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Should Link talk?

Joined
Sep 21, 2014
Location
Michigan
Let's explore some ways for Link to talk, shall we?

Concept 1- Sound Bites: So, imagine a JRPG format LoZ game, with parties and characters and special attacks and numbers and all that fun stuff, like Super Mario RPG but a bit more serious in tone. Characters could have quick lines of dialogue, between 1-3, as they initiate certain moves. It would be strange if Link was the only one not talking, and this would be a good way to introduce him to the audience. That way they're prepared for it when he gets dialogue in a cutscene or something. If you want you could even make a little meta joke, where Zelda looks at him in surprise after the first time he says something, and when asked about it she could say "I... I've never heard you talk before." That last bit is just a dumb little throwaway idea though.

Concept 2- Narration: It's entirely possible that you can have the voice come first. Have Link begin the opening narration, but don't actually show him until he's had a chance to get in a paragraph or so. Let the voice be enjoyed on its own, then give it a face. The voice should be easy on the ears, with no forced accent. It should be a relatively plain voice, without too much emphasis or any real defining characteristics.... nothing high pitched, unusually gritty, or strained. It should be inoffensive but still enjoyable, the 'early twenties male Target catalogue model' of voices. But! That's not to say it shouldn't be a good one, you just need to ease people into it. In the game's later cutscenes where the real stuff is going down, the VA should be very capable of a wide range of vocal acting, capable of nuance and emotion. But by then people should be invested, and the few that aren't likely weren't gonna come 'round no matter how you played it.

Bonus Concept- People Who Aren't Link: For starters, get rid of BotW Zelda. I won't say anything mean or ill of her, she did her best and I think it turned out okay. But I honestly don't think she's best suited for the role, especially if the next game's Zelda is a more adult princess. Hey, maybe we could get the woman who did whatserface from Voltron... she was basically Space Zelda anyway. Next, bring back Sean Chiplock. He was amazing. Just... not as the Deku Tree. Literally any other role. Hell, he could even do Link. Companion character? Macie Williams if they're female, and if the companion is male it's likely to be an older guy so I don't know, there's so many who would work for that I can't think of any specific one. And lastly, any main Goron character should be voiced by John Dimaggio.
 
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Dan

Joined
Sep 19, 2011
Gender
V2 White Male
I'm more curious what sort of voice would actually satisfy the fan base. What do people actually think he should sound like? Personally I think he should be voiced by James Earl Jones, and have the exact same voice as Mufasa then everyone is happy, mostly me. I would enjoy hear James say things like "I shall slay you deku baba with my master sword".


:bubsy:
 

Quin

Disaster Master
Joined
Dec 26, 2017
Location
Netherlands
Danny Devito obviously. If he can't have Pikachu give him Link.
I would almost be okay with this.
 

Dizzi

magical internet cat....
ZD Legend
Joined
Jun 22, 2016
nooooo hes too established and people have their own idea of how he sounds.....like someone may think hes a deep gangster voice, but someone else may think hes a cockney voice.....
 

Doc

BoDoc Horseman
Joined
Nov 24, 2012
Gender
Male
I prefer Link to as he is now; a silent protagonist. We know he does talk, logistically, but I see no reason to give him in-game dialogue. I know other people no longer or have never seen Link as an actual "link" to the game, but I still feel that Link mostly assumes the role of an avatar. To see him speak is just going to ruin my immersion and, tbh, expect any dialogue of his to be cringe, hero dialogue.
 

PalaeoJoe

The Diplomatic Dinosaur
Joined
Jul 1, 2012
Location
Early Cretaceous North America
I am open to Link talking. His strength as a character varies from game to game but as time has gone on the games have Portrayed him more like a character. So considering the addition of voice acting and the strengthening of him as a character, it would be logical to give Link a Voice.
I feel if they do this it should be after we get a one or two more games with voice acting, so the story and the voice acted dialogue can improve (I was fine with BotW's voice acting quality but there is room for improvement). Regardless of when they give Link a voice, it needs to be recognized that many of the players like him as a silent protagonist so changing this will as stated above tick people off. So it needs to be done with great care. Many will never be satisfied but Nintendo should aim to tick of as few people as possible.
If they give him a voice he needs to have enough character to justify giving him one, if he dosn't have his own opinions or makes no interesting decisions. If not then he should stay unheard and just let the player fill in much of what Link is saying and thinking.

The viability of this happening is kind of up in the air. I remember part of an interview that Eiji Aonuma gave where he said that more or less "There will never be voice acting because Link will never speak and having other characters speak around him would be weird if Link never spoke.". I would love it if someone could find that interview for me, so we can have an exact quote.
By now we know that this statement has become completely false (retconned if you will). BotW's main characters all spoke excluding Link and they executed this in such a way that many fans (myself included) didn't find it weird.
At this point the explanation Aonuma gave is probably an excuse for why he actually dosn't want Link to speak.
 

Nicolai

The beast that dwells within the Shoutbox
Joined
Oct 18, 2016
Location
just your imagination
Protagonists shouldn't have a voice in this country; it's the way it was intended it to be. Its the way my father, and my grandfather, and my grandfather's father had protagonists! If protagonists start talking, next thing you'll know they'll want to start attending school, or vote! Soon they'll turn against us you mark mah words! :ezlo:
 

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