History Main / NowWhereWasIGoingAgain

* When you continue a story in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'', the character you selected gives you a rundown of the most recent events. Pretty much the same thing happens in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'' when you choose a story, only it's the character whose level is coming up (or Amy Rose in the Last Story). This is different, however, because ''[=SA2=]'' puts you in the level with no Adventure Field to go through to find it.

* As mentioned, early FirstPersonShooter games often had this issue, even over the course of a single level. Take ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' for example, and the increasingly-complex games built on its UsefulNotes/GameEngine. ''VideoGame/{{Hexen}}'' in particular had rather involved puzzles that required multiple trips to and from the resident HubLevel, and generally only completing another piece of the puzzle would give any reminder as to the overall goal. Also within the same game engine, ''VideoGame/{{Strife}}'' alleviated this somewhat by having actual {{NPC}}s and a plot that unfolded over the course of gameplay, instead of being AllThereInTheManual or only outlined in between episodes. It also had a display for listing your most immediate objectives.

** The UsefulNotes/NintendoDS remakes of ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIV'', ''VideoGame/DragonQuestV'', and ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVI'' have a "Talk" option similar to the one used in the seventh and eighth games, should you forget where you're supposed to go. Though ''IV'''s was only in the Japanese version.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyII'' for the UsefulNotes/{{NES}} is infamous for ''[[GuideDangIt not]]'' [[GuideDangIt having this]]. There's practically no clue where you're supposed to be going, no in-game hint system, and going to the wrong area at any given time tends to be instantly deadly.

* ''VideoGame/StarControl 2'' is horrible about this. Not only is it an apparent WideOpenSandbox, but all of the plot important information is only given out once, often in an obscure hint. Like in many computer games of that era, writing down notes on paper is essential for beating this game. Luckily, the developers of ''Star Control: Origin'' made a note of that and keep a log of all important information for the player to read, even highlighting any star system name so the autopilot could be set from that window.

* Most ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon'' games at least try to avert this. You only have one save point in any game: the diary on your dresser. Saving also ends the current day by making your character (and your spouse, if you're married) go to sleep, waking up at six in the morning sharp. This means that every time you turn on the game, you're in the exact same place. However, the games are rather iffy about what they keep track of and what they don't. They generally don't keep track of the current health of your farm, animals, or love life, but do note things like what year it is, the size of your house, and any general upgrades you have.

* Many [=MMORPGs=] not only feature a Quest Log, but also the ability to click on the name of whatever you need to interact with, and then auto travel there while you go get a soda.

* ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'':

* ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigi'':
** ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiSuperstarSaga'' for GBA featured a shop with speech bubbles on display. It sells hints and gossip to the player.
** ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiPartnersInTime'' and ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStory'' have a scrolling message on part of the top MapScreen when you select the file giving you a one sentence outline of your next mission.
** ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiDreamTeam'' also has a hint message on the MapScreen. There's also a "story so far" reminder from the pause screen, telling you what has just happened and what you need to do next.

** The post-[=RE7=] remake continuity games also use color-coding on the map (red for areas with stuff still left to do or find, blue for areas you've cleared out), and mark the location of items when you come near them, to help sweep up any goodies you might have otherwise missed.

** The post-{=RE7=] remake continuity games also use color-coding on the map (red for areas with stuff still left to do or find, blue for areas you've cleared out), and mark the location of items when you come near them, to help sweep up any goodies you might have otherwise missed.

* ''VideoGame/EarthBound'' has the Hint Stall, which nudges you in the right direction... for a small fee, of course.

* God help you [[IncrediblyLamePun (even if you're not Messian)]], if you put down ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiI'' for any significant length of time. [[GuideDangIt It's hard enough trying to figure out what to do while playing normally sometimes.]]

* VideoGame/ElseHeartbreak [[InUniverseGameClock runs on a clock]], and it doesn't remind you of anything when you load a save. Luckily, at least scheduled events only happen when you have a conversation that schedules them, and are limited to things like "talk to (person) at (hour):00 tomorrow at (place)".

** ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamKnight'' has all of the above (and a nicer case menu to track progress), but ironically [[spoiler:The Joker]] will occasionally remind you about active cases in the city. Maybe he just wants all the completion out of the way.

** The King of Red Lions (that's the boat) in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'' clues Link in to the next objective whenever he is spoken to.
** For ten rupees, the fortune teller in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'' will consult her CrystalBall on one of two topics: Career (where to go next) or Love (heart piece locations). Midna (who ''literally'' [[LivingShadow shadows you]]) is also happy to chime in with some Tatl-like snarkiness whenever you tap the "Z" (up on the + Control Pad for the Wii version) button.
** Similarly, in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'' the same fortune teller's IdenticalAncestor will give hints on either the next plot device or the location of treasure (though the two are often one and the same) for the same rate, and this game's ExpositionFairy, Fi, will remind you where to go if asked.
*** Also, on the file select screen, it gives a brief description of the last major thing you accomplished, where you are, or where you need to go next.

* ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime'' has a digital equivalent to Navi the Fairy. Samus's Chozo suit will frequently supply information about "incoming scans" that pinpoint the room where the next element of the main plot will take place. You can turn this off, however, if you don't want to be bothered.
** The third game in the series is more subtle about it, with the "incoming scans" replaced by intelligence from the [[TheFederation Galactic Federation]] being sent to you. The effect is exactly the same, but it's better integrated into the story.
** ''VideoGame/MetroidPrimeHunters'' had no such hinting, and once all four main locations are available it can get quite messy if one takes a break from the game only to return later. NowWhereWasIGoingAgain becomes much more apt [[GuideDangIt once there's absolutely nothing to hint as to where to go]].

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXI'' has a quest log...but most of the descriptions are vague, it never updates beyond the first description, and sometimes a quest doesn't show up on the log ''until you're partway through''. While you might be able to get hints from relevant [=NPCs=], chances are you'll run into GuideDangIt territory.
** Some quests don't even ''appear to be quests'' until you finish them. Particularly noteworthy is the quest to unlock the Bard class: you have to speak to a particular NPC once you've reached level 30, who mentions that he is heartbroken after his girlfriend broke up with him. Another NPC nearby mentions a tablet on a beach that has some song lyrics. From this, you are expected to know to take a piece of parchment to the beach, find the hidden location where the lyrics are, use the parchment on them, and return them to the heartbroken NPC. Which completes the quest and shows it in your quest log for the first time. ''And then'', you have to discover that there's another set of lyrics in another hidden location, and travel there with no prompting, at which point you will unlock the Bard job. GuideDangIt doesn't even begin to cover it.