Link Nearly Spoke in Echoes of Wisdom, Developers Confirm

Warning: This article contain spoilers for The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom.

A silent protagonist has been an evergreen tradition in the Zelda series since the beginning. So, with Princess Zelda taking up the mantle of main character in Echoes of Wisdom, it was now her turn to take that fabled protagonist vow of silence. In turn, the series’ longstanding protagonist Link was now free of his central character status, leading fans to speculate ahead of the game’s release about whether or not the hero in green would finally get a shot at speech in Echoes of Wisdom. Well, based on a new interview with the game’s developers, it seems Link nearly got that anticipated opportunity to speak.

Ultimately, however, it was not to be.

In a recent interview with Famitsu (translated by Video Games Chronicle and Automaton), Zelda Series Producer Eiji Aonuma and Echoes of Wisdom Co-Director Satoshi Terada discussed the decision to keep Link silent in the latest Zelda title. According to the developers, Link’s muteness in the Zelda series up to now has indeed been a direct result of his protagonism; it was only natural that Zelda be silent for the same reason. As Aonuma put it, “In the Zelda series, the protagonist does not speak. This is why Link doesn’t talk, either.”

Aonuma and Terada both identified the creation of companion character Tri as a way to move the story forward with a silent protagonist.

The interview’s biggest revelation came when Terada revealed the following:

“I had Link talk a little bit… No matter what I made him say, it just didn’t feel right.”

In agreement, Aonoma declared, “It felt really strange. Nobody knew what Link would say – that’s only natural, because he’s never spoken before.”

So, after trying and failing to find a way for Link to talk, the developers gave up on that idea and decided to make his silence part of the narrative. “We had to come up with a setting where he couldn’t speak, and that’s how we came up with part of the story,” Aonuma shared.

With Link’s silent nature in Breath of the Wild narratively due to insurmountable pressure and his Echoes of Wisdom reincarnation permanently losing his voice because he fell into a purple hole, the poor guy just can’t catch a break. I personally find it amusing to think about the Zelda team trying to come up with dialogue for Link. What did they originally have him say? Why was it so ridiculous that no one on the entire team liked it?

Perhaps when Nintendo gets over the novelty of Link speaking, they might have him talk in a future game. I think he’s got some dialogue in him, just waiting to be discovered. But what do you think? Would you like it if Link talked, or would you find it just as strange as the Zelda team did? Let us know in the comments below!

Source: Famitsu (via Video Games Chronicle, Automaton, Eurogamer, Gamesradar)

Aubriel Eastman

Aubriel has been an avid Zelda fan since she was 13, when she discovered Twilight Princess. She loves writing screenplays and composing music, and is currently going to school for a BA in film. Aubriel is a staff writer for Zelda Dungeon.