Sidequest

Sidequests are elements of a game, for example: minigames, scavenger hunts, mazes, etc., that don't depend on the outcome of the game itself.

Properties and conditions
Sidequests are included within games to:


 * create extra interest in the game after it has been completed.
 * prolong the "life" of the game.
 * to give the player something to do when stuck.
 * to improve the player's status, experience or life.

Within the Zelda series, there are sidequests that are prevalent within subsequent games. There are several types of sidequests, the only requeriment for one to be called as such is that it's not mandatory to be completed (it can even be partially required to progress in a game, but if the player needs to complete it, then it's just an important objetive adhered to the main adventure. For example, in Twilight Princess, there's no option regarding whether collecting the Sky Characters to access a certain dungeon or not). Therefore, sidequests do not relate to the game's path, but can enhance or strengthen the player's status while on such a path. In every Zelda game, it is possible to beat the entire story without the aid of extra heart pieces, more arrows in one's quiver, and more money, but the game is better fulfilled when it is beaten with these elements included.

Types
A sidequest may take virtually any form, but the following quests are the most common in the series:

Minigames
These are events or attractions characterized by having their own gameplay mechanics. Be it shooting targets, choosing or finding a chest with the best prize, or a race, they not only lead to new items, but also provide extra fun and value to the games. A Link to the Past featured various minigames that were simple both in concept and execution, but were the start of a standard type of sidequest in the series. It's worth mentioning that similar types of minigames may vary from game to game, either in complexity or in length.

Interaction with characters
After the extremely limited presence of NPCs in the original game, they played a relatively deeper role in Zelda II, although most of them actually led to a required learning of Spells. Thus, again, A Link to the Past takes the credit for bringing a new level of depth to this concept. The non-playable characters have vital information to offer, they need Link's assistance to solve a problem, or to fulfill a task; this interaction is optional and leads to unique prizes (an empty bottle, tempering the sword). Later games went even further, to the point that Majora's Mask, praised for its variety of extra content, offered various emotive sidequests, including protecting two ranch girls from unnatural threats and helping a couple of engaged characters to reunite.

Secret areas and optional battles
Since the very first Zelda game, there have been secret areas, spots and caves with unusual prizes within; this gives a reason to explore every single part of an open field. in A Link to the Past, the Light/Dark World gameplay device increased the possibilities, as some secret caves in either world are only accessible by warping from the other while standing on a suspiciously empty dead end. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker significantly took advantage of this thanks to the fact that the exploration of most islands was not required, as well as the introduction of Treasure Charts. The Wind Waker also pushed to the limits the concept of optional enemy encounters in caves. The ultimate example is the Savage Labyrinth, which is required to be completed up until its 31th floor, but leads to a better prize for anyone reaching to the 51th and last one. In Twilight Princess, the optional caves have their own puzzles or maze-like structures, and the secret spots intelligently require later items (the ultimate example is the Bridge of Eldin, which contains a well hidden Piece of Heart).

Prizes
Essentially, most sidequests exist so that the prizes earned can increase the player's possibilities to progress without failing against enemies, as these usually become stronger or more in number; other sidequests are simply for amusement, though. The following rewards are among the most common in a Zelda game:


 * Heart Pieces: A trademark sidequest present in almost every Zelda game is to increase Link's life meter. In the NES Zelda games, a Heart Container is either held by boss possession, hidden in a secret spot, or given for free by an old man (unless the wrong choice is made).
 * Stock Limit Upgrades: Since A Link to the Past, the possibility of increasing the capacity of the weaponry has been available, as well as (since the first Zelda game) the physical defense of the character. Among the upgrades are;
 * Quiver Upgrades (more arrows).
 * Wallet Upgrades (more rupees).
 * Tunic Upgrades (better physical defense).
 * Bomb Bag Upgrades (more bombs; Twilight Princess also introduces extra Bomb Bags to hold more types of bomb, or more bombs of the same type).
 * Extra Weaponry: Items that aren't required to progress, but offer more efficient or more powerful means of attack. Among them are:
 * Optional Arrow Attributes (Ice Arrow)
 * Optional Swords (Biggoron's Sword)
 * New Attack Abilities: Since Zelda II, some games in the series included the option to get new ways of attacking enemies with the sword. Among them are:
 * Hidden Skills.
 * Hurricane Spin.
 * Collection Quest Prizes: Quest tiems that not only lead to secret rewards, but also gives the player a sense of archievement after fully completing them. Items involved are:
 * Golden Skulltulas.
 * Figurines.
 * Poe Souls.
 * Trading Sequence Prizes: Items that are part of a long string of exchanges that ultimately lead to a powerful item.

2D Era
The sidequests, while barely present since the NES games, officially became important in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, mainly thanks to the introduction of the Piece of Heart system; because the game featured multiple dungeons (twelve), there were too many Heart Containers posessed by the bosses, meaning that a mere two (supposing that the 16-heart meter seen in the original NES game would be present again) would be available in the overworld. To solve this, the game featured an extended 20-heart life meter and, additionally, split the then six Containers left into four pieces each (for a total of 24 pieces), giving the player the need to guide Link across extra stages housing them, as well as winning minigames. The possibility of enhancing the weaponry (bombs, arrows, sword, etc.), as well as the introduction of optional weapons and artifacts, improved this aspect of the game. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening featured the same methods, but also introduced the first Trading Sequence sidequest in the series.

The subsequent handheld 2D Zelda games would follow the footsteps of A Link to the Past in this aspect, but also were influenced by their 3D counterpats. For example, The Minish Cap included the figurine sidequest that debuted in The Wind Waker, and Phantom Hourglass addressed various ideas from The Wind Waker as well.

3D Era
The first 3D game (The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time) not only included the types of sidequest seen in the 2D games that preceeded it, but also made the player focus on helping people to receive different prizes; the game is also notorious for featuring the first hunt-based sidequest in the series, in the form of the Golden Skulltula spiders. The fact that most of these spiders only appear at night or from some secret spots, increased significantly the challenge of the 100% completion. Another notable sidequests were that to rescue Epona from her captivity in Lon Lon Ranch (which made traveling in Hyrule Field much easier), and the inclusion of an optional dungeon.

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask potentially improved and increased the sidequest catalogue, mainly thanks to the game's time-based system, as well as the low number of dungeons with Heart Containers. The minigames are more in number and more complex to master, there is more people in need of help (in fact, the game gives the player the possibility to find the Bombers' Notebook so that he can plan the solution of the characters' problems), there are more secret areas and spots with optional prizes, and the hunts are now restricted to dungeons (Stray Fairies) and houses (Golden Skulltulas). To make things more fitting, the game's working title was Zelda Gaiden, or Zelda Side Story.

In recent games, such as The Wind Waker, the sidequests have become longer and more challenging to the player, making it harder to archieve the reward one is after. For example, in The Wind Waker the player is involved into the extremely long Nintendo Gallery completion and the search for treasures and special maps by the Treasure Chart hunt; also, because of the high number of optional islands available, it takes more time to find every single Piece of Heart.

In contrast, Twilight Princess features moderately fewer sidequests than its predecessors; among them are various hunts (Poe Souls and Golden Bugs), all-new minigames, and learning Hidden Skills, among others. Twilight Princess, however, contributed on revamping the Heart Piece system by rewarding the player with a new Heart Container for every five Pieces of Heart. This solved the problem brought by the relationship of inverse proportionality between Heart Pieces and Heart Containers; the game is also unique in the fact that almost all dungeons (the exception is the last one) hide two Heart Pieces each, increasing the exploration factor (which is also symbolized by the higher number of extra caverns and spots with hidden Heart Pieces in Hyrule Field and other regions of the game); this also brings a disadvantage, however, as there are fewer people to help, in fact only one rewards the player with a Heart Piece. Also, unlike the other 3D games, Twilight Princess has no trading sequence either.