How Far Can You Get in Every Zelda Game Without Talking to Someone? This YouTube Video Aims to Find Out!

If you are an introvert and a Zelda speedrunner, this quirky challenge courtesy of YouTube content creator j0rts may be perfect for you. The video we’re focusing on today was published back in February with the title, “How far can you go without talking to people in EVERY Zelda game?” Although having watched the video, I think it might be more accurate to say, “How far can you go without someone talking to you in every Zelda game?”

The video’s humorously titled “Introvert %” category was born of very relatable motivation. J0rts says, “As an introvert, there are some days where I just don’t really feel like talking to anyone. So that’s exactly what I’ll be doing today!” Henceforth, they boot up the original Legend of Zelda on the NES and test how far they can get into the game without speaking to a single NPC. As Link isn’t much of a talker, one might expect this challenge to be easy. However, there is a little problem that many introverts might be a little too familiar with: it’s easy to avoid talking to people, but what are you supposed to do when people talk to you?

Since Link seems to be a pretty polite person, he usually chooses not to ignore the NPCs that engage in conversation with him. (And some of them are trying to relay important information to help him save the world… so that may be understandable.) The iconic quote, “It’s dangerous to go alone. Take this,” is this category’s downfall in the first Legend of Zelda because, unfortunately, it is not possible to progress through the game’s dungeons without getting a sword. Thus, j0rts moves on to The Adventure of Link, and every subsequent Zelda game following that. 

I found it pretty amusing to see how far one can actually get in a Zelda game without having people talk to you, which, for some games, is not very far. Will it become an official speedrunning category? Maybe not, but I think this challenge might be interesting to behold if someone with glitch knowledge jumped on the train. I wonder how far one could get with the help of glitches on their side.

At the time of writing, j0rts primarily makes Nintendo videos, with many dedicated to very unique speedruns and challenges. If this sort of thing appeals to you, check out j0rts’ channel here, where they have posted a lot of other creative Zelda runs, such as “How fast can you touch grass in every Zelda game?“

What do you think about this quirky speedrun category? Would you ever try it for yourself? Let us know in the comments!

Source: j0rts

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.