Silent Link = Bad Character?

[Cfrock]

Me and some friends were recently talking about which video game characters we liked and I mentioned Link. One of my friends said Link was a terrible character because he never speaks.

What do you guys think? Does being silent make a character bad?

I don't think it does since we still see Link's facial expressions and body language, so we still get a good idea of his feelings and motivations. For example, at the beginning of The Wind Waker, when Link's sister Aryll gets kidnapped, Link jumps in surprise, then scrunches his face in anger then runs forward blindly after her. We see his thought process and understand why he does what he does. We still get a strong sense of his character despite never hearing him speak.

 

[Krazy4Krash]

It's one thing for a character to say their feelings. It's another to show it and Zelda games do this tremendously well.

If Link were to talk, it would break the connection between player and character. His name is 'Link' because he is the link between the two.

 

[shredah21]

the silence helps connect with link it makes you feel like your link

 

[BlueSwordsman10]

I think he is an awesome character, you can eaisly tell what he feels like in SKyward Sword and in Wind Waker. And Actions speak louder than words, like going through eight dungeons and doing some pretty badass things.

 

[Hephaestus]

Having Link speak would kill the franchise. One of the most iconic things IMO of the series is the fact that the main protagonist is silent. It allows a unique interpretation of Link for each gamer.

 

[MAZZ0Murder]

Do you ever hear a peep out of Gordon Freeman or Chell from the Valve games? NOPE! AND THEY'RE GREAT!

Link is just fine the way he is!

 

[MiniMouseofPyru]

Zelda games show feelings extremely well. But if Link were to talk, then what would happen, let's see.

Link never speaks at all in a Zelda game. It's a great thing that he doesn't because if he does speak than the Link between the player and the character would be unlinked.
Nintendo purposely made Link speechless because then the player could express his/her own feelings toward the game instead of the feelings being felt for you. Link were to actually talk during a Zelda game, I don't think I'd like it, it would ruin The Legend of Zelda, ruin it completely.

 

[OtisGlicker]

I've thought about this before. If they had made Link talk in other titles earlier on, I think it'd add a lot for plot development or to understand Link as a character. But given that that hasn't happened, if he were to suddenly talk in a new title, there'd be an uproar. And rightfully so. It's how we know him and it's made gameplay unique. As far as I'm aware, the Zelda series has been the first to feature a completely silent main character, and they certainly weren't the last.

 

[MAZZ0Murder]

On the flip side, looks at the CD-i games that tried to make him talk

 

[Cfrock]

Do you ever hear a peep out of Gordon Freeman or Chell from the Valve games? NOPE! AND THEY'RE GREAT!

This I actually disagree with completely. I was going to mention Gordon Freeman as an example of silent protagonists done badly but decided it would just end up with me ranting.

Long story short, I understand the idea of providing a 'blank canvas' for the player to project themselves onto. The Elder Scrolls does that extremely well. But with Gordon Freeman, it's not a blank canvas because Valve gave him a name, Valve gave him a face and Valve gave him pre-existing relationships. Valve gave him those things, not me. So how can I project myself onto him? They decided they wanted people to feel like the character in Half-Life but only if it was the character they specifically wanted.

I can understand the idea behind it, but I just think they screwed it up to the point that it totally ruined Gordon Freeman. He's not a character to me; he's a camera.

 

[Vanessa28]

Well Link actually does talk but not with a sound. But he explain things etc. But if you mean voice talking nope. he is a great character and I like it the way it is. It always has been this way except for some words like Come on you'll will never hear himt alk. They should keep it this way and he is not a bad character because of this at all

 

[Ninten*]

He talks, but it's never shown most of the time. Link voice acting would probably kill the series. Not sure about other characters though. You can already tell exactly what Link is feeling by his facial expression. So voice acting isn't reallly necessary.

 

[Jxudo]

Now this is something I could rant about but I wont.
Miyamoto has always said Link doesn't talk because he wants the player to feel as close to the main character as possible.
I don't think Link should ever talk, and I don't think Link is a bad character because he doesn't.

 

[TheMinishMaster]

Silent Pokemon Hero Guy = Bad Character?

 

[S. Mario]

Link is definitely not a bad character. In Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, and Skyward Sword he has excellent facial expressions. For instance, in TP just before the first horse battle, you can clearly tell that Link is mad and wants to go slaughter King Bulblin just from the expression on Link's face. He's also not necessarily silent. You can tell from other characters words that he does talk, it just rarely shows up on the screen. I say rarely and not never because Link does get about two lines in Phantom Hourglass. At the end of PH, just before Tetra wakes up, a text bubble appears. Since Link is the only one there that's awake, it must him speaking.