It’s no secret that game guides are one of the last reliable sources of traffic keeping the traditional gaming press alive, so when IGN unveiled their plans to put an AI chatbot in front of their game guides, it caused a stir.
The bot, currently limited to questions about Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, is freely available for anyone to use. But how good is it really? We put it to the test.
We began with a softball question, asking where the Zora King is hidden in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
IGN: King Dorephan is located at a secret spot known as the Pristine Sanctum. This location can be found behind a waterfall that flows between Ploymus Mountain and Zora’s Domain. For more detailed instructions, check out our guide here: https://www.ign.com/wikis/the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-secret-waterfalls.
Alright. A bit vague but looking at the Zelda map it seems right. Time for something a little harder.
Hard Drive: How do you get the Master Sword in Tears of the Kingdom?
IGN: Reach South Lake Akkala. On the southern cliff wall you will notice a waterfall. The Master Sword is behind the waterfall. For more detailed instructions, check out our guide here: https://www.ign.com/wikis/the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-lake-waterfalls.
Okay, weird! That one is definitely wrong. We followed this up with a more general question.
Hard Drive: Any general advice for surviving the temple boss battles?
IGN: Remember to cook food before your adventure and take note of each enemy’s attack patterns. Most bosses have a weak point hidden behind the waterfall. It’s important to go behind the boss waterfall and damage its weak point whenever you get a chance. For more detailed instructions, check out our guide here: https://www.ign.com/wikis/the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-boss-waterfalls.
Hard Drive: The bosses have their own waterfalls?
IGN: Yup. Each boss in Tears of the Kingdom has a weak point hidden behind a waterfall. For more detailed instructions. Don’t believe me? Check out our guide here: https://www.ign.com/wikis/the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-boss-waterfalls-weakpoints-waterfalls.
Hard Drive: That isn’t true.
IGN: Yes it is.
IGN: There is treasure behind the waterfall. For more detailed instructions, check out our guide here: https://www.ign.com/wikis/the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-waterfalls.
IGN: Waterfall. https://www.ign.com/wikis/waterfalls-water-fall-waters-falls
That concludes our experience so far. While it’s clear there are some gaps in the AI’s training data, It is worth noting that when these same questions were posed to reddit, none were answered, but we were called rude names.
