I just got a Switch 2, and honestly, the most interesting thing about it isn’t the games — it’s Zelda Notes.
I grew up in the age of physical guides and walkthroughs, back when having a second person involved could make a single-player game more interesting for everyone at the table. Zelda Notes brings that back, and does it over great distances. For Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, you can call up a friend or family member on the other side of the world and let them ride shotgun.
Only a handful of games offer companion apps like this. Most of the time you’re stuck looking things up online — tedious for you, boring for whoever’s watching. I’ve played Breath of the Wild with other people before, and more than once they got bored and fell asleep. That kind of reaction kills the excitement fast. The best way to stop it is to keep people engaged — give them something to do.
That’s exactly what Zelda Notes does. Your friend or family member can track everything and offer guidance without ruining a puzzle or spoiling the story. It turns the game back into an adventure — Frodo and Sam off to see the world, one holding the map, the other holding the sword.
Zelda Notes doesn’t just hand you the answer. If you’re completely lost, sure, it can help. You can do this, for example, by standing over a Korok Seed you can’t find, hit a button, and get actual directions. For me, that usually means it telling me there’s a cave nearby, because apparently I’m an idiot. It also tracks your stats in a clean, accessible way. Turns out the way I die most often is “unlisted” — which just means I’m finding new and unique ways to go.
It’s a genuine tragedy that so few modern games offer an active co-pilot tool like this. Massive open-world games demand total visual and mechanical focus from whoever’s holding the controller. Offloading navigation, logs, and database management to a dedicated companion app gives the second person something real to contribute — not just a screen to stare at until you need something.
While the industry keeps chasing higher frame rates and raw processing power, the real next-generation breakthrough might be relational. Zelda Notes proves a game doesn’t need a multiplayer mode to become a deeply shared, bonding experience.
Have you tried Zelda Notes? What are your thoughts on it? Let us know in the comments below or head over to our Discord channel to join the conversation.
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Nintendo Pow Block – A Nintendo Podcast by Boss Rush
Nintendo Pow Block is a weekly Nintendo podcast hosted by Edward Varnell, Corey Dirrig, and their friends from around the internet. Each week, they dive into the latest Nintendo news and rumors for Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, new and upcoming releases, updates to Nintendo Switch Online and the Nintendo Music app, and discuss what they’ve been playing in the Playing with Power segment.
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