A silent protagonist can be a double-edged sword for some players. It can feel off when an NPC is talking to the character, but they don’t audibly say anything back which can makethings less immersive. On the other hand, some instances of this can make games more immersive because, rather than players having a ‘set’ emotion to feel, they can put themselves in the shoes of the character. This can give players a better understanding of the story that’s being conveyed and allows players to feel like every decision they make within the game can be based on their own experiences and personalities.
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While this rule isn’t universal, certain games do feel better when the character is talking while other games make sense when the character isn’t talking, so it’s contextual to what the player is playing at the time. But, having a silent protagonist can be a good and effective way of telling a story, and the following games not only convey that but enhance the experience more so.
5Jack (Bioshock)
Having a silent protagonist serves the world ofBioshockwell because it adds more to the psychological elements when they remove Jack’s voice. Giving players full control adds to the tensity of the game. One of the reasons whyBioshockis aninfluential sci-fi gameis because of its immersion, the way it made players feel like they were a part of the story, and it worked out well in the end, because of how successful it was. Although, the third game in the series,Bioshock Infinite,had the main character, it still built on whatBioshockcreated which is a fully immersive story where players could play as if they were stuck in the world.
That’s why having a silent hero inBioshockdoes justice to not just the narrative aspect but the gameplay elements because everything the player is doing can be translated into a personal feeling for them. Plus, it makes them feel more important towardsBioshockbecause they feel like it’s them who’s doing everything. That’s a huge reason why the franchise is important, it makes players have a better connection to the story when they’re silent.
4Link (Legend of Zelda)
Linkbeing silent is the staple for the character because players have a better time transferring their feeling and emotions to him, which in turn makes the player have a better relationship with Link when they’re playing anyLegend of Zeldagame. MostLegend of Zeldagames are iconic andgood first-party games, likeBreath of the Wild.But with Link being silent, it makes players feel like they’re the character and that helps people enjoy theBreath of the Wildmuch more. While this isn’t exclusive toBreath of the Wild,it works in many other games within the franchise likeLegend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures,which shows this off as well, but in its own way.
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Four Swords Adventurescan beconsidered underrated because not many playedon theGamecubebut offered people to play with their friends. Having 4 players each stepping into the shoes of their Links gave players a chance to feel like they are a part of something much bigger. Since the characters are silent, each person is feeling a connection which makes going through the world and playing with friends much more enjoyable.
While the other two games in theDead Spaceseries gave Issac a voice,Dead Spaceset the bar for how horror games don’t need to have the main character talking all the time. This created more immersion which makes things a lot better, albeitDead Space 2gave him a voice, but remained true to its core horror elements. What makes Issac Clark one of thebest silent charactersin gaming is that players will not only notice he’s voiceless but also will take in that he’s faceless, at least for the first entry in the series.
Because of this, players can approachDead Spacewith a blank slate, allowing them to get immersed from the get-go. Since players are fully immersed, the horror elements are now actually scarier, because the player can take their dread and fear and apply it to Issac, which makes everything more believable. SinceDead Spaceis getting a remastered version, whichis highly anticipated, new and old players can go back on new hardware and experience how scary a game can be once they sees themselves in the character.
2New Kid (South Park: The Stick of Truth)
RPG games are known for having the main character be silent because after all, it’s how the player interacts with the world that impacts the overall story, andSouth Park: The Stick Of Truthfollows suit with that. Not only isThe Stick of Trutha neat little package that players can beatin no time, but it also gives players almost complete freedom from how they look and what they do, which is a huge part of any RPG. This is a reason whyThe Stick of Truthis considered oneof the betterSouth Parkgames to date. Players are creating their own adventures as if they are that character, which is the goal for many players.
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TheStick of Truthis quite engaging and a good way to execute aSouth Parkgame by letting players interact with the characters as if they were there. This is also a good way of telling a story because it feels more personal for the player. Everything the player does inThe Stick of Truthfeels more personal, like having players with a different class will have a different experience than another class, soThe Stick of Truthgives people more choices and freedoms because they can easily act out how they want to within the game.
1Doom Guy (Doom)
Doom Guy does a real good job at giving players the armor and weapons while making them feel like they’re the ones killing the demons. Much like Issac Clark inDead Space,players can feel fully immersed inDoombecause of the character himself is a blank slate. Since Doom Guy says nothing throughout the game and doesn’t really have a personality, players can apply themselves to him and makeDoommore rewarding.
When players are going through the hordes of demons, they see themselves doing it which makes every defeat and every win much more impactful. Rather than Doom Guy doing the work, players are carrying the weight. When they see themselves in the character, that acts as a drive for the player to get better and play on a harder difficulty, which helps them get better at the game overall. Having a silent character that enforces the idea that playersare in fact the main character is more appealing and more worth it for players to beat.
