Shall I Repeat That?
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Kaepora Gaebora: Would you like to hear everything that I said again?
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In most plot-based video games, there is ordinary conversation, and then there's the important stuff. The descriptions of what you need to do next, the motivations of the villain, the basics of playing the game, that sort of thing. In order to make sure the player understands all this, they'll then ask if the player would like to hear it all over again. If the player agrees, they'll do so, repeating it exactly, even maintaining all the contextual cues that realistically shouldn't happen multiple times.
Sometimes asked as "Do you understand all that?", in which case you want to answer "Yes" to move on instead of "No".
Compare But Thou Must!, Parrot Exposition. Common in Dialogue Trees. If the cursor defaults to "Yes", this may become a Scrappy Mechanic and get the player to scream "Stop Helping Me!!" Similar to Welcome to Corneria, only it happens within a single conversation.
Action Adventure
- The Legend of Zelda is notorious for this.
- Kaepora Gaebora of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is the best known for this, as he asks this of pretty much everything he says to you, regardless of significance. What's more, sometimes he asks "Would you like me to repeat that?" and others it's "Do you understand all of that?", requiring you to have to read the question carefully or you'll give the appropriate answer to the last time you talked to him and he'll force you to listen to it all over again.
- As a huge relief, Kaepora does not do this to you anymore once you enter the Adult portion of the game, and in fact does not show up at all while Link is adult, aside from one small appearance in the middle of the Spirit Temple. Does not make his presence in the early part of the game any less obnoxious, however.
- Also from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, when Link defeats the two Composer Brothers Flat and Sharp at the Graveyard, they will each tell you how they came to compose the Sun's Song and gave their lives to protect their secret from Ganondorf, and then they will ask if you want to hear what they said again.
- Kaepora Gaebora of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is the best known for this, as he asks this of pretty much everything he says to you, regardless of significance. What's more, sometimes he asks "Would you like me to repeat that?" and others it's "Do you understand all of that?", requiring you to have to read the question carefully or you'll give the appropriate answer to the last time you talked to him and he'll force you to listen to it all over again.
MMORPG
- Almost universal in RuneScape's dialogue trees.
Platformers
- In Super Mario Sunshine, you're given the option to rehear both FLUDD's explanation of the gameplay mechanics and the backstory on the loss of the Shine Sprites.
RPGS
- EarthBound parodies this trope viciously. When Buzz Buzz gives his dying words, you have the option to have him repeat the entire thing (including all his wheezing and panting!) as many times as you like, and he won't die until you tell him to stop. And when Everdred does the same, he'll refuse to repeat everything he just said even if you ask.
- Mother 3 plays it more straight when Leder gives the surprisingly long explanation of the history of Nowhere Islands; he'll confirm that you understand each part before continuing to the next.
- Inverted in Final Fantasy VI. During the banquet, you get to ask the Emperor three questions. You lose points (gained from diplomatic talks and from persuading soldiers to peace) if you ask him the same question over. Moreover, he will ask which of the three questions you asked first after all of it.
- In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, the cursed treasure chests are nice enough to ask things like "So do you understand the terrible curse you're under now?" and will repeat the details if you don't.
- Pokémon games often feature a variation on this via an old woman who will allow you to rest and heal your Pokemon. Afterwards, she asks if you'd like to rest some more. There is no benefit to saying "yes", but that's where the cursor defaults.
Other
- Conker's Bad Fur Day: "Um, are you sure you got that?"
- Shining Force uses the trope any time another character gives you an instruction in order to make sure you understand what you're supposed to do next.
Non-Video Game Examples
Web Comics
- Brawl in the Family has a comic on it. Naturally, it's Kaepora Gaebora featured in the comic.
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Would you like to read all of that again? |
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