Most protagonists will have a partner at some point, someone who helps them through their perilous journey, someone who offers advice or lends that special move to get the protagonist to their ultimate goals. Of course, some sidekicks are somewhat useless or work to make the situation worse.
In honor of those terrible characters, here’s a list of a few sidekicks players will be glad to have tagged along.
Yoshi
What better way to kick off this list with one of the most memorable of the bunch. It’s almost impossible to not recognize the little dinosaurs when you see them. They let you ride on their backs, provide a jump boost and devour enemies whole to keep their plumber friend safe.
Kazooie
This hot-tempered bird lives in her bear companion’s backpack, making her easily transportable. Her love of adventure makes her a great companion as she can fly, peck at enemies, and shoot eggs to attack. What makes her stand out is how she acts more like a protagonist than a sidekick. Still, she offers enough assistance to Banjo to keep them both
Pikmin
With many different types, each of these plant/animal creatures are able to help your mission in a variety of ways. They can survive in water, be shock-proof, poison enemies and even parasitize other creatures, handy tactics to use while on an alien planet. The fact that you can set groups of them to do a job is an added bonus.
GLaDOS
From her sense of humor to her odd, deadpan, robotic tone, GLaDOS is a terrifying enemy and a delight to carry around in potato form. Her constant mocking of the player and intimidating threats work well to add humor to the game. While as a potato, she might not be able to help much, she’s still fun to have around.
Midna
Midna can be considered a more fleshed-out character than a lot of companions in other Legend of Zelda games. She’s mischievous, she’s kind of cynical and she can warp you across the world. Heck, she originally intends to use Link for her own goal before later realizing that the Light Realm should be saved as well. There’s also the bonus of being the ruler of the Realm of Twilight.
Each of the characters listed add something to the overall game experience. Whether it’s humor, a story arc or just a good backup when things get dicey, these guys and gals make for great sidekicks you’d want to take along for any and every journey.
