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Though the trope was once quite common , silent protagonist are a relative tenuity in modern , AAA games . Link ’s continued silence inThe Legend of Zelda : breathing space of the Wild , then , was jarring for some players , given other characters like Zelda finally had full voice acting . But Link should n’t fail his quiet streak inBreath of the Wild 2 , since his silence is primal in link up musician toZelda ’s world .
hint of the Wildtook theZeldaseries in a new counseling while simultaneously return to its roots , channelingthe firstZeldaon NESfor its huge and intimidating undefendable macrocosm . Its universal climb mechanic was revolutionary not only for the franchise but for open world plot in universal , opening up Hyrule as it never had been before . It also attempted to make its central characters experience more literal by give them voiced dialog for the first prison term , but Link did n’t take in the same modernization .
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While players can pick out dialogue choices inBreath of the Wild- just as they could inZeldagames likeWind WakerandTwilight Princess- the plot ’s version of the torpedo never actually speaks aloud . He ’s got the common wordless exclamations , but he stay otherwise silent . This was a deliberate choice by Nintendo to make Link more relatable , and it ’s one the companyshouldn’t change inBreath of the Wild 2 .
Why Link Doesn’t Need A Voice In Zelda: Breath Of The Wild’s Sequel
Link ’s negotiation choice indicate he ’s not ineffective to speak but but not very blabby , and Zelda ’s diary in Hyrule Castle back up this up . " With so much at stake , " she writes , " he feels it necessary to stay strong and to silently bear any burden . [ … It ] has caused him to stop externally expressing his thought process and feeling . " Not only does Link ’s lack of speech bring to the " air of proud independence " that is " a treasured part of the individuality of his theatrical role , " asZeldaproducer Eiji Aonuma toldGamesMasterin 2016 ( viaNintendo Everything ) , it also serves a practical gameplay function . Aonuma later said Nintendo take tokeep Link silent inBreath of the Wildto avoid breaking the relationship between Link and the player if Link said something they did n’t agree with .
This could , of course , still go on in written dialogue , as was the case inBreath of the Wild ’s infamous , transphobic Gerudo Set scene ( seePaste ) . But will Link silent allows elbow room for player interpretation to make full in the tonal gaps created by written - only dialogue ; that ’s exactly what some fans did with the Gerudo Set , promote past the encounter ’s transphobic element to instead rede and celebrate Link as trans or non - binary . Therein lies thestrength of Link ’s character conception : Voiceless and , as Aonuma toldTIME , deliberately androgynous , Link is have in mind to be a vacuous - slating conduit for role player to introduce themselves intoZelda ’s universe . give him a voice would inevitably characterize him too strongly , much like Bethesda’sFallout 4protagonist , creating a barrier between players and their avatar and removing the extra control vision provides .
That ’s not to say Link ca n’t have interesting , written development without a voice . Breath of the Wildgave him mess of character via his helping hand - on - hip , enthusiastically nodding , go - getter posture , and the sequel could do the same . Nintendo could even lean intoLink ’s gender neutral character design , allowing players to cut back him in a wider variety of traditionally non - masculine habiliment without the gimmick of using it to sneak into a women - only settlement . Even without full character customization , a silent Link is a personal Link , andBreath of the Wild 2would do well to capitalize on that .
Next : How Breath Of The Wild Items Reference Older Zelda Games
The Legend of Zelda : Breath of the Wild 2does not yet have a release date .
