back by limited communication options when playing with strangers. 

Limited communication is at the heart of this game. Have you ever played charades and thought, "well, it's a good game, but surely it would be better if the players spoke"? Nope. If there were voice or text communication in Triforce Heroes then gameplay would boil down to more experienced players leading you through each level step-by-step. There's no fun in being told the solution. That's grinding.

One of the most interesting games of recent years was Journey. That did an exceptionally good job of matching you with random internet co-op buddies and giving you limited communication ability. Triforce Heroes is similar.

Guiding other players to a solution

There's a lot of satisfaction in working it out for yourself, which is why the 8 emoticons available in each level are a good way of providing basic communication to work as a team, without robbing you of gameplay. There's a great feeling of accomplishment from figuring out a complex bit of a level together. It's just as fun if you know the solution and help guide your team to success using only the simplest of language tools.

4. Wheaton's Law Applies

In Triforce Heroes, you only get one chance to make a good impression.

Here's an equation:

• We all want to try playing The Legend of Zelda: Triforce Heroes online with strangers at some point.
• None of us wants to get matched with a pain in the ass.
• The game makes it very easy to add players to a permanent blocklist.

The maths for that is very easy. If you behave rudely, every player you meet will block you on your first meeting. If that happens a lot, you're going to find yourself waiting in the lobby for connections for a very long time, because none of the regular players will want to play with you.

If you want to come across as friendly, remember to wave hello at your new team-mates when they join. No-one knows what to make of a player who stays silent, throws you at the starting Triforce and yells "Let's Go!" over and over.

Using the emoticons to celebrate success and good effort

3. It's The Opposite of a Threesome

I've heard lots of jokes on Facebook and other places about Triforce Heroes and threesomes. It's a fun gag for gamers who don't want to admit how attracted they are to each other. But there is a big difference between this game and a menage-a-trois and that is: the person in the middle is having the least fun.

However you organise a sexual threesome, the person in the middle is generally having the best time. But, when you form a three person totem in Triforce Heroes, spare a thought for the player in the middle. They don't get to use movement controls or items. They are willing passengers until such a time as the three-story target has been hit.

Forming a three-player totem to reach a high object

So, be nice. Everybody wants a chance to play. Being carried around a level by someone else is no fun. Put your co-op buddies down safely after they've helped with an objective.

2. There Can Be Multiple Solutions

I've done it myself. Another player and I are throwing icons at each other from opposite sides of a ravine, both yelling about how to reach the last balloon floating over the chasm.

The fact is, many of the puzzles in The Legend of Zelda: Triforce Heroes can be overcome in multiple ways, given the tools at hand. I may favour wearing the Big Bomb Outfit and blasting the hell out of anything that moves (including other players) but someone else might have worked out that the same target can be hit from a ledge a little way over.

Tackling a boss together

So, rather that stubbornly following a tried and true path you know to work, why not listen to your fellow players and try what they are suggesting? Even if their approach doesn't work, it's much more enjoyable to try an idea and see the results than to have someone shout a solution over you, again and again. Unless it's against the timer, what do you really have to lose?

1. Above All, Be Patient

Good advice for all aspects of life, it's especially valuable when playing The Legend of Zelda: Triforce Heroes. If, like me, you're attempting your seventh run at Moblin Base to try and get a Sweet Shroom because for some reason your last few attempts have won you the Gohma's Eye six times in a row (the probability of which being a maddening 0.14%!). then it's fair to say you probably know the level pretty well.

Passing a active bomb between players

Here's a thought: One of your online party might not know the level at all. This might be their first visit. Continually spamming the "NO!" icon and throwing them around the level isn't going to be the best gameplay for you or your new buddy. Given time, they'd probably even figure out the level on their own, so be patient, try to use the emoticons helpfully and give them space to work it out. Be extra patient if you're on a time-challenge map with someone who didn't vote for it - it's not the best way to experience a level first time.

Christopher Jarvis is a writer, audio drama producer and co-host on the LaveRadio.com podcast and is best known for creating the science fiction series Elite: Escape Velocity. He is an avid gamer and is currently running a Kickstarter for Full-Cast Audio Drama based on the game Chaos Reborn.